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One thing I have learned doing Emergent Ventures
2 hours ago
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Letter to Harriet Harman.
Following my previous post, this is the email I sent to Harriet Harman.
To: harmanh@parliament.uk
CC: bwrap@dircon.co.uk, lslo@gtnet.gov.uk
Subject: ASC/502B67
Ms Kyomugisha's Home Office reference ASC/502B67
Dear Ms Harman,
I am writing to you because I am deeply concerned about the situation
of Ms Doreen Kyomugisha, which I have heard about from the Black
Women's Rape Action Project.
Doreen Kyomugisha is 17 years old (as confirmed by health
professionals) and was born in Rwanda. She lost her parents at a young
age. She was later raped many times, and eventually trafficked to
London.
However, instead of helping this young woman who desperately needs
protection and support, police have charged her with entering the UK
as a refugee using "deception" and "failure to produce an immigration
document or passport which is in force and satisfactorily establishes
[your] identity, nationality or citizenship." She was refused bail
and imprisoned.
She is now in Bronzefield Women's Prison and is deeply traumatised.
She cannot eat and now weighs a worrying 7.1 stone.
Ms Harman, you yourself recently stated that there would be a
Europe-wide crackdown on trafficking, improvements to protection, and
you clarified that "it is the trafficked people who are the victims."
I understand that there will be a bail application tomorrow, and I
would offer absolute support for bail to be awarded.
At the very least she must be released so that she can work closely
with Legal Action for Women and her legal team to clear her name
against these malicious charges, brought on the basis of "evidence"
which has not been scrutinised or verified.
I understand that Home Office policy indicates that charges of failing
to produce valid documents when entering the country should not be
used against a minor. On this basis alone a proper assessment of her
age should have been done, taking into consideration the social
services assessment and the prosecution should not have been brought.
This shocking treatment of a vulnerable child makes a travesty of any
pronouncements that the authorities are sensitive to rape survivors
and that young people claiming asylum or victims of trafficking
receive a caring response.
I am writing to you to ask you to do all you can you ensure that the
unfair and inappropriate charges against Ms Kyomugisha are dropped,
and that she is offered help and support, not further trauma and
danger.
Yours sincerely,
To: harmanh@parliament.uk
CC: bwrap@dircon.co.uk, lslo@gtnet.gov.uk
Subject: ASC/502B67
Ms Kyomugisha's Home Office reference ASC/502B67
Dear Ms Harman,
I am writing to you because I am deeply concerned about the situation
of Ms Doreen Kyomugisha, which I have heard about from the Black
Women's Rape Action Project.
Doreen Kyomugisha is 17 years old (as confirmed by health
professionals) and was born in Rwanda. She lost her parents at a young
age. She was later raped many times, and eventually trafficked to
London.
However, instead of helping this young woman who desperately needs
protection and support, police have charged her with entering the UK
as a refugee using "deception" and "failure to produce an immigration
document or passport which is in force and satisfactorily establishes
[your] identity, nationality or citizenship." She was refused bail
and imprisoned.
She is now in Bronzefield Women's Prison and is deeply traumatised.
She cannot eat and now weighs a worrying 7.1 stone.
Ms Harman, you yourself recently stated that there would be a
Europe-wide crackdown on trafficking, improvements to protection, and
you clarified that "it is the trafficked people who are the victims."
I understand that there will be a bail application tomorrow, and I
would offer absolute support for bail to be awarded.
At the very least she must be released so that she can work closely
with Legal Action for Women and her legal team to clear her name
against these malicious charges, brought on the basis of "evidence"
which has not been scrutinised or verified.
I understand that Home Office policy indicates that charges of failing
to produce valid documents when entering the country should not be
used against a minor. On this basis alone a proper assessment of her
age should have been done, taking into consideration the social
services assessment and the prosecution should not have been brought.
This shocking treatment of a vulnerable child makes a travesty of any
pronouncements that the authorities are sensitive to rape survivors
and that young people claiming asylum or victims of trafficking
receive a caring response.
I am writing to you to ask you to do all you can you ensure that the
unfair and inappropriate charges against Ms Kyomugisha are dropped,
and that she is offered help and support, not further trauma and
danger.
Yours sincerely,
Action Alert: CHILD VICTIM OF RAPE AND TRAFFICKING ARRESTED & IMPRISONED.
From Black Women’s Rape Action Project.
Please take action in urgent support of Ms Doreen Kyomugisha, a 17-year old rape victim from Rwanda (see below). Ms Kyomugisha escaped from her trafficker last October and turned up on the doorstep of the Women’s Centre where we are based. After months of intensive counseling and support, she was beginning to recover from a nightmare of losing her parents through illness and war at the age of 11, being raped by many men for money in several African countries for over two years and finally trafficked to London. Instead of finding the safety and protection she urgently needs, last Wednesday she was charged with entering the UK as a refugee using “deception” and “failure to produce an immigration document or passport which is in force and satisfactorily establishes [your] identity, nationality or citizenship.” She was refused bail and imprisoned.
As the Home Office disputes her age, Ms Kyomugisha is on remand in Bronzefield Women’s Prison where she is deeply traumatised by the imprisonment. Conditions (in this privatised prison) are totally inappropriate for such a vulnerable child. Visitors report a drastic deterioration in her mental and physical health. She is so upset that she is unable to eat (as well as suffering from an eating disorder) and has been given no suitable food[. As a result her weight has dropped 2kg in just two days from an already low 48kg. She speaks of suicide, often retches during visits, is in constant pain and has panic attacks. She is heavily medicated and being held on her own in a hospital wing, deprived of the company of others who might look out for her; she has not been allowed her own clothes or homeopathic medicine; cards sent to her have not been delivered.
Last week, Solicitor General Harriet Harman, launched a European wide crackdown on trafficking claiming to improve protection and saying “. . . it is the trafficked people who are the victims.” Does Ms Kyomugisha’s brutal treatment indicate what “protection” victims can expect? Will the people who pressed for stronger anti-trafficking legislation speak out against how it is being used by the government to criminalise and deport immigrant people and asylum seekers?
Everyone who knows Ms Kyomugisha, from members of the All African Women’s Group of which she has become an active member, church representatives to health professionals, are appalled at the way she has been treated and are rallying support for a bail application on Wednesday 16 February. At the very least she must be released so that she can work closely with Legal Action for Women and her legal team to clear her name against these malicious charges, brought on the basis of “evidence” which has not been scrutinised or verified. We understand that HO policy indicates that charges of failing to produce valid documents when entering the country should not be used against a minor. On this basis alone a proper assessment of her age should have been done, taking into consideration the social services assessment and the prosecution should not have been brought.
As the authorities prioritise implementing repressive immigration controls over women and children’s safety and welfare, this shocking treatment of a vulnerable child makes a travesty of any pronouncements that the authorities are sensitive to rape survivors and that young people claiming asylum or victims of trafficking receive a caring response.
Please help Ms Kyomugisha by:
Please contact us if you can help in other ways or need more information.
Black Women’s Rape Action Project, Tel: 020 7482 2496, Fax 020 7209 4761
email: bwrap@dircon.co.uk
Background
In October 2004, Ms Kyomugisha was brought to the Crossroads Women’s Centre where we are based, by a woman who found her distressed and traumatised at a bus station. Over a period of several days, Ms Kyomugisha was able to tell us a little of what happened to her. She was born in 1987 in Rwanda. Both her parents died when she was 11. When she was 15, her relatives sent her to Congo Brazzaville with a man who forced her to have sex with men for money which he kept. She was brought to England by an African man who told the immigration authorities that she was his niece. He kept her locked up somewhere in London and forced her to have sex with several men. She managed to escape from him when he drove her to a house to see one of his clients and left her alone in his car.
We have been counselling and supporting Ms Kyomugisha, including by securing legal representation for her asylum claim and for housing and support. It is clear that she is still a child. She remains traumatised by everything that has happened to her and feels very vulnerable and at risk of possible reprisals from the man who brought her into the country.
The Home Office in Croydon was hostile and unsympathetic from the beginning. On her first visit to claim asylum Ms Kyomugisha was interrogated by security guards who were abusive and began questioning her in detail about her claim before allowing her into the building. She was interviewed in a public place about rape and other sexual violence using a male translator and witnessed vicious questioning of other young girls.
Camden Asylum Seekers Team assessed Ms Ms Kyomugisha and provide housing and support on the basis that she is an unaccompanied minor. Health professionals have also assessed her as being no more than 17 years old. Ms Kyomugisha attends our self-help sessions, and was improving her English as well as learning computer and typing skills.
Please take action in urgent support of Ms Doreen Kyomugisha, a 17-year old rape victim from Rwanda (see below). Ms Kyomugisha escaped from her trafficker last October and turned up on the doorstep of the Women’s Centre where we are based. After months of intensive counseling and support, she was beginning to recover from a nightmare of losing her parents through illness and war at the age of 11, being raped by many men for money in several African countries for over two years and finally trafficked to London. Instead of finding the safety and protection she urgently needs, last Wednesday she was charged with entering the UK as a refugee using “deception” and “failure to produce an immigration document or passport which is in force and satisfactorily establishes [your] identity, nationality or citizenship.” She was refused bail and imprisoned.
As the Home Office disputes her age, Ms Kyomugisha is on remand in Bronzefield Women’s Prison where she is deeply traumatised by the imprisonment. Conditions (in this privatised prison) are totally inappropriate for such a vulnerable child. Visitors report a drastic deterioration in her mental and physical health. She is so upset that she is unable to eat (as well as suffering from an eating disorder) and has been given no suitable food[. As a result her weight has dropped 2kg in just two days from an already low 48kg. She speaks of suicide, often retches during visits, is in constant pain and has panic attacks. She is heavily medicated and being held on her own in a hospital wing, deprived of the company of others who might look out for her; she has not been allowed her own clothes or homeopathic medicine; cards sent to her have not been delivered.
Last week, Solicitor General Harriet Harman, launched a European wide crackdown on trafficking claiming to improve protection and saying “. . . it is the trafficked people who are the victims.” Does Ms Kyomugisha’s brutal treatment indicate what “protection” victims can expect? Will the people who pressed for stronger anti-trafficking legislation speak out against how it is being used by the government to criminalise and deport immigrant people and asylum seekers?
Everyone who knows Ms Kyomugisha, from members of the All African Women’s Group of which she has become an active member, church representatives to health professionals, are appalled at the way she has been treated and are rallying support for a bail application on Wednesday 16 February. At the very least she must be released so that she can work closely with Legal Action for Women and her legal team to clear her name against these malicious charges, brought on the basis of “evidence” which has not been scrutinised or verified. We understand that HO policy indicates that charges of failing to produce valid documents when entering the country should not be used against a minor. On this basis alone a proper assessment of her age should have been done, taking into consideration the social services assessment and the prosecution should not have been brought.
As the authorities prioritise implementing repressive immigration controls over women and children’s safety and welfare, this shocking treatment of a vulnerable child makes a travesty of any pronouncements that the authorities are sensitive to rape survivors and that young people claiming asylum or victims of trafficking receive a caring response.
Please help Ms Kyomugisha by:
- Writing and calling Harriet Harman and the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, to demand Ms Kyomugisha is immediately released from prison and all charges against her are dropped. Please cite Ms Kyomugisha’s Home Office reference ASC/502B67 and send by email to: harmanh@parliament.uk & lslo@gtnet.gov.uk; fax 0207 271 2430 or post to Attorney General’s Office, Buckingham Gate, 9 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6JP. Tel: Harriet Harman 0207-219 2057.
- Supporting her application for bail. Please send letters to BWRAP (bwrap@dircon.co.uk) for forwarding to the court.
- Attending court for her bail hearing – 9.45 Wednesday 16 February, Bromley Magistrates Court, London Road, Bromley, Kent.
- Contacting Bronzefield Prison Governor Janine McDowell, Tel: 01784 425 690; Fax 01784 425 691 urging that Ms Kyomugisha be given healthy food, her own clothes and homeopathic medicine as an urgent priority.
Please contact us if you can help in other ways or need more information.
Black Women’s Rape Action Project, Tel: 020 7482 2496, Fax 020 7209 4761
email: bwrap@dircon.co.uk
Background
In October 2004, Ms Kyomugisha was brought to the Crossroads Women’s Centre where we are based, by a woman who found her distressed and traumatised at a bus station. Over a period of several days, Ms Kyomugisha was able to tell us a little of what happened to her. She was born in 1987 in Rwanda. Both her parents died when she was 11. When she was 15, her relatives sent her to Congo Brazzaville with a man who forced her to have sex with men for money which he kept. She was brought to England by an African man who told the immigration authorities that she was his niece. He kept her locked up somewhere in London and forced her to have sex with several men. She managed to escape from him when he drove her to a house to see one of his clients and left her alone in his car.
We have been counselling and supporting Ms Kyomugisha, including by securing legal representation for her asylum claim and for housing and support. It is clear that she is still a child. She remains traumatised by everything that has happened to her and feels very vulnerable and at risk of possible reprisals from the man who brought her into the country.
The Home Office in Croydon was hostile and unsympathetic from the beginning. On her first visit to claim asylum Ms Kyomugisha was interrogated by security guards who were abusive and began questioning her in detail about her claim before allowing her into the building. She was interviewed in a public place about rape and other sexual violence using a male translator and witnessed vicious questioning of other young girls.
Camden Asylum Seekers Team assessed Ms Ms Kyomugisha and provide housing and support on the basis that she is an unaccompanied minor. Health professionals have also assessed her as being no more than 17 years old. Ms Kyomugisha attends our self-help sessions, and was improving her English as well as learning computer and typing skills.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Here Comes the Bride...
Well, it seems that Charles and Camilla are getting married. I worked that out due to the flurry of discussions on radio 4 since I woke up. Including an extended news programme. It all was making this huge presumption that I actually care.
Of the people picked off the street to be asked what they thought, there were several themes. There was
With regards to the first one - this bizarre, continual, illogical adoration of Lady Di, my response is a kind of tutting, raising eyes to heaven type thing. As for remarrying but rescinding his place as next in line to the throne - I don't really understand that. I mean, I wish we had no monarchy, and would be very jolly indeed if it was abolished, but seeing as that is not happening, Charles is next to be King, whether divorced, re-married, transvestite, or Boyzone fan. I don't want a king, but as I'll be lumbered with one almost certainly, his marital status doesn't bother me in the least.
With the 'I don't care' lot, I absolutely relate. And those who encourage him - that's fine. He and Camilla have, by all accounts, been together for a long, long time. I'm no huge fan of marriage, but it has nothing to do with me whether they do or not.
One person who was vox popped (?!) said something along the lines of, "I don't care, as long as I don't have to pay for it". I agree. And we will have to anyway.
On the news there has been lots of, 'They're getting married, but Camilla won't be Queen, she'll be Princess such-and-such'. Again, I don't care hugely, but there's an underlying suggestion that Diana should have been Queen because she was beautiful, and Camilla just isn't beautiful enough to play that role.
But the dedication to Diana's memory which is still so strongly felt amongst many, I cannot really get my head round. It's what? 8 years since she died? She was a nice women, somewhat dysfunctional (like the best of us), did lots of good things, and had a ridiculous amount of money. Let it go, now.
Of the people picked off the street to be asked what they thought, there were several themes. There was
- Argh! How can he betray the memory of Diana?
- Okay, but if he does re-marry he shouldn't be King
- I don't care
- Go for it Charlie
With regards to the first one - this bizarre, continual, illogical adoration of Lady Di, my response is a kind of tutting, raising eyes to heaven type thing. As for remarrying but rescinding his place as next in line to the throne - I don't really understand that. I mean, I wish we had no monarchy, and would be very jolly indeed if it was abolished, but seeing as that is not happening, Charles is next to be King, whether divorced, re-married, transvestite, or Boyzone fan. I don't want a king, but as I'll be lumbered with one almost certainly, his marital status doesn't bother me in the least.
With the 'I don't care' lot, I absolutely relate. And those who encourage him - that's fine. He and Camilla have, by all accounts, been together for a long, long time. I'm no huge fan of marriage, but it has nothing to do with me whether they do or not.
One person who was vox popped (?!) said something along the lines of, "I don't care, as long as I don't have to pay for it". I agree. And we will have to anyway.
On the news there has been lots of, 'They're getting married, but Camilla won't be Queen, she'll be Princess such-and-such'. Again, I don't care hugely, but there's an underlying suggestion that Diana should have been Queen because she was beautiful, and Camilla just isn't beautiful enough to play that role.
But the dedication to Diana's memory which is still so strongly felt amongst many, I cannot really get my head round. It's what? 8 years since she died? She was a nice women, somewhat dysfunctional (like the best of us), did lots of good things, and had a ridiculous amount of money. Let it go, now.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Scores, Societies and Support.
I made a Quiz. How Well Do You Know Hippie? and then you check the Scoreboard!
Go see!
On Womans' Hour this morning there was a report on women affected by the Tsunami.
I had imagined in vivid detail the losses of family, homes, jobs, security, friends, which came when the tsunami hit. On this programme the women talked about how they were scared they would lose their local culture too. So many people had died, taking local cultural knowledge and skills with them. And now the few older women still alive there are doing their best to pass on the cultural traditions to the younger survivors, so they don't entirely disappear.
And on a separate, but very important issue, there is a free Women's Aid 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. More on the issue soon, but that info is there for now.
Go see!
On Womans' Hour this morning there was a report on women affected by the Tsunami.
In the coastal area of Lampuuk only 20% of the population survived, and only a fraction of them were women.There was an interesting discussion, and as happens so often, things I had never thought of came up.
I had imagined in vivid detail the losses of family, homes, jobs, security, friends, which came when the tsunami hit. On this programme the women talked about how they were scared they would lose their local culture too. So many people had died, taking local cultural knowledge and skills with them. And now the few older women still alive there are doing their best to pass on the cultural traditions to the younger survivors, so they don't entirely disappear.
And on a separate, but very important issue, there is a free Women's Aid 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. More on the issue soon, but that info is there for now.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Sunday Funday.
A few days ago I linked to the rather fabulous Numanuma video. Then blatherblog liked it and linked back to me, and then added a link to the original song. Then in the comments section, was posted a link to a Japanese animation version too, called Maiyahi by ikari.
Wow!
It seems to be called Dragostea Din Tei, by O-Zone, by the way.
Incidentally, this is complete madness! (Explanation here.)
Wow!
It seems to be called Dragostea Din Tei, by O-Zone, by the way.
Incidentally, this is complete madness! (Explanation here.)
Thursday, February 03, 2005
The King Asked the Queen
And the queen asked the dairy maid,
'Could we have some butter for the royal slice of bread?'
The queen asked the dairy maid. The dairy maid said,
'Certainly. I'll go and tell the cow now before she goes to bed.'
The dairy maid, she curtsied and went and told the cow,
'Don't forget the butter for the royal slice of bread.'
The cow said sleepily, 'You'd better tell his Majesty
that many people nowadays like marmalade instead.'
The dairy maid said, 'Fancy!' and went to her Majesty.
She curtsied to the queen and she turned a little red.
'Excuse me, your Majesty, for taking of the liberty,
but marmalade is tasty if it's very thickly spread.'
The queen said, 'Oh,' and went to his Majesty.
'Talking of the butter for the royal slice of bread,
many people think that marmalade is nicer.
Would you like to try a little marmalade instead?'
The king said, 'Bother!' Then he said, 'Oh, dear me!'
The king sobbed, 'Oh, dearie me,' and went back to bed.
'Nobody even could call me a fussy man.
I only want a little bit of butter for my bread.'
The queen said, 'There, there' and went to the dairy maid.
The dairy maid said, 'There, there' and went to the shed.
The cow said, 'There, there, I didn't really mean it.
Here's milk for his porridge and butter for his bread.'
The queen took the butter and brought it to his Majesty.
The king said, 'Butter, eh?' and bounced out of bed.
'Nobody,' he said as he kissed her tenderly,
'Nobody,' he said as he slid down the banisters,
'Nobody, my darling, could call me a fussy man.
But I do like a little bit of butter to my bread.'
'Could we have some butter for the royal slice of bread?'
The queen asked the dairy maid. The dairy maid said,
'Certainly. I'll go and tell the cow now before she goes to bed.'
The dairy maid, she curtsied and went and told the cow,
'Don't forget the butter for the royal slice of bread.'
The cow said sleepily, 'You'd better tell his Majesty
that many people nowadays like marmalade instead.'
The dairy maid said, 'Fancy!' and went to her Majesty.
She curtsied to the queen and she turned a little red.
'Excuse me, your Majesty, for taking of the liberty,
but marmalade is tasty if it's very thickly spread.'
The queen said, 'Oh,' and went to his Majesty.
'Talking of the butter for the royal slice of bread,
many people think that marmalade is nicer.
Would you like to try a little marmalade instead?'
The king said, 'Bother!' Then he said, 'Oh, dear me!'
The king sobbed, 'Oh, dearie me,' and went back to bed.
'Nobody even could call me a fussy man.
I only want a little bit of butter for my bread.'
The queen said, 'There, there' and went to the dairy maid.
The dairy maid said, 'There, there' and went to the shed.
The cow said, 'There, there, I didn't really mean it.
Here's milk for his porridge and butter for his bread.'
The queen took the butter and brought it to his Majesty.
The king said, 'Butter, eh?' and bounced out of bed.
'Nobody,' he said as he kissed her tenderly,
'Nobody,' he said as he slid down the banisters,
'Nobody, my darling, could call me a fussy man.
But I do like a little bit of butter to my bread.'
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Sheffield Shtuff.
For a long period, whenever I was on the tram, at a certain stop in town, invariably somebody around me would say, "Isn't this where there used to be the hole in the road?"
This confused me regularly. What on earth kind of hole in the road was so memorable?
Some time later I discovered it looked like this, and I could see why it was indeed memorable enough to be mentioned so regularly. It is also well described here on SheffieldForum.co.uk.
Waitrose gives us 15 Reasons to Visit Sheffield. I added my own list to the ensuing discussion.
I like Sheffield :)
This confused me regularly. What on earth kind of hole in the road was so memorable?
Some time later I discovered it looked like this, and I could see why it was indeed memorable enough to be mentioned so regularly. It is also well described here on SheffieldForum.co.uk.
Waitrose gives us 15 Reasons to Visit Sheffield. I added my own list to the ensuing discussion.
I like Sheffield :)
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Good, Bad, Indifferent.
Fabulous word of the day - crepuscular.
Fabulous phrase of the day - 'the elephant of illogicality' - heard on the Radio 4 Six O'Clock News.
Crap evil news story of the day is this one.
Big boycott of the day is Boycott Tesco.
Powerful photo of the week is an Iraqi woman's victory sign with a purple finger.
Fabulous phrase of the day - 'the elephant of illogicality' - heard on the Radio 4 Six O'Clock News.
Crap evil news story of the day is this one.
Big boycott of the day is Boycott Tesco.
Powerful photo of the week is an Iraqi woman's victory sign with a purple finger.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
French, Francophile, and Funny.
Oh wow. Not only is Jodie Foster incredibly beautiful, with a
voice that makes your legs give way, but she is also totally fluent in French. Not pretend fluent, or a bit fluent, or pretty good. She is properly fluent. I adore her!
Continuing on the francophile theme, this is the kind of stuff I love learning about. I had a book along these lines, which would give the French / English equivalents to each other's proverbs and sayings. And it is funny and fascinating. Cheers, Petite anglaise.
This (thanks Dooey) is one of the funniest things I have seen for ages. Really. Truly. Go there now. I mean it. Ma-ee-ya hee...
voice that makes your legs give way, but she is also totally fluent in French. Not pretend fluent, or a bit fluent, or pretty good. She is properly fluent. I adore her!
Continuing on the francophile theme, this is the kind of stuff I love learning about. I had a book along these lines, which would give the French / English equivalents to each other's proverbs and sayings. And it is funny and fascinating. Cheers, Petite anglaise.
This (thanks Dooey) is one of the funniest things I have seen for ages. Really. Truly. Go there now. I mean it. Ma-ee-ya hee...
Word Beads: Double; Axon; Sacred; Bike; Doldrum.
From WordBeads.
"It was that fourth double whisky", she thought to herself. No use saying it out loud as there was nobody to hear, and it would only hurt her head even more.
Trying to revise for her 3rd year medical exams, learning about nerve fibres, axons, nerve cells... She knew she should understand it, but her brain was barely working this morning.
Flashes from the previous night kept invading her mind. Did she really dance on the table at Sacred? Did she get off with K? And whose was that bike she'd been doing wheelies on by the canal? The canal?? What had she been doing there? Oh shit... She hated mornings like this. Mornings after.
She crawled back into bed. Maybe a few extra hours sleep would lift her out of the doldrums.
"It was that fourth double whisky", she thought to herself. No use saying it out loud as there was nobody to hear, and it would only hurt her head even more.
Trying to revise for her 3rd year medical exams, learning about nerve fibres, axons, nerve cells... She knew she should understand it, but her brain was barely working this morning.
Flashes from the previous night kept invading her mind. Did she really dance on the table at Sacred? Did she get off with K? And whose was that bike she'd been doing wheelies on by the canal? The canal?? What had she been doing there? Oh shit... She hated mornings like this. Mornings after.
She crawled back into bed. Maybe a few extra hours sleep would lift her out of the doldrums.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Selling Yourself, Selling Products in the 80s, Selling Ferry Tickets, Selling Out.
In the absence of a proper update, here are some things you absolutely have to see.
- You may want to make your CV (resume) stand out from the crowd, but would you go this far?? (et en francais...)
- See all your favourite ads from the 80s and 90s. This page has even more.
- Terribly, terribly sad story.
- Don't trust computers if you want to travel from one Norwegian city to another Norwegian city without going via the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Not to mention traversing the North Sea, the English Channel and the Baltic Sea. [Sigh]
- And finally, I am running my own country.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Inescapable Poverty? Oh, and odd referrers.
People find hippie blog in allsorts of strange ways. And I get to see the search terms people put into search engines and come here that way. Some of them are bizarre, some are disturbing, but I have to say, I like being the 6th result in an MSN Search for just for the laydees. Yey!
I am also ridiculously excited to currently be the top result in a google search for lebstromonous. Yey again!
However I also get a huge number of hits from people searching for welchia_icmp_scan and phonebuyer451 or phonebuyer451@yahoo.com.
In the very early days of hippie, I seemed to be one of the first people in the world to be being attacked by welchia_icmp_scan and I wrote about it here. Now, every bugger and his dog is being attacked by it (and indeed, I am again each time I connect) and they are all searching for it and finding me who actually provides no information about it at all.
I hope I am more helpful to those searching for phonebuyer451 and that if people read what I wrote, they don't fall for yet another phishing scam.
On a totally different subject, I was directed to this page full of information about nutrition and poverty. There is some really interesting information on there...
Poverty.org.uk say that
All of this also links in with what I said here about the Disability Discrimination Act and proposed changes to Disability Benefits.
Raar.
I am also ridiculously excited to currently be the top result in a google search for lebstromonous. Yey again!
However I also get a huge number of hits from people searching for welchia_icmp_scan and phonebuyer451 or phonebuyer451@yahoo.com.
In the very early days of hippie, I seemed to be one of the first people in the world to be being attacked by welchia_icmp_scan and I wrote about it here. Now, every bugger and his dog is being attacked by it (and indeed, I am again each time I connect) and they are all searching for it and finding me who actually provides no information about it at all.
I hope I am more helpful to those searching for phonebuyer451 and that if people read what I wrote, they don't fall for yet another phishing scam.
On a totally different subject, I was directed to this page full of information about nutrition and poverty. There is some really interesting information on there...
- The cheapest foods are often the unhealthiest. In terms of calories per penny, chocolate is a better deal than carrots. This results in low income families eating half the fruit and vegetables consumed by higher income families
- Buying healthy foods can cost up 51% more than low-cost, nutritionally poor alternatives
- The lack of shops selling healthier food in poor areas, and the loss of cooking skills, also makes the problem worse
- The cheapest shops to shop in are usually discount stores but the range of food available was narrow and often excluded the healthier options
- A healthy diet appropriate for pregnancy is unaffordable for pregnant women depending on state benefits
- In 1992 all secondary school children lost their entitlement to receive education in cooking and nutrition - this left up to 38% unable to even bake a jacket potato
- The cheapest and freshest foods are generally found in large, out-of-town supermarkets
- Supermarkets are good for those who have the money to buy in bulk, the transport to carry bulk purchases, and the storage space. If a person has limited storage space and no transport, they do not have access to the savings offered by bulk purchase. Therefore those with the less money frequently end up paying most for their food
- The most expensive shops are often the small shops in small communities
- 4 million people in the UK cannot afford to eat a healthy diet
Poverty.org.uk say that
The most commonly used threshold of low income is 60% of median income. In 2002/03, before deducting housing costs, this equated to £194 per week for a couple with no children, £118 for a single person, £283 for a couple with two children and £207 for a lone parent with two children.I don't know about the couple or parent levels, but the maximum JobSeekers Allowance for single people is £55.65 a week. This is less than half of £118! And it's only over-25s who get that amount. 16 and 17 year olds get £33.50 and 18 to 24 year olds get £44.05. Income Support levels are similar, between £32.50 and £53.95.
All of this also links in with what I said here about the Disability Discrimination Act and proposed changes to Disability Benefits.
Raar.
Monday, January 10, 2005
The Only Alternative to Coexistence is Codestruction - Jawaharlal Nehru.
If you ever used to watch Vic and Bob on Shooting Stars, you may remember ERANU and OOVAVO. Now, ladies and gents, I bring you... UMAMI.
Umami is a fifth taste (along with salty, sweet, sour, bitter), according to the Japanese. It is defined as deliciousness.
On a much more sour-tasting note, it seems that Nick Griffin may be contesting David Blunkett's seat, the Sheffield Brightside constituency, in the next General Election (thought to be happening soon).
I don't want him in my city. Neither do I especially want David Blunkett in my city actually - his own immigration policies have been harsh and racist and cruel. But the leader of the BNP?
The Starbucks Product Recall site has been forced to move.
Kent's very own Section 28 has finally been beaten. And there's a fantastic stencil image in the comments too :)
Umami is a fifth taste (along with salty, sweet, sour, bitter), according to the Japanese. It is defined as deliciousness.
On a much more sour-tasting note, it seems that Nick Griffin may be contesting David Blunkett's seat, the Sheffield Brightside constituency, in the next General Election (thought to be happening soon).
I don't want him in my city. Neither do I especially want David Blunkett in my city actually - his own immigration policies have been harsh and racist and cruel. But the leader of the BNP?
In October 1990, The British National Party was described by the European Parliament's committee on racism and xenophobia as an "openly Nazi party... whose leadership have serious criminal convictions". When asked if the BNP was racist, Richard Edmonds, deputy leader of the BNP, said, "We are 100 per cent racist, yes".
The Starbucks Product Recall site has been forced to move.
Kent's very own Section 28 has finally been beaten. And there's a fantastic stencil image in the comments too :)
The hippie and peace images below were created with the help of the marvellous typoGenerator.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Today I Have Learned
that it is true that cash machines do count up how many times you forget your PIN, even if there is a week between attempt number 2 and attempt number 3.
However, I have also learned that if you do enter your PIN incorrectly three times in a row (regardless, it seems, of how much time passes between these attempts), it doesn't eat your card as threatened in many a legend. Instead it rather politely informs you that you have entered an incorrect PIN three times, and so they will send you out a new number.
So that was a nice surprise.
However, I have also learned that if you do enter your PIN incorrectly three times in a row (regardless, it seems, of how much time passes between these attempts), it doesn't eat your card as threatened in many a legend. Instead it rather politely informs you that you have entered an incorrect PIN three times, and so they will send you out a new number.
So that was a nice surprise.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Google, God, Grim.
Did you know that Jesus is with you always? To be honest, I wasn't too sure, but once I saw the evidence in pencil drawings, I was converted.
Forget the Official God FAQ, the Church of Critical Thinking, and what I have said many times myself (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), when I saw the pictures of Jesus with a bank teller, or Jesus with a carpet layer, or Jesus with a guitarist, or with a draftsman, or a clown, or any of the other professions He accompanies, well...
Well, ok I wasn't converted. I just thought they were funny, and wanted to share them. It was all just a bit long-winded, for which I now apologise, but it took me so long to do all the code that I'm not going to delete it now.
At the end of every year, the Google Zeitgeist is worth a look. Listing the most popular searches through the year in a variety of categories is both fascinating and scary.
I again have duct tape on my foot in a vain attempt to get rid of the most evil verruca monster the world has ever seen. [Sigh]
Very, very tired.
Forget the Official God FAQ, the Church of Critical Thinking, and what I have said many times myself (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), when I saw the pictures of Jesus with a bank teller, or Jesus with a carpet layer, or Jesus with a guitarist, or with a draftsman, or a clown, or any of the other professions He accompanies, well...
Well, ok I wasn't converted. I just thought they were funny, and wanted to share them. It was all just a bit long-winded, for which I now apologise, but it took me so long to do all the code that I'm not going to delete it now.
At the end of every year, the Google Zeitgeist is worth a look. Listing the most popular searches through the year in a variety of categories is both fascinating and scary.
I again have duct tape on my foot in a vain attempt to get rid of the most evil verruca monster the world has ever seen. [Sigh]
Very, very tired.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
.
Happy New Year!
After tomorrow's Bank Holiday, the buses, trams and shops worlds should be back to normal. Which is good.
The daily information about the horrific Tsunami events is immensely disturbing. The number of dead has now gone up to volumes which I can get nowhere near to visualising or imagining. I am thankfully not seeing many visual images of the disasters, but I have enough images in my head to make up for that.
The charities need money. There are many charities involved with the effort. You can make a donation here. Or click here for how to help.
Apparently, British peeps have donated £60 million, that is £10 million more than than our government, and more than the public donations of any other nation. That's good, but I just wish it hadn't taken something so utterly awful to get us off our arses.
How To Help.
After tomorrow's Bank Holiday, the buses, trams and shops worlds should be back to normal. Which is good.
The daily information about the horrific Tsunami events is immensely disturbing. The number of dead has now gone up to volumes which I can get nowhere near to visualising or imagining. I am thankfully not seeing many visual images of the disasters, but I have enough images in my head to make up for that.
The charities need money. There are many charities involved with the effort. You can make a donation here. Or click here for how to help.
Apparently, British peeps have donated £60 million, that is £10 million more than than our government, and more than the public donations of any other nation. That's good, but I just wish it hadn't taken something so utterly awful to get us off our arses.
How To Help.
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