The Positive Blog |
This blog will give the positive news items the attention and appreciation they deserve, with a wink. Daily refreshment. |
Saturday, April 12, 2003
 The Simpsons Guest List includes names like Mel Gibson, Martin Sheen, James Brown, Sting, Bill Clinton... Next up to star is .... Tony Blair! Yes indeed. "The prime minister recorded three lines of dialogue for an episode in which he gives the dysfunctional Simpson family a few tourism tips as they holiday in the UK."
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, will also make a guest appearance on the show. And David Beckham. Oh. No. Wait. Not David Beckham. The producers didn't think he was famous enough. Blair to star in The Simpsons
I can't help visualizing Whoopi Goldberg, or Louis de Funès, or even The Cannonball Run!
Nuns in hit-and-run mystery
What's the difference between communism and capitalism - under capitalism people exploit other people and under communism it's the other way round.
Under the Nazi and Soviet regimes, Latvians were actually imprisoned for cracking jokes like the one above. Now, in the Occupation Museum in the capital Riga, they organise evenings of anecdotes making fun at the Soviet regime. Humor as therapy for people who have lived under years of repression. Latvians poke fun at Soviet past
In Uganda, at a peace conference organised by the Pan-African Women's Liberation Organisation (PAWLO), an original idea was brought up for women to dissuade their husbands from engaging in war: deny them sex!
Their point of view on Iraq: if women all over the world "had taken to the streets and denied their husbands sex, the situation would have been different". An interesting thought. But the local women have mixed views. One of them said: "Yes, I think it would work because after all sex is important to men. And it wouldn't be the same for him if he goes for sex with another man. But if I supported the cause of the war then I wouldn't deny him sex." Sex with another man?? Friday, April 11, 2003
Now, if only this would be effective prior to a stroke, then I would be in a really good position :)
 The Australian girl in the picture was supposed to be dead. But she's not. She was supposed to have been murdered by a psycho nearly five years ago. At this moment, the psycho is on trial. But all of a sudden, the girl (now 18) was found in the home of her boyfriend, very close to her parents' home. Alive and well. The psycho of course is now no longer charged with her murder. Unfortunately for him, there are still 3 bodies of women he has to account for.
The parents are in a positive state of shock. A year ago, they held a memorial service for her. Thursday, April 10, 2003
In Afghanistan, meanwhile, times are changing. On Tuesday, 18-year-old Nabila Akbari became one of the first 17 Afghans trained in their own country to get a certificate in computer networking skills. The Afghan government hopes to create a growing talent pool of badly needed information technology specialists.
Less than 2 years ago, a young woman like Nabila would hardly have been allowed to leave her house, let alone join IT studies. Computer giant Cisco Systems is largely funding the UN-supervised programme to create a core of specialists whose job it will be to take Afghanistan into the digital age.
"cultural connexion brings to the Twin Cities 75 artworks created by three internationally renowned calligraphers from China, Syria and the United States. To accompany the calligraphy exhibit, there will be slide presentations, lectures, and PowerPoint presentations conducted by established scholars in the field of Islamic art and history. All activities will be open to the public and followed by discussions aiming to broaden understanding and appreciation of Islamic art and culture."
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
 The phrase "Let's go for a walk" takes on a whole other dimension when it is being pronounced by Ken Bowersox. Cmdr. Bowersox and science officer Don Pettit, astronauts aboard the international space station, took a spacewalk yesterday that lasted for 6 1/2 hours. Before you get the wrong idea, it was not just a walk; there were some maintenance tasks to be completed. The walk took place at 386 km above a stark raving mad planet called Earth.  Pavarotti and Bono are planning a charity concert for Iraqi war refugees in Modena, Italy, on May 27. The funds will go to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Eight years ago, they did something similar to aid children in Bosnia (remember?). Actually, Pavarotti has been giving a benefit concert every year, for the past ten years.Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Hello, Salaam! Hello, Shalom! Hello, Peace!
Stop shooting, Start talking. Hello, Peace! is a free phone service that lets Israelis and Palestinians start talking again.
I could not resist. A war is hardly a positive thing, to say the least. But this article made me smile and laugh a few times. I don't mean this demeaningly or anything. But when in the midst of grim tales of death and blood and misery, some humour sprouts, it should be embraced.
McDonald's is in the news. Apparently they are "changing direction", meaning they are planning to open fewer restaurants and instead "give more healthy food and higher quality burgers". Excuse me? So what we got so far was not that great?
Basically I couldn't care less about McDonald's marketing plans. But another story drew my attention. In the Netherlands, McDonald's wants to build a restaurant (probably in the line of their new policy to "open fewer restaurants") which will provide its own energy! The power for the deep-frying pans will be supplied by a windmill. And the deep-frying oil will be used as alternative fuel.
If you ever played a game on your computer, you probably used a joystick, or the mouse, or the keyboard to control the characters in the game and their actions. Scientists at Dublin's Media Lab Europe are now developing a game where the characters are controlled through sensors stuck to the player's body. The sensors monitor breathing and only move characters on-screen if the player breathes in the right way.
Weird, you say? Not at all. The game is designed for children in hospital to help them cope with boredom during long periods of bed rest and recuperation. "The sensors on your body connect you to the video game," Dr McDarby told the BBC programme Go Digital. The first versions of the game involve controlling a flying dragon on-screen and trying to make it fly along a valley passing through successive hoops of fire. "You control the creature in the game by breathing deeply or not breathing deeply," he said. "When you don't breathe the creature will fall down to the bottom of the valley," he said, "when you do breathe deeply it will rise up." Deep breathing was chosen as a control technique because it is known to help people relax. Deep breathing exercises, carried out when playing the game, can help children relax and restore their sleeping patterns. 'Games to take your breath away' (BBC) Monday, April 07, 2003
The 2003 Edition of "The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business" is out.
Read about naked grannies, sueing yodelers and a 72-year-old German real estate tycoon who "is willing to pay €125,000 to any woman who can kill him through sexual intercourse".  For some of us, the institution of marriage may be far from a positive phenomenon. Nevertheless, usually the celebrations marking the beginning of it tend to be exuberantly feastly.
So let's raise a toast to Russell "Maximus Meridas No Longer Celibatus" Crowe, who is getting married today to Danielle Spencer and who also turns 39 today! For more details about the wedding, I would like to refer you to the traditional glossy showbiz magazines. As for how much the wedding will cost... let me just say that with that amount on my account, I never ever have to work again. Cheers mate! Sunday, April 06, 2003
 Playboy has invited air hostesses of KLM, the Royal Dutch Airlines, to pose in the nude in their magazine. As a "tribute" to the airline company. Oh okay. Of course, only the 'fairest' will be picked. I wonder how the rejected ladies will feel... Anyway, next time you board a plane, maybe you will look differently at the female staff (or maybe you have always looked at them that way).
Why not start off with some positive news from my home country? Yesterday, the Senate approved a restriction on our 'genocide law'. I think Sharon, Bush, Arafat and Castro will celebrate wildly today and will be enormously relieved :) The law made it possible for foreign leaders to be tried in Belgian courts for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Though that may be a positive thing in itself, it is hardly a job cut out for a country like Belgium. The reason for the change to the law? "Embarrassment". Say what?
I was particularly amused by this headline from theage.com.au: "Belgium dumps plan to police world". |
