Myopic Vision

(Written during the Lebanon-Israeli war of 2006)  The anguished cry of the innocents shrouds the stillness of the night. The souring stench of death, the blood from their slaughter Seep through and stain the veil of the satin moonlit sky A country in turmoil, caught up in a battle it did not want to fight As murderous intents reign supreme, they harvest not heroes but killing machines Lessons from the past are ignored. The rabid campaign carries on. Who counts the bombs, the missiles, the precious lives lost? Is this a battle for freedom or the beginning of a new Holocaust?

Greetings from Helsinki, Finland - the land of the midnight sun. And I have to say, the sun has been out well past midnight on most days. I should ideally be in bed since I've been suffering from a bad cold, fever and delhi belly. But all of that has not stopped my penchant for rambling. I've sailed along the wonderful Helsinki Archipalgo several times now and I have to say the views are specatular. Helsinki is made up of about 314 little islands. The Helsinki zoo is on one of them and has Europe's only snowleopards(or so they claim). The market square is colourful with people selling fresh fruits, vegetables, ready cooked food like reindeer and fish, plenty of fresh fish here, some of it being sold on boats. My dad would love this place There are also vendors selling handpainted artifacts and handicrafts. Even reindeer skins and furs are a plenty here. The Suomenlina fortress is amazing and well worth the trip. I went into a World War II submarine and I felt so sorry for t...

As I watched the horrific images from Mumbai yesterday on the news, I was deeply saddened. Although I now permanently reside in New Zealand, I was born and raised in Mumbai. I lived in the suburb of Mahim, where one of the bombs exploded yesterday. Images of Mahim are in all the newspaper and television reports. Mahim has always been a volatile area, particularly during communal rioting. I've witnessed first hand the riots of 1991/92 and the bomb blasts of 1993. And I can tell you that the images from yesterday's bombings, are as lurid and macabre as they appear. Terrorism is certainly not a new phenomenon in Mumbai. For years, India has grappled with cross-border and internal terrorism. What is alarming, however, is the confounded ease with which terrorists seem to be planning and successfully executing their strikes. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks yesterday. Both the suspected militant groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and the banned Students Islamic Movement of I...

I was really disgusted early in the week when I read about Keith Macdonald. He is the scrounging 21 year old who is about to become a dad for the 7th time. Since the age of 13 he's been breeding like a rabbit - 7 kids with 7 different women, all of whom he has abandoned. He boasts of not having paid a single penny towards child support. Yet he callously dismisses any suggestions that he is an irresponsible parent. And he insists his children will be well provided for………WITH BENEFITS. Macdonald is a convicted criminal who gets a weekly allowance from income support. He spends all his time and OUR HARD EARNED MONEY on poker machines at game arcades. It is estimated the cost of supporting his seven kids until they are 16 will be £1 million - a bill that will be footed by the taxpayer. And I have to ask the question WHY?? Why is it that an able bodied young man, perfectly capable of producing children, is allowed to scrounge on the state? Explaining his decision not to support any...

A few votes from man tomorrow = Giant repercussions for whales An important vote in the Caribbean tomorrow, at the gathering of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will decide the fate of the great mammals of the oceans - the whales. Tomorrow's vote is a power struggle between pro-whaling nations and the countries that condemn the practice. Leading the fight against whaling, are nations like New Zealand and Australia. Where as Japan, Norway, Iceland and other smaller island nations are hoping to gain a majority and thereby continue with their archaic and inhospitable killing of whales. Over the past 20 years Japan , Norway and Iceland have all still been hunting the great whales in defiance of the roughly 20 year international moratorium on their killing. They are also on a course to gain control of more than 50 per cent of the votes at the gathering tomorrow. The anti-whaling nations used to hold a controlling majority of the IWC votes, but Japan has craftily mustere...

So the long anticipated FIFA world cup kicks off today with a match between Germany and Costa Rica. I work in a large global bank and am surrounded by footy mad fans, most of whom come from Germany, Italy, Iran and France - all participating nations. So needless to say, the office is adorned with a variety of flags. One of the German Managers came in dressed up in his nations colours and handed out gummy bears. Now that really speaks volumes about National Pride. There is no escaping Footy Fever here in London where everyone and their mad dog seems to be swept up in a wave of euphoric anticipation. I'm not sure as to who I want to win the cup but I know my top 4 and in no particular order are Germany, Italy, England and Brazil. Oh it's going to be so exciting. gutes Glück Deutschland. Spiel Gut Heute

As my train drew to a slow halt at Edinburgh’s Waverly station on Monday afternoon, I could almost instantly, feel the difference in the air. I had left England four and a half hours earlier and was greeted, upon my arrival, by a tremendous outpouring of what the Scots like to call "LIQUID SUNSHINE" With that sort of optimistic take on the weather, one certainly does not get too perturbed about the lack of sunshine. In fact, I felt, oddly refreshed and ready to explore this historic land. From its cobblestone streets, to museums and gardens, its many monuments and of course its castles, Edinburgh is simply one of the most architecturally astonishing cities, I have ever visited. Like any other tourist, I was a bit awestruck. I took in the usual sights of the city like the famous Edinburgh castle- which is really worth a visit, the Princes Street Gardens, Camera Obscura and museums. Sadly, I did not have time to visit the zoo, but I heard it is really good and has Europe's...

I've been spending the day at East Dulwich, helping the local LIBERAL DEMOCRACTS (Lib Dems) with their canvassing. I'm not overly political, but I confess that I do have a motive for wanting to see the Lib Dems do well. My cousin Mark, is the local council chair and is a candidate for the Village Ward. The Lib Dems have been canvassing with a passion this year. I beleive that they started their rounds at half past five this morning. Now that is dedication. You won't catch me doing anything at that hour. I've done a few rounds of canvassing with my cousin Mark and the general outlook seems fairly positive. People have certainly noticed and made mention of the work of the Party. Time will tell how their fare at the polls, though I have to say, they have worked really hard with their campaign. Whatever the outcome, they will definately have done a lot better than they've ever done before. And so they have everything to gain. It is a long day and a longer night ahead. I...

I was appalled to hear Patricia Hewitt describe the NHS as having 'its best year ever'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but ever since I've been here all I've read about is how poor the state of the NHS is. I've read that nurses are being made redundant in their thousands, debts are escalating out of control and that many hospitals have to close some of their wards. Now if this is her description of a healthy NHS, then I shudder to think of what the 'bad years' will look like. I can only come up with 4 possible reasons for her comments. She is living on another planet. (I'm sure a lot of people wish she would leave the UK and move there permanently) She is being ill advised by her department. However, I find this a bit far-fetched as we live in an age of awareness, where information is readily available. She is attempting to camouflage the real issues, which she knows are not just disastrous, but have arisen because of her ill-planned policies. She knows, s...

I am not British, which is probably why I’ve never been much of a royalist. Yet, I sat up to watch the BBC documentary on the Queen on Monday night. I must confess that not only did I find the programme informative, but I seemed to have developed a sense of admiration for the woman who is one of the most adored and respected Monarchs in History. Like her or loathe her, there is no question about how widespread her appeal and influence stretches. She is after all, the only woman in the world, who does not need a passport to travel. The Queen is loved across all generations. Children turn up to greet her wherever she goes. While we seldom see the private face, behind the public image, I’m absolutely convinced that among other things, she is a doting grandmother to all of her grandchildren. You only have to look at pictures from Prince Harry’s graduation yesterday to recognise this. They are both smiling, at what would ordinarily have been a more serious occasion. His smile paints a pictu...

Someone sent this to me and I thought it was hilarious, so I decided to post it on my blog. Being a single bird, some may think that I should be offended, but hey I do have a sense of humour and besides this really points out the truth about what some women want. A store that sells husbands has just opened in NewYork City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. "You may visit the store ONLY ONCE !There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch . .. you may choose any man from aparticular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor,but you cannot go back down except to exit the building." So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband . . On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord. The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and l...

Lately it seems like there’s a plethora of news stories on celebrities getting into a spot of bother with the law. Naomi Campbell hitting yet another one of her staff, George Michael found slumped at the wheel and in possession of cannabis. There's the cocaine Kate story that is still running a variety of updates and of course, there’s Pete Doherty and his numerous arrests…the list is endless. I’m not a great celebrity watcher so I don’t particularly care for much of the gossip that surrounds these people. But what I do care about is the treatment meted out to them, under the law. I’m a firm believer in one law for all. So I fail to understand, how time and again, celebrities seem to get away with behaviour that would get the rest of us into serious problems. I have a serious bee in my bonnet when it comes to this issue. Let’s take the example of Pete Doherty. How many times has this crackhead been caught with substance possession and aggressive behaviour while under the influence?...

It is refreshing to know that good judgement and common sense still prevails in the courts in Britain. I’m referring here to the case of Shabina Begum, the young Muslim girl who took her school, Denbigh High School in Luton, to court over their refusal to allow her to wear a full length Islamic dress called a jilbab. Her claim was that the school acted in "violation of her human rights and denied her right to education". The Law Lords in Britain’s highest court ruled in favour of the school and rightly so. Had the decision been in favour of Shabina, it would force every school in Britain to allow their pupils to dictate to them, what dress code is appropriate for their religion. Further more, it would seriously undermine the authority of schools and be a huge victory for radical religious groups. This case had very little to do with human rights or the right to practice one's religion. It was merely another example of radical thinkers trying to enforce their rule in a sec...

Happy Anniversary Mr. President! It’s been three years since you marched your forces into Iraq to rid them of a tyrannical, pompous despot called Saddam. You also filled them with hope about a life of peace, stability and more importantly liberty. Three years on and who would have imagined that you’d still be there? The promises you made are worthless and a far cry from the reality that grips the nation of Iraq today. Bit by bit, you have milked her dry, not just of her resources, but you’ve also managed to strip her of every ounce of dignity she possesses. From a once resourceful beautiful princess, you have reduced her to nothing more than a common whore. And you just keep taking and taking from her. You must be mighty pleased with yourself. Perhaps we underestimated your stupidity and over-estimated your intelligence. Or were it the reverse? Did we underestimate your intelligence, your shrewdness? It’s difficult to tell. Alas! The light that shines on the truth is a flickering and d...

You have got to feel sorry for those 6 men who are now lying in a hospital, two of them, I believe, in a critical condition. They were human guinea pigs in a drug test that went horribly wrong. I can't comment on why things went so wrong for this particular experiment, as my information, comes from the same sources as most peoples, namely the media. No doubt investigations are under way and questions are being raised about the manner in which the trial was conducted and why things went so horribly pear shaped. I feel for these men and their families because they have an agonising journey of uncertainty, which will carry on long after this story fades off the news radar. The drug that they were trialling does not have a name yet, it is simply calledTGN 1412 which is one in series of drugs that scientists hoped would be a cure for a number of diseases including cancer. Unfortunately the whole thing had a catastrophic outcome and it has once again raised the debate on human and animal...

I came across a newspaper article recently which talked about how toddlers at the Sure Start nursery in Oxfordshire are being taught a revised, politically correct version of an old nursery rhyme. Instead of "Baa,Baa, black sheep", the children now ask the "Rainbow Sheep" if the gender non-specific animal, has any wool. I couldn't help roll my eyes in disgust as I though here we go again, yet another classic example of Political Correctness gone mad. Over the last few months, all we seem to read about has to do with being politically correct. Christmas is now the "Festive Season", Christmas lights are now "Winter Lights", Chairman and Chairwomen are now "Chairpersons", Short is now "vertically challenged", Piggy banks are now to be replaced by "money banks", Black coffee is now "coffee without milk", Mixed race is now "dual heritage", the list is endless. All this, because of the fear that it,...

If there is one person I've always had a MASSIVE CRUSH on, it's been Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Mr. Frank Sinatra. My Dad first introduced me to his music as a young girl and I've been smitten ever since. There is just something in his charming smile, the twinkling of his eyes, that breathtakingly rich voice that that makes me go weak at the knees, and generally gush like most teenaged girls do. The problem is that: a): I am no longer a teenager and b): Sinatra is no longer among the living (well at least not physically anyways). Yet, despite the obvious obstacle, my love for him has not diminished. Of course my dream of seeing him perform live was shattered the day he died in 1998. But, when I was given the opportunity to see Sinatra at the Palladium yesterday, I seized it with a great degree of enthusiasm. You must think I've truly lost the plot now. See Sinatra at the Palladium, but how? He's dead. Well, thanks to the ground-breaking and creative use of the lates...

I saw a teenager on the bus this morning. She seemed as "Happy as Larry" and was smiling and singing along to the tunes on her i-pod. She was drop dead gorgeous with a slim, petite frame, beautiful wide set eyes and a smile, full of the warmth of the summer sun. She was perfect in all aspects except one - she was missing an arm. But, as she smiled at me, I realised, that while she may have lacked physical perfection, she had something that most of us could only envy. She had a supreme appreciation of the elementary joys of life, something I had long forgotten. And in that flashing instant, I was humbled. Ever since that chance encounter this morning, I've been forced to sit back and reminisce on the many blessings in life. I'm embarrassed to say, that I've taken a lot of things for granted and have failed miserably in the fine art of acknowledging life's little pleasures. We've all experienced tender moments like singing in the rain, being among people we ...

I woke up to a blinding ray of sunshine this morning and I thought it would be a wonderful and warm day. God knows, after the last few bitterly cold days we’ve had, a bit of warmth from the sun would be really good. Someone should have hit me on the head to remind me that we are in winter still and that the sun is deceptive. Of course, the reminder only came when I left the house to go to the gym and discovered that it was not just sunny, but cold and windy. In short, it was freezing. So when I got back home, there was really not a lot else to do, besides curl up like a lounge lizard and watch some telly. I caught a bit of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, which I think is one of the most brilliant musicals ever made. That barn dance is one scene I’ll never tire off. After that, I made myself a cup of steaming coffee and sat down to watch Inspector Morse and his sidekick Lewis attempt to solve another wonderfully scripted murder. The story today was called “Happy Families” and was abo...

So I've been tagged by my cousin Mark, which means that I've got to continue this tradition of 7 sevens and tag some other poor soul. 7 things to do before I die Travel to as many places as I can afford Learn to swim properly and swim with the dolphins Learn to ride a horse Go on a safari Win the Lottery and retire early. Stay forever young (in spirit and mind if not in body) Learn to speak French fluently 7 things I cannot do Grow taller Shower in my local gym (you'd be repulsed if you see what I see) Swim Sing professionally...I'll stick to singing in the bath. Play a musical instrument (I'd love to learn how to play the guitar) Go on a diet Go into the Gents Loo 7 things that attract me to London Family The easy accessibility to the rest of Europe The parks and wide open spaces within the city The transport network. its' amazing when it works. The weather (come on. It could be worse) The multicultural population and cuisine The Waitangi Day pub crawl 7 thi...