anja merret

It’s a rare occasion when a news headline in the New York Times catches my eye. With so much coverage on the war on Iran (not a typo) or Obama’s road show which the Germans are not that happy with ones eyes tend to glaze over. Then there are copious reports on McCain’s latest statements which are not that bright and makes one wonder whether he could after all be presidential material. Oh and lets not forget the doom and gloom in the economy.

The report in question provides a fairly neutral discussion on a recent ruling by the highest administrative court in France, denying a woman the right to French citizenship.  The reason the woman did not receive her citizenship, although her husband is French and she has been living in France for several years, is because she is perceived to be a radical in her practice of Islam by wearing a full veil.

Could the wearing of the niqab, the facial veil that only exposes the eyes of the face of the person to the outside world in conjunction with a full body covering, be so offensive that it became the reason a citizenship was denied? This topic amongst other issues brought on by cultural and religious differences of immigrants to Europe are hotly and emotionally debated by all sides.

The French court ruled that the woman was not sufficiently assimilated into the culture of France in that the niqab represents a symbol of the suppression of a woman’s rights and submission to her male relatives.

On the other hand, the ruling could be in line with the law introduced four years ago that banned religious clothing in public schools. Possibly the issue is more against fundamentalist religion rather than protecting a woman’s rights. After all earlier this year a court in Lille annulled a marriage on request of a Muslim husband whose wife had lied about being a virgin.  That ruling hardly puts the rights of a woman first.

No matter what the issue could be, the question still remains a difficult one to find an answer to. As a woman I experience a real pang of pity every time I see a woman draped from head to toe with only the eyes visible. I imagine what her life must be like.

Of course not every muslim male is a dictator and it is probable that most women are treated well within the family and the marriage. But what about those that are not. They do not have a chance to escape. The number of honour killings reported on and prosecuted in the UK are quite substantial and these are the ones that are noticed. In many cases young women disappear and nobody bothers to report it.

Besides physical and emotional abuse a woman may suffer at the hands of her husband and family, the fact that she is a slave is what really gets to me. No doubt there are women that find this enslavement acceptable, having been brain washed from birth that this is a tradition and religion she needs to follow.

But what about the young intelligent girls, growing up in European countries who are denied education and a chance to make their mark. They are condemned to marriage and child care with no option of another kind of life. This is not to say that marriage and child care is all bad. It is the lack of choice that gets to me.

On the other hand, the right to practice ones religion in whatever form is also something I feel quite strongly about. This in spite of the fact that I don’t believe that formal religion has necessarily been in the best interest of the ordinary folk. Alone the catholic church for instance has its immense wealth to thank for the fact that sins are paid off with money which the church collects. I haven’t seen a bank account in the name of JC as yet, but could be wrong.

It is the choice of everybody to be allowed to believe in whatever they wish and hope that it makes them happy. This includes polygamous sects and Scientology. As long as the person following the religion has a choice to leave, without fears to their personal safety, they should be able to believe in anything.

That said, it seems to me that often the religions that inflict the most restrictive norms on their followers tend to enforce the submission of the woman to the males in her family whether husband or other.

Just the way the followers worship is a clear indication as to how many rights the women have. In the most restrictive religions, women are either not allowed into the mosque or only into the upstairs gallery of the synagog. Even in supposedly enlightened Europe, the Church of England voted to consecrate women as bishops only as recently as July 2008.

Women have fought hard and long for the rights they have. And these rights are not enough as yet.  Women, for instance, still do not earn equal salaries for equal work never mind being able to break through the ever present glass ceiling.

The final dilemma that I face in trying to make sense of the religion and civilisation conundrum is whether one should drag the obedient and submissive women screaming and scratching into a life of opportunity and choices? After all, social science studies have shown that too many choices doesn’t necessarily lead to greater happiness. They could be better off in their restrictive religions after all.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A great Blog Carnival presentation as usual awaits your reading pleasure. Have fun!

The first entry was received by GP with the post ‘Run Horses Run’. ‘Did the morning run up to Kronenberger’s ranch this a.m. with a Manker dog in pacing mode. I’m always amazed by his herd.’ GP presents Run Horses Run posted at Innstyle Montana- Your Home on the Range.

I’m not sure what to think of this but recently we saw this in someone’s front yard in our neighborhood. Keith Wick writes Signs of Barack Obama posted at Weith Kick.

My partner and I went from Myrtle Beach to Savannah a couple of weeks ago. We got there on a tank of gas, but on the way back I had to fill up the tank again. At that time gas was still under four dollars…Neil Benson presents That’s Not Laughing Gas You’re Buying posted at Sense and Nonsense.

I’m sure at one time or another you’ve thought of a good idea or invention that would make life easier, more enjoyable, or safe.  Ralph Jean-Paul writes How to Think Like a Visionary posted at Potential 2 Success.

Yesterday I was frustrated, and so I decided to do an automatic writing exercise to try to get to the root of my problem. I was worried about money…Andrew Heath presents Love and Riches posted at Andy.

Just got back from Yakushima. It was so FUN! The pic above is me standing in an ancient, ANCIENT, breath-taking forest in the midst of this tiny, mysterious island. Rebecca Suzanne Dean presents Just got back from Yakushima- Had a blast! posted at Rebecca Dean.

Going back to my frugal learning roots, I ran across this information while reading Amy Dacyzyn’s Tightwad Gazette books long ago, then followed them up with an acquired copy of Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robinson and her now-deceased husband, Joe Dominguez. Wenchypoo presents The Fulfillment Curve: An Ultimate “Enough” Alarm posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

According to an article in The Boston Globe, written by Carolyn Y. Johnson and published on March 9, 2008, our “empty moments are being saturated with productivity, communication, and the digital distractions offered by an ever-expanding array of slick mobile devices.” Susan Gaissert presents I Try to Be Bored as Often as Possible posted at The Expanding Life.

I mentioned Gary Vaynerchuk on this blog not too long ago. He’s a very successful businessman who’s probably the opposite of Tim Ferris… he works a TON. Stephen Dean writes Gary Vaynerchuk posted at Stephen Dean’s Copywriting And Internet Advertising Blog - Copywriter.

Evolution is dead. Well, not quite. And only natural evolution is dying. Phil for Humanity states Evolution is Dead << Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity.

MamaGeek presents We Have ARRIVED. In Bedrock. posted at What Works For Us.

The smallest unit of life is a cell when life is defined as the ability to replicate oneself. An argument can be made for prions and viruses to be the smallest units of life and although they are able replicate themselves, they are unable to do so without a host. Katrina Cain presents What is the Smallest Unit of Life? posted at What is the Smallest.

The picture of the Hindu God that Barack Obama carries for good luck, This is the photo that is igniting a firestorm of controversy all over the internet. Michael Snyder presents The Picture Of The Hindu God That Barack Obama Carries For Good Luck posted at Shattered Paradigm.

Sometimes life answers our questions in most unexpected ways. I had been reading about dreams and true purpose in life for a long time. Avani presents Experiencing Life posted at Avani-Mehta.

Finding a roommate that you don’t already know or that was not referred to you from a friend can be a daunting task. Matthew advises How to Find a Roommate posted at Conservatives and Normals . Com - The Blog.

With my last foray into Quasi-Shakespearean Home Maintenance Verse having done so much to raise the cultural density of this otherwise highly penetrable site, my first thought upon completing my latest household chore was of course: “There must be someone who would have done this for $8 an hour.” Brent Diggs presents Powersaw Poetry - A Toothsome Tale of Love posted at The Ominous Comma.

Over lunch recently, I told a very dear friend, “I feel as though I have emerged from a very long and very dark tunnel. And the light out here is extremely bright. My eyes have to get adjusted to it.”  Hopeful Spirit writes Breaking Back into the Light posted at On the Horizon.

Today’s daily problem that I will try to solve is what to do when your bored. Alexis presents What to do when your bored posted at Daily Problem Solver.

Recognition programs and incentive programs are both way of rewarding results, but do you know the difference between the two?   Jose DeJesus MD presents Creating Incentives and Recognizing Excellence in Your Employees posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Dr. Joseph Biederman, a psychiatrist who seems to have secretly taken $1.6 million dollars in funding from drug companies whilst conducting experiments with psychotropic drugs on children, has been involved in a study to discredit the herb St. John’s Wort. William Peeters presents Fraudulent Study Discredits Herbal Remedy posted at EmbracingHealthBlog | Alternative Health and Lifestyle Views.

We meet at the Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. I am carrying bundles of wire coil and a three-pronged claw hammer that looks to be from the Hundred Years’ War. P.L. Frederick presents Norris Gaynor, I Found Your Pen posted at Small & Big.

When a recurring topic comes up in the news I enjoy hearing what other countries are saying about the same topic. This has always fascinated me. Cindy King presents Can You Learn From International Social Predictions On Rising Gas Prices? posted at Cindy King.

Previously, I have talked about my mental concept of resetting, where you contemplate that the present moment is new and unattached to the past - like a new game, the score is “reset” to 0. Praveen presents Peanuts Zen: Linus Explains Resetting to Charlie Brown posted at Tao of Simplicity.

Haven’t you ever got this feeling that you should stop moving forward, and turn back and see what your past is doing without you? That question doesn’t even make sense, so don’t even think about it.  Fruitpunch presents Too far to turn back posted at Fruit Punch Diary.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Quick Story & Other Verse (Limerick & Haiku Prompt) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

I hold the belief that one’s outward experiences will be reflected as a result of inner thoughts and beliefs.  I didn’t always know this to be true which was very evident in how much of a victim mentality I had. Kathleen Gage presents Why’s everyone always picking on me? posted at Daily Awareness.

It is break time, and I have gone outside to sit on a bench next to some beautiful plants. As I sat there, relaxing, I would watch the bees a few feet away pollenating the flowers.  Ametrine refelcts Take Time To Look At The Flowers And Bees posted at Ways To Simplify.

We were not the only children in the world who failed to play with our pets as much as we should have. Enchanted by dreams of fur and fluff, we begged to be given a rabbit or puppy or chick, but the realities of caring for a pet every day were not quite as we had imagined. Magnolia presents Play With Our Pets posted at Things We Should Do Better.

Someone on a message board I frequent brought up a fascinating issue.  Like me, “Poster With Headscarf” (not her real pseudonym) is one of those parents who is rigorous about sheltering her kids from the media, including Disney — even the Disney she calls “happy Disney,” i.e., Robin Hood or The Aristocats. Adso of Melk presents What?s Your Personal Cr** List? posted at Lorem Ipsum.

Hello and welcome to my very first post on our new blog. My path to fitness is a website created just for you, no matter how old you are, no matter how fit or unfit you are, whether you are interested in senior fitness or baby boomer fitness, or just plain interested in living longer and living better. Mike Remer presents Is STRESS Real? | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog.

Its never too late to have a new beginning. What a relief to know… What I am talking about here is starting your day as a new beginning. Dawn Abraham Life Coach presents Its never too late to have a new beginning posted at Qualified Life Coach.Com.

I shall begin today’s blog entry with a simple but profound question: “How connected are you?” Arin Vahanian presents Why We Are All Connected To Each Other posted at Super State.

I’m an admitted work-a-holic. It’s easy. Since I love writing, work feels stimulating and joyous. I also consider myself a play-a-holic at times too.  Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Are You Into F & M? posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat.

People think that life is a puzzle to be solved. They believe that there are specific solutions to all of life’s problems. David B. Bohl presents The Puzzle of Your Life posted at Slow Down Fast Today!.

It seems the skies above Britain are a hotspot for UFO sightings. According to top secret government “X Files” opened to the public for the first time this week, over 200 sightings were investigated by the Ministry of Defence in the last year alone.  Naomi Stevens presents The truth is out there as MOD release details of Brisith X Files posted at Diary From England.

When we assess a value to another’s action, belief or behavior (i.e. to say it is good or bad, should be punished or rewarded), we are actually attempting to place on that person at least a portion of—if not the sole—responsibility for the actions or our thoughts that we have chosen to exercise toward that individual.  CG Walters presents Own Your Actions posted at Into the Mist.

In the news this week, an Australian study has shown that there has been a significant drop in breast cancer rates that can be attributed directly to women stopping HRT therapy after warnings of a link came out a few years ago. Leisa Wheeler presents Breast Cancer and HRT posted at EmbracingHealthBlog | Alternative Health and Lifestyle Views.

I enjoy a good chuckle. But this new item didn’t make me laugh: High Heels For Babies Apparently, others feel like I do as well. Dr. Deborah Serani presents High Heels for Babies? posted at Dr. Deb.

When I think of companies that “get” trust, marketing / advertising / communications / PR companies are not first to my mind.   Charles H. Green presents A Marketing Company that Gets It on Trust posted at Trusted Advisor Associates.

Move to NYC, start your dream company, work your butt off, have lots of fun, do what you love. Chris Bick, 1/2 of the design duo behind the super fun empire known as fred flare (Keith Carollo makes up the other half), gives us the inside scoop of how the pair created their dream company. TheLifeLessTraveled presents How to Start Your Dream Company, Founders of Fred Flare Share Their Story posted at The Life Less Traveled.

I would like to make a request of all the computer manufacturers in the world: Please create a computer that I can insult. Rhonda Jones presents Maybe It?s Best If Our Desktops Can?t Tell Us What They Think posted at The Independent Author.

After a recent US Court ruling which basically said that a parent can hit a child, blawgosphere’s been replete with posts about the legality of using corporal punishment to discipline a child.  nandita presents Disciplining Children posted at Cold SnapDragon

I was talking with someone this week about the power of forgiveness for both the person who has acted to be forgiving and the person who feels they have been forgiven. Here are five quotes on forgiveness. Louise Manning presents Five quotes on forgiveness posted at The Human Imprint.

It wouldn’t be an earth-shattering revelation if I were to tell you that there are varying degrees of relationship compatibility, would it? Some relationships are meant to be close.  Others aren’t. Ari Koinuma presents Ideal Distance in All Relationships posted at Our Best Version.

“No matter how close or how far, we all live next to someone, and we all have a Next-Door Neighbor story,” says Dean Haspiel, editor of the Next-Door Neighbor series at SMITH Magazine. With that in mind, Haspiel asked favorite storytellers and cartoonists to collaborate on a series of true neighbor tales. sarah presents Next-Door Neighbor stories at SMITH Mag (and from my old blog) posted at SARAHSPY.

I haven’t had a flying dream in awhile and I wish I would. Flying dreams can be exhilarating or frustrating depending on the dream scenario. Phylameana presents Fly Away With Me posted at About.com Holistic Healing.

This is the cover of a catalogue I received in the mail a while ago. It was one of four catalogues advertising gardening equipment, such as ride-on mowers and other goodies for people with big backyards. April Hollands presents More French Imagery posted at Le Franco Phoney.

Did you know that people who meditate regularly are more happy and successful than the rest of the population? Michael Miles presents The Silva Mind Control Method posted at Effortless Wealth and Abundance.

I apologize for not posting in a while! I’ve been very busy and as I’ve said before, some times you need to stop and smell the roses! Matthew writes Five Steps to Being More Productive posted at Conservatives and Normals . Com - The Blog.

A friend of mine likes to wear a top with this slogan on. Slightly sexually suggestive, yet so subtle you have to be younger than forty to understand it; this is a slogan I wouldn’t proudly display on my chest. William Guzzo presents “The Ensnaring Web of the Internet” posted at The Random Thoughts of a 17 Year- Old.

As yard sale experiences go, Saturday was just about perfect. The weather was beautiful and I not only found exactly what I was looking for, I scored a killer deal on it. Donna Freedman presents Put down the dog statue: Lessons from a yard sale posted at Smart Spending.

After waiting 24 hours in the emergency room at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, a 47-year-old woman falls out of her chair and onto the floor. The other patients don’t move. Leslie Carbone presents Kings County Hospital Ignores Patient to Death posted at Leslie Carbone.

Here I’m, sitting at the M__ Hotel Bar in Soho, sipping the most wonderful white chocolate martini while reading the crappiest chick lit (I’m in heaven!) when this guy starts chatting me up. Lily W presents You and your people posted at If only my English were better.

Since the projects have been shuffled, we lost Weird Office Guy to the new ISP project. But don’t have a telethon for us. There are plenty more where he came from.Eva Campbell presents Social Retardation fascinates me. posted at And another thing….

Often times when its time to create a list of some sort, or put things down on paper, you know random thoughts, people tend to fire up their computer and open up good old word. Mitesh Solanki presents Why Brainstorming on a Computer Can Ruin Your Results posted at Invent Creativity.

It’s impossible to be perfect all the time. From money management to life decisions, we’ve all made many mistakes in our lives. MoneyNing presents Move On From Our Mistakes posted at Money Ning.

Today is Vesak Day. Today marks the birth, enlightenment and final nirvana of the Buddha. Mum wants to go the temple to pray and bath the Buddha.  PinkTissue presents Diary of A Quirky Lady » Blog Archive » » Vesak Day and the China Sichuan Earthquake posted at Diary of A Quirky Lady.

Ugh! Why is it that in-laws always get on your nerves? Until we had Joseph, my wife and I both had a great relationship with each other’s parents. HarrowedParent presents In-Laws posted at Harrowed Parent.

The original mantra “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” as coined by Dr. Timothy Leary wound up forever associated with the hedonistic, self-absorbed, so-called counter-culture of 60’s Hippiedom (and all that still continues to shuffle down the same shambolic trail). KuleKat presents Turn on, tune in? Drop Dead! | KuleKat . com posted at KuleKat . com.

:: Suzanne :: presents overheard posted at :: Adventures in Daily Living ::.

As many of you may have noticed, I recently “diagnosed” myself with diabetes. The definition of diabetes keeps changing, but I think it is currently a fasting glucose level of 125 mg/dL or more. Weight Loss Dude presents Diabetes posted at Weight Loss Dude.

The other day I shuffled past my pet parrot’s metal cage and casually glanced at him. He looked up at me and smiled.  MBB presents The Future Demise and End Of Newspapers and Print Media posted at Money Blue Book.

Do you truly know yourself? Do you like the person you see? Would you like to become a better person? Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself. Surfer Sam presents Building Self Esteem. Skills for Self Improvement and Self Help ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends.

After visiting a lot of places in Srirangapatna we moved to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. It is about 4 kms. from Srirangapatna. Ranganathittu also spelt as Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is the abode of migratory birds from Siberia, Australia and North America. AdmirableIndia.com presents Bangalore to Mysore on Bike: Day 1: Part 2: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Brindavan gardens and Krishnarajasagara or KRS dam posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Popularity: 5% [?]

An article in the Independent on the human tragedy in Zimbabwe describes the abuses still carrying on against ordinary citizens. Zimbabweans have been, and in some cases continue to be, tortured and killed for supporting the MDC, the government opposition.

This article was published at the same time as African leaders’ condemnation of the illegal activities by Mugabe is conspicuous by its absence. Not that the rest of the world is doing anything else but blowing some hot air around.  Even the recent South African trade union efforts to demonstrate against Mugabe and his henchman did not make a ripple. I’m not even sure if they went ahead with their planned action.

But it was not the inactivity of political powers that caught my eye. One is surely immune to that by now.  It was a statement in the article that claimed that more than a hundred Mahindra vehicles have been purchased by the bankrupt state and distributed to the death squads.

For this Indian motor vehicle manufacturing company to permit its vehicles to get sold to the Zimbabwe government is on a par with the Chinese weapons that were or were not delivered to Zimbabwe a few months ago. One would imagine that a hundred vehicles sold would not go unnoticed. Would any other vehicle manufacturer have blocked a sale such as this, one wonders.

If one were to look to other companies who are assisting the Mugabe government in its genocide type activities then the net would be cast fairly widely. Does Coca-cola still sell its beverages in Zimbabwe? What about KFC, SABMiller, banks such as Barclays and Standard Bank continue to operate in the country. Does Pick ‘n Pay, one of the larger supermarket chains in South Africa, still have supermarkets in Zimbabwe?

I would imagine other international companies are still there such as Chubb, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, Toyota and Volkswagen. What about services providers such as KPMG or Ernst & Young. Some of these might not be represented in Zimbabwe anymore, but many more others will be. Then one reads that the huge South African media house Media24 printed Mugabe’s propaganda material recently. Anything to make a quick buck it seems.

During the final apartheid years in South Africa, what put immense pressure on the white government was the boycott of international companies. Barclays pulled out of South Africa, so did IBM as well as many others. The pressure of international companies not willing to do business contributed to the demise of this elitist and unjust government which also resorted to the odd underhand torture and murder form of persuasion.

How did these companies toe the line? It was through the pressure of ordinary people who were shareholders. Through their shareholders’ lobbying and voting these companies had to cut their losses and leave South Africa. I’m sure it must have cost Barclays or IBM a fair amount.

So, instead of complaining that political leaders are not doing enough, maybe the ordinary person out there does have some power to bring about change. We just have to get off our sofas, out of our comfort zone and instigate some of our own resistance. As consumers we can make a difference.

Popularity: 7% [?]

This really funny bit of Western Wisdom popped up in one of my social bookmarking collections. It’s all about this old wisdom that says when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, this article says that in business or in life generally we often try a myriad of other strategies with dead horses.

Some of these are to buy a stronger whip or trying to change riders. Somebody will determine that this is how we have always ridden this horse. There is also the option of appointing a committee, set up a quality control group, convene endless meetings, write a report or get an external consultant.

Or we change the feed for the dead horse, provide more managers, offer an incentive bonus for the jockey, ‘reboot’ the dead horse, rename the horse, increase the budget to improve the horse’s performance or approve more budget for advertising the dead horse.

So what would you consider to be a dead horse in our day and age? First on my list would be the petrol guzzling motor vehicle. This is a definite contender. And as much as almost everyone out there will totally disagree with me on this, the fact that we are running out of oil should be a huge clue that the petrol driven car is a dead horse.

Next on my list would be the DVD rental store near you. Online rentals will be king in the near future. It will be cheap to download a movie, play it a few times before it self-destructs. Talking about entertainment, TV as we know it now will be an old relic in the next few years. Only enjoyed by old timers of all ages who haven’t quite worked out how to consume their entertainment in a more modern way.

Talking about media, newspapers will be history. Definitely riding a dead horse there. And as for books? Book publishing will change. Printed books on demand will change the face of publishing. A book chain in the UK is introducing printers into their stores that can print out a book in seven minutes. Amazon, be afraid.

A further bit on media.  Advertising as we know it will have to change. No more TV remember. Advertising has to move into online and mobile and the approaches need to be totally different to what has been the norm in the past few decades. As it is so easy to ignore ads, advertising, according to the NMA, has to become so valuable as to appear to be a service.

Nuclear energy will be back. Yip, sorry about that dear environmentalists. There will be no option. Other energy sources have not proven to be efficient enough, as yet, to generate the kind of energy required by the global economy.

Talking about the environment, access to water will redefine the concept of scarce resource. Enjoy water flowing easily from a tap, it’s a dead horse waiting to happen. Barcelona has its drinking water shipped in. California has been announced a drought stricken disaster area and as for Australia and Africa - more disaster.  Put your money into desalination technology.

Scarce natural resources such as water and food leads me on to wars and weapons of mass destruction. War will be privatised and outsourced. Private security companies that are already providing safety to citizens because the police services are not up to scratch, will expand to provide security services to the nation and eventually will take over the function of the military.  Mercenaries are making a come-back.

In fact it will be the time for outsourcing. Still hanging onto that desk job? Start adding qualifications in new professions to make yourself more marketable. Profile yourself on LinkedIn and avoid silly pictures on Facebook.  Most importantly be aware that companies wishing to use your services will google your name to check on indiscretions and any other information they can find on you.

The face of employment is changing and it will affect you. Spending large sums of money to qualify your children so that they can find a job was already a dead horse ten years ago.  Can my child get a job with this qualification? Wrong question. You need to ask the question, will this skillset enable my child to market him/herself in the open contract/consulting market.

That’s just a random list of dead or soon to be dead horses. Some of these horses will be flogged for many years still. And possibly some will be buried quicker than anticipated such as the US Dollar as a the leading international currency. Anticipate some huge changes.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Did you know that mobile is considered to be the 7th mass media? In an excellent article on Communities-dominate, the argument is made emphatically. Here are some of the points.

These are the current mass media:- print, music recordings, movies, radio, TV and computer based internet. The mobile phone, at number seven, has a huge advantage over the others and that is it can actually participate in all of them.

That means one is able to read a newspaper or book on ones mobile, listen to music, watch movies, follow a radio program, watch TV or YouTube. And of course you can browse the internet. However, watching TV on a mobile is not the same as watching shows on the box. The same applies to browsing the internet. But a similar experience may be had nevertheless.

For businesses, what does the mobile phone bring to the marketing mix which is unique to it? The mobile phone is always on. Mobile phone users and owners do not switch their phones off. Not even in cinemas or concerts, much to the aggravation of all participants.

Mobile users are never far from their phones. They even sleep within easy reach of their phones. They walk holding the phone in the hand, or glued to the ear. The mobile phone user is attached to his gadget. Always.

Add to this that every owner/user may be identified by his or her telephone number. Through this identifyer, the mobile phone user may be tracked as to what his or her mobile phone purchasing activities are, what viewing and shopping preferences they have, what interests them and who they communicate with.

For marketers a huge plus with regards to the mobile phone must be that it has a built in payment mechanism. In fact in areas such as Africa, the mobile phone is used as a bank. Air time is sent from one mobile phone to another. And this air time may be redeemed as cash at mobile phone outlets. No banks are required.

Besides this, other payment systems may operate via a mobile phone. Click to buy without the cumbersome credit card number system may open whole new retail doors. As an example. so far 6 billion Dollars worth of ringtones have been bought and downloaded to mobile phones. That is some trading power.

Finally, the mobile phone represents one of the newest input tools around. We can phone our news to someone. We can text a message. We can take a photograph or video clip and send that through or download onto our computers. It is one of the quickest gadgets around to input information into and of course to send out as well.

Phone users can take a photo and bluetooth it onto their computer in seconds. Or they can take an image and immediately upload it onto flickr, e-mail or text it to another phone. It is one of the easiest telecommunications gadgets for dispersing data with.

And yet the mobile phone is not wonderful or better than broadband internet, TV or cinema for instance. However, it can handle these media elements in some form or other. What is required of marketers is an approach that understands its advantages and limitations as well as playing to its strengths.

What kind of mobile phone units are we talking about? Nokia alone ships one million phones every day of the year! The handset makers combined ship over a billion phones annually. For those of you still hanging onto the computer as the prime communications tool of this decade (not even talking about century here) the PC industry shipped 250 million PCs in 2007.

ITU data ’suggests that the number of mobile cellular subscribers surpassed the 3 billion mark in August 2007′. These phones are capable of capturing and playing back the other six more mature media types. Of course with some limitations sometimes. A tiny screen on a mobile phone will not be able to provide the same viewer experience as a cinema screen for instance.

One extraordinary bit of information is the fact that the mobile phone has led to the appearance of the most used data application on the planet i.e. SMS or Text. Hence the growth of Twitter. In Japan one can subscribe to a daily installment of a story to receive on ones mobile phone. ‘To be continued’ takes on a new meaning.

Because SMS is so immediate, it is preferred over e-mail. And due to its cost-effectiveness preferred over a phone call. Although the importance of the cost factor is a presumption I am making. The figures look something like this. 800 million active users of e-mail and 2.4 billion active users of SMS.

So, as a marketer, you still don’t think mobile is for you? And don’t shrug this question off because you are a one-man company, or your products/services do not serve a consumer market. You might just be missing the boat by not considering mobile when planning your marketing campaigns.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Have a look at this wonderful, and sometimes weird, selection of articles collected in the new Blog Carnival of Observations on Life. There is bound to be something that you will enjoy.

the baglady presents The Odd Disparity between Income and Quality of Life posted at The Baglady.

LifeBalanced writes about what to do when you’ve stretched yourself too thin and need to balance your life. LifeBalanced presents I’m Unbalanced! posted at Life Balanced.

One Talent Man presents Smitha O posted at ONE TALENT MAN.

Driving down the gravel road to the mailboxes and then a “stage right” to town, I saw an antelope staring at me. It was then that the thought occurred to me that the antelope outnumber the people in Montana. It’s almost guaranteed that in one day you will see more antelope than you will people. GP presents Walk with The Animals posted at Innstyle Montana- Come on Inn.

Stealth Johnson makes a hilarious, absurdist satire on life and the human condition. Stealth Johnson presents Visual Moral Equivalance posted at The House of Knod.

Fred Black presents Have we Forgotten posted at Fred Black: Internet Business Blog..

Mark Schauss presents Another Con Job by the President On Global Warming posted at Toxic World Blog - Detoxify and Heal Your Body.

James DeLelys asks: Who is Love? James DeLelys presents WORDS » Articles posted at WORDS.

Gerry Cueto presents Reversing My Sleep Schedule | Gerry Cueto posted at Gerry Cueto.

Theresa L. Twogood presents Big Picture Progressive Exposure posted at OLIN e-Book e-Publishing.

Phil for Humanity speculates that the Internet is more useful than television, however this means advertisers will concentrate much more with online ads than with television ads. Phil for Humanity presents The Television versus the Internet << Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity.

Jesse Roulette presents What is Motivation? posted at Jesse Hooper - One at a time.

Scott.Goolsby writes about Developing Compassion. Scott.Goolsby presents Stepping Toward Compassion posted at Unapologetic Genius.

Cory Albertson maintains that people often make mistakes when doing push ups that detract from their fitness goals. Cory Albertson presents Common Push-Up Mistakes posted at 1000 Pushups.

Eric has tips on making money, avoiding scams, growing money, and overcoming poverty. Eric presents Growing Money posted at Make Money Blog.

EcoSalon presents The Happiness Secret: You Already Have It posted at EcoSalon.

Tony Gibbs presents Birds Can Teach Us A Lesson or Two posted at Birds and Things.

jc wheeler: Here are some quotes from public figures regarding the use of the drug marijuana: “Make the most of the help India hemp seed, sow it everywhere!” ~George Washington. jc wheeler presents Responsible Quotes from Responsible People posted at Teen Drug Abuse blogs.

Lori Jewett: We can learn something from everything that happens in our lives. Even stomach viruses have something valuable to teach us. It’s true! Read my post and learn the easy way…the wisdom of the stomach virus. Lori Jewett presents The Wisdom of Illness posted at Between Us Girls.

Alex Blackwell presents The Secret to Life in One Sentence or Less posted at The Next 45 Years.

garry presents What is the Greatest Country In the World, My Country Of Course! posted at 2 Million Dollar Bills.

Neil Benson: Observations about life, politics, business etc. Neil Benson presents Know When to Hold Them and Know When to Fold Them posted at SENSE AND NONSENSE.

mBB presents Parking Wars Reinforces Why I Hate Tow Truck Drivers, Meter Maids, and Wheel Booters posted at Money Blue Book Finance.

Pinyo presents The Cost of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving posted at Moolanomy.

Tim Gary presents Habits and Success - Bad Driving… An Experiment (part 1) posted at Internet Success Bites.

Jirel presents From today I will posted at Positive and Successful Life Style tips.

Naomi Stevens presents BRITONS LOVE BUBBLY posted at Diary From England.

Avani presents Better Sorry Than Safe posted at Food For Mind.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode To An Absent-Minded Husband posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Asheesh Kumar: Learn to distinguish the signs of false labor. Asheesh Kumar presents False Labor - How To Read The Signs posted at Pregnancy Blog.

Tejvan Pettinger discusses the problem of ritualistic behaviour. Tejvan Pettinger presents Tying the Cat to the Bed and Missing The Essential posted at Sri Chinmoy Inspiration.

Patti Blevins presents Home Based Business Opportunity to Work At Home - Auto-Suggestion is Changing Lives posted at Patti Blevins.

Trevor McKay presents Gastric Bypass Surgery And The Food Police posted at All About Gastric Surgery.

AlexBo: The extraction of teeth is a commonly performed and generally safe procedure. For most people, the benefits - treatment of pain, decay and infection - are greater than any disadvantages. AlexBo presents The Most Traumatic Appointment in Dental Surgery - Tooth Extraction posted at Teeth Care and Dental Health.

Anya presents ATSCo (Association of Technology Staffing Companies) Members Conference, June 5th 2008 posted at Gavin Ingham.

Matthew presents Will You Marry Me? posted at Conservatives and Normals . Com - The Blog.

SJ Yee offers a great compilation of affirmations you can use in all areas of your life. SJ Yee presents 101 Affirmations You Can Start Using Today! posted at Personal Development for the Book Smart.

Margaret Garcia-Couoh presents The Icky Gooey List of Disgusting Things Only Parents Would Do… posted at Parenting Squad.

Brent Diggs presents The Harsh Demands of Internet Explorer posted at The Ominous Comma.

Sheila Danzig presents Fact and Fantasy: What is Distance Learning? posted at Degree Talk Blog.

Nancy Hayssen presents What Drains Your Soul? posted at “Sexy at ANY Size!”

Louise Manning presents Quotes about dignity posted at The Human Imprint.

Christina M. Rau: JetBlue and a bathroom. Christina M. Rau presents Only 2 Million? posted at Livin’ The Dream (One Loser At A Time).

Sam Carrara presents 10th Wedding Anniversary posted at Sam Carrara’s Marketing Education.

sarah presents Childhood snapshots re-created at Youngme / Nowme posted at SARAHSPY.

Chris presents Karaoke - dirty little secret or Asia’s favorite pastime? posted at nomad4ever.

Harrison asks you to take a look at how these once A-list stars attempted to get back on top with their cries for attention…Harrison presents Please Hire Me! 25 D-Listed Celebrities posted at CustomizedGirl Blog.

Matt Fleck presents Ponder This: 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006 posted at Ponder This.

Jenn Givler: Have you ever considered that your pet might be learning the same spiritual lessons as you? Talking to an animal communicator gave me new insight into my Sophie - and new perspective on my own journey. Jenn Givler presents The Things Pets Teach Us posted at Create a Thriving Business.

Michael Snyder presents Radical Depopulation Of The Earth - The Solution To Mankind’s Problems? posted at Shattered Paradigm.

nandita presents Searching for an Old Friend posted at Indian at Home

John Phillips: Girls now besting boys big time! John Phillips presents Boys vs. Girls: Reversal of Fortune? posted at The Word On Employment Law.

Joshua Seth presents Laptop Charger Travel Tip posted at Joshua Seth Blog.

Julie Bloss Kelsey presents Keep your mind open posted at Mama Joules.

Barbara Schreiber: Entertaining blog on jokes. Barbara Schreiber presents The World?s Funniest Joke posted at Britannica Blog.

Wenchypoo: No matter the ranting and raving about raising taxes, the truth is told in Hauser’s law–we all pay a fairly constant 19.5% rate, no matter how high or low the “official” federal tax rate is. Chart included in article. Wenchypoo presents Taxing the Rich? Hell, You Can’t Even SOAK ‘Em! posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Ari Koinuma: Here’s my thought piece on the challenges of becoming who you are meant to be in the current climate. I hope you enjoy it. Ari Koinuma presents Realizing Your Potential in a Society Not Built for It posted at Ari Koinuma.

SteveW: Changing how we look at death can help us lead more fulfilling lives. SteveW presents Don’t Fear the Reaper. posted at PurposePlansLife.

Kathleen Gage: or years I have consciously expressed my gratitude for what I have in my life. Amazingly, the more I express gratitude the more I have to be grateful for. It’s the Law of Attraction in action. The more one focuses on something the more one attracts what they focus on into their life. There was a time in my life that I didn’t believe I had much to be grateful for. It was in my late teens, early twenties. (Several decades ago). It was a very unpleasant time for me. Kathleen Gage presents Shifting to a State of Gratitude posted at Daily Awareness.

Paras Chopra presents The Purpose of Life posted at BioHacking.

Lisa Spinelli presents The Psychology of Money: “I Have to Have It”-The Impulse Purchase | Greener Pastures: Personal Finance posted at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance.

Andy Fletcher: Find enjoyment in a piece of cheesecake. The world has rabbit holes for everyone. Andy Fletcher presents Andy Fletcher’s Custom Trains Blog: Find Your Rabbit Holes posted at Andy Fletcher’s Custom Trains Blog.

Emore Ogho: We never know what lies ahead. Emore Ogho presents All for One and ??.. posted at Emog.

slee presents Learning by ear is easy…..well, not quite posted at Learning by Ear.

Richard P. McLaughlin has observations on life, and my wallet! Richard P. McLaughlin presents The Price of Gas posted at Oh, the Places You’ll Go.

Doreen Orion presents My Least Favorite Pair of Shoes posted at What Do You Want From Me? by Doreen Orion.

Ralph Jean-Paul: Who are these people who seem to overachieve at everything they do and how can you become more like them? Learn the skills and mindset needed in order to become a well rounded, multi-talented overachiever. Ralph Jean-Paul presents How to Be Good at Everything posted at Potential 2 Success.

Glowing Face Man: The Mirror Model of Reality. It states simply that the people we interact with mirror our own feelings and thoughts. Read about some of the applications and consequences of this enlightening model. Glowing Face Man presents The Mirror Model of Social Interaction posted at Glowing Face Man: Awaken the Badass Within.

David B. Bohl: I hope we all realize that no one is so far gone that they cannot be reached. David B. Bohl presents What To Do If Your Daughter ?Pulls a Britney? posted at Slow Down Fast Today!.

Lorraine Cohen: Learn the elements that improve relationships in all areas of your life. Lorraine Cohen presents Powerfull Living » 10 Qualities That Foster Trust & Safety In Relationships posted at Powerfull Living.

James D. Brausch presents A Child’s Letter posted at Internet Business Blog.

Fruitpunch presents Living in your own world posted at Fruit Punch Diary.

Woody Maxim presents What car are you? posted at Woody Maxim.

Richmond Bergner: Richmond Bergner presents Revitalisation of the soul and mind posted at The Game of Life.

Samir: Living in Dubai has its flashes of fantasy and its flashes of reality, and here are a few snippets. Samir presents Living in Dubai and Life Around the Watering Hole posted at Samir Bharadwaj dot Com.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Cash Before Treatment - The Crisis in Medical Care Funding posted at Physician Entrepreneur.

Stefanie Hutson presents Irrational Beliefs: The Strange Things We Hold Against Others posted at Vat19.com slash Blog.

Shirley: it’s true; work really is good for you. I’m not talking here about those 60-80 hours work-weeks that some crazy people call normal. No, I’m talking about the simple everyday demands of your daily job. The duties and tasks of business offer activity that occupies our minds and bodies, creating energy, learning and a sense of accomplishment. Shirley presents Work is Good For You. posted at Brighter Days for you and me!.

Stefanie S. Some strange products in the eco-friendly market, including silly things such as edible organic shoe polish. Stefanie S. presents Strange Eco-Friendly (?) Products posted at Focus Organic.com.

Shamelle presents Money And Processions: Breaking Free From The Materialism Trap posted at Enhance Life.

J. Karlin presents Powerful Yet Reasonable Goals posted at Marketing & Fundraising Ideas.

axel presents Spiritual Corruption posted at axel g.

Michael Miles presents Effortless Abundance » Blog Archive » Steps to happiness posted at Effortless Wealth and Abundance.

Arun: They sure have a funny way of teaching foreign languages in America. Arun presents Linguistics, Language, and Learning posted at Arun is Bringing You…Your Daily Remedy.

Talina Norris presents Burning bridges is a reoccuring theme these days! posted at Dirty Laundry Diva.

Andrew Heath: How do you live life to the fullest? Is there a secret? Sometimes you just need to shake things up. Andrew Heath presents Why Is Hillary Clinton Still In? posted at Rants of a Gay Lunatic.

Ellesse presents Can Self Hypnosis Really Help In Achieving Your Goals? posted at Goal Setting College.

Ella Moss presents CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY… posted at ZODIAC TIMES.

Dr. Joe Capista: Whether we know it or not, but many of us live in prisons of our own making. This prison has no physical presence or walls but it works effectively in keeping us away from our freedom. This prison has a name. It is called comfort zone. Learn how to find the freedom from the prison of your own comfort zone. Dr. Joe Capista presents Why Some People Do Not Get What They Truly Want posted at The Success Triangle.

Aparna presents Head implants to make a person taller posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.

Gabriela Baron presents A Child’s Letter posted at Internet Business Blog.

Mike Remer presents Is STRESS Real? | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog

Helen Bell: Observations made on a UK train. Helen Bell presents Carriage Psychology posted at Helb o’Rama.

P.L. Frederick: But before you run off to adopt a special four- or two-legged bestest friend, I urge you to consider something more. Something more-legged: namely, honeybees.. P.L. Frederick presents The Sweetest Pet Ever posted at Small & Big.

Brad Trnavsky presents Do you Fish! at work? posted at Sales Management 2.0 - Featured Blog Posts.

Carole G. McKay makes a personal reflection on a common mistake people make in relationships. Carole G. McKay presents Relationship Paradox posted at Gold Post-it.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Should you ever wonder what the intellectual capacity of social networking contributors and participants would be, then consider this. A picture of an anteater garnered 2 345 diggs, or votes, and 172 comments, within a matter of 23 hrs and 24 minutes.

With other words, the groundswell of opinion towards a picture of an anteater with a caption of “Fuck you I’m an Anteater” managed to collect an extraordinary number of votes and comments.

What does this mean? Well actually nothing really. At the end of the day, nothing has changed. The masses have a limited mental capacity. They have no interest in anything that could signify a level of intelligence above zero.

Today, while driving my daughter to a BBQ on the beach, we passed a group of young people in a park having a picnic. This was a wonderful idea, after all the UK is enjoying extraordinary weather. Who would have thought that 23 degrees could be a possibility in the UK in May.

As part of the picnic props of this group of people in the park a blow up rowing boat sat nestled on the lawn. A two seater number. We laughed as we drove past it and I cracked a joke about the fact that inevitably there would be somebody sitting in it and rowing. After all we are in mad England.

Low and behold when I drove past on the way home, there was actually somebody sitting in this blow-up row boat, in the middle of a park with no water or lake in sight, rowing with oars. In the air, in case you wondered.

So why should I be amazed that a picture of an anteater waving his arms in the air should collect an inordinate number of votes while wonderfully written stories and articles languish around the lower strata of Digg with five or twenty votes (they should be so lucky).

It does seem that the common denominator after all, whether in real life or in cyberspace, is regrettably very low and languishing at the feet of mankind, not even managing to rise to knee level. Oh dear. But no surprise really.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Question: what is it about governments, big business, institutions, non-profits, charities etc that they want to keep the poor poor? Alright, as generalisations go, this one is one of my better ones. Two articles that made me think this appeared in the media today.

The first one was in the Independent and discussed the farming revolution in Malawi. It described how Malawi has been able to turn around from being a country that needed food aid for five million out of twelve million of its citizens to one that is exporting food.

This was achieved by the new government, led by Bingu wa Mutharika, who supported its farmers by subsidising high-yield seed and fertilisers. With the benefit of state coupons the costs of these two essential ingredients to farming success were lowered dramatically.

The cost of the subsidy system to the state was £30m. Malawi’s donors refused to fund the programme, arguing that this would not help. They were wrong. From a yield of 1.2 million tonnes of maize in 2005, the harvest was 3.2 million tonnes in 2007. More than enough to cover local demand of 2.2 million tonnes.

The simplicity of this self-help programme should have made it obvious that it would succeed. This makes one wonder why donors would boycott the effort. Could it be that they really want Africa to stay poor and wish its people to starve? After all one can control the masses much more effectively if one controls the food supply.

Some of the many reasons voiced by the critics were stunningly stupid. The money could be more wisely spent on research. Yip, let’s do research while the people starve. Or what about - rich farmers would also benefit from the subsidies. But the trump card as always was the one about how this programme opened itself up to corruption.

The opinion that corruption is widespread in Africa is held by many. However, quite frankly, the African continent is but a babe in arms when it comes to corruption. Petty corruption would probably be the best description.

The truly awesome corruption is practiced by the developed world. In fact, corruption will follow where the real money is. And the real money is now in Europe. Forget about the Dollar, hello to the Euro. Two recent examples of this are Siemens and Liechtenstein. It’s worth checking the links.

The second article that made me ponder the topic of poverty today was by well respected South African marketer Chris Moerdyk. He submitted a letter, directed at heir-in-waiting to the SA Presidency Jacob Zuma, to the Mail & Guardian’s Thougthleader.

In this letter he discusses the petrol price rise in South Africa and that Mr Zuma had voiced some concern about the escalating fuel price. Chris Moerdyk is fairly skeptical that Jacob Zuma would do anything about the petrol price once President. The reason for this is that the government benefits immensely from a higher oil price.

Checking the figures it appears that the SA government gets a nice little 27.9% in taxes from the price of fuel. Add to that the other taxes that it levies on the industry involved such as transport, wholesale and retail operators and the windfall on higher oil prices is enough to make the Minister of Finance rub his hands in glee.

But that’s not all. The biggest con of all is SASOL. South Africa’s coal to oil producer charges the same prices as petroleum companies, although the cost of production of this fuel has not nearly increased at the same rate as oil has. Sasol doesn’t actually know what to do with the profits. There was talk of a special government levy….

It is therefore not entirely necessary for the petrol price in South Africa to be as high as it is. In fact not nearly that necessary. So what does the price of petrol have to do with the poor? They are the worst hit by it. Inevitably the poor live further away from work than the well off. This means that transport costs to work have escalated.

Transport costs will also impact heavily on food prices and other necessities such as fuel for heaters and cooking appliances. Most poor people, especially in Africa, cannot afford electricity. Not that the price of electricity is going to go down any time soon, or ever!

Some countries have already experienced riots because of the high cost of food. As this is being written food riots are happening in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Haiti’s food riots were the first. A Google search offers up 3 655 articles on food riots!

Would one be surprised to read that agribusiness multinationals are making billions in profit out of the growing global food crisis? Just one example is Montsano who reported in April 2008 that its net income for the three months up to the end of February of 2008 had more than doubled over the same period in 2007. Its profits increased from $1.44bn to $2.22bn.

Two articles on how the poor are being treated hardly supports a sweeping generalisation as made in the opening paragraph of this article. However, if one were to research this topic further, one would find a fair size body of articles and research that supports the position that the poor are getting poorer. Can one blame governments, big business, institutions, non profits or charities for this? Who else?

Popularity: 13% [?]

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake struck on December 26, 2004. It was the first time I had ever heard the word Tsunami. It’s a word that many people, myself included, will never forget. I was visiting my daughter in the UK. Not being at home at the time made the disaster somehow even worse.

One thing that amazed me during the time I was in the UK was how the English people mobilised themselves to collect money and any other form of aid they could think of. One had to stumble over many a mountain of bagged clothing outside Oxfam shops wondering what people in tropical climates would do with all these winter clothes. Still, it was the thought that counted.

Every shop we went into or pub we visited for a drink had competitions or collection buckets. Shopping malls had collection points. Bands were playing for donations to help Tsunami victims. The appeals that went out were mind blowing. Reading the newspapers at the time it was incredible to see by how far the UK population’s donations outstripped the government’s pledge. Final figures are around a staggering £330 million that the UK people collected.

And it is something I have noticed again since moving to the UK. The English people have a huge heart when it comes to collecting for the needy. The London to Brighton cycle ride is one big fund raiser for the Heart Foundation with thousands taking part and raising money through having their effort rewarded with sponsorships.

It’s wonderful to see this. Often one forgets that human beings are caring folk. We are so inundated with horrific tales of killings, torture and general crimes against humanity that we forget that every day many many people give small and touching bits of themselves to help others.

There are folk who help pick up dropped parcels, open doors for moms and their prams, offer up their seat on a bus, smile at each other and crack a joke. So many times the human interaction is kind and caring in small little ways.

Then of course there are the big gestures. The ones made by Nelson Mandela forgiving 27 years in jail to build a new nation. Or there was Mother Theresa who spent a life time helping others in dire need. Muhammad Yunus who founded Grameen Bank to lend unsecured tiny bits of money to the poor to enable them to earn a living for themselves and their families.

In between these two groups of people, the ones making the small gesture and those with the huge statements, there are thousands of people who make their own big steps. They apply themselves to making a difference by doing something beyond the call of duty.

One such person is Simon Forbes. Simon has decided to make an extraordinary effort to raise money for RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association). On May 24, 2008 he is cycling from London to Paris. Considering Simon is not Tour de France material, this is an amazing effort and besides the days spent in the saddle during the event, he has also been donating his spare time to training efforts.

Simon’s family has been involved in RDA for several years, so for him this is a personal project. For most people collecting funds for the RDA would probably not register on their personal Richter scale of emergency funding requirements. After all there are many many charities and NGO’s who are feeding starving people or sheltering AIDS orphans who surely require funding more urgently.

But that’s not the point for me. I support Simon because he represents for me that human characteristic that is the good part. He’s making a huge effort to collect funds to make the lives of disabled people a little more comfortable as well as giving them the opportunity to have great fun.

It’s this kind of action that restores in us our faith in mankind. And we need that faith restored on a daily basis. Every media screams at us with tales of horror. Innocent people are caught up in wars. People are cheated out of their homes by banks, taken for a ride by unscrupulous corporations or overtaxed by their governments.

Isn’t it wonderful to see a person do something great for a change. It’s enough to restore our faith in the goodness of people never mind that we get a warm fuzzy feeling at the thought.

In a way, by donating money to his cause, I can join in with his efforts and state that humans aren’t all bad. We can do good stuff too. Simon’s just doing the hard work for me this time around, which I am mighty thankful for not being particularly sporty anymore.

So why don’t you consider contributing too. It’s really easy at http://www.justgiving.com/simonforbes. It will take ten minutes if you read the terms and conditions, less if you don’t. I timed it. Incidentally Just Giving is a great web 2.0 idea. Harnessing the power of the web for the good of mankind, truly wonderful to see that.

Join me in applauding one person’s effort to make a difference. By getting together we can truly make a bigger difference. So let’s do that. Let’s remind ourselves that humans are special and that we care about their well-being. To read about RDA visit their website. To donate go here. Please do. It will be immensely appreciated.

Popularity: 15% [?]