Wednesday 1 April at 7:30pm (GMT)
World Peace Card Meditation.
This group meditation involves thousands of people with the united focus of bringing peace to the world.
Participants are invited to meditate at the allotted time, for a suggested period of 15 minutes, using the cards, which contain images of specially-designed world peace grids.
For further information and World Peace Card download:
http://www.reiki.org/WPCM.html
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Friday, 27 March 2009
Earth Hour
Saturday 28 March, 8.30pm: Time to switch off in a gesture of concern over climate change.
Campaigners hope to get as many homes and businesses as possible in darkness for an hour.
Campaigners hope to get as many homes and businesses as possible in darkness for an hour.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Ancestors online
A new historical database of London gives access to millions of documents to help online users trace their ancestry.
The records date from the 1500's to early 20th century and are gleaned from a number of sources including parish registers, electoral rolls, school admissions and workhouses.
The records reveal the London roots of Britney Spears, giving details of her great grandfather, George Portell, who was married in Tottenham in 1923, while one of JK Rowling's ancestors, WR Rowling, appears in the Mile End marriage register for 1872.
The London Historical Records have been added by Ancestry.co.uk to their existing database of births, marriages and deaths, and can be accessed free for 14 days, after which time a subscription service applies.
The records date from the 1500's to early 20th century and are gleaned from a number of sources including parish registers, electoral rolls, school admissions and workhouses.
The records reveal the London roots of Britney Spears, giving details of her great grandfather, George Portell, who was married in Tottenham in 1923, while one of JK Rowling's ancestors, WR Rowling, appears in the Mile End marriage register for 1872.
The London Historical Records have been added by Ancestry.co.uk to their existing database of births, marriages and deaths, and can be accessed free for 14 days, after which time a subscription service applies.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Bubbly blondes go brunette
A growing number of blondes are reaching for the bottle to dye their hair brown, the latest research suggests, in the hope of being taken more seriously at work.
In a study commissioned by Superdrug, 62 per cent of workers said they thought brunettes looked more professional in the workplace than blondes.
"The study shows that brunettes seem to be taken more seriously, which is causing a rise in the number of fair-haired women dyeing their hair," said a spokesman.
Maybe some of them are just going back to their roots.
In a study commissioned by Superdrug, 62 per cent of workers said they thought brunettes looked more professional in the workplace than blondes.
"The study shows that brunettes seem to be taken more seriously, which is causing a rise in the number of fair-haired women dyeing their hair," said a spokesman.
Maybe some of them are just going back to their roots.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Jam tomorrow
Marks and Spencer have added a recession-busting jam sandwich to their range, priced at 75 pence.
What's next? The credit crunchy peanut butter buttie?
(I might just buy that.)
What's next? The credit crunchy peanut butter buttie?
(I might just buy that.)
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Got any good ghost stories?
To take part in a survey on ghostly experiences, and find out more about spooky stuff, go to: http://www.scienceofghosts.com/
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Barbie turns 50
She's just turned fifty, but she's wearing well – thanks to being fashioned out of the kind of plastic which needs no surgery.
Love her or hate her, Barbie is undeniably a significant cultural icon of our times. To some, this doll represents an adorable image of femininity, to others, she is a loathsome symbol of body fascism.
Her feet are forever on tiptoe, to accommodate the highest of heels. No sensible walking shoes for her. Her legs are long but, in standard models, unbending. Only special models like Disco Barbie get to flex their knees.
Her lips are pink and pouting, her bland expression non-threatening, her blue eyes slightly glazed. Her breathtaking hour-glass figure would be the envy of Victorian maidens squeezed into rib-crushing corsets of the kind that used to bring on fainting fits.
The average woman may curse her plastic perfection, but some little girls still love her, from her long synthetic hair down to her shiny stilettos.
There are fears that such children could be brainwashed into thinking that blonde, busty and leggy is the ideal feminine form, leading to low self-esteem, anorexia and other disorders if they don't measure up, but surely this is taking the doll's influence too seriously.
Mattel may have created a model of monstrous proportions, but it's far-fetched to claim that her image sullies the innocence of little girls, who see her merely as a pretty plaything, not as a symbol of something more sinister.
If there is anything dangerous about her it must be her annoying accessories, which are often strewn around the floor during play and are small, pointy and particularly painful if trodden on.
Equally irritating are her tiny tops and skin-tight trousers, which are so fiddly that little fingers can take them off, but not put them on again, leading to a glut of naked plastic limbs sticking out of the toy box in a still life orgy.
When Barbie is stripped of her clothing, we can see just how anatomically incorrect she is: Look, no nipples. And below the waist, a strange lacy pattern which doubles for a pair of knickers.
Barbie may be appear to be built in the image of a teenage boy's fantasy, but as a sex symbol she is a disappointment. Strip her down to the bare essentials and there is something lacking. You can dress her up any way you want, but she'll never be more than a dumb bland clothes-horse.
Love her or hate her, Barbie is undeniably a significant cultural icon of our times. To some, this doll represents an adorable image of femininity, to others, she is a loathsome symbol of body fascism.
Her feet are forever on tiptoe, to accommodate the highest of heels. No sensible walking shoes for her. Her legs are long but, in standard models, unbending. Only special models like Disco Barbie get to flex their knees.
Her lips are pink and pouting, her bland expression non-threatening, her blue eyes slightly glazed. Her breathtaking hour-glass figure would be the envy of Victorian maidens squeezed into rib-crushing corsets of the kind that used to bring on fainting fits.
The average woman may curse her plastic perfection, but some little girls still love her, from her long synthetic hair down to her shiny stilettos.
There are fears that such children could be brainwashed into thinking that blonde, busty and leggy is the ideal feminine form, leading to low self-esteem, anorexia and other disorders if they don't measure up, but surely this is taking the doll's influence too seriously.
Mattel may have created a model of monstrous proportions, but it's far-fetched to claim that her image sullies the innocence of little girls, who see her merely as a pretty plaything, not as a symbol of something more sinister.
If there is anything dangerous about her it must be her annoying accessories, which are often strewn around the floor during play and are small, pointy and particularly painful if trodden on.
Equally irritating are her tiny tops and skin-tight trousers, which are so fiddly that little fingers can take them off, but not put them on again, leading to a glut of naked plastic limbs sticking out of the toy box in a still life orgy.
When Barbie is stripped of her clothing, we can see just how anatomically incorrect she is: Look, no nipples. And below the waist, a strange lacy pattern which doubles for a pair of knickers.
Barbie may be appear to be built in the image of a teenage boy's fantasy, but as a sex symbol she is a disappointment. Strip her down to the bare essentials and there is something lacking. You can dress her up any way you want, but she'll never be more than a dumb bland clothes-horse.
International Women's Day
Today is International Women's Day. The celebration began in honour of women's economic, social and political achievements, and the date was declared a holiday by the United Nations. It is still an official holiday in a number of countries, and has become a more general celebration of womanhood.
When an International Men's Day is declared, we'll know that feminism has finally made sufficient progress.
When an International Men's Day is declared, we'll know that feminism has finally made sufficient progress.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Kepler telescope sets off to seek out new worlds
Nasa has launched a powerful telescope into space with the aim of seeking out planets which could support life.
Kepler, named after a German 17th-century astrophysicist, has set off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a three and a half year mission to scan the galaxy for signs of potentially habitable planets.
Kepler, named after a German 17th-century astrophysicist, has set off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a three and a half year mission to scan the galaxy for signs of potentially habitable planets.
Monday, 2 March 2009
Marmalade's future may be in shreds
Marmalade used to be the traditional preserve of the British breakfast table.
But the popularity of Paddington Bear's favourite sandwich filler is on the wane and could be in danger of being usurped by orange jam.
Marmalade is traditionally made from the Seville orange with its signature bitter-sweet taste, and peel added for extra bite, but the jam is a blander version, made from ordinary eating varities of orange.
One man has vowed to fight through thick-cut and thin to conserve his favourite preserve.
"The greatest threat to marmalade is the failure of most manufacturers to market it successfully to a younger audience," says Steve Jones, who extols the glories of Golden Shred and other well-known brands on his website, Marmaland.
www.marmaland.com
But the popularity of Paddington Bear's favourite sandwich filler is on the wane and could be in danger of being usurped by orange jam.
Marmalade is traditionally made from the Seville orange with its signature bitter-sweet taste, and peel added for extra bite, but the jam is a blander version, made from ordinary eating varities of orange.
One man has vowed to fight through thick-cut and thin to conserve his favourite preserve.
"The greatest threat to marmalade is the failure of most manufacturers to market it successfully to a younger audience," says Steve Jones, who extols the glories of Golden Shred and other well-known brands on his website, Marmaland.
www.marmaland.com
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