Saturday
From Here to Concern
What do Archbishop Desmond Tutu & (gorgeous) George Clooney have in common? They're concerned about the people of the Darfur province of Sudan and are using their fame & positions to focus world attention, preferably with a view to getting something done!
Good for them. For too long, if we read/watch/listen to the News, we've had reports of the starvation, attacks by Janjaweed militia groups on villages, rapes, attacks by groups on refugee camps, seen the pictures of women (mainly) trying to rebuild huts from sticks & bits of rag, heard the stories of rape & other violence. Have we done anything about it? Apart from use it as a scene in "The Constant Gardener", that is!
Yesterday George Clooney spoke firmly to the UN about how they HAD to step in to protect the ordinary Darfuri, bring peace to the region & lean on the Sudanese government in such a way that they stopped backing the militias (however tacitly) - & in such a way as to get their co-operation rather than to put their (Muslim) backs up, & actually send in real Aid. Well, this was reported yesterday.
Archbishop Tutu, & other Christians around the world, has been concerned, & praying, for a long time now. Tomorrow there will be a multi faith-group meeting in Downing St to ask Tony Blair to put his political weight behind the cause. Hmmm. Churches across the country will be praying for the whole situation & Darfur in particular tomorrow as well. Don't knock the power of Prayer, even in the 21st Century. God hasn't changed, which is Who can make praying so powerful.
I understand that the Pope has gotten himself into trouble with Muslims for quoting the opinions of a 14th century Byzantine emperor. Though to be more correct, he's been gotten into trouble by media reporters quoting him quoting said emperor! OK, so I'm all in favour of tolerance (religious or otherwise) but there has to come a point where people are allowed to quote other people, & not provoke a storm of effigy burning etc, for goodness sake! I mean, he's the Pope, he would think that Christianity (& the Roman Catholic variety in particular) is THE Way wouldn't he. It goes with the job, & rather more so than the white robes & cap, the Popemobile & the big place in Roma!
It's like a few weeks back - some of us dared to venture opinions about the way Israel was acting in the Lebanon. Even those of us who declared ourselves to be pro-Israel came in for all kinds of flack when we questioned the validity of using an army to attack guerilla groups, not to mention bombing civilians.
Now I can understand people being touchy about matters of religion, or nation, especially in very hot countries, but really folks, it does help to try to maintain a sense of proportion. After all, if you ALWAYS start firing off accusations of anti-Islamism & burning effigies, or accusing people of anti-Semitism - then it'll be like the "Boy who cried 'Wolf!'" - your protests will fall on increasingly deaf ears. & woe betide you when your outrage is really justified, because by then the rest of the world may just have dismissed you as an excitable lot who get upset all the time. OK, Dear Readers, if that wasn't entirely clear to you, please read it again, (& again if necessary) rather than just reaching for the 'Comment' button!
& after that lot, have something a little lighter! Gosh, I remember the first High Speed Inter-city 125 Trains! Living in Bath at the time, & in a flat for two years in a house which backed onto the main Bristol to Paddington line (76-8). Noisy beasties they were, & still are for that matter! Mind you, back in the day, the really noisy beasties were the goods trains. My bedroom was at the front of the house. At the back there was a longish garden, then a yard of some kind, then the railway proper. When goods trains went past at night I could feel their passing in the rumbling transmitted by the rails to the ground, to the house, to my bed! Still, £5 fare Bristol-Paddington, those were the days. BTW - there's no way I could be done for 'Furious Cycling", I never go that fast. Furious Cyclist though, now that might stick!
And here. That large beast you saw disappearing with yr saucages when you were camping on Dartmoor may just have been The Beast, & not a function of all the cider you'd consumed waiting for the campfire to light, catch & then cook them! D reckons she, & her 2 cousins, saw the Beast of Dartmoor (which looked like a v large black feline. Panther?) one day while she was staying at my brother's farm in Devon. It's on the edge of Dartmoor after all.
I understand that the Canary Islands (government thereof) is becoming very concerned about the increasing number of (illegal) immigrants trying to get into Europe that way, from West Africa. That's the seven in every eight or so who survive the trip. I blogged a while back about Immigration - reactions to it &, more important, what to do about it. What to do? If people are so desperate to get away from their native lands & come to Europe by any means (leaky boats included) then it would pay Europe to really put some political will into helping make the countries these people are fleeing better places to live in. Hmmm, return to Darfur!
Hey, even Tony Blair's jumped on the Darfur bandwagon. About time too! I'm off to a "Lace Effects" workshop today. Help, look at the time, it's due to start at 10am! Y'all have a good day now!
What do Archbishop Desmond Tutu & (gorgeous) George Clooney have in common? They're concerned about the people of the Darfur province of Sudan and are using their fame & positions to focus world attention, preferably with a view to getting something done!
Good for them. For too long, if we read/watch/listen to the News, we've had reports of the starvation, attacks by Janjaweed militia groups on villages, rapes, attacks by groups on refugee camps, seen the pictures of women (mainly) trying to rebuild huts from sticks & bits of rag, heard the stories of rape & other violence. Have we done anything about it? Apart from use it as a scene in "The Constant Gardener", that is!
Yesterday George Clooney spoke firmly to the UN about how they HAD to step in to protect the ordinary Darfuri, bring peace to the region & lean on the Sudanese government in such a way that they stopped backing the militias (however tacitly) - & in such a way as to get their co-operation rather than to put their (Muslim) backs up, & actually send in real Aid. Well, this was reported yesterday.
Archbishop Tutu, & other Christians around the world, has been concerned, & praying, for a long time now. Tomorrow there will be a multi faith-group meeting in Downing St to ask Tony Blair to put his political weight behind the cause. Hmmm. Churches across the country will be praying for the whole situation & Darfur in particular tomorrow as well. Don't knock the power of Prayer, even in the 21st Century. God hasn't changed, which is Who can make praying so powerful.
I understand that the Pope has gotten himself into trouble with Muslims for quoting the opinions of a 14th century Byzantine emperor. Though to be more correct, he's been gotten into trouble by media reporters quoting him quoting said emperor! OK, so I'm all in favour of tolerance (religious or otherwise) but there has to come a point where people are allowed to quote other people, & not provoke a storm of effigy burning etc, for goodness sake! I mean, he's the Pope, he would think that Christianity (& the Roman Catholic variety in particular) is THE Way wouldn't he. It goes with the job, & rather more so than the white robes & cap, the Popemobile & the big place in Roma!
It's like a few weeks back - some of us dared to venture opinions about the way Israel was acting in the Lebanon. Even those of us who declared ourselves to be pro-Israel came in for all kinds of flack when we questioned the validity of using an army to attack guerilla groups, not to mention bombing civilians.
Now I can understand people being touchy about matters of religion, or nation, especially in very hot countries, but really folks, it does help to try to maintain a sense of proportion. After all, if you ALWAYS start firing off accusations of anti-Islamism & burning effigies, or accusing people of anti-Semitism - then it'll be like the "Boy who cried 'Wolf!'" - your protests will fall on increasingly deaf ears. & woe betide you when your outrage is really justified, because by then the rest of the world may just have dismissed you as an excitable lot who get upset all the time. OK, Dear Readers, if that wasn't entirely clear to you, please read it again, (& again if necessary) rather than just reaching for the 'Comment' button!
& after that lot, have something a little lighter! Gosh, I remember the first High Speed Inter-city 125 Trains! Living in Bath at the time, & in a flat for two years in a house which backed onto the main Bristol to Paddington line (76-8). Noisy beasties they were, & still are for that matter! Mind you, back in the day, the really noisy beasties were the goods trains. My bedroom was at the front of the house. At the back there was a longish garden, then a yard of some kind, then the railway proper. When goods trains went past at night I could feel their passing in the rumbling transmitted by the rails to the ground, to the house, to my bed! Still, £5 fare Bristol-Paddington, those were the days. BTW - there's no way I could be done for 'Furious Cycling", I never go that fast. Furious Cyclist though, now that might stick!
And here. That large beast you saw disappearing with yr saucages when you were camping on Dartmoor may just have been The Beast, & not a function of all the cider you'd consumed waiting for the campfire to light, catch & then cook them! D reckons she, & her 2 cousins, saw the Beast of Dartmoor (which looked like a v large black feline. Panther?) one day while she was staying at my brother's farm in Devon. It's on the edge of Dartmoor after all.
I understand that the Canary Islands (government thereof) is becoming very concerned about the increasing number of (illegal) immigrants trying to get into Europe that way, from West Africa. That's the seven in every eight or so who survive the trip. I blogged a while back about Immigration - reactions to it &, more important, what to do about it. What to do? If people are so desperate to get away from their native lands & come to Europe by any means (leaky boats included) then it would pay Europe to really put some political will into helping make the countries these people are fleeing better places to live in. Hmmm, return to Darfur!
Hey, even Tony Blair's jumped on the Darfur bandwagon. About time too! I'm off to a "Lace Effects" workshop today. Help, look at the time, it's due to start at 10am! Y'all have a good day now!