by Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D.
When Diana sat down with her friends at their college reunion, she heard all about their careers. One was a lawyer, one owned a business, one was a computer systems analyst. Diana left feeling frustrated and disillusioned. She chose to be a probation officer so she could help people. However, the problems she faces are overwhelming, and the rewards are few and far between.
If you work in one of the human services, you probably want to help people. That's a good reason for choosing the work you do, but it's not very specific. It's important to know what makes you want to come to work every day, especially for people in human services. We often get mixed messages from the world at large about the worth of what we do. Most of us have been told, "That must be so rewarding," or "you must have so much patience." Those comments usually mean "I don't understand why you want to work so hard for so little money," or "It must be so awful to spend your days with people who are down and out."
People who work as helpers need to be able to identify the nonmonetary rewards they get from their work. That's important because monetary rewards will always be in short supply. However, sometimes people in human services feel guilty about wanting to get self-satisfaction from their work.
Those guilty feelings are unfortunate because there's nothing wrong with wanting to like the work you do. There are many different ways to help, and some people are not equally well-suited for all of them. It makes sense to look for work that is both satisfying personally and helpful to others.
Every career has both advantages and disadvantages. Some of what you do will be rewarding, and some will be unpleasant. Each of us is unique in terms of what we find rewarding and how much reinforcement we need to feel self-satisfaction from our work. That's why it's important to know yourself well enough to pick a job that is a good fit.
One useful exercise is to make a two-column list. On one side, list all the rewards you get from your current work. On the other side, list all the disadvantages and drawbacks. Then ask yourself whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. When you do this, remember to be honest with yourself.
Remember it's okay to have selfish motives as well as unselfish ones, and it's okay to have fun while you work. It is also okay to have unselfish motives such as making people's lives a little easier. On the other hand, it is not okay to do human services because you think you should find it rewarding, or because you believe people will think you are a good person. Whatever you do, do it because you want to, not because someone else wants you to.
Remember, people who genuinely like their work and find it rewarding usually do a better job than people who do not like what they do.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
INCOME AND PENIS SIZE:OVERCOMING MASCULINE DOUBTS
by Ray Bruce, Ph.D.
Eric, 26, has just completed his Ph.D. in applied digital engineering. He's wondering what he's going to do now. Out of school and out of work, he's questioning his relationship and his life. His girl friend, Kim, has just had her best year ever as a stock broker with a major NYSE Member Firm. She says it doesn't matter who makes the most money. He's not so sure.
Next to penis size, questioning his ability to provide anadequate income is the surest way to create doubt for a man. A man who believes he's at risk with either is vulnerable on all fronts. Why are sexual prowess and income so important? Because they provide men with the most obvious symbols of identity. Externals seem to be everything in our MTV paced, consumer oriented culture. Sound bites don't give much time for more than a passing glance. If you have the right clothes, the right audio/video link, and the right job, you must be Mr. or Ms. right. If you don't, you're out. It's the external law of the jungle.
But things may be changing. Beyond income, what does work have to offer? Fortune Magazine in it's December 26, 1994 issue asks the question "Why do we work?" Their conclusion is scary for many men. Fortune reports that personal satisfaction seems to come in four ways:
achieving technical excellence
serving a purpose larger than the individual
being a part of a team
by finding what your spirit needs
Here's the rub. Of these four springboards to satisfaction, only technical excellence deals with externals, the other three address inside issues. How can men develop tools to compete on the "insidetrack?" One place to begin is to develop a personal mission statement.
Stephen Covey in his best selling book, Seven Basic Habits of Highly Effective People says, "You see, once you can decide what you are about and what you treasure, what you value, you've automatically got guidelines. You've developed the criteria for making all of the decisions in your life."
Eric, 26, has just completed his Ph.D. in applied digital engineering. He's wondering what he's going to do now. Out of school and out of work, he's questioning his relationship and his life. His girl friend, Kim, has just had her best year ever as a stock broker with a major NYSE Member Firm. She says it doesn't matter who makes the most money. He's not so sure.
Next to penis size, questioning his ability to provide anadequate income is the surest way to create doubt for a man. A man who believes he's at risk with either is vulnerable on all fronts. Why are sexual prowess and income so important? Because they provide men with the most obvious symbols of identity. Externals seem to be everything in our MTV paced, consumer oriented culture. Sound bites don't give much time for more than a passing glance. If you have the right clothes, the right audio/video link, and the right job, you must be Mr. or Ms. right. If you don't, you're out. It's the external law of the jungle.
But things may be changing. Beyond income, what does work have to offer? Fortune Magazine in it's December 26, 1994 issue asks the question "Why do we work?" Their conclusion is scary for many men. Fortune reports that personal satisfaction seems to come in four ways:
achieving technical excellence
serving a purpose larger than the individual
being a part of a team
by finding what your spirit needs
Here's the rub. Of these four springboards to satisfaction, only technical excellence deals with externals, the other three address inside issues. How can men develop tools to compete on the "insidetrack?" One place to begin is to develop a personal mission statement.
Stephen Covey in his best selling book, Seven Basic Habits of Highly Effective People says, "You see, once you can decide what you are about and what you treasure, what you value, you've automatically got guidelines. You've developed the criteria for making all of the decisions in your life."
HOW WOMEN FEEL ABOUT ABORTIONS
by Nancy Felipe Russo
Social scientists have known for years that the availability of legal abortion is not associated with long-term psychological distress in women who use it. An eight-year longitudinal study involving nearly 5,300 young women published in1992 found that the best predictor of well-being in women over the course of the study was their well-being at the start of the study, not their income level, job status, level of education or martial status or -- quite specifically -- whether they had had an abortion. Now a new follow-up study, published in the current edition of the American Psychological Association's (APA) journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice finds that the same conclusion still applies regardless of religious or racial differences.
The study, by psychologists Nancy Felipe Russo, Ph.D., of Arizona State University and Amy J. Dabul, Ph.D., of Phoenix College, is further analysis of data gathered from a national sample of 5,295 women aged 14 to 24 (in 1979) who were interviewed annually from 1979 to 1987. The women's well-being was assessed using a reliable and valid measure of self-esteem in 1980 and again in 1987. This time, in addition to looking at variables such as income, employment and education, the researchers looked at race and religious beliefs and practices to see if they had any effect on women's well-being after having had an abortion.
They found that, overall, White women and Black women did not differ statistically on measures of self-esteem. Approximately the same proportion of Black women and White women reported having had an abortion (14.6% and 14.9% respectively), but Black women had more abortions than White women and Black women who had abortions were more likely than White women to be mothers (86% vs 57%). Nonetheless, having had an abortion (or more than one) had no relation with self-esteem in either group: "For both Black women and White women, prior self-esteem was the biggest predictor of subsequent self-esteem," the authors note. The same held true when they compared Black and White women who reported a religious affiliation and high or low church attendance with those who were not religious.
Since the type of religion to which women who had an abortion belonged also did not make a difference in their post-abortion well-being, the researchers focused specifically on Catholic versus non-Catholic women, given that the Catholic Church "has a consistent antiabortion position that is vigorously promoted."
Their findings in this analysis were more complex: nonCatholic women who had high church attendance and one abortion had the highest self-esteem; non-Catholic women who had low church attendance and repeat abortions had the lowest self-esteem. But at the same time, high-church-attendance non-Catholic women with one abortion had significantly higher self-esteem than did low-churchattendance Catholic women with no abortions. "Although highly religious Catholic women were slightly more likely to exhibit postabortion psychological distress than other women," the researchers say, "this fact is explained by lower pre-existing well-being."
Given these findings, the researchers ask: "Do highly distressed women who have had an abortion exist?" And, they answer: "Yes. But their distress is likely to be rooted in events and conditions that existed before they became pregnant. Legal abortion per se does not increase a woman's risk of negative wellbeing."
Social scientists have known for years that the availability of legal abortion is not associated with long-term psychological distress in women who use it. An eight-year longitudinal study involving nearly 5,300 young women published in1992 found that the best predictor of well-being in women over the course of the study was their well-being at the start of the study, not their income level, job status, level of education or martial status or -- quite specifically -- whether they had had an abortion. Now a new follow-up study, published in the current edition of the American Psychological Association's (APA) journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice finds that the same conclusion still applies regardless of religious or racial differences.
The study, by psychologists Nancy Felipe Russo, Ph.D., of Arizona State University and Amy J. Dabul, Ph.D., of Phoenix College, is further analysis of data gathered from a national sample of 5,295 women aged 14 to 24 (in 1979) who were interviewed annually from 1979 to 1987. The women's well-being was assessed using a reliable and valid measure of self-esteem in 1980 and again in 1987. This time, in addition to looking at variables such as income, employment and education, the researchers looked at race and religious beliefs and practices to see if they had any effect on women's well-being after having had an abortion.
They found that, overall, White women and Black women did not differ statistically on measures of self-esteem. Approximately the same proportion of Black women and White women reported having had an abortion (14.6% and 14.9% respectively), but Black women had more abortions than White women and Black women who had abortions were more likely than White women to be mothers (86% vs 57%). Nonetheless, having had an abortion (or more than one) had no relation with self-esteem in either group: "For both Black women and White women, prior self-esteem was the biggest predictor of subsequent self-esteem," the authors note. The same held true when they compared Black and White women who reported a religious affiliation and high or low church attendance with those who were not religious.
Since the type of religion to which women who had an abortion belonged also did not make a difference in their post-abortion well-being, the researchers focused specifically on Catholic versus non-Catholic women, given that the Catholic Church "has a consistent antiabortion position that is vigorously promoted."
Their findings in this analysis were more complex: nonCatholic women who had high church attendance and one abortion had the highest self-esteem; non-Catholic women who had low church attendance and repeat abortions had the lowest self-esteem. But at the same time, high-church-attendance non-Catholic women with one abortion had significantly higher self-esteem than did low-churchattendance Catholic women with no abortions. "Although highly religious Catholic women were slightly more likely to exhibit postabortion psychological distress than other women," the researchers say, "this fact is explained by lower pre-existing well-being."
Given these findings, the researchers ask: "Do highly distressed women who have had an abortion exist?" And, they answer: "Yes. But their distress is likely to be rooted in events and conditions that existed before they became pregnant. Legal abortion per se does not increase a woman's risk of negative wellbeing."
IS LOVE ENOUGH?
by Susan Sprecher, Ph.D.
American Psychological Association explores how love improves over time for romantic couples if satisfaction and commitment increase too.
"Love does tend to grow, but loving each other may not prevent break-up," according to psychologist Susan Sprecher, Ph.D., of Illinois State University. "Couples break up because of decreased levels of satisfaction in the relationship-not because they stop loving each other."
Dr. Sprecher discovered that satisfaction and commitment were as, or more, important than love for couples in their desire to stay together by surveying both partners of 101 heterosexual couples at a Midwestern university. She examined both their actual and perceived changes in love, satisfaction and commitment for each other over a four-year period.
By the end of the study, 59 percent of the couples had ended their relationships. These couples reported decreased levels of satisfaction and commitment before the relationship actually ended, but said that their love remained unchanged.
"These results suggest that people do not end their relationship because of the disappearance of love," said Dr. Sprecher, "but because of a dissatisfaction or unhappiness that develops, which may cause love to stop growing." She also noted that love might not completely end when the relationship ends.
Of the 41 couples who remained together, 71 percent had married. The couples who remained together reported that their love, satisfaction and commitment increased over time. Furthermore, the largest increase was in their commitment for one another.
American Psychological Association explores how love improves over time for romantic couples if satisfaction and commitment increase too.
"Love does tend to grow, but loving each other may not prevent break-up," according to psychologist Susan Sprecher, Ph.D., of Illinois State University. "Couples break up because of decreased levels of satisfaction in the relationship-not because they stop loving each other."
Dr. Sprecher discovered that satisfaction and commitment were as, or more, important than love for couples in their desire to stay together by surveying both partners of 101 heterosexual couples at a Midwestern university. She examined both their actual and perceived changes in love, satisfaction and commitment for each other over a four-year period.
By the end of the study, 59 percent of the couples had ended their relationships. These couples reported decreased levels of satisfaction and commitment before the relationship actually ended, but said that their love remained unchanged.
"These results suggest that people do not end their relationship because of the disappearance of love," said Dr. Sprecher, "but because of a dissatisfaction or unhappiness that develops, which may cause love to stop growing." She also noted that love might not completely end when the relationship ends.
Of the 41 couples who remained together, 71 percent had married. The couples who remained together reported that their love, satisfaction and commitment increased over time. Furthermore, the largest increase was in their commitment for one another.
FINDING SOMEONE RIGHT FOR YOU
Edward A. Dreyfus, Ph.D.
You've heard it before, "Where have all the good men (women) gone?" or, "All the good ones are taken!" The way people talk, you would think that mates were an extinct species. In this article I will be discussing the issue of mate selection in human beings and ways in which you can increase your odds of finding a "compatible mate."
You do not have to be alone; and there is more than one partner for you if you are willing to change your attitudes and put in a little effort. You must give up certain myths, time-honored beliefs, and begin to take charge of your romantic life. Romance is no different than any other aspect of your life. It requires that you take the responsibility for making it happen.
Your perfect partner is not going to materialize out of thin air and appear in your living room. You must develop a plan of action and then act upon it. Many folks are very sincere about their desires to be involved with another person, but are not committed to making it happen. Sincerity is an attitude, while commitment is an action. Sincerity without action does not make anything happen.
You've heard it before, "Where have all the good men (women) gone?" or, "All the good ones are taken!" The way people talk, you would think that mates were an extinct species. In this article I will be discussing the issue of mate selection in human beings and ways in which you can increase your odds of finding a "compatible mate."
You do not have to be alone; and there is more than one partner for you if you are willing to change your attitudes and put in a little effort. You must give up certain myths, time-honored beliefs, and begin to take charge of your romantic life. Romance is no different than any other aspect of your life. It requires that you take the responsibility for making it happen.
Your perfect partner is not going to materialize out of thin air and appear in your living room. You must develop a plan of action and then act upon it. Many folks are very sincere about their desires to be involved with another person, but are not committed to making it happen. Sincerity is an attitude, while commitment is an action. Sincerity without action does not make anything happen.
Let's take a critical look at some common myths about romance.
Myth 1: Luck is the essence of romance.
Luck has very little to do with romance, other than to maintain the illusion that we are helpless pawns in the game of love. Most folks engage in their search for a partner and then hope for the best. These people have no expectation of winning. Many people approach romance in the same way that they approach a gambling table in Las Vegas. They put their dollar on the crap table, roll the dice, and pray. Professional gamblers, however, do everything in their power to increase the odds in their favor. And serious people do everything in their power to increase their possibilities of meeting the person of their dreams.
I am reminded of the story of a young man who regularly prays to God to win the lottery. Day after day, week after week he prays and prays and nothing happens. Then one day, in the middle of his prayers, he hears thunder and lightening and the voice of God booms down upon him. "Charlie, meet me half way, buy a ticket." People tend to pray, wish, hope, and dream about finding their ideal mate, but they seldom develop a strategy or plan of action. They spend more time and energy planning a dinner party than the most important human relationship of their lives.
Myth 2: Marriages are made in heaven.
This myth is similar to the first one in that it assumes that relationships are preordained, out of the hands of ordinary mortals. It assumes that we do not have any control over the mates we end up with and that we must settle for those that we find. Human beings make choices. Many of them are poor choices -- especially when it comes to mate selection.
While this myth has romantic overtones, it denies human beings responsibility for their choices. It leaves us at the mercy of some fictitious master plan governing our lives and the freedom to choose is obviated.
If, indeed, marriages were made in heaven, then God made a great many mistakes. Rather than attribute those mistakes to God, we should exercise our God-given right to choose and learn how to make more effective choices. God doesn't provide us with a mate--rather God provides us with the ability to choose.
Myth 3: There is only one partner that is perfect for each of us.
If this were the case, then it would not be possible for people to have happiness in a marriage after the death of a spouse. Clearly, since people do indeed find happiness in second and even third marriages, there is more than one potential mate available for each of us. Our job is to increase the probabilities of finding those potential partners.
To find these potential mates we must develop a strategy. Just as there is more than one house we can fall in love with, there is more than one potential mate. If we increase the pool of available partners, we can then fall in love with any one of them. The trick is to set up our criteria, take appropriate actions, and then allow for nature to take its course.
A friend decided that he wanted to marry a woman who was beautiful, had considerable financial backing, and was of the same religion as he. He only dated women after he checked their family's financial standing with Dunn and Bradstreet, who belonged to his church, and whom he found to be beautiful. By surrounding himself with rich, beautiful women of the same religion, he could then allow himself to fall in love with any one of them.
Luck has very little to do with romance, other than to maintain the illusion that we are helpless pawns in the game of love. Most folks engage in their search for a partner and then hope for the best. These people have no expectation of winning. Many people approach romance in the same way that they approach a gambling table in Las Vegas. They put their dollar on the crap table, roll the dice, and pray. Professional gamblers, however, do everything in their power to increase the odds in their favor. And serious people do everything in their power to increase their possibilities of meeting the person of their dreams.
I am reminded of the story of a young man who regularly prays to God to win the lottery. Day after day, week after week he prays and prays and nothing happens. Then one day, in the middle of his prayers, he hears thunder and lightening and the voice of God booms down upon him. "Charlie, meet me half way, buy a ticket." People tend to pray, wish, hope, and dream about finding their ideal mate, but they seldom develop a strategy or plan of action. They spend more time and energy planning a dinner party than the most important human relationship of their lives.
Myth 2: Marriages are made in heaven.
This myth is similar to the first one in that it assumes that relationships are preordained, out of the hands of ordinary mortals. It assumes that we do not have any control over the mates we end up with and that we must settle for those that we find. Human beings make choices. Many of them are poor choices -- especially when it comes to mate selection.
While this myth has romantic overtones, it denies human beings responsibility for their choices. It leaves us at the mercy of some fictitious master plan governing our lives and the freedom to choose is obviated.
If, indeed, marriages were made in heaven, then God made a great many mistakes. Rather than attribute those mistakes to God, we should exercise our God-given right to choose and learn how to make more effective choices. God doesn't provide us with a mate--rather God provides us with the ability to choose.
Myth 3: There is only one partner that is perfect for each of us.
If this were the case, then it would not be possible for people to have happiness in a marriage after the death of a spouse. Clearly, since people do indeed find happiness in second and even third marriages, there is more than one potential mate available for each of us. Our job is to increase the probabilities of finding those potential partners.
To find these potential mates we must develop a strategy. Just as there is more than one house we can fall in love with, there is more than one potential mate. If we increase the pool of available partners, we can then fall in love with any one of them. The trick is to set up our criteria, take appropriate actions, and then allow for nature to take its course.
A friend decided that he wanted to marry a woman who was beautiful, had considerable financial backing, and was of the same religion as he. He only dated women after he checked their family's financial standing with Dunn and Bradstreet, who belonged to his church, and whom he found to be beautiful. By surrounding himself with rich, beautiful women of the same religion, he could then allow himself to fall in love with any one of them.
What About Romance?
Romance and love at first sight are integral to our fantasies about mate selection. We love to hear stories about how people fall in love. We love the notion of two people gazing across a crowded room, eyes meeting, and love is in bloom. More often than not these people are in lust, not love. But this is not to say it cannot happen. However, it is unlikely.
More often love grows between two people who have a common connection. It is the common connection that binds us, love then blooms in the soil of mutual interest, mutual respect, and friendship. An intentional strategy for mate selection can increase the odds of this happening.
Think, for example, of the process we go through in selecting our "dream house." First we develop an idea of what we are looking for: one story, Mediterranean style, four bedrooms, large yard, in a particular geographic area, near schools, etc. We establish a price range. We may even get quite specific, because, after all, we will be spending a lot of time and money in this house. We want to insure, as best possible, that we will be happy in it. (Yet when it comes to choosing a mate we will go to a bar and hope we get lucky.)
Next we contact a real estate agent and tell the agent our requirements. We also drive around various neighborhoods on our own, read magazines and newspapers, make inquiries; in short we do our homework. Then the agent begins to show us around. Not infrequently we may spend many months and view many houses, sometimes hundreds of houses and even years, depending upon our particular preferences. All along the way we are collecting information and fine tuning our choices.
Finally, one day, we step out of the agent's car and find ourselves standing in front of our dream house; it's love at first sight! And that's what we will tell people. We eliminate the fact that we spent many hours, months, years, looking, searching, and refining before the "dream house." A similar approach should be used for mate selection. Only with mate selection it is even more difficult since the mate has to choose you as well, whereas the house does not.
More often love grows between two people who have a common connection. It is the common connection that binds us, love then blooms in the soil of mutual interest, mutual respect, and friendship. An intentional strategy for mate selection can increase the odds of this happening.
Think, for example, of the process we go through in selecting our "dream house." First we develop an idea of what we are looking for: one story, Mediterranean style, four bedrooms, large yard, in a particular geographic area, near schools, etc. We establish a price range. We may even get quite specific, because, after all, we will be spending a lot of time and money in this house. We want to insure, as best possible, that we will be happy in it. (Yet when it comes to choosing a mate we will go to a bar and hope we get lucky.)
Next we contact a real estate agent and tell the agent our requirements. We also drive around various neighborhoods on our own, read magazines and newspapers, make inquiries; in short we do our homework. Then the agent begins to show us around. Not infrequently we may spend many months and view many houses, sometimes hundreds of houses and even years, depending upon our particular preferences. All along the way we are collecting information and fine tuning our choices.
Finally, one day, we step out of the agent's car and find ourselves standing in front of our dream house; it's love at first sight! And that's what we will tell people. We eliminate the fact that we spent many hours, months, years, looking, searching, and refining before the "dream house." A similar approach should be used for mate selection. Only with mate selection it is even more difficult since the mate has to choose you as well, whereas the house does not.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY
by Sherry Obenaurer M.A.,M.Ed.
You're not listening to me! You never hear what I have to say! You never remember anything I tell you! All you ever do is yell! You never talk to me! Familiar? Most of us have said something of the sort on more than one occasion with little effect. A communication problem is often named the number-one reason for relationship endings. Yet the majority of people assume they know how to communicate effectively. Even though they have poor listening skills and often use manipulation, yelling, silence, threats, or blaming in order to try and be heard. However, all of us can learn effective communication regardless of age, if willing.
Most of us learn how to communicate based on modeling how our parents communicated with each other and with us. Unfortunately, many parents still believe that children should be "seen and not heard" or do not respect the feelings, opinions, and thoughts of children. Instead, parents are assumed to always "know better." Many parents tell their children to "shut up," ignore their children, or punish them for expressing themselves, instead of taking the time to sit and listen to what they have to say.
Further, if a child is raised in an abusive environment, verbal and sometimes physical violence is used as a means of "communicating" one's feelings. Calm respectful discussions are rarely witnessed and conflicts are seldom resolved. Such children often become adults who are either uncommunicative for fear of negative repercussions or are verbally abusive towards those close to them.
The impact this early treatment teaches us that what we have to say is unimportant or of lesser importance than what someone else has to say. It also teaches us that we are not allowed to voice (or even have) our feelings. It teaches us to disrespect others and to use power as a way of controlling a conversation. It teaches us that conversations are one-sided and that disagreements do not involve compromise or discussion. In total, much of our early experiences have taught us how to communicate ineffectively.
Regardless of our upbringing, all of us can learn healthier ways of communicating. However, this process takes time, patience, and perseverance. Remember, many of us have had at least 20 years of communicating in a certain way and learning new skills takes time. These skills can be used to communicate with anyone of any age regardless of the relationship you may have with the other person.
Statistics suggest that between 70-90% of what we communicate is nonverbal. It's not what you say, but how you say it that relates your true message. To get your message across nonverbally, it's important to maintain eye contact when listening and to vary the amount of eye contact when speaking. You should face the person being spoken with, nod every now and then to show understanding, and avoid fidgeting or walking away.
Facial expressions reflect how you're affected by the other person's message, however, avoid rolling your eyes, sneering, or shaking your head as these behaviors tend to shut the other person down. You should also maintain an open posture and avoid crossing your arms and legs, as this communicates a lack of openness and rigidity. Above all else, never interrupt the person speaking. Extend the person some respect by allowing him or her the time to deliver the full message. Interrupting suggests that you've been spending more time thinking of responses than listening.
Verbal communication accounts for about 25% of the message being sent. The most important aspect of verbal messaging is to ensure that what you express matches how you are expressing it. Telling someone you don't feel angry with clenched teeth and piercing eyes is inconsistent as is telling someone how much you love and appreciate him or her while yawning and staring at the television. Typically, how you say something relates your true feelings.
While speaking, talk loud enough to be heard while avoiding yelling, as this turns people off. Vary your pitch so as not to sound monotone, as this tends to lull others to sleep and shows a lack of emotional expression. When speaking with seniors, deepen your tone as we lose the ability to hear higher frequencies with age. If the message you wish to send is of great importance to you, make sure that distractions and interruptions are minimized (e.g., television, radio, phone, visitors, children, pets, et cetera). Make sure the person has your undivided attention.
In today's world, there never seems to be enough time to do everything that needs to be done. This is not a good excuse for poor communication habits. Time must be set aside each day to allow each person the opportunity to express him- or herself. Some families set aside time on the weekend for a family meeting to give each member of the family a chance to voice his or her concerns. Of course, communication isn't just about resolving problems; it's anything that you say good or bad.
When voicing your feelings, use "I feel" and not "you make me feel" statements as this sets up defensiveness in others. Take responsibility for your own feelings. If someone has done something that has hurt you, address the behaviors and not the person. For example, if you were hurt because your partner failed to do the dishes as promised, say "I feel hurt that you didn't wash the dishes" instead of "You are so insensitive and a jerk for not doing the dishes." Focus on the person's behavior; don't attack his or her character.
When addressing how you feel and the behavior that caused it, finish up by stating the effect the behavior had on you and what you would like to see change as a result of your discussion. It's unfair to tell someone what was done wrong without indicating what action you would like to see in the future. For example, "I felt hurt when you didn't wash the dishes because I trusted your word. It's important to me that you do what you say you will do. Could you make sure they're done next time or perhaps you have another idea?" By expressing your feelings, outlining the behavior you would like changed, and suggesting some alternate behavior keeps the communication lines open. Attacking someone's actions or being often falls on deaf ears.
Of course, there are times when healthy communication is ill- received. Most people, over time, will alter their interaction style to suit yours or chance the risk of losing the relationship. However, there are some people who refuse to accept responsibility for their hurtful or harmful behavior, refuse to listen, and choose to use insults, ignoring, or other destructive ways to communicate. In these cases, you must decide what is best for you. You may decide to end the relationship, avoid future interactions, or minimize contact. Or, you may need to learn to depersonalize what these people say and realize that how they act says more about them than it does about you.
Communication has both verbal and nonverbal components and is a very complex process. Communication is the basis for all relationships, yet many of us lack the skills necessary to communicate effectively. Like learning to ride a bike, learning how to listen and express yourself can be learned. Perhaps of greatest importance is learning how to listen. This is perhaps why we have two ears and only one mouth. Communication isn't just about you, it involves other people too. Being able to rephrase and summarize what someone else has said or remaining silent leads to great understanding.
Perhaps, we should be asking ourselves what we ask of others. I'm not listening to you. I never hear what you have to say. I never remember anything you tell me. All I ever do is yell. I never talk to you. We must change ourselves before we can expect others to. So, start communicating!
You're not listening to me! You never hear what I have to say! You never remember anything I tell you! All you ever do is yell! You never talk to me! Familiar? Most of us have said something of the sort on more than one occasion with little effect. A communication problem is often named the number-one reason for relationship endings. Yet the majority of people assume they know how to communicate effectively. Even though they have poor listening skills and often use manipulation, yelling, silence, threats, or blaming in order to try and be heard. However, all of us can learn effective communication regardless of age, if willing.
Most of us learn how to communicate based on modeling how our parents communicated with each other and with us. Unfortunately, many parents still believe that children should be "seen and not heard" or do not respect the feelings, opinions, and thoughts of children. Instead, parents are assumed to always "know better." Many parents tell their children to "shut up," ignore their children, or punish them for expressing themselves, instead of taking the time to sit and listen to what they have to say.
Further, if a child is raised in an abusive environment, verbal and sometimes physical violence is used as a means of "communicating" one's feelings. Calm respectful discussions are rarely witnessed and conflicts are seldom resolved. Such children often become adults who are either uncommunicative for fear of negative repercussions or are verbally abusive towards those close to them.
The impact this early treatment teaches us that what we have to say is unimportant or of lesser importance than what someone else has to say. It also teaches us that we are not allowed to voice (or even have) our feelings. It teaches us to disrespect others and to use power as a way of controlling a conversation. It teaches us that conversations are one-sided and that disagreements do not involve compromise or discussion. In total, much of our early experiences have taught us how to communicate ineffectively.
Regardless of our upbringing, all of us can learn healthier ways of communicating. However, this process takes time, patience, and perseverance. Remember, many of us have had at least 20 years of communicating in a certain way and learning new skills takes time. These skills can be used to communicate with anyone of any age regardless of the relationship you may have with the other person.
Statistics suggest that between 70-90% of what we communicate is nonverbal. It's not what you say, but how you say it that relates your true message. To get your message across nonverbally, it's important to maintain eye contact when listening and to vary the amount of eye contact when speaking. You should face the person being spoken with, nod every now and then to show understanding, and avoid fidgeting or walking away.
Facial expressions reflect how you're affected by the other person's message, however, avoid rolling your eyes, sneering, or shaking your head as these behaviors tend to shut the other person down. You should also maintain an open posture and avoid crossing your arms and legs, as this communicates a lack of openness and rigidity. Above all else, never interrupt the person speaking. Extend the person some respect by allowing him or her the time to deliver the full message. Interrupting suggests that you've been spending more time thinking of responses than listening.
Verbal communication accounts for about 25% of the message being sent. The most important aspect of verbal messaging is to ensure that what you express matches how you are expressing it. Telling someone you don't feel angry with clenched teeth and piercing eyes is inconsistent as is telling someone how much you love and appreciate him or her while yawning and staring at the television. Typically, how you say something relates your true feelings.
While speaking, talk loud enough to be heard while avoiding yelling, as this turns people off. Vary your pitch so as not to sound monotone, as this tends to lull others to sleep and shows a lack of emotional expression. When speaking with seniors, deepen your tone as we lose the ability to hear higher frequencies with age. If the message you wish to send is of great importance to you, make sure that distractions and interruptions are minimized (e.g., television, radio, phone, visitors, children, pets, et cetera). Make sure the person has your undivided attention.
In today's world, there never seems to be enough time to do everything that needs to be done. This is not a good excuse for poor communication habits. Time must be set aside each day to allow each person the opportunity to express him- or herself. Some families set aside time on the weekend for a family meeting to give each member of the family a chance to voice his or her concerns. Of course, communication isn't just about resolving problems; it's anything that you say good or bad.
When voicing your feelings, use "I feel" and not "you make me feel" statements as this sets up defensiveness in others. Take responsibility for your own feelings. If someone has done something that has hurt you, address the behaviors and not the person. For example, if you were hurt because your partner failed to do the dishes as promised, say "I feel hurt that you didn't wash the dishes" instead of "You are so insensitive and a jerk for not doing the dishes." Focus on the person's behavior; don't attack his or her character.
When addressing how you feel and the behavior that caused it, finish up by stating the effect the behavior had on you and what you would like to see change as a result of your discussion. It's unfair to tell someone what was done wrong without indicating what action you would like to see in the future. For example, "I felt hurt when you didn't wash the dishes because I trusted your word. It's important to me that you do what you say you will do. Could you make sure they're done next time or perhaps you have another idea?" By expressing your feelings, outlining the behavior you would like changed, and suggesting some alternate behavior keeps the communication lines open. Attacking someone's actions or being often falls on deaf ears.
Of course, there are times when healthy communication is ill- received. Most people, over time, will alter their interaction style to suit yours or chance the risk of losing the relationship. However, there are some people who refuse to accept responsibility for their hurtful or harmful behavior, refuse to listen, and choose to use insults, ignoring, or other destructive ways to communicate. In these cases, you must decide what is best for you. You may decide to end the relationship, avoid future interactions, or minimize contact. Or, you may need to learn to depersonalize what these people say and realize that how they act says more about them than it does about you.
Communication has both verbal and nonverbal components and is a very complex process. Communication is the basis for all relationships, yet many of us lack the skills necessary to communicate effectively. Like learning to ride a bike, learning how to listen and express yourself can be learned. Perhaps of greatest importance is learning how to listen. This is perhaps why we have two ears and only one mouth. Communication isn't just about you, it involves other people too. Being able to rephrase and summarize what someone else has said or remaining silent leads to great understanding.
Perhaps, we should be asking ourselves what we ask of others. I'm not listening to you. I never hear what you have to say. I never remember anything you tell me. All I ever do is yell. I never talk to you. We must change ourselves before we can expect others to. So, start communicating!
HATE CRIMES
by Donald P. Green
While conventional wisdom has been that hate crimes in the United States rise with a declining economy, an analysis of hate crime in New York City from 1987 to 1995 has found little evidence linking racial, religious, ethnic, or homophobic incidents to deteriorating economic conditions. Political scientists Donald P. Green, Ph.D., and Andrew Rich, of Yale University, and psychologist Jack Glaser, also of Yale University, conducted the research, which is published in the July issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In determining whether economic downturns precipitate a greater incidence of hate crimes, the authors assembled monthly hate crime statistics compiled by the New York Police Department for the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx and compared them with monthly unemployment rates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They defined hate crimes as "unlawful acts of violence, vandalism, harassment, and intimidation directed against victims on account of their putative race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation." Links between unemployment rates and hate crime were examined separately for Black, Asian, Latino, gay/lesbian, Jewish, and White victim groups. In no case was there a statistical link between economic fluctuations and rates of hate crime, nor were such links found when the authors analyzed historical statistics relating cotton prices to the lynching of Blacks in the South prior to World War II.
The researchers offer two reasons that may explain why economic downturns do not lead to increases in hate crimes. The authors note that laboratory tests indicate that the effects of frustration and aggression dissipate dramatically over time. Absent an immediate target, they speculate that aggression bred by frustration may weaken before an attack occurs. The authors also point out that lynching and contemporary hate crimes tend to be group activities that require more coordination and persistence than individual acts of violence such as domestic violence. The decay of aggressive impulses may explain why economic declines coincide with increases in child abuse but not with hate crime.
Another reason why economic downturns over the past decade have not led to increased hate crimes is historical in nature. The researchers point out that political elite and organizations (such as the Ku Klux Klan) play a mediating role by attributing blame and eliciting public resentment toward minority groups in times of financial decline. The authors conclude that the relationship between economic discontent and inter-group aggression may hinge on the ways in which political leaders and organizations frame and mobilize economic grievances and societal discontent.
While conventional wisdom has been that hate crimes in the United States rise with a declining economy, an analysis of hate crime in New York City from 1987 to 1995 has found little evidence linking racial, religious, ethnic, or homophobic incidents to deteriorating economic conditions. Political scientists Donald P. Green, Ph.D., and Andrew Rich, of Yale University, and psychologist Jack Glaser, also of Yale University, conducted the research, which is published in the July issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In determining whether economic downturns precipitate a greater incidence of hate crimes, the authors assembled monthly hate crime statistics compiled by the New York Police Department for the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx and compared them with monthly unemployment rates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They defined hate crimes as "unlawful acts of violence, vandalism, harassment, and intimidation directed against victims on account of their putative race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation." Links between unemployment rates and hate crime were examined separately for Black, Asian, Latino, gay/lesbian, Jewish, and White victim groups. In no case was there a statistical link between economic fluctuations and rates of hate crime, nor were such links found when the authors analyzed historical statistics relating cotton prices to the lynching of Blacks in the South prior to World War II.
The researchers offer two reasons that may explain why economic downturns do not lead to increases in hate crimes. The authors note that laboratory tests indicate that the effects of frustration and aggression dissipate dramatically over time. Absent an immediate target, they speculate that aggression bred by frustration may weaken before an attack occurs. The authors also point out that lynching and contemporary hate crimes tend to be group activities that require more coordination and persistence than individual acts of violence such as domestic violence. The decay of aggressive impulses may explain why economic declines coincide with increases in child abuse but not with hate crime.
Another reason why economic downturns over the past decade have not led to increased hate crimes is historical in nature. The researchers point out that political elite and organizations (such as the Ku Klux Klan) play a mediating role by attributing blame and eliciting public resentment toward minority groups in times of financial decline. The authors conclude that the relationship between economic discontent and inter-group aggression may hinge on the ways in which political leaders and organizations frame and mobilize economic grievances and societal discontent.
PRICELESS GIFTS
by Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D.
The season is here once again. No matter what holiday, if any, you celebrate, no matter what you believe, you're being bombarded with exhortations to celebrate, to love, to buy and to give. The airwaves are filled with stories about miracles and family gatherings that may be more fantasy than reality. Here are some suggestions for nonmaterial gifts that capture the spirit of the season.
Give yourself the gift of realistic expectations. So many of us understand others are human and imperfect, but forget the same is true for ourselves. Forgive yourself for being human, and for having limited time, energy, and resources. Remember that gifts do not have to be homemade or extravagant to be loving and important.
Give the gift of time.
Offer to babysit for someone with small children. Go to lunch with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. Plan a special evening with your lover. Take time for yourself.
Give the gift of life.
If you haven't done it already, fill out an organ donor card and carry it in your wallet.
Give the gift of unusual sights and sounds.
The world is filled with them, and many are free or inexpensive. Take someone special on a tour. There are lights and decorations everywhere, free concerts at shopping malls, free days at the zoo.
Give the gift of laughter.
There's plenty of pain and suffering in the world, and laughter helps us cope. Go frolic on a playground, listen to a child tell silly jokes, take someone to a funny movie. Laughter isn't just for kids.
Give the gift of an open mind.
Listen carefully to someone who disagrees with you. Watch a television show you've never seen. Listen to the words of a song you've always ignored.
Give the gift of love.
Tell the important people in your life how much they mean to you. I've never heard anyone express regret for having said "I love you" too often.
With best wishes for the holiday season,
The season is here once again. No matter what holiday, if any, you celebrate, no matter what you believe, you're being bombarded with exhortations to celebrate, to love, to buy and to give. The airwaves are filled with stories about miracles and family gatherings that may be more fantasy than reality. Here are some suggestions for nonmaterial gifts that capture the spirit of the season.
Give yourself the gift of realistic expectations. So many of us understand others are human and imperfect, but forget the same is true for ourselves. Forgive yourself for being human, and for having limited time, energy, and resources. Remember that gifts do not have to be homemade or extravagant to be loving and important.
Give the gift of time.
Offer to babysit for someone with small children. Go to lunch with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. Plan a special evening with your lover. Take time for yourself.
Give the gift of life.
If you haven't done it already, fill out an organ donor card and carry it in your wallet.
Give the gift of unusual sights and sounds.
The world is filled with them, and many are free or inexpensive. Take someone special on a tour. There are lights and decorations everywhere, free concerts at shopping malls, free days at the zoo.
Give the gift of laughter.
There's plenty of pain and suffering in the world, and laughter helps us cope. Go frolic on a playground, listen to a child tell silly jokes, take someone to a funny movie. Laughter isn't just for kids.
Give the gift of an open mind.
Listen carefully to someone who disagrees with you. Watch a television show you've never seen. Listen to the words of a song you've always ignored.
Give the gift of love.
Tell the important people in your life how much they mean to you. I've never heard anyone express regret for having said "I love you" too often.
With best wishes for the holiday season,
Heavy Metal Music and Teen Suicide
In reference to the article concerning heavy metal and teen suicide: I, being a heavy metal fan, must admit that death is a recurring theme in some bands' lyrics. However, I also wanted to point out that nowadays, "thinking about suicide" has become popular because of the media. (Example: Kurt Cobain's suicide has been glorified and many teenagers followed such action) Why? We're suffering from what I would call "mindlesness"...I sadly see how many of my schoolmates, for example, will be quick to accept whatever MTV and the radio throw at them (ANYTHING).
These two mediums have played with political correctness and have turned it into a gimmick, therefore contributing to a general lack of objective and critical thought. Heavy metal is not the only part to blame...the media is too, and so are may irresponsible parents. I must sadly affirm that the United States is suffering from a breakdown in the institution of what is known as "the family", in which many parents would rather let the government take care of their children and dedicate themselves to other things. As I said before, heavy metal is not the only one to blame, but it is an easy scapegoat for those who insist on blaming youth's problems on someone.
These two mediums have played with political correctness and have turned it into a gimmick, therefore contributing to a general lack of objective and critical thought. Heavy metal is not the only part to blame...the media is too, and so are may irresponsible parents. I must sadly affirm that the United States is suffering from a breakdown in the institution of what is known as "the family", in which many parents would rather let the government take care of their children and dedicate themselves to other things. As I said before, heavy metal is not the only one to blame, but it is an easy scapegoat for those who insist on blaming youth's problems on someone.
Cybersex - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
I have two experiences with net relationships that I'd like to share. The first was most of our worst nightmare... began online, moved to the phone..when I began feeling uncomfortable in the relationship ( a lot of what he'd told me hadn't added up) and tried to break it off.. things started getting ugly.
I didn't hear from him in a few weeks, and just as I began to feel that things were getting back to normal.. he called to tell me he had cancer. Being an investor (or so he said) he told me he had set up a portfolio in my name that I would get when/if he passed away. I told him I thought he was joking, that he couldn't possibly have done something like that without my social security number.
A chill went up my spine when he recited my social security number to me. I hung up the phone and debated calling the police. About a week later, he called me at work. (I'm an air-personality at a radio station) he called me while I was on the air, knowing full well that way he wouldn't have to get a receptionist who he knew would never put him thru to me. He told me he "knew" I was in love with him.. that he could hear it in my voice.
I asked him how that was possible, since he was hundreds of miles away. He turned up his radio.. and it was my station!! He was somewhere in MY TOWN! I refused his request to see him, hung up and called the police. He knows that the next time he contacts me could mean his arrest. This was about a year ago, and I still have nightmares.. I still feel that he is lurking. I've since changed jobs and location, but still am affraid.
You would think that would scare me off my computer forever.. and it certainly HAS scared me away from chat rooms. However.. around the same time that this was happening, I sent an email to a collegue of mine.. or at least, I thought I was sending him mail. It would up being a wrong number (similar screen name.. on aol).
The person who recieved my mail eventually became a dear friend.. he now has a strong presence in my life.. as far away as he is..we have been able to maintain a deep respectful friendship.. and we both know its limits. So, there you have it.. the bad, the ugly and the good, of online relationships.
I didn't hear from him in a few weeks, and just as I began to feel that things were getting back to normal.. he called to tell me he had cancer. Being an investor (or so he said) he told me he had set up a portfolio in my name that I would get when/if he passed away. I told him I thought he was joking, that he couldn't possibly have done something like that without my social security number.
A chill went up my spine when he recited my social security number to me. I hung up the phone and debated calling the police. About a week later, he called me at work. (I'm an air-personality at a radio station) he called me while I was on the air, knowing full well that way he wouldn't have to get a receptionist who he knew would never put him thru to me. He told me he "knew" I was in love with him.. that he could hear it in my voice.
I asked him how that was possible, since he was hundreds of miles away. He turned up his radio.. and it was my station!! He was somewhere in MY TOWN! I refused his request to see him, hung up and called the police. He knows that the next time he contacts me could mean his arrest. This was about a year ago, and I still have nightmares.. I still feel that he is lurking. I've since changed jobs and location, but still am affraid.
You would think that would scare me off my computer forever.. and it certainly HAS scared me away from chat rooms. However.. around the same time that this was happening, I sent an email to a collegue of mine.. or at least, I thought I was sending him mail. It would up being a wrong number (similar screen name.. on aol).
The person who recieved my mail eventually became a dear friend.. he now has a strong presence in my life.. as far away as he is..we have been able to maintain a deep respectful friendship.. and we both know its limits. So, there you have it.. the bad, the ugly and the good, of online relationships.
FALLING IN AND OUT OF LOVE WITH ABUSIVE MEN
If your partner began your relationship as Prince Charming but now seems more like Jeckyll and Hyde then read on.
Maybe they just "clicked" when they first laid eyes on each other, ignoring everyone else at the party for the remainder of the evening. Maybe after their first date she went home on the highest of natural highs. Maybe they knew "everything" about each other in the first two weeks. Maybe the way he showed up everyday made her feel special, rather than waiting five days to see if he would call again. Maybe he told her he loved her after 3 weeks. Maybe she believed him. Maybe she so wanted to believe it was true that she told that gut feeling of "a bit premature isn't it?" to take a hike.
However it began, before long they were inseparable and she was the envy of all her friends, but somehow a few months later she had less friends than the una bomber. Sounding familiar at all? then ask yourself if any of the following scenarios ring a bell, because if they do, it's a warning bell that the honeymoon is over:
He shows up just as you're about to leave on a girls' night out and says if you go then he's breaking up with you.
You get dressed up to see him and he wonders aloud who are you dressing to impress after you see him.
You say hello to a man on the apartment block you live in and later he gives you the third degree over who this man is.
He decides he has a problem with the image you had when you met, suggesting a longer skirt, natural hair color.
He says you have to choose between remaining friends with male friends from when you were a kid and going out with him.
He beats your door down at 3 in the morning calling you a list of obscenities.
He is the sweetest and most apologetic guy you have ever known the next day. Every time. It was the old Jack Daniels he says. How can you resist that smile? He loves you.
He confides in you about past violence but still justifies it.
If you say you're leaving him, he says he'll kill himself.
He seems so convinced that it is you who is not treating him right that after a while you start to wonder if he's right.
You never know when something seemingly harmless you say may trigger his suspicion or anger.
You find yourself adjusting your life, censoring your recounting of experiences to try to offset the arguments. It doesn't work.
The way he shows up everyday is not exactly making you feel special anymore.
How many changes have you made for him versus how many has he made for you?
Ever thought to yourself, why don't those women whose partners abuse them just leave? People can stay in unhealthy or abusive relationships because of emotional manipulation, especially emotional blackmail. These are things most people can identify with as having experienced in some form or another. In the above case the behavior changes in him started gradually, subtly and only after she was convinced he was Mr. Right.
So she set a date, did not let him know her plans, and decided that if he hasn't changed by then he never will. She used the time preceding that date to prepare herself for the fact that love just isn't enough.
Maybe they just "clicked" when they first laid eyes on each other, ignoring everyone else at the party for the remainder of the evening. Maybe after their first date she went home on the highest of natural highs. Maybe they knew "everything" about each other in the first two weeks. Maybe the way he showed up everyday made her feel special, rather than waiting five days to see if he would call again. Maybe he told her he loved her after 3 weeks. Maybe she believed him. Maybe she so wanted to believe it was true that she told that gut feeling of "a bit premature isn't it?" to take a hike.
However it began, before long they were inseparable and she was the envy of all her friends, but somehow a few months later she had less friends than the una bomber. Sounding familiar at all? then ask yourself if any of the following scenarios ring a bell, because if they do, it's a warning bell that the honeymoon is over:
He shows up just as you're about to leave on a girls' night out and says if you go then he's breaking up with you.
You get dressed up to see him and he wonders aloud who are you dressing to impress after you see him.
You say hello to a man on the apartment block you live in and later he gives you the third degree over who this man is.
He decides he has a problem with the image you had when you met, suggesting a longer skirt, natural hair color.
He says you have to choose between remaining friends with male friends from when you were a kid and going out with him.
He beats your door down at 3 in the morning calling you a list of obscenities.
He is the sweetest and most apologetic guy you have ever known the next day. Every time. It was the old Jack Daniels he says. How can you resist that smile? He loves you.
He confides in you about past violence but still justifies it.
If you say you're leaving him, he says he'll kill himself.
He seems so convinced that it is you who is not treating him right that after a while you start to wonder if he's right.
You never know when something seemingly harmless you say may trigger his suspicion or anger.
You find yourself adjusting your life, censoring your recounting of experiences to try to offset the arguments. It doesn't work.
The way he shows up everyday is not exactly making you feel special anymore.
How many changes have you made for him versus how many has he made for you?
Ever thought to yourself, why don't those women whose partners abuse them just leave? People can stay in unhealthy or abusive relationships because of emotional manipulation, especially emotional blackmail. These are things most people can identify with as having experienced in some form or another. In the above case the behavior changes in him started gradually, subtly and only after she was convinced he was Mr. Right.
So she set a date, did not let him know her plans, and decided that if he hasn't changed by then he never will. She used the time preceding that date to prepare herself for the fact that love just isn't enough.
The Monster called Addiction
She lay in her bed and looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling tiles looked like they were about to crumble. The edges were stained a light shade of brown with only the center still showing the original white color. Susan knew that the ceiling tiles had been there for far too many years, just as she had.
It had been another night of tossing and turning. She remembered kicking her husband at least three times to stop him from snoring. He had grunted and gone back to sleep. Within minutes, he was snoring again.
Susan would turn away and quietly curse. She wanted to sleep so bad, but it only seemed to come in small spurts, teasing her to the point of insanity. She had tried sleeping pills but they didn't do any good. Her husband said that she thought too much. That she kept her mind far to active and full of unnecessary worries and anxieties.
This only made her mad. Of course, she had worries and anxieties. She blamed her husband for a lot of them. If only he would be more understanding of her problems and needs. She had just gotten over her tenth surgery and next week she would be going for her eleventh.
Susan looked at the bottles of pills on her nightstand. She had three different kinds of pain pills, a pill for depression, a pill for stomach cramps and a pill to help her sleep. She had gotten to the point that she took three pills from each bottle. Her husband complained that she looked stoned all the time.
"Of course I look stoned," she'd yell to her husband. "You'd be stoned as well if you had to take pain medication on a daily basis." What she did not tell her husband, was that she was taking three times the recommended dosage and that she was taking all three types of pain pills at once instead of just one.
It was not that she wanted to hurt herself. She only wanted to numb herself from the emotional pain and the physical pain, which just seemed to be getting worse every day.
She sat up in her bed, continuing to look at the bottles of pills. She quickly turned around to make sure her husband was still sleeping, and then she quietly opened each bottle taking three pills from each one. Once she had all her pills, she took the glass of water that also lay on the nightstand and swallowed all the pills at once. She remembered a time when it had been difficult to swallow even one pill.
She started to cry as a deep desperation suddenly came over her and she quickly took one more pill from each bottle and swallowed them before she could change her mind. Anger welled up inside of her as she looked blankly at the white walls of her bedroom. A few minutes later the anger left and was replaced by an emptiness, as though every nerve had been turned off.
Susan got out of bed and limped to the living room. She pulled up the shades and looked out at the dreary street below. She really hated this town. She hated everything about this place.
Quickly turning away, Susan headed to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. She hadn't combed it in four days. Her eyes looked glassy and her pupils were dilated from the effects of the medication. She felt a wave of nausea come over her. The nausea had started two days ago and it seemed to be getting progressively worse. She was also having trouble urinating.
A tear fell down her check as she exited the bathroom and went to the refrigerator to grab a piece of cake. She heard her husband stirring in the bedroom. She knew he would ignore her as usual. She did not care. She did not care much about anything, anymore. As long as she had her supply of pills, she was all right. It was getting more difficult to get prescriptions filled. The doctors were beginning to question her motives.
Another wave of nausea suddenly came over her and she had the sudden need to vomit. She made it to the bathroom just in time. She had made sure to close the bathroom door so her husband would not see her like this. He complained enough about her taking medication. She didn't want another lecture on the dangers. She also did not want him finding out just how many pills she was actually taking.
Once she had wiped her mouth, she tried to go to the bathroom because she felt the need to go, but was unable too. Her bladder was beginning to hurt. Something wasn't right. Susan suddenly became a little frightened. She pushed the fear away when her husband knocked on the door.
"Can I come in?" He said in a neutral voice. "I'll be right out." Susan said. She put her pants back on and flushed the toilet. She opened the bathroom door and looked at her husband. He walked right by her without saying a word.
Again, anger filled her. Why couldn't he give her the courtesy of saying good morning? She hated it when he got in these quite moods. She always felt so alone. She couldn't stand the loneliness. Why did she have to be lonely when she had someone who supposedly loved her living in the same house?
Susan slowly walked back to the bedroom as she tried to push the feeling of anger and loneliness away. After getting dressed, she went back to the kitchen and sat down next to her husband.
"Are you still going to visit your mother in the hospital today?" She asked. She had planned to sneak to the emergency room and get herself checked.
"Unless you have something else planned, yes, I want to spend some time with my mother."
"Good, I have a doctor's appointment in the hospital," She lied, "so I'm coming along."
"Okay." Her husband said as he got up from the table. Susan watched him walk into the bedroom as another tear fell down her cheek. He had still not said good morning to her. She quickly wiped the tear away. She didn't want her husband to see her crying.
An hour later they arrived at the hospital. Susan followed her husband to his mother's room. After saying hello, she left to go to the emergency room. Her bladder felt like it was ready to burst but she was still unable go to the bathroom. Susan also had a rapid pulse and she suddenly felt very dizzy. She had an urge to throw-up again but there was nothing left to throw up.
Susan stopped in a bathroom, on the way, to try to throw up but she only dry heaved. When she got to the emergency room, Susan walked straight up to the nurse sitting behind the counter.
"May I help you?" The nurse asked as she looked up from her work.
"I'm not feeling very good. I am unable to urinate and I feel so sick to my stomach." She looked at the nurse, trying hard to concentrate. She felt like collapsing.
"Do you know what brought this on?" The nurse asked kindly.
For a moment, Susan wasn't sure what to say. She felt embarrassed that she had been taking so many pills for so long but at the same time, something inside of her said to tell the nurse the truth. Susan looked at the nurse crying now.
"I don't know how much longer I can stand." Susan said with a shaky voice. It was hard to speak. She was concentrating so hard just to stay standing. She told the nurse what she had been doing.
Within minutes, she found herself lying on a stretcher with EKG wires on her chest and an IV in her arm. The phlebotomist came to draw her blood. As the phlebotomist was finishing, the nurse arrived with a Foley to help her urinate. It was extremely painful getting the Foley put in but Susan felt the instant relief as the urine flowed into the bag.
Just then, her husband appeared looking very worried, also a little angry. Susan burst into tears when she saw him. All her pain, tension, and hurt that had been building up for months finally exploded out of her. Her husband took her in his arms and let her cry. She apologized for all her stupidity.
Her husband looked at her and apologized for not being there and not seeing the signs. He had been so busy being angry that he didn't realize that his anger was killing his wife.
The doctor came in looking very worried. Susan's liver function panel was extremely elevated.
"What does that mean?" Susan asked with tear filled eyes. She had already calmed down a little.
"It means that your liver has been poisoned to the point that it cannot handle that poison anymore. I just hope you do not have permanent liver damage. That is a horrible way to die.
Susan could not believe that taking all those pills could do that much damage. It wasn't fair. There were people who did hard core drugs everyday and they weren't in the hospital with liver damage. She also had not been taking the pills for more than four or five months. Her husband saw the confusion in her face and asked what was wrong.
"It's not fair." Susan said. "Why is my liver damaged? I never did any hard core drugs." Her husband looked at her with serious eyes. "Maybe it is God's way of telling you to stop."
Susan looked at her husband in disbelief. She thought about what her husband had said for a moment. Then she became angry. "Why didn't he listen to me when I asked him to help me with my depression, my pain, and my loneliness?" She looked at her husband defiantly now.
"Maybe you were too numb from all that medication to hear him. Maybe this is his way of opening your eyes and ears so you can hear him and finally listen to his answer."
Susan burst into tears when she realized her husband was right. She had called but hadn't listened for an answer. It suddenly became very clear that the medication had made her depression seem beyond help. It was the medication that had made her feel so lonely because it numbed her to the point that she couldn't hear anyone. She only heard her own mind. A mind warped by drugs. She had been making her own personal hell. Why hadn't she seen that all along? She had to hit the bottom before she finally saw the light that led to a new hope and a better life.
Susan looked at her husband and smiled. "I guess this was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I'm glad that God warned me before it was to late."
At that, they both hugged. The monster called addiction had been destroyed.
Susan was lucky because her liver returned to normal the next day, which was a miracle as far as the doctors were concerned. She got a second chance on life. So many other people never receive that second chance or miss the light, even when it is shined straight into their eyes.
The point I am trying to make is that prescription drugs and over the counter drugs are just as deadly as the hard core street drugs when used the wrong way. It was the acetaminophen in the pain medication, when taken in large dosages that caused Susan's liver, to go haywire. Taken in recommended dosages, acetaminophen works fine and causes no problems, but when overdosed, it becomes a deadly toxin. This is true for most over the counter drugs and prescription drugs.
If you feel the need to take more medication than your supposed to, seek help before it's to late, because it won't take long for you to become so numb that you don't care anymore. It's a vicious cycle. Once the monster called addiction grabs a hold of you, it doesn't easily want to let go.
It had been another night of tossing and turning. She remembered kicking her husband at least three times to stop him from snoring. He had grunted and gone back to sleep. Within minutes, he was snoring again.
Susan would turn away and quietly curse. She wanted to sleep so bad, but it only seemed to come in small spurts, teasing her to the point of insanity. She had tried sleeping pills but they didn't do any good. Her husband said that she thought too much. That she kept her mind far to active and full of unnecessary worries and anxieties.
This only made her mad. Of course, she had worries and anxieties. She blamed her husband for a lot of them. If only he would be more understanding of her problems and needs. She had just gotten over her tenth surgery and next week she would be going for her eleventh.
Susan looked at the bottles of pills on her nightstand. She had three different kinds of pain pills, a pill for depression, a pill for stomach cramps and a pill to help her sleep. She had gotten to the point that she took three pills from each bottle. Her husband complained that she looked stoned all the time.
"Of course I look stoned," she'd yell to her husband. "You'd be stoned as well if you had to take pain medication on a daily basis." What she did not tell her husband, was that she was taking three times the recommended dosage and that she was taking all three types of pain pills at once instead of just one.
It was not that she wanted to hurt herself. She only wanted to numb herself from the emotional pain and the physical pain, which just seemed to be getting worse every day.
She sat up in her bed, continuing to look at the bottles of pills. She quickly turned around to make sure her husband was still sleeping, and then she quietly opened each bottle taking three pills from each one. Once she had all her pills, she took the glass of water that also lay on the nightstand and swallowed all the pills at once. She remembered a time when it had been difficult to swallow even one pill.
She started to cry as a deep desperation suddenly came over her and she quickly took one more pill from each bottle and swallowed them before she could change her mind. Anger welled up inside of her as she looked blankly at the white walls of her bedroom. A few minutes later the anger left and was replaced by an emptiness, as though every nerve had been turned off.
Susan got out of bed and limped to the living room. She pulled up the shades and looked out at the dreary street below. She really hated this town. She hated everything about this place.
Quickly turning away, Susan headed to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. She hadn't combed it in four days. Her eyes looked glassy and her pupils were dilated from the effects of the medication. She felt a wave of nausea come over her. The nausea had started two days ago and it seemed to be getting progressively worse. She was also having trouble urinating.
A tear fell down her check as she exited the bathroom and went to the refrigerator to grab a piece of cake. She heard her husband stirring in the bedroom. She knew he would ignore her as usual. She did not care. She did not care much about anything, anymore. As long as she had her supply of pills, she was all right. It was getting more difficult to get prescriptions filled. The doctors were beginning to question her motives.
Another wave of nausea suddenly came over her and she had the sudden need to vomit. She made it to the bathroom just in time. She had made sure to close the bathroom door so her husband would not see her like this. He complained enough about her taking medication. She didn't want another lecture on the dangers. She also did not want him finding out just how many pills she was actually taking.
Once she had wiped her mouth, she tried to go to the bathroom because she felt the need to go, but was unable too. Her bladder was beginning to hurt. Something wasn't right. Susan suddenly became a little frightened. She pushed the fear away when her husband knocked on the door.
"Can I come in?" He said in a neutral voice. "I'll be right out." Susan said. She put her pants back on and flushed the toilet. She opened the bathroom door and looked at her husband. He walked right by her without saying a word.
Again, anger filled her. Why couldn't he give her the courtesy of saying good morning? She hated it when he got in these quite moods. She always felt so alone. She couldn't stand the loneliness. Why did she have to be lonely when she had someone who supposedly loved her living in the same house?
Susan slowly walked back to the bedroom as she tried to push the feeling of anger and loneliness away. After getting dressed, she went back to the kitchen and sat down next to her husband.
"Are you still going to visit your mother in the hospital today?" She asked. She had planned to sneak to the emergency room and get herself checked.
"Unless you have something else planned, yes, I want to spend some time with my mother."
"Good, I have a doctor's appointment in the hospital," She lied, "so I'm coming along."
"Okay." Her husband said as he got up from the table. Susan watched him walk into the bedroom as another tear fell down her cheek. He had still not said good morning to her. She quickly wiped the tear away. She didn't want her husband to see her crying.
An hour later they arrived at the hospital. Susan followed her husband to his mother's room. After saying hello, she left to go to the emergency room. Her bladder felt like it was ready to burst but she was still unable go to the bathroom. Susan also had a rapid pulse and she suddenly felt very dizzy. She had an urge to throw-up again but there was nothing left to throw up.
Susan stopped in a bathroom, on the way, to try to throw up but she only dry heaved. When she got to the emergency room, Susan walked straight up to the nurse sitting behind the counter.
"May I help you?" The nurse asked as she looked up from her work.
"I'm not feeling very good. I am unable to urinate and I feel so sick to my stomach." She looked at the nurse, trying hard to concentrate. She felt like collapsing.
"Do you know what brought this on?" The nurse asked kindly.
For a moment, Susan wasn't sure what to say. She felt embarrassed that she had been taking so many pills for so long but at the same time, something inside of her said to tell the nurse the truth. Susan looked at the nurse crying now.
"I don't know how much longer I can stand." Susan said with a shaky voice. It was hard to speak. She was concentrating so hard just to stay standing. She told the nurse what she had been doing.
Within minutes, she found herself lying on a stretcher with EKG wires on her chest and an IV in her arm. The phlebotomist came to draw her blood. As the phlebotomist was finishing, the nurse arrived with a Foley to help her urinate. It was extremely painful getting the Foley put in but Susan felt the instant relief as the urine flowed into the bag.
Just then, her husband appeared looking very worried, also a little angry. Susan burst into tears when she saw him. All her pain, tension, and hurt that had been building up for months finally exploded out of her. Her husband took her in his arms and let her cry. She apologized for all her stupidity.
Her husband looked at her and apologized for not being there and not seeing the signs. He had been so busy being angry that he didn't realize that his anger was killing his wife.
The doctor came in looking very worried. Susan's liver function panel was extremely elevated.
"What does that mean?" Susan asked with tear filled eyes. She had already calmed down a little.
"It means that your liver has been poisoned to the point that it cannot handle that poison anymore. I just hope you do not have permanent liver damage. That is a horrible way to die.
Susan could not believe that taking all those pills could do that much damage. It wasn't fair. There were people who did hard core drugs everyday and they weren't in the hospital with liver damage. She also had not been taking the pills for more than four or five months. Her husband saw the confusion in her face and asked what was wrong.
"It's not fair." Susan said. "Why is my liver damaged? I never did any hard core drugs." Her husband looked at her with serious eyes. "Maybe it is God's way of telling you to stop."
Susan looked at her husband in disbelief. She thought about what her husband had said for a moment. Then she became angry. "Why didn't he listen to me when I asked him to help me with my depression, my pain, and my loneliness?" She looked at her husband defiantly now.
"Maybe you were too numb from all that medication to hear him. Maybe this is his way of opening your eyes and ears so you can hear him and finally listen to his answer."
Susan burst into tears when she realized her husband was right. She had called but hadn't listened for an answer. It suddenly became very clear that the medication had made her depression seem beyond help. It was the medication that had made her feel so lonely because it numbed her to the point that she couldn't hear anyone. She only heard her own mind. A mind warped by drugs. She had been making her own personal hell. Why hadn't she seen that all along? She had to hit the bottom before she finally saw the light that led to a new hope and a better life.
Susan looked at her husband and smiled. "I guess this was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I'm glad that God warned me before it was to late."
At that, they both hugged. The monster called addiction had been destroyed.
Susan was lucky because her liver returned to normal the next day, which was a miracle as far as the doctors were concerned. She got a second chance on life. So many other people never receive that second chance or miss the light, even when it is shined straight into their eyes.
The point I am trying to make is that prescription drugs and over the counter drugs are just as deadly as the hard core street drugs when used the wrong way. It was the acetaminophen in the pain medication, when taken in large dosages that caused Susan's liver, to go haywire. Taken in recommended dosages, acetaminophen works fine and causes no problems, but when overdosed, it becomes a deadly toxin. This is true for most over the counter drugs and prescription drugs.
If you feel the need to take more medication than your supposed to, seek help before it's to late, because it won't take long for you to become so numb that you don't care anymore. It's a vicious cycle. Once the monster called addiction grabs a hold of you, it doesn't easily want to let go.
DEFINING SEXUAL ORIENTATION
by Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D.
Sexual orientation is a classic example of a way to categorize people that is both widely misunderstood and controversial. That's not surprising, given our society's problems with sex. Our culture is one that is both obsessed with sex and phobic about it (Gonsiorek,1988). That makes it very difficult to talk calmly about any sexual topic, and sexual orientation is no exception.
Much of the confusion about sexual orientation occurs because there is no single agreed upon definition of the term. There are at least three groups of people with an interest in defining sexual orientation: scientists and scholars, people who are defining themselves as not heterosexual, and policy makers and politicians.
Scientists and scholars need clear definitions of sexual orientation so they have a common language for talking about their theories and the results of their research. However, that does not mean all scientists and scholars agree on a single definition of sexual orientation, anymore than they agree on single definitions of other terms.
Sometimes that's because a concept is difficult to define. Sometimes definitions are influenced by cultural and political debates and biases. However, the requirement that scholars and scientists clearly define their terms helps us to understand and interpret their work. There is no one universally accepted definition of sexual orientation, nor of who is bisexual, lesbian, or gay. However, as long as those who study sexual orientation are clear about how they define it, and how they define categories of non-heterosexual orientations, we can at least know who is being studied. Unfortunately, when the popular media report on results of research about sexual orientation, those reports rarely include information about how the researchers defined their terms. One of the questions useful to ask about research results is whether the study was of sexual behavior or sexual orientation. The two are often confused.
I believe any useful definition of sexual orientation should not require that a person be sexually active in order to be defined as having a particular orientation. That is because you do not have to be sexually active to be clear about the gender of those you find attractive. There are heterosexuals who do not become sexually active until they are married, and there are lesbians and bisexuals and gay men who do not become sexually active until they are in long-term committed relationships. There are also people of all sexual orientations who are never sexually active, such as those who take vows of celibacy in religious orders. That is why it is not appropriate to define sexual orientation solely in terms of sexual behavior.
Here is one recent definition I find useful:
A homosexual is an adult whose fantasies, attachments and longings are predominantly for persons of the same gender, who may or may not express those longings in overt behavior, and whose orientation may or may not be accompanied by a homosexual identity (Reiter, 1989, p. 140).
If we extend this definition, then heterosexuals are those for whom fantasies, attachments, and longings are predominantly for persons of the opposite gender, and bisexuals are those with fantasies, attachments and longings for persons of both genders. Notice that this definition distinguishes between orientation and identity. Orientation refers to definitions applied to others for scientific and scholarly purposes. Personal identity refers to what we call ourselves, to the identity we each have as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual person.
Sexual orientation is a classic example of a way to categorize people that is both widely misunderstood and controversial. That's not surprising, given our society's problems with sex. Our culture is one that is both obsessed with sex and phobic about it (Gonsiorek,1988). That makes it very difficult to talk calmly about any sexual topic, and sexual orientation is no exception.
Much of the confusion about sexual orientation occurs because there is no single agreed upon definition of the term. There are at least three groups of people with an interest in defining sexual orientation: scientists and scholars, people who are defining themselves as not heterosexual, and policy makers and politicians.
Scientists and scholars need clear definitions of sexual orientation so they have a common language for talking about their theories and the results of their research. However, that does not mean all scientists and scholars agree on a single definition of sexual orientation, anymore than they agree on single definitions of other terms.
Sometimes that's because a concept is difficult to define. Sometimes definitions are influenced by cultural and political debates and biases. However, the requirement that scholars and scientists clearly define their terms helps us to understand and interpret their work. There is no one universally accepted definition of sexual orientation, nor of who is bisexual, lesbian, or gay. However, as long as those who study sexual orientation are clear about how they define it, and how they define categories of non-heterosexual orientations, we can at least know who is being studied. Unfortunately, when the popular media report on results of research about sexual orientation, those reports rarely include information about how the researchers defined their terms. One of the questions useful to ask about research results is whether the study was of sexual behavior or sexual orientation. The two are often confused.
I believe any useful definition of sexual orientation should not require that a person be sexually active in order to be defined as having a particular orientation. That is because you do not have to be sexually active to be clear about the gender of those you find attractive. There are heterosexuals who do not become sexually active until they are married, and there are lesbians and bisexuals and gay men who do not become sexually active until they are in long-term committed relationships. There are also people of all sexual orientations who are never sexually active, such as those who take vows of celibacy in religious orders. That is why it is not appropriate to define sexual orientation solely in terms of sexual behavior.
Here is one recent definition I find useful:
A homosexual is an adult whose fantasies, attachments and longings are predominantly for persons of the same gender, who may or may not express those longings in overt behavior, and whose orientation may or may not be accompanied by a homosexual identity (Reiter, 1989, p. 140).
If we extend this definition, then heterosexuals are those for whom fantasies, attachments, and longings are predominantly for persons of the opposite gender, and bisexuals are those with fantasies, attachments and longings for persons of both genders. Notice that this definition distinguishes between orientation and identity. Orientation refers to definitions applied to others for scientific and scholarly purposes. Personal identity refers to what we call ourselves, to the identity we each have as a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual person.
THE MYTH of the HUNDREDTH MONKEY
by Tom Heuerman
The hundredth monkey is the name of a new myth. It's a story that has arisen, been repeated, and written about only in the last two decades. It is of very recent origin and yet, like Greek myths that tell of the Trojan war, it's not clear where fact ends and metaphor begins. The story was based on scientific observations of monkey colonies in Japan.
Off the shores of Japan, scientists had been studying monkey colonies on many separate islands for over thirty years. In order to keep track of the monkeys, they would drop sweet potatoes on the beach for them to eat. The monkeys would come out of the trees to get the sweet potatoes, and would be in plain sight to be observed. One day an 18-month-old female monkey named Imo started to wash her sweet potato in the sea before eating it. We can imagine that it tasted better without the grit and sand; maybe it even was slightly salty. Imo showed her playmates and her mother how to do it, and her friends showed their mothers, and gradually more and more monkeys began to wash their sweet potatoes instead of eating them grit and all. At first, only the adults who imitated their children learned, and gradually others did also. One day, the observers saw that all the monkeys on that particular island were washing their sweet potatoes.
Although this was significant, what was even more fascinating to note was that when this shift happened, the behavior of monkeys on all the other islands changed as well; they now all washed their sweet potatoes - despite the fact that monkey colonies on the different islands had no direct contact with each other.
The "hundredth monkey" was the hypothesized anonymous monkey that tipped the scales for the culture: the one whose change in behavior signaled the critical number of changed monkeys, after which all the monkeys on all the islands washed their sweet potatoes.
"The hundredth monkey is an allegory that gives hope to people who have been working on changing themselves and saving the planet, and wondering if their individual efforts will make any difference at all. As a myth, the hundredth monkey is a statement that affirms a commitment to work on something, like ridding Earth of nuclear weapons - even if the effect is invisible for a long time. If there is to be a hundredth monkey there has to be a human equivalent of Imo and her friends; someone has to be the twenty-seventh and the eighty-first and the ninety-ninth monkey, before a new archetype can come into being."
Jean Bolen, M.D.
British biologist Rupert Sheldrake believes that "morphogenic fields" shape the form, development, and behavior of organisms - even if there are no conventional forms of contact between them. Fields are built up over time by the repetitive actions of animals or people of the same species. When a certain number of the members of the species learn the behavior, it is automatically acquired by the other members of the species. Sheldrake has proven the action of morphogenic fields experimentally with both animals and such elementary phenomena as the growth of crystals. This theory is consistent with field theory and nonlocal causation in Quantum physics. We can think of shared vision, values, and purpose as an invisible ordering (field) in organizations.
In organizations, disappointing change efforts, mediocre leadership, the loss of trust and credibility, and the inner turmoil are so great that life may, at times, seem hopeless. We think not. While the destructiveness of an incomplete worldview is apparent all around us, the new growth that is emerging is not always so obvious.
I will not forget the barren, ash covered landscape surrounding Mount St. Helens a year or two after the volcano erupted spewing ash and destruction for hundreds of miles. I felt stunned and said to my wife, "This must be what the aftermath of an atomic war would be like" as I scanned the area. The destruction was overwhelming; it was easy to overlook the grass beginning to grow through the ash. Cleansed by destruction, nature began again.
Like Mount St. Helens, new creation is taking place in our organizational lives. We meet people weekly who are seeking new forms for their lives, for leadership, and for organizations. We see a critical mass of people growing who want to be part of the potential of the transformation the world is experiencing. They are the courageous artists and pioneers who are discovering, creating, and beginning to live from a new, organic worldview.
The hundredth monkey is the name of a new myth. It's a story that has arisen, been repeated, and written about only in the last two decades. It is of very recent origin and yet, like Greek myths that tell of the Trojan war, it's not clear where fact ends and metaphor begins. The story was based on scientific observations of monkey colonies in Japan.
Off the shores of Japan, scientists had been studying monkey colonies on many separate islands for over thirty years. In order to keep track of the monkeys, they would drop sweet potatoes on the beach for them to eat. The monkeys would come out of the trees to get the sweet potatoes, and would be in plain sight to be observed. One day an 18-month-old female monkey named Imo started to wash her sweet potato in the sea before eating it. We can imagine that it tasted better without the grit and sand; maybe it even was slightly salty. Imo showed her playmates and her mother how to do it, and her friends showed their mothers, and gradually more and more monkeys began to wash their sweet potatoes instead of eating them grit and all. At first, only the adults who imitated their children learned, and gradually others did also. One day, the observers saw that all the monkeys on that particular island were washing their sweet potatoes.
Although this was significant, what was even more fascinating to note was that when this shift happened, the behavior of monkeys on all the other islands changed as well; they now all washed their sweet potatoes - despite the fact that monkey colonies on the different islands had no direct contact with each other.
The "hundredth monkey" was the hypothesized anonymous monkey that tipped the scales for the culture: the one whose change in behavior signaled the critical number of changed monkeys, after which all the monkeys on all the islands washed their sweet potatoes.
"The hundredth monkey is an allegory that gives hope to people who have been working on changing themselves and saving the planet, and wondering if their individual efforts will make any difference at all. As a myth, the hundredth monkey is a statement that affirms a commitment to work on something, like ridding Earth of nuclear weapons - even if the effect is invisible for a long time. If there is to be a hundredth monkey there has to be a human equivalent of Imo and her friends; someone has to be the twenty-seventh and the eighty-first and the ninety-ninth monkey, before a new archetype can come into being."
Jean Bolen, M.D.
British biologist Rupert Sheldrake believes that "morphogenic fields" shape the form, development, and behavior of organisms - even if there are no conventional forms of contact between them. Fields are built up over time by the repetitive actions of animals or people of the same species. When a certain number of the members of the species learn the behavior, it is automatically acquired by the other members of the species. Sheldrake has proven the action of morphogenic fields experimentally with both animals and such elementary phenomena as the growth of crystals. This theory is consistent with field theory and nonlocal causation in Quantum physics. We can think of shared vision, values, and purpose as an invisible ordering (field) in organizations.
In organizations, disappointing change efforts, mediocre leadership, the loss of trust and credibility, and the inner turmoil are so great that life may, at times, seem hopeless. We think not. While the destructiveness of an incomplete worldview is apparent all around us, the new growth that is emerging is not always so obvious.
I will not forget the barren, ash covered landscape surrounding Mount St. Helens a year or two after the volcano erupted spewing ash and destruction for hundreds of miles. I felt stunned and said to my wife, "This must be what the aftermath of an atomic war would be like" as I scanned the area. The destruction was overwhelming; it was easy to overlook the grass beginning to grow through the ash. Cleansed by destruction, nature began again.
Like Mount St. Helens, new creation is taking place in our organizational lives. We meet people weekly who are seeking new forms for their lives, for leadership, and for organizations. We see a critical mass of people growing who want to be part of the potential of the transformation the world is experiencing. They are the courageous artists and pioneers who are discovering, creating, and beginning to live from a new, organic worldview.
OLDER WOMEN TALK ABOUT SEX
by Beverly Johnson, Ph.D. RN
These are the words of an 83-year-old widow: "Physical satisfaction is not the only aim of sex...it is the nearness of someone throughout the lonely nights of people in their 70s and 80s. We need someone to hold, hug and confide in."
A married woman age 57 said: "I believe sex is a wonderful outlet for love and physical health. It's worth trying to keep alive in advancing age... it makes one feel youthful and close to one's mate."
A different story is told by a married 64-year-old woman: "Now that I approach retiring age, seems I am constantly compared by my spouse to other younger and attractive women... I have always been affectionate and supportive... I feel undesired."
These are a few of the words of more than 600 women age 50 and older who participated in a survey of women on sexuality and aging.
When I was an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Vermont, I invited readers of AARP's "Modern Maturity" who were age 50 and older to participate in my study of older adults' sexuality. I asked the readers to complete surveys on such topics as health, sense of self worth, intimate relationships, and attitudes. To encourage the participants to be as open and honest as possible, I asked them not to sign their names to the questionnaires.
I also invited the participants to describe their degree of interest, participation and satisfaction for a variety of sexual activities such as sitting and holding hands to reading or looking at erotic materials to saying, "I love (or like) you" to more physically intimate activities such as kissing, hugging, intercourse, masturbation and oral sex. I wanted to explore sexuality in older adults from a broad perspective and not just equate sexuality with sex or sexual behaviors.
Studies looking at sexuality in this age group are especially significant as society has often seen older adults as sexually uninterested, uninteresting and incapable. An earlier study of contemporary adult sexual behavior by University of Chicago researchers only included adults between the ages of 18 and 59. The researchers used this upper age limit since they found previous research had shown both the amount and variety of sexual behaviors declined with age. Financial constraints of the study also led them to reduce the upper age limit from age 65 to age 59.
My study, then, intentionally examined women older ranges, and included items to provide a view of older female sexuality, beyond frequency and type of sexual behaviors. I also sought to include other aspects of oneself, such as self-esteem and intimacy.
How did these older women describe themselves?
Nearly one-half of the women were married, while one-third were widowed. Three quarters of the women were satisfied with their lives in general. Their health status reports indicated that 40 percent had had a hysterectomy, while their most common health problems were arthritis and high blood pressure. Eighty five percent of the women described their health as good.
I also found that women saw themselves from a positive self view and as participants in intimate relationships (41 percent described their spouse as the person to whom they were most close while 33 percent said such a person was a friend). For example, 90 percent of the women reported, "I feel I have a number of good qualities," and "I take a positive attitude toward myself." Half of the women said their closest relationship provided sexual satisfaction while over 80 percent described their intimate partner as physically attractive, and both partners had a strong emotional attraction for each other.
Women also described themselves as knowledgeable about sexuality and aging and liberal in their sexual attitudes. They knew physical changes in sexual function were associated with aging and 85 percent said older adults continue their sexual interest and activity well into old age if they are healthy. Furthermore, 90 percent believed sex was not just for the young, that late life romances are good, that and sexuality continues throughout life.
In this study women described their sexual interest, participation, and satisfaction in various sexual activities:
At least 50 percent reported being very interested, active in, and satisfied with activities such as sitting next to someone and talking, making oneself more attractive, hearing or saying "I love (or like) you," kissing, hugging, and caressing.
Two-thirds of the women said they were "very interested" in sexual intercourse.
Fifty percent or less said they participated "very often" in sexual intercourse.
Sexual activities for which one-third of the women or less expressed being, "very interested, active in, and satisfied with" included talking about sexuality, reading or watching erotic materials, daydreaming about sex, masturbation and oral sex.
Compared to their younger years, only 35 percent of the women said their present sexual interest had decreased.
Fifty-six percent of the women said their sexual participation had decreased
Thirty-eight percent said overall sexual satisfaction had decreased. These facets of sexual behaviors do continue for this group of older women!
For this group of older women, I concluded that greater levels of sexual interest, participation and, greater levels of satisfaction characterized those women who saw themselves in a positive light, had intimate relationships and had liberal sexual attitudes. Although the results of this study can't be generalized to the population of older U.S. women because the women had volunteered to participate rather than being randomly selected, the results do describe a view of positive and continuing sexuality of community-based older women.
These are the words of an 83-year-old widow: "Physical satisfaction is not the only aim of sex...it is the nearness of someone throughout the lonely nights of people in their 70s and 80s. We need someone to hold, hug and confide in."
A married woman age 57 said: "I believe sex is a wonderful outlet for love and physical health. It's worth trying to keep alive in advancing age... it makes one feel youthful and close to one's mate."
A different story is told by a married 64-year-old woman: "Now that I approach retiring age, seems I am constantly compared by my spouse to other younger and attractive women... I have always been affectionate and supportive... I feel undesired."
These are a few of the words of more than 600 women age 50 and older who participated in a survey of women on sexuality and aging.
When I was an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Vermont, I invited readers of AARP's "Modern Maturity" who were age 50 and older to participate in my study of older adults' sexuality. I asked the readers to complete surveys on such topics as health, sense of self worth, intimate relationships, and attitudes. To encourage the participants to be as open and honest as possible, I asked them not to sign their names to the questionnaires.
I also invited the participants to describe their degree of interest, participation and satisfaction for a variety of sexual activities such as sitting and holding hands to reading or looking at erotic materials to saying, "I love (or like) you" to more physically intimate activities such as kissing, hugging, intercourse, masturbation and oral sex. I wanted to explore sexuality in older adults from a broad perspective and not just equate sexuality with sex or sexual behaviors.
Studies looking at sexuality in this age group are especially significant as society has often seen older adults as sexually uninterested, uninteresting and incapable. An earlier study of contemporary adult sexual behavior by University of Chicago researchers only included adults between the ages of 18 and 59. The researchers used this upper age limit since they found previous research had shown both the amount and variety of sexual behaviors declined with age. Financial constraints of the study also led them to reduce the upper age limit from age 65 to age 59.
My study, then, intentionally examined women older ranges, and included items to provide a view of older female sexuality, beyond frequency and type of sexual behaviors. I also sought to include other aspects of oneself, such as self-esteem and intimacy.
How did these older women describe themselves?
Nearly one-half of the women were married, while one-third were widowed. Three quarters of the women were satisfied with their lives in general. Their health status reports indicated that 40 percent had had a hysterectomy, while their most common health problems were arthritis and high blood pressure. Eighty five percent of the women described their health as good.
I also found that women saw themselves from a positive self view and as participants in intimate relationships (41 percent described their spouse as the person to whom they were most close while 33 percent said such a person was a friend). For example, 90 percent of the women reported, "I feel I have a number of good qualities," and "I take a positive attitude toward myself." Half of the women said their closest relationship provided sexual satisfaction while over 80 percent described their intimate partner as physically attractive, and both partners had a strong emotional attraction for each other.
Women also described themselves as knowledgeable about sexuality and aging and liberal in their sexual attitudes. They knew physical changes in sexual function were associated with aging and 85 percent said older adults continue their sexual interest and activity well into old age if they are healthy. Furthermore, 90 percent believed sex was not just for the young, that late life romances are good, that and sexuality continues throughout life.
In this study women described their sexual interest, participation, and satisfaction in various sexual activities:
At least 50 percent reported being very interested, active in, and satisfied with activities such as sitting next to someone and talking, making oneself more attractive, hearing or saying "I love (or like) you," kissing, hugging, and caressing.
Two-thirds of the women said they were "very interested" in sexual intercourse.
Fifty percent or less said they participated "very often" in sexual intercourse.
Sexual activities for which one-third of the women or less expressed being, "very interested, active in, and satisfied with" included talking about sexuality, reading or watching erotic materials, daydreaming about sex, masturbation and oral sex.
Compared to their younger years, only 35 percent of the women said their present sexual interest had decreased.
Fifty-six percent of the women said their sexual participation had decreased
Thirty-eight percent said overall sexual satisfaction had decreased. These facets of sexual behaviors do continue for this group of older women!
For this group of older women, I concluded that greater levels of sexual interest, participation and, greater levels of satisfaction characterized those women who saw themselves in a positive light, had intimate relationships and had liberal sexual attitudes. Although the results of this study can't be generalized to the population of older U.S. women because the women had volunteered to participate rather than being randomly selected, the results do describe a view of positive and continuing sexuality of community-based older women.
AGING, ALCOHOL ABUSE, BINGE DRINKING AND ALCOHOLISM
-by Emily Carton, LISW
Anyone at any age can develop or resume a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always been a heavy drinker -- his family may find that as he gets older, the problem gets worse. Grandma Betty may have been a teetotaler all her life, just taking a drink "to help her get to sleep" after her husband died -- now she needs a couple of drinks to get through the day. These are common stories. Drinking problems in older people are often neglected by families, doctors, and the public.
Physical Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol slows down brain activity.
Because alcohol affects alertness, judgment, coordination, and reaction time, drinking increases the risk of falls and accidents.
Some research has shown that it takes less alcohol to affect older than younger people.
Over time, heavy drinking permanently damages the brain and central nervous system, as well as the liver, heart, kidneys, and stomach.
Alcohol's effects can make some medical problems hard to diagnose. For example, alcohol causes changes in the heart and blood vessels that can dull pain that might be a warning sign of a heart attack.
It also can cause forgetfulness and confusion, which can seem like Alzheimer's disease.
Mixing Drugs
Alcohol, itself a drug, is often harmful when mixed with prescription or over-the-counter medicines. This is a special problem for people over 65, because they are often heavy users of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Mixing alcohol with other drugs such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, pain killers, and antihistamines can be very dangerous, even fatal. For example, aspirin can cause bleeding in the stomach and intestines; when aspirin is combined with alcohol, the risk of bleeding is much higher. When alcohol is mixed with sleeping pills or barbiturates such as ativan, valium or librium, the combination can slow down the body's vital systems to the point of the person seemingly slips out of consciousness, but in reality, they have gone into cardiac or pulmonary arrest, and die.
As people age, the body's ability to absorb and dispose of alcohol and other drugs changes. Anyone who drinks should check with a doctor or pharmacist about possible problems with drug and alcohol interactions.
Who Becomes a Problem Drinker?
There are two types of problem drinkers -- chronic and situational. Chronic abusers have been heavy drinkers for many years. Although many chronic abusers die by middle age, some live well into old age. Most older problem drinkers are in this group.
Other people may develop a drinking problem late in life, often because of "situational" factors such as retirement, lowered income, failing health, loneliness, or the death of friends or loved ones. At first, having a drink brings relief, but later it can turn into a chronic companion or escape.
How to Recognize a Problem
Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking problem. Binge drinking, even just a few times a year, can be a signal that a problem exists. You might want to get help if you:
Drink to calm your nerves, forget your worries, or reduce depression
Lose interest in food
Gulp your drinks down fast
Lie or try to hide your drinking habits
Drink alone more often
Hurt yourself, or someone else, while drinking
Are drunk more than three or four times last year
Need more alcohol to get "high"
Feel irritable, resentful, or unreasonable when you are not drinking
Have medical, social, or financial problems caused by drinking
What is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is also referred to as 'heavy episodic drinking", has been defined in different ways at different times. Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent, or chronically alcoholic. It currently most often refers to heavy drinking over a short period of time, such as an evening. It often occurs with the intention of getting intoxicated, and is sometimes associated with social or physical harm. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or higher. This typically happens when the average size American male consumes 5 or more drinks, and when an American female consumes 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours. In older people, binge drinking can be associated with these ehalth problems:
Accidental injuries (e.g. vehicle crash, falling, burning, drowning)
Intentional injuries (e.g. firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence)
Alcohol poisoning
High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases
Neurological damage
Sexual dysfunction or sexually transmitted disease
Poor control of diabetes
Liver disease
Getting Help
Older problem drinkers have a very good chance for recovery because once they decide to seek help, they usually stay with treatment programs. You can begin getting help by calling your family doctor or clergy member. Your local health department or social services agencies also can help.
Anyone at any age can develop or resume a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always been a heavy drinker -- his family may find that as he gets older, the problem gets worse. Grandma Betty may have been a teetotaler all her life, just taking a drink "to help her get to sleep" after her husband died -- now she needs a couple of drinks to get through the day. These are common stories. Drinking problems in older people are often neglected by families, doctors, and the public.
Physical Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol slows down brain activity.
Because alcohol affects alertness, judgment, coordination, and reaction time, drinking increases the risk of falls and accidents.
Some research has shown that it takes less alcohol to affect older than younger people.
Over time, heavy drinking permanently damages the brain and central nervous system, as well as the liver, heart, kidneys, and stomach.
Alcohol's effects can make some medical problems hard to diagnose. For example, alcohol causes changes in the heart and blood vessels that can dull pain that might be a warning sign of a heart attack.
It also can cause forgetfulness and confusion, which can seem like Alzheimer's disease.
Mixing Drugs
Alcohol, itself a drug, is often harmful when mixed with prescription or over-the-counter medicines. This is a special problem for people over 65, because they are often heavy users of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Mixing alcohol with other drugs such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, pain killers, and antihistamines can be very dangerous, even fatal. For example, aspirin can cause bleeding in the stomach and intestines; when aspirin is combined with alcohol, the risk of bleeding is much higher. When alcohol is mixed with sleeping pills or barbiturates such as ativan, valium or librium, the combination can slow down the body's vital systems to the point of the person seemingly slips out of consciousness, but in reality, they have gone into cardiac or pulmonary arrest, and die.
As people age, the body's ability to absorb and dispose of alcohol and other drugs changes. Anyone who drinks should check with a doctor or pharmacist about possible problems with drug and alcohol interactions.
Who Becomes a Problem Drinker?
There are two types of problem drinkers -- chronic and situational. Chronic abusers have been heavy drinkers for many years. Although many chronic abusers die by middle age, some live well into old age. Most older problem drinkers are in this group.
Other people may develop a drinking problem late in life, often because of "situational" factors such as retirement, lowered income, failing health, loneliness, or the death of friends or loved ones. At first, having a drink brings relief, but later it can turn into a chronic companion or escape.
How to Recognize a Problem
Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking problem. Binge drinking, even just a few times a year, can be a signal that a problem exists. You might want to get help if you:
Drink to calm your nerves, forget your worries, or reduce depression
Lose interest in food
Gulp your drinks down fast
Lie or try to hide your drinking habits
Drink alone more often
Hurt yourself, or someone else, while drinking
Are drunk more than three or four times last year
Need more alcohol to get "high"
Feel irritable, resentful, or unreasonable when you are not drinking
Have medical, social, or financial problems caused by drinking
What is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is also referred to as 'heavy episodic drinking", has been defined in different ways at different times. Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent, or chronically alcoholic. It currently most often refers to heavy drinking over a short period of time, such as an evening. It often occurs with the intention of getting intoxicated, and is sometimes associated with social or physical harm. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or higher. This typically happens when the average size American male consumes 5 or more drinks, and when an American female consumes 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours. In older people, binge drinking can be associated with these ehalth problems:
Accidental injuries (e.g. vehicle crash, falling, burning, drowning)
Intentional injuries (e.g. firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence)
Alcohol poisoning
High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases
Neurological damage
Sexual dysfunction or sexually transmitted disease
Poor control of diabetes
Liver disease
Getting Help
Older problem drinkers have a very good chance for recovery because once they decide to seek help, they usually stay with treatment programs. You can begin getting help by calling your family doctor or clergy member. Your local health department or social services agencies also can help.
Good Sex is Good for You!
"Life without love is like a coconut in which the milk is dried up." Henry David Thoreau
"Good sex....Improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity."
Scientific evidence is accumulating support what many of us have suspected all along: good sex not only adds great enjoyment to our lives, but it also actually improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity.
In a new book called Sexual Healing, Dr. Paul Pearsall, Director of Behavioral Medicine at Detroit's Beaumont Hospital, writes that the joys and pleasures of living life and loving may provide us with something called an "intimacy inoculation" that actually protects us from disease.
Dr. Pearsall, who cites numerous other researchers, concludes, "Growing numbers of physicians now recognize that the health of the human heart depends not only on such factors as genetics, diet, and exercise, but also --to a large extent-- on the social and emotional health of the individual."
Sexual healing is achieved primarily through the daily challenge of maintaining a close, intimate relationship which, when accomplished, leads to balance between our health and healing systems.
Can lack of sexual intimacy create a risk factor for certain diseases? Dr. Pearsall cites research and his own clinical experience ndicating that sexual dissatisfaction seems to be prevalent prior to a heart attack in a high percentage of persons. Conversely, sexual contentment appears related to less severe migraine headaches, fewer and less-severe symptoms of premenstrual syndrome for women, and a reduction in symptoms related to chronic arthritis for both genders.
Although the exact biological mechanisms are not yet identified, many researchers are investigating how our thoughts, feelings, brain, immune system and sexual/genital system interact, influence each other, and affect our health. There may be an actual biological drive toward closeness, intimacy, and being connected to other human beings.
When we experience intimate, mutually caring sexual intimacy, we may experience a measurable change in neurochemicals and hormones that pour through the body and help promote health and healing.
"Hormones that pour through the body help promote health and healing."
Does this mean that to live longer or be more healthy we just need to DO IT more often or better? Of course not! Sex is a much broader concept that genital connecting or having an orgasm. Psychologist and author Gina Ogden, Ph.D. notes in her book, "Women Who Love Sex", that sex has everything to do with openness, connection to and bonding with a partner, feelings about what is happening to us, and memories. For those who love it, sex permeates their lives and is not merely a specialized, time-intensive, physical activity that takes place under the covers--as quickly as possible.
As a result of interviewing many women, Dr. Ogden learned that sexual desire, or lust, was produced by much more than physical stimulation. For women, according to Dr.Ogden, it has more to do with feelings of connectedness in their relationships: "Heart to heart, soul to soul, even mind to mind."
"For women, it has to do with feelings of connectedness in their relationships."
When discussing sexual connecting, Dr. Ogden's interviewees spoke of a FLOWING CONTINUUM OF PLEASURE, ORGASM, AND ECSTASY, rather than a one-time experience. They also described peak sexual experiences as coming from stimulation all over their bodies--not just from their genitals--including fingers, toes, hips, lips, neck, and earlobes.
Obviously, arousal and satisfaction evolve not only from receiving sexual energy, but also from the joy of stimulating one's partner. Sex, then, is a commitment of give and take.
Finally, the women Dr. Ogden studied have their own concepts of safe sex, essential to experiencing sexual pleasure and ecstasy. This kind of safe sex does NOT relate to preventing STDs or pregnancy; it relates, instead, to emotional and spiritual safety. Such safety is CRUCIAL for sexual closeness. Most of the women insisted that warm, loving connections with themselves and with their partners were essential to and inseparable from the experience of sexual ecstasy.
When people feel deeply close while merely holding hands, they are having sex. When people display caring for each other through hugs, caresses, and kissing, they are also having sex. When connecting people in a crowded room wink at each other in their own secret way, they are communicating sex to each other; such non-contact sex can be excitedly arousing and emotionally fulfilling. And, of course, during sexual union when the sky seems to open so a lightning bolt can strike the couple--while fireworks ignite and the earth stops spinning-- this is sex, too.
But wait. Do men also need this almost spiritual connection to enjoy sex and achieve good health? Well, yes and no. Men need sex and men need emotional connection, but many men don't necessarily need to put the two together!
According to Dr. Bernie Zilbergelt, who wrote The New Male Sexuality, sex for women is intertwined with personal connection. For some men , sex is unto itself--an act to be engaged in with or without love, with or without commitment, with or without connection.
Presently, younger boys are being socialized in a more enlightened manner; consequently, male attitudes toward sexual union are changing. But,unfortunately, the socialization of many men born in or before the 60's provided very little information of value to the formation and maintenance of intimate relationships. These men were taught, as youths, that males showed love by doing, not by talking or "connecting" with girls.
"Fortunately, anyone can...restore closeness, intimacy, and sexual flow."
Older men were usually also socialized to be strong and self-reliant, which usually means one doesn't easily talk about or admit personal problems. Many such men do not acknowledge worries and fears to their partners; they simply try to handle everything on their own.
A consequence of such reticence is (1) lack of intimacy in the relationship, with the wife feeling "left out" of her husband's life; and (2) men often don't get what they need because they don't know how to ask for it, so they feel distanced and frustrated when they really want closeness and intimacy as much as their partner does.
Sex under these conditions creates distance in the relationship or creates sexual dysfunction which drives an even deeper wedge into the relationship. This is especially true if a man is married to a woman must be wanted by her husband to have her sexuality validated.
Consequently, sex routinely becomes mechanical, unfeeling, and unfulfilling. Fortunately, anyone can break this vicious cycle and restore closeness, intimacy, and sexual flow in the relationship.
"Good sex....Improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity."
Scientific evidence is accumulating support what many of us have suspected all along: good sex not only adds great enjoyment to our lives, but it also actually improves our health and may even contribute to our longevity.
In a new book called Sexual Healing, Dr. Paul Pearsall, Director of Behavioral Medicine at Detroit's Beaumont Hospital, writes that the joys and pleasures of living life and loving may provide us with something called an "intimacy inoculation" that actually protects us from disease.
Dr. Pearsall, who cites numerous other researchers, concludes, "Growing numbers of physicians now recognize that the health of the human heart depends not only on such factors as genetics, diet, and exercise, but also --to a large extent-- on the social and emotional health of the individual."
Sexual healing is achieved primarily through the daily challenge of maintaining a close, intimate relationship which, when accomplished, leads to balance between our health and healing systems.
Can lack of sexual intimacy create a risk factor for certain diseases? Dr. Pearsall cites research and his own clinical experience ndicating that sexual dissatisfaction seems to be prevalent prior to a heart attack in a high percentage of persons. Conversely, sexual contentment appears related to less severe migraine headaches, fewer and less-severe symptoms of premenstrual syndrome for women, and a reduction in symptoms related to chronic arthritis for both genders.
Although the exact biological mechanisms are not yet identified, many researchers are investigating how our thoughts, feelings, brain, immune system and sexual/genital system interact, influence each other, and affect our health. There may be an actual biological drive toward closeness, intimacy, and being connected to other human beings.
When we experience intimate, mutually caring sexual intimacy, we may experience a measurable change in neurochemicals and hormones that pour through the body and help promote health and healing.
"Hormones that pour through the body help promote health and healing."
Does this mean that to live longer or be more healthy we just need to DO IT more often or better? Of course not! Sex is a much broader concept that genital connecting or having an orgasm. Psychologist and author Gina Ogden, Ph.D. notes in her book, "Women Who Love Sex", that sex has everything to do with openness, connection to and bonding with a partner, feelings about what is happening to us, and memories. For those who love it, sex permeates their lives and is not merely a specialized, time-intensive, physical activity that takes place under the covers--as quickly as possible.
As a result of interviewing many women, Dr. Ogden learned that sexual desire, or lust, was produced by much more than physical stimulation. For women, according to Dr.Ogden, it has more to do with feelings of connectedness in their relationships: "Heart to heart, soul to soul, even mind to mind."
"For women, it has to do with feelings of connectedness in their relationships."
When discussing sexual connecting, Dr. Ogden's interviewees spoke of a FLOWING CONTINUUM OF PLEASURE, ORGASM, AND ECSTASY, rather than a one-time experience. They also described peak sexual experiences as coming from stimulation all over their bodies--not just from their genitals--including fingers, toes, hips, lips, neck, and earlobes.
Obviously, arousal and satisfaction evolve not only from receiving sexual energy, but also from the joy of stimulating one's partner. Sex, then, is a commitment of give and take.
Finally, the women Dr. Ogden studied have their own concepts of safe sex, essential to experiencing sexual pleasure and ecstasy. This kind of safe sex does NOT relate to preventing STDs or pregnancy; it relates, instead, to emotional and spiritual safety. Such safety is CRUCIAL for sexual closeness. Most of the women insisted that warm, loving connections with themselves and with their partners were essential to and inseparable from the experience of sexual ecstasy.
When people feel deeply close while merely holding hands, they are having sex. When people display caring for each other through hugs, caresses, and kissing, they are also having sex. When connecting people in a crowded room wink at each other in their own secret way, they are communicating sex to each other; such non-contact sex can be excitedly arousing and emotionally fulfilling. And, of course, during sexual union when the sky seems to open so a lightning bolt can strike the couple--while fireworks ignite and the earth stops spinning-- this is sex, too.
But wait. Do men also need this almost spiritual connection to enjoy sex and achieve good health? Well, yes and no. Men need sex and men need emotional connection, but many men don't necessarily need to put the two together!
According to Dr. Bernie Zilbergelt, who wrote The New Male Sexuality, sex for women is intertwined with personal connection. For some men , sex is unto itself--an act to be engaged in with or without love, with or without commitment, with or without connection.
Presently, younger boys are being socialized in a more enlightened manner; consequently, male attitudes toward sexual union are changing. But,unfortunately, the socialization of many men born in or before the 60's provided very little information of value to the formation and maintenance of intimate relationships. These men were taught, as youths, that males showed love by doing, not by talking or "connecting" with girls.
"Fortunately, anyone can...restore closeness, intimacy, and sexual flow."
Older men were usually also socialized to be strong and self-reliant, which usually means one doesn't easily talk about or admit personal problems. Many such men do not acknowledge worries and fears to their partners; they simply try to handle everything on their own.
A consequence of such reticence is (1) lack of intimacy in the relationship, with the wife feeling "left out" of her husband's life; and (2) men often don't get what they need because they don't know how to ask for it, so they feel distanced and frustrated when they really want closeness and intimacy as much as their partner does.
Sex under these conditions creates distance in the relationship or creates sexual dysfunction which drives an even deeper wedge into the relationship. This is especially true if a man is married to a woman must be wanted by her husband to have her sexuality validated.
Consequently, sex routinely becomes mechanical, unfeeling, and unfulfilling. Fortunately, anyone can break this vicious cycle and restore closeness, intimacy, and sexual flow in the relationship.
London - Restaurants and Bars
Londoners are spoiled with many choices when it comes to dining out. The cuisine of almost any country in the world can be sampled in the capital. Options include Korean, Burmese, Argentine steak, Vegan, Malaysian, Mauritian, Modern British, and Hungarian — all in all, an epicurean feast! Food is a popular hedonistic pleasure, with restaurants emerging as trendy hang-outs, chefs becoming TV stars and cookery books turning into hot bestsellers. Naturally every area and every other road in London has a place to eat, but certain areas do excel. Camden - This perennially popular neighborhood teems with great mid-range venues like Wagamama, everyone's favorite modern noodle bar, and Cottons — a favorite for Caribbean cuisine. The famous Jazz Cafe brings some great blues and an eclectic selection of music to the area. Chelsea & Fulham have a first-rate selection of restaurants catering to the area's wealthy clientele — but the variety is just as vast as the rest of the city. Enjoy classy Thai at Blue Elephant and join locals for authentic Italian at Chelsea stalwart La Famiglia. For some brilliant 'Modern British' head to Conran's Bibendum and Bluebird. For the gastro-pub experience, join the Chelsea crowd at The Admiral Codrington and sample great, updated British grub like salmon fishcakes and warm liver salad. Covent Garden mixes the simple with the traditional, the substantial with the stylish. Food for Thought on Neal Street is a popular vegetarian hole-in-the-wall that serves hearty portions to students and travelers alike. Traditional English fare is the order of the day at Rules; it always offers a refined and restrained dining experience. Another appealing venue is The Ivy, in the heart of Theaterland, which boasts celebrity spotting. Charlotte Street, up the road in Fitzrovia, is also packed with superb restaurants, perfect for business and romance. Islington's Upper Street is swarming with restaurants, bars and cafes; Modern British cuisine is very well represented. You can also find a range of other cuisines, from Turkish to Vietnamese. Kensington & Knightsbridge - Kensington Place is a good spot for lunch, visit Julie's for a romantic evening, and Clarkes is a contemporary and elegant experience. San Lorenzo on Beauchamp Place was Princess Diana's favorite place for Italian and continues to attract many food connoisseurs. Marylebone has some great eateries, including the elegant Orrery (another Conran venture). For Irish cuisine, try the Ard Ri Dining Room above the O'Conor Don Pub. In St. Christopher's Place, a charming courtyard off Oxford Street, you'll find cafes, Italian trattorias and juice bars. Mayfair & West End - The 28th floor Galvin at Windows at the Hilton Hotel offers fantastic views of London's nightscape; have a drink before indulging at the eternally trendy Nobu or Mirabelle. Deeper in Mayfair, enjoy the Michelin-starred modern French cuisine of The Square, probably one of London's finest restaurants. Check out Indian favorites including upmarket Veeraswarmy and Chor Bizarre. If you seek opulent relaxation, visit Momo, where you can sit cross-legged and enjoy Middle Eastern treats. Notting Hill is home to hip restaurants of all kinds. There is a vast selection of Italian places, like the snug and friendly Osteria Basilico. Tom's delicatessen is popular for weekend brunches, but be prepared for long lines. For something more exotic, try some Caribbean food, abundant at Carnival time from street stalls. Primrose Hill is one of London's best-kept secrets. The hugely popular Greek restaurant Lemonia is perfect for families while Odette's suits intimate, romantic dinners and enjoyment of fine wines. Manna is a great vegetarian restaurant, and Sesame, the whole-food store, has a great cafe on Regent's Park Road. Soho & Chinatown, one of London's top nightlife areas, has an incredible concentration of bars, restaurants and cafes. From Bar Italia and the trendy vegetarian eatery Mildred's to the very exclusive Lindsay House, you can find practically anything in just a few dense blocks. South Bank - Oxo Tower has the hype to match the buzz and a formidable view. Its West London counterpart Thai Square Putney is an architectural delight offering both great views of the Thames and knock-out food. Terence Conran's Blue Print Cafe leaves a fine impression with views of Tower Bridge. The City has a super vegetarian lunch venue in the crypt of St. Mary-le-Bow called The Place Below. Other options in the area include Futures restaurant, The Eagle gastro-pub and the literary Filthy McNasty pub for a drink. Stylish and formal restaurants, from Conran's Aurora to the trendy Smith's, are abundant. Hotels are also a good bet for eating out, since they have a pleasant touch of luxury, tip-top service and tables that are often available at the last minute. Afternoon teas are an English tradition that cannot be missed — scones, clotted cream and leaf tea in silver teapots. The Dorchester and Brown's are among the great hotels serving tea from 3p. You can even find good food at Internet cafes, mushrooming all over the capital. Many public houses, besides pumping real ale, are metamorphosing into gastro-pubs. With such a fabulous choice, standards are very high. London is truly terrific on a global scale.
Introduction to - Budapest
Undoubtedly the brightest jewel on the Danube, present-day Budapest was created in 1873 from the separate towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda. Its population of 2 million resides in 23 districts—the central ones will be covered here. The definitive view of Budapest is that of the Castle District located within the first district. It is an absolute must see, and can easily be accessed by a lovely funicular cable car that offers great views on the way up to the castles. It's hard to imagine that the palace and entire hill with its medieval and baroque residences were utterly flattened during World War II. More baroque splendor extends along Fo utca (Main Street) and flanks Batthyany ter, site of the most spectacular Buda-side view of Pest and the Parliament Building. The adjacent Gellert Hill and the Citadella form part of the profile of the first district. The hills drop abruptly into the river and define the city's geography, an utterly flat Pest sits on the opposite bank and the majestic Danube flows between them. The city center (Belvaros) is Pest's District V, embracing the area within the Kiskorut (little boulevard). With the awe-inspiring brick and tiled hulk of the Vasarcsarnok (main market hall) at one end, its spine is the affluent retail hub that is the Vaci utca. The city's administrative flank, the Lipotvaros section, extends between Bajcsy-Zsilinsky and the Danube. It includes the Parliament Building and the many ministries that make up the country's administration. Less institutionalized corruption has ensured that the array of shops and restaurants in this district is ever-changing: here today, gone tomorrow. District VI is the city's mainstream cultural wedge and features Andrassy ut, Budapest's most beautiful boulevard, that has two ends: the traffic center Deák Square where all three metro lines meet and Heroes' Square one of the city's most important monuments that stands before the City Park. A short walk will take you to one of Budapest's main luxury attractions and what is one or Europe's largest spas, the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. The Andrassy ut is also considered Budapest's very own 'Broadway' when it crosses Nagymezo utca and the Opera House both of which are comfortably ensconced here among the hundreds of eclectic buildings. Franz Liszt ter has become the city's social hot spot, particularly during the summer when the hip hold court at the half a dozen outdoor bars and cafes that spill out onto the pavement. District VII is Budapest's historic Old Jewish Quarter, containing several synagogues, Kosher bakeries, restaurants, hotels, and a happening night life. One recurring architectural theme is the presence of long, interconnected courtyards that link two parallel streets, out of practical and strategic necessity. The most incredible example of this is the haunting, vacant Gozsdu udvar. The sixth undoubtedly has the best 'neighborhood' feel of all the districts within the Nagykorut. The eighth could also be known as the 'District of Ill Repute.' Rakoczi ter has long since entered the lexicon as more than just a place name, but other areas have outshone it in its brand of commerce. There have been many attempts to establish Red Light Districts for legal prostitution here in Jozsefvaros, and just as many attempts to discourage them. However, visitors won't run into any brazen tawdriness unless they venture outside the Nagykorut. District IX, Ferencvaros, is similar in character to the working-class if not downright impoverished eighth, except that it is now an 'up-and-coming' area. Trendy bars and cafes are springing up on Raday utca and in the section bounded by the Nagykorut. Gentrification will continue due to the potential for development alongside the Danube. It is definitely still worth a visit for tourists as the marvelous Museum of Applied Arts can be found here. Though technically in the 8th district, the beautiful Hungarian National Museum with its unique architecture is just a few steps from Raday street, and is also worth the trip. Pop across the river again to Obuda ('Old Buda'), which makes up District III. It was the site of the Roman encampment Aquincum, the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in continental Europe. Consequently, many amphitheatres and artifacts have been unearthed here. However, many of Budapest's oldest and most beautiful dwellings were razed during the Communist period in order to make way for the huge apartment blocks just off Arpad bridge. Practically all that remains is a small collection of (restored) buildings around Fo ter. District II, the Rozsadomb, or 'Rose Hill,' is where Budapest's elite live. Dotted thickly with old villas and embassy residences, it got its name from the Turk Gul Baba, whose tomb is reached via a cobblestone lane. District XII is the gateway to the Buda Hills and serenity, a mere few minutes from Moszkva ter. Buda's tallest hill, Janos Hegy, presides over this area, and there are many spectacular views to check out here from the chair-lift, Children's Railway and the Cogwheel Railway. The latter two also service Szechenyi Hill. District XI is where the bourgeois of Buda lived before they took to the hills, but the area remains quite affluent. It curves around Gellert Hill and extends to the border of Budapest itself. Most of the activity in this district centers around Moricz Zsigmond korter and the Technical University, which fronts a huge stretch of the River Danube between Szabadsag and Lagymanyosi bridges. To experience some solace in this bustling neighborhood make sure to take a trip to the Feneketlen to.
Sun and culture on the Costa Brava
Whitewashed fishing villages. Crystalline seawater. Underwater paradise areas and nature reserves with deep green, untouched landscapes. Small coves, hidden between rocky outcrops. Tourist towns like Lloret de Mar, Cadaqués and Roses. The Costa Brava forms a large tract of the Catalonian coast. It is proud of its traditions, birth-place and source of inspiration to Salvador DalÃ, and home to impressive monuments and a wealth of history.
With rugged cliffs, pine forests, hidden coves and dream beaches, this is one of Spain's most picturesque areas: the Costa Brava. A land of sea, light, north winds and fishermen. History and art in the form of archaeological sites, monasteries, churches, bridges, monumental sites, fiestas and age-old celebrations, which all give a unique character to this area, stretching more than 200 kilometres over the north of Catalonia, in the province of Girona. Thanks to its excellent climate, this part of the Catalonian coast has been one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists from all over the world for decades, enjoying a wide range of cultural activities all year round. Concerts, festivals and popular celebrations fill its towns and villages with music, colour, and joy. Come and savour a rum cremat as you listen to habaneras (traditional songs that evoke sea journeys of times gone by) on summer nights in Calella de Palafrugell. Travel back to the middle ages in Verges and watch the frightening Dança de la Mort (Dance of death). Discover the spectacular firework competition (one of the world's most important) in Blanes, or visit the unique Peralada Castle during its prestigious, internationally renowned music festival.
The Costa Brava also has an impressive variety of priceless historical-artistic heritage. This is the area's artistic and cultural inheritance. Take your time to explore the area's villages, enjoying exceptional landscapes all the while, including Romanesque churches and monasteries such as Sant Pere de Rodes, in Port de la Selva, the ancient citadel at Roses, the Greco-Roman ruins at Empúries, Catalonia's most visited archaeological site - the medieval town of Pals or Palamós, the walled town of Tossa de Mar, or, a little further into the interior, loose yourself in the unique old town of Girona, with its winding, age-old cobbled streets. Alternatively, in Figueres you can admire the art of surrealist genius Salvador DalÃ, the Costa Brava's great international ambassador. This wonderful part of the Catalonian coast inspired great artists such as Picasso, Klein and Marc Chagall, but it was surely Dalà who brought international fame to this corner of the Mediterranean. He was born and died in Figueres and the artist's mark can be seen throughout the village. Here you will find the Dalà Theatre-Museum, a work in itself, it is a must-see with its "egg-topped" towers and the huge dome beneath which the painter's remains lie at rest. Just a few kilometres away you will find Cadaqués, one of the Costa Brava's most emblematic villages, with its white fishermen's houses, home to the Salvador Dalà House Museum, in Portlligat, the artist's refuge, where he painted the majority of his greatest works. In the interior once again you will find the Castell Gala-Dalà House-Museum, in Púbol, with its garden of surrealist elephants and the crypt where Gala, the genius' muse, is buried.
Every year the Costa Brava, with its exceptional leisure and hotel infrastructure, attracts thousands of tourists. Places like Lloret de Mar offer the ideal place to spend a few days of sun and sand. The quality of its waters and coastline, with protected nature reserves, unspoilt coves, wide open beaches and paradise dive sites such as the Medes islands in L'Estartit, or the Formigues Islands in Palafrugell are a must for nature and water-sports lovers. From Portbou, on the border with France, all the way to Blanes, a universe of culture, tradition, coast, sun, sport and unspoilt nature awaits you - spots that will captivate you from first sight and villages packed with history and art.
With rugged cliffs, pine forests, hidden coves and dream beaches, this is one of Spain's most picturesque areas: the Costa Brava. A land of sea, light, north winds and fishermen. History and art in the form of archaeological sites, monasteries, churches, bridges, monumental sites, fiestas and age-old celebrations, which all give a unique character to this area, stretching more than 200 kilometres over the north of Catalonia, in the province of Girona. Thanks to its excellent climate, this part of the Catalonian coast has been one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists from all over the world for decades, enjoying a wide range of cultural activities all year round. Concerts, festivals and popular celebrations fill its towns and villages with music, colour, and joy. Come and savour a rum cremat as you listen to habaneras (traditional songs that evoke sea journeys of times gone by) on summer nights in Calella de Palafrugell. Travel back to the middle ages in Verges and watch the frightening Dança de la Mort (Dance of death). Discover the spectacular firework competition (one of the world's most important) in Blanes, or visit the unique Peralada Castle during its prestigious, internationally renowned music festival.
The Costa Brava also has an impressive variety of priceless historical-artistic heritage. This is the area's artistic and cultural inheritance. Take your time to explore the area's villages, enjoying exceptional landscapes all the while, including Romanesque churches and monasteries such as Sant Pere de Rodes, in Port de la Selva, the ancient citadel at Roses, the Greco-Roman ruins at Empúries, Catalonia's most visited archaeological site - the medieval town of Pals or Palamós, the walled town of Tossa de Mar, or, a little further into the interior, loose yourself in the unique old town of Girona, with its winding, age-old cobbled streets. Alternatively, in Figueres you can admire the art of surrealist genius Salvador DalÃ, the Costa Brava's great international ambassador. This wonderful part of the Catalonian coast inspired great artists such as Picasso, Klein and Marc Chagall, but it was surely Dalà who brought international fame to this corner of the Mediterranean. He was born and died in Figueres and the artist's mark can be seen throughout the village. Here you will find the Dalà Theatre-Museum, a work in itself, it is a must-see with its "egg-topped" towers and the huge dome beneath which the painter's remains lie at rest. Just a few kilometres away you will find Cadaqués, one of the Costa Brava's most emblematic villages, with its white fishermen's houses, home to the Salvador Dalà House Museum, in Portlligat, the artist's refuge, where he painted the majority of his greatest works. In the interior once again you will find the Castell Gala-Dalà House-Museum, in Púbol, with its garden of surrealist elephants and the crypt where Gala, the genius' muse, is buried.
Every year the Costa Brava, with its exceptional leisure and hotel infrastructure, attracts thousands of tourists. Places like Lloret de Mar offer the ideal place to spend a few days of sun and sand. The quality of its waters and coastline, with protected nature reserves, unspoilt coves, wide open beaches and paradise dive sites such as the Medes islands in L'Estartit, or the Formigues Islands in Palafrugell are a must for nature and water-sports lovers. From Portbou, on the border with France, all the way to Blanes, a universe of culture, tradition, coast, sun, sport and unspoilt nature awaits you - spots that will captivate you from first sight and villages packed with history and art.
Majorca, a privileged destination in the Balearic Islands
Majorca is synonymous with world-renowned beaches and coves, but is also a perfect destination to enjoy countryside, culture, water sports, entertainment... There are many reasons to visit the island, the largest of the Balearics.
Majorca is an island that measures almost 80 kilometres from one end to the other, outstanding for its diversity. It has 550 kilometres of coast, where you will find some of the Mediterranean's most beautiful coves and beaches: white sand beaches with a full range of services, as well as small coves set between cliffs and pine groves in the north of the island. Its clean, crystal clear waters are ideal for bathing and for water sports such as scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing, fishing, sailing and surfing. These are not the only sports on offer here, however: golf is widely available. There are many well-designed courses, harmoniously set in their natural surroundings, suitable for all levels.
This Balearic Island is packed with wonderful spots. Hiring a car or going on group tours are two good ways to explore the island. Majorca has a broad range of hire cars on offer, although you can also get about using the scheduled bus services that operate between the island's main towns. There is also a train that runs between the capital, Palma de Mallorca and Sóller. This trip is well worthwhile - the train affords delightful views of the beautiful Majorca countryside. If sports are your thing, then cycle touring and hiking are the healthiest ways to get to know this Mediterranean island. Why not explore the tracks and trails that criss-cross Majorca? There are many routes, both along the coast and inland, fully signed with information panels. These itineraries are a wonderful way to get to know the rural side of this land. This is the way to discover the most authentic flavour of Majorca, savouring its unspoilt countryside... It is well worthwhile, rest assured. Nature has an outstanding role on the island. Almost 40 percent of Majorca is protected countryside, and the landscape is marked by contrast: caverns, pine woods, green hills, abrupt mountains... Of the many nature areas, special mention should be made of the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountains in the north, with peaks reaching more than 1,400 metres above sea level. Close to these mountains you will find some of Majorca's most picturesque towns and villages, such as Deià , Pollença and Valldemossa, whose unique atmosphere has captivated artists for centuries. Another highly recommended outing is to the Cabrera National Park (Marine and Terrestrial), a group of islands and islets less than an hour by boat from Majorca.
Culture is an ever-present element in the life of the island. All year round there are festivals, concerts, literary competitions, exhibitions, recitals, theatre performances… The city of Palma de Mallorca is the cultural and artistic centre of the island, and is outstanding for the excellent conservation of its historic centre. Be sure to take a stroll around the old town and enjoy the varied, entertaining nightlife. Every year, Majorca's charm attracts famous politicians, film stars, personalities from the world of fashion... they make the island their holiday destination. Majorca has excellent communications by air and sea. Airlines from numerous countries operate out of its Son Sant Joan international airport, eight kilometres from Palma. The island also has transport links with the rest of the archipelago and the Spanish mainland via boats and scheduled ferry services that sail from the ports of Palma and Alcúdia. These excellent communications mean that from Majorca you can make visits to other Balearic Islands, such as Ibiza and Minorca, with return day-trips possible.
Majorca is an island that measures almost 80 kilometres from one end to the other, outstanding for its diversity. It has 550 kilometres of coast, where you will find some of the Mediterranean's most beautiful coves and beaches: white sand beaches with a full range of services, as well as small coves set between cliffs and pine groves in the north of the island. Its clean, crystal clear waters are ideal for bathing and for water sports such as scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing, fishing, sailing and surfing. These are not the only sports on offer here, however: golf is widely available. There are many well-designed courses, harmoniously set in their natural surroundings, suitable for all levels.
This Balearic Island is packed with wonderful spots. Hiring a car or going on group tours are two good ways to explore the island. Majorca has a broad range of hire cars on offer, although you can also get about using the scheduled bus services that operate between the island's main towns. There is also a train that runs between the capital, Palma de Mallorca and Sóller. This trip is well worthwhile - the train affords delightful views of the beautiful Majorca countryside. If sports are your thing, then cycle touring and hiking are the healthiest ways to get to know this Mediterranean island. Why not explore the tracks and trails that criss-cross Majorca? There are many routes, both along the coast and inland, fully signed with information panels. These itineraries are a wonderful way to get to know the rural side of this land. This is the way to discover the most authentic flavour of Majorca, savouring its unspoilt countryside... It is well worthwhile, rest assured. Nature has an outstanding role on the island. Almost 40 percent of Majorca is protected countryside, and the landscape is marked by contrast: caverns, pine woods, green hills, abrupt mountains... Of the many nature areas, special mention should be made of the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountains in the north, with peaks reaching more than 1,400 metres above sea level. Close to these mountains you will find some of Majorca's most picturesque towns and villages, such as Deià , Pollença and Valldemossa, whose unique atmosphere has captivated artists for centuries. Another highly recommended outing is to the Cabrera National Park (Marine and Terrestrial), a group of islands and islets less than an hour by boat from Majorca.
Culture is an ever-present element in the life of the island. All year round there are festivals, concerts, literary competitions, exhibitions, recitals, theatre performances… The city of Palma de Mallorca is the cultural and artistic centre of the island, and is outstanding for the excellent conservation of its historic centre. Be sure to take a stroll around the old town and enjoy the varied, entertaining nightlife. Every year, Majorca's charm attracts famous politicians, film stars, personalities from the world of fashion... they make the island their holiday destination. Majorca has excellent communications by air and sea. Airlines from numerous countries operate out of its Son Sant Joan international airport, eight kilometres from Palma. The island also has transport links with the rest of the archipelago and the Spanish mainland via boats and scheduled ferry services that sail from the ports of Palma and Alcúdia. These excellent communications mean that from Majorca you can make visits to other Balearic Islands, such as Ibiza and Minorca, with return day-trips possible.
Beaches, art and leisure on the Costa del Sol
The perfect setting for leisure and relaxation where you can enjoy wide open beaches with warm waters, modern hotel facilities and exclusive golf courses, not forgetting the passion for life to be found in its towns and in its people. Forget your daily routine and spend a few magical days in one of the world’s most prized tourist destinations.
Sun and sand are, without doubt, the trademarks that have made the coast of Malaga province into the ideal destination for more than eight million tourists who come to this privileged part of Andalusia every year. Initially attracted by its exceptional climate (the average annual temperature is about 18ºC), visitors to the Costa del Sol end up being seduced by its attractive towns and villages, many with quiet coves, kilometres of clean sand, unusual natural settings and the Mediterranean sea, perfect for swimming and all sorts of water sports. Any spot on the Malaga coast is perfect to enjoy the good weather, peace and quiet, cool streets and squares, friendly local people and delicious flavours of the finest fish in a variety of dishes – an essential ingredient in the light, exquisite local cuisine.
The life of leisure and luxury also stand out on the Costa del Sol. Towns like Malaga, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Marbella, Mijas and Estepona are important centres for shopping, culture and business, as well as being some of international high society’s favourite destinations. Casinos, concerts, museums, fiestas, theatres, water parks and theme parks are just some of the leisure activities on offer by day, while by night the fun continues when the bars, discos and nightclubs open. The Costa del Sol’s setting is also perfect for a wide range of open-air sports and contact with nature. If there is one dominant sport in Malaga province, however, it is golf. The Costa del Sol is a Mecca for thousands of enthusiasts. There are almost fifty courses to be found over a relatively small area – in places like Marbella, Malaga, Estepona, Guadiaro, San Pedro de Alcántara, AlhaurÃn de la Torre, Artola, Mijas and Puerto Banús.
The perfect way to relax and tone up the body is in one of the many new spas and hydrotherapy centres that have appeared recently along the Malaga coast offering sauna, massage, Turkish baths and jacuzzi. There are two traditional spa-centres in the province. They can be found in-land at Carratraca and Tolox, with good access from the coast. The Costa del Sol, like all of Spain, has a wealth of art and history to enjoy. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and the city has just opened a new museum dedicated to this universal artist. It also has historic buildings and monuments like the Cathedral, Moorish “Alcazaba” (Fortress) as well as its old town, full of palaces and stately town houses. It is also well worth visiting nearby towns such as Antequera, Ronda, Marbella and Nerja whose beautiful, mysterious pre-historic caves are not to be missed. It is definitely worth taking time out from your relaxation by the sea to discover the historic/artistic heritage of this welcoming region, worthy of being one of the world’s prime tourist destinations.
Sun and sand are, without doubt, the trademarks that have made the coast of Malaga province into the ideal destination for more than eight million tourists who come to this privileged part of Andalusia every year. Initially attracted by its exceptional climate (the average annual temperature is about 18ºC), visitors to the Costa del Sol end up being seduced by its attractive towns and villages, many with quiet coves, kilometres of clean sand, unusual natural settings and the Mediterranean sea, perfect for swimming and all sorts of water sports. Any spot on the Malaga coast is perfect to enjoy the good weather, peace and quiet, cool streets and squares, friendly local people and delicious flavours of the finest fish in a variety of dishes – an essential ingredient in the light, exquisite local cuisine.
The life of leisure and luxury also stand out on the Costa del Sol. Towns like Malaga, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Marbella, Mijas and Estepona are important centres for shopping, culture and business, as well as being some of international high society’s favourite destinations. Casinos, concerts, museums, fiestas, theatres, water parks and theme parks are just some of the leisure activities on offer by day, while by night the fun continues when the bars, discos and nightclubs open. The Costa del Sol’s setting is also perfect for a wide range of open-air sports and contact with nature. If there is one dominant sport in Malaga province, however, it is golf. The Costa del Sol is a Mecca for thousands of enthusiasts. There are almost fifty courses to be found over a relatively small area – in places like Marbella, Malaga, Estepona, Guadiaro, San Pedro de Alcántara, AlhaurÃn de la Torre, Artola, Mijas and Puerto Banús.
The perfect way to relax and tone up the body is in one of the many new spas and hydrotherapy centres that have appeared recently along the Malaga coast offering sauna, massage, Turkish baths and jacuzzi. There are two traditional spa-centres in the province. They can be found in-land at Carratraca and Tolox, with good access from the coast. The Costa del Sol, like all of Spain, has a wealth of art and history to enjoy. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and the city has just opened a new museum dedicated to this universal artist. It also has historic buildings and monuments like the Cathedral, Moorish “Alcazaba” (Fortress) as well as its old town, full of palaces and stately town houses. It is also well worth visiting nearby towns such as Antequera, Ronda, Marbella and Nerja whose beautiful, mysterious pre-historic caves are not to be missed. It is definitely worth taking time out from your relaxation by the sea to discover the historic/artistic heritage of this welcoming region, worthy of being one of the world’s prime tourist destinations.
The Basque Coast - a taste of the truly authentic
There are many reasons to enjoy the "Costa Vasca", the coastal area of the Basque Country: 252 kilometres washed by the Cantabrian Sea and dominated by intense shades of blue and green. Here, amidst the mountains, estuaries, cliffs and nature reserves there are broad beaches of fine, golden sand, the perfect setting for surfing, kayaking and sailing. There are also villages with maritime atmosphere, country mansions, monuments, museums...
On the Basque Coast, in northern Spain, there is lots to see. Why not explore the coast of Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya. The Cantabrian Sea meets mountains and meadows to form a beautiful landscape where nature plays the lead role. In this stunning setting you will find beautiful villages with picturesque streets and buildings - ideal for a pleasant outing. There are many places well worth discovering in this part of Green Spain. So, on this route there are cities, towns and villages not to be missed. In Guipúzcoa you will find the historic centre of Hondarribia; Zarautz, a paradise for surfing lovers; Getaria, with its maritime atmosphere; the unspoilt beaches between Zumaia and Deba; Donostia-San Sebastián, the stately capital of the province. In Vizcaya, meanwhile, there are other emblematic spots such as Bermeo and Lekeitio, very close to Urdaibai, a nature area with the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, and to Mundaka, a real surfing sanctuary - the left-hander that breaks here is Europe's best and one of the best in the world; not forgetting San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, where there are stunning views of the rugged Cantabrian coast.
This area is ideal for adventure sports such as: paragliding and hang gliding; hiking; water sports such as scuba diving, sailing, surfing and kayaking; and, of course, golf. Make the most of your visit to see the Vizcaya Suspension Bridge. It has the UNESCO World Heritage Designation and links the towns of Getxo and Portugalete, just a few kilometres from Bilbao. You should not, of course, visit the Basque Coast without trying the local gastronomy. It is exquisite and internationally renowned for its fish, seafood and meats, especially the “pinchos” - delicious miniature dishes. These are just a few of the ideas awaiting you in this part of the Basque Country. Be sure to visit the region's tourist offices, where they will help you plan your stay so that you can enjoy your visit to the full.
On the Basque Coast, in northern Spain, there is lots to see. Why not explore the coast of Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya. The Cantabrian Sea meets mountains and meadows to form a beautiful landscape where nature plays the lead role. In this stunning setting you will find beautiful villages with picturesque streets and buildings - ideal for a pleasant outing. There are many places well worth discovering in this part of Green Spain. So, on this route there are cities, towns and villages not to be missed. In Guipúzcoa you will find the historic centre of Hondarribia; Zarautz, a paradise for surfing lovers; Getaria, with its maritime atmosphere; the unspoilt beaches between Zumaia and Deba; Donostia-San Sebastián, the stately capital of the province. In Vizcaya, meanwhile, there are other emblematic spots such as Bermeo and Lekeitio, very close to Urdaibai, a nature area with the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation, and to Mundaka, a real surfing sanctuary - the left-hander that breaks here is Europe's best and one of the best in the world; not forgetting San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, where there are stunning views of the rugged Cantabrian coast.
This area is ideal for adventure sports such as: paragliding and hang gliding; hiking; water sports such as scuba diving, sailing, surfing and kayaking; and, of course, golf. Make the most of your visit to see the Vizcaya Suspension Bridge. It has the UNESCO World Heritage Designation and links the towns of Getxo and Portugalete, just a few kilometres from Bilbao. You should not, of course, visit the Basque Coast without trying the local gastronomy. It is exquisite and internationally renowned for its fish, seafood and meats, especially the “pinchos” - delicious miniature dishes. These are just a few of the ideas awaiting you in this part of the Basque Country. Be sure to visit the region's tourist offices, where they will help you plan your stay so that you can enjoy your visit to the full.
The Beaches of Cadiz province: sun and sea all year round
Sunshine in summer and winter too. Unspoilt countryside, sand dunes and pine groves that reach down to the very shore. Windsurfing and kitesurfing in crystal clear waters, the ideal setting for a range of water sports. Endless beaches of fine, white sand. Small coves and cliffs reaching more than 100 metres high. Golf courses. Towns and villages with thousands of years of history… This is the Cadiz coast. You decide.
In southern Spain, on the Costa de la Luz coast, you will find the beaches of Cadiz province. It has 260 kilometres of coastline with some of the most beautiful beaches you could imagine. This province in Andalusia is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It has many protected nature areas which include salt flats, sand dunes, pine forests, pastureland where fighting bulls are reared, springs, cliffs... Here you will also find small fishing villages and traditional fishermen, with their whitewashed houses and peaceful streets. You can enjoy their craft and sports shops, restaurants offering excellent, local fresh fish and shellfish, and open-air terrace bars which are open most of the year and are ideal to savour, for example, a glass of Andalusian "fino" sherry.
It is the deep blue of the sea, with a thousand different shades, the clear, bright skies, and unique, spectacular, paradise beaches which bring thousands of people to these shores year after year. There is a wide variety to choose from: unspoilt country beaches, city beaches, some broad and kilometres long, others small and hidden from view, family beaches with a full range of services... There are certain spots not to be missed, such as: Bolonia cove with the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia; Caños de Meca, home to a hippy colony, where the Trafalgar lighthouse looks out over the horizon; Véjer de la Frontera, a beautiful town with a Moorish feel, set on the top of a hill; the stunning cliffs of Barbate; the endless beach at Zahara de los Atunes; the clean, pristine coast of Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana, Chipiona, Rota and Sanlúcar de Barrameda; the sandy beaches of the bay of Cadiz, and those at Puerto de Santa MarÃa, a favourite spot for its buzzing nightlife… Here you will find excellent beaches, many of which have the Blue Flag certification, with a young, lively atmosphere throughout the day and when evening falls. Come and see for yourself at any of its beach bars, ideal places to enjoy stunning sunsets. The spectacle is well worth seeing.
The strong easterly and westerly winds that often blow in the area make this a top spot for enthusiasts of sports such as windsurfing and kitesurfing. Tarifa and its surrounding area attracts thousands of surfers from all over the world. Kites and sails fill the sea and beaches of Cadiz province with life and colour. Here there are also other activities available such as angling, scuba diving, and golf at several internationally prestigious courses.
In southern Spain, on the Costa de la Luz coast, you will find the beaches of Cadiz province. It has 260 kilometres of coastline with some of the most beautiful beaches you could imagine. This province in Andalusia is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It has many protected nature areas which include salt flats, sand dunes, pine forests, pastureland where fighting bulls are reared, springs, cliffs... Here you will also find small fishing villages and traditional fishermen, with their whitewashed houses and peaceful streets. You can enjoy their craft and sports shops, restaurants offering excellent, local fresh fish and shellfish, and open-air terrace bars which are open most of the year and are ideal to savour, for example, a glass of Andalusian "fino" sherry.
It is the deep blue of the sea, with a thousand different shades, the clear, bright skies, and unique, spectacular, paradise beaches which bring thousands of people to these shores year after year. There is a wide variety to choose from: unspoilt country beaches, city beaches, some broad and kilometres long, others small and hidden from view, family beaches with a full range of services... There are certain spots not to be missed, such as: Bolonia cove with the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia; Caños de Meca, home to a hippy colony, where the Trafalgar lighthouse looks out over the horizon; Véjer de la Frontera, a beautiful town with a Moorish feel, set on the top of a hill; the stunning cliffs of Barbate; the endless beach at Zahara de los Atunes; the clean, pristine coast of Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana, Chipiona, Rota and Sanlúcar de Barrameda; the sandy beaches of the bay of Cadiz, and those at Puerto de Santa MarÃa, a favourite spot for its buzzing nightlife… Here you will find excellent beaches, many of which have the Blue Flag certification, with a young, lively atmosphere throughout the day and when evening falls. Come and see for yourself at any of its beach bars, ideal places to enjoy stunning sunsets. The spectacle is well worth seeing.
The strong easterly and westerly winds that often blow in the area make this a top spot for enthusiasts of sports such as windsurfing and kitesurfing. Tarifa and its surrounding area attracts thousands of surfers from all over the world. Kites and sails fill the sea and beaches of Cadiz province with life and colour. Here there are also other activities available such as angling, scuba diving, and golf at several internationally prestigious courses.
Beaches with the Q for Quality award
Clean, safe, accessible and environmentally friendly. This is what Spain's beaches are like, and for this reason they are the chosen destination for thousands of people every year. Their quality is recognised internationally. Did you know that Spain is the European country that received most blue flags in 2007? Some of them also have the demanding Q for Tourism Quality award. Come and discover what a first-rate coast is like - a coast with the Q award.
With almost 8,000 kilometres of coastline and 3,000 catalogued beaches, Spain is the perfect destination for those in search of sun and sand at any time of year. Proof of this lies in the thousands who return year after year. Here you will find a broad, varied array of attractions, with beaches offering a multitude of options for entertainment with the family, water sports and fun by day and by night. Whichever region you choose, here you will find excellent facilities and clean, sandy beaches, with approved security services, excellent access and respect for the environment. All this is guaranteed by the quality certificates granted to Spanish beaches after evaluation of these parameters. The blue flag rating is the most widely known, but there are other highly prestigious, demanding systems also in place. These include the Q for Quality distinction, awarded by the Spanish Tourism Quality Institute (ICTE).
When this award was created it was a pioneering innovation at world level. It is different from other standards in that it focuses especially on the tourism sector, with specific emphasis placed on the needs of the end user. Q for Quality does not only mean that the beach in questions meets the necessary quality requirements, but also that its facilities and services are in constant search of improvement and customer satisfaction. Some fifty beaches in Spain currently have the Q for Tourism Quality award. They are in the Balearic Islands and on the coasts of Andalusia, Asturias, Region of Valencia, Catalonia and Murcia, although many others are on the way to receiving it. Once they have earned the award, beaches must pass an annual review to maintain it. Environmental education, leisure services, removal of architectural barriers and assistance to disabled persons are some of the aspects taken into account.
In Spain you can enjoy beaches designed just for you. Come and discover them: they are beaches with the Q for Quality award.
With almost 8,000 kilometres of coastline and 3,000 catalogued beaches, Spain is the perfect destination for those in search of sun and sand at any time of year. Proof of this lies in the thousands who return year after year. Here you will find a broad, varied array of attractions, with beaches offering a multitude of options for entertainment with the family, water sports and fun by day and by night. Whichever region you choose, here you will find excellent facilities and clean, sandy beaches, with approved security services, excellent access and respect for the environment. All this is guaranteed by the quality certificates granted to Spanish beaches after evaluation of these parameters. The blue flag rating is the most widely known, but there are other highly prestigious, demanding systems also in place. These include the Q for Quality distinction, awarded by the Spanish Tourism Quality Institute (ICTE).
When this award was created it was a pioneering innovation at world level. It is different from other standards in that it focuses especially on the tourism sector, with specific emphasis placed on the needs of the end user. Q for Quality does not only mean that the beach in questions meets the necessary quality requirements, but also that its facilities and services are in constant search of improvement and customer satisfaction. Some fifty beaches in Spain currently have the Q for Tourism Quality award. They are in the Balearic Islands and on the coasts of Andalusia, Asturias, Region of Valencia, Catalonia and Murcia, although many others are on the way to receiving it. Once they have earned the award, beaches must pass an annual review to maintain it. Environmental education, leisure services, removal of architectural barriers and assistance to disabled persons are some of the aspects taken into account.
In Spain you can enjoy beaches designed just for you. Come and discover them: they are beaches with the Q for Quality award.
The Costa Blanca: light and life in countryside of contrasts
The Costa Blanca is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe. Travelling along the Costa Blanca you will find a world of spectacular contrasts, with fishing villages almost hidden away along the coast and large towns which are bursting with life.
Along its 160 kilometres of coast beside the Mediterranean, the Costa Blanca has hundreds of different cities and countryside just waiting to be discovered. Denia, in the north of the province of Alicante, located between rocks and long sandy beaches, surrounds the traveller with its narrow streets and seafaring atmosphere. Nearby, two capes protect Jávea from the winds, and having had a swim in its crystal clear waters, you can walk through the historic centre of the town for a taste of history. Further south, beneath the impressive Peñón de Ifach, the highest cliff on the Mediterranean, we find Calpe, where its historic past is present in the streets which are alive with people and filled with opportunities of trying the local cooking. The same can be said for Altea, which is located in a bay in the shelter of the mountains. It is like a picture postcard with its white houses and the blue dome of its church shining in the clear morning sunlight. A long beach of golden sand lies before the skyscrapers of Benidorm. Every year, millions of people arrive to enjoy its micro-climate, its kilometres of beaches and its infrastructures which are centred on leisure activities. The city is full of life and is one of the tourist epicentres of the Mediterranean. Passing through Villajoyosa and the brightly coloured façades of its houses, we arrive at Alicante, the 'City of Light', and capital of the province. Alicante has a wide offer of cultural and artistic activities waiting to be discovered. Between the sea and the city is the Explanada promenade, with its thousands of red, black and cream mosaic tiles, and if we pass though the old city centre we'll reach the castle of Santa Bárbara, from where we will have an incomparable panoramic view.
Following the coast, it is worth stopping off at Santa Pola, an old Iberian fort and currently an important fishing centre. Further south, amongst the marshes, the tourist resort of Torrevieja waits with its nostalgic émigrés. And at the other end of the Costa Blanca, Pilar de la Horadada welcomes lovers of nature in its purest state Inland, amongst the high mountains, fields and forests there are many surprising and varied villages and towns. In Elche, our senses will be stimulated as we stroll through the largest palm grove in Europe and experience its fiestas of the Misteri, both of which have been declared part of the World Heritage. And in Orihuela, you can discover its gothic, renaissance and baroque buildings. The gastronomy on the Costa Blanca never fails to impress the traveller. Its rice dishes, fish and seafood, its fresh vegetables, fruits and exquisite wines go together to make an explosion of tastes and menus all based on the so-called Mediterranean diet.
Along its 160 kilometres of coast beside the Mediterranean, the Costa Blanca has hundreds of different cities and countryside just waiting to be discovered. Denia, in the north of the province of Alicante, located between rocks and long sandy beaches, surrounds the traveller with its narrow streets and seafaring atmosphere. Nearby, two capes protect Jávea from the winds, and having had a swim in its crystal clear waters, you can walk through the historic centre of the town for a taste of history. Further south, beneath the impressive Peñón de Ifach, the highest cliff on the Mediterranean, we find Calpe, where its historic past is present in the streets which are alive with people and filled with opportunities of trying the local cooking. The same can be said for Altea, which is located in a bay in the shelter of the mountains. It is like a picture postcard with its white houses and the blue dome of its church shining in the clear morning sunlight. A long beach of golden sand lies before the skyscrapers of Benidorm. Every year, millions of people arrive to enjoy its micro-climate, its kilometres of beaches and its infrastructures which are centred on leisure activities. The city is full of life and is one of the tourist epicentres of the Mediterranean. Passing through Villajoyosa and the brightly coloured façades of its houses, we arrive at Alicante, the 'City of Light', and capital of the province. Alicante has a wide offer of cultural and artistic activities waiting to be discovered. Between the sea and the city is the Explanada promenade, with its thousands of red, black and cream mosaic tiles, and if we pass though the old city centre we'll reach the castle of Santa Bárbara, from where we will have an incomparable panoramic view.
Following the coast, it is worth stopping off at Santa Pola, an old Iberian fort and currently an important fishing centre. Further south, amongst the marshes, the tourist resort of Torrevieja waits with its nostalgic émigrés. And at the other end of the Costa Blanca, Pilar de la Horadada welcomes lovers of nature in its purest state Inland, amongst the high mountains, fields and forests there are many surprising and varied villages and towns. In Elche, our senses will be stimulated as we stroll through the largest palm grove in Europe and experience its fiestas of the Misteri, both of which have been declared part of the World Heritage. And in Orihuela, you can discover its gothic, renaissance and baroque buildings. The gastronomy on the Costa Blanca never fails to impress the traveller. Its rice dishes, fish and seafood, its fresh vegetables, fruits and exquisite wines go together to make an explosion of tastes and menus all based on the so-called Mediterranean diet.
The stunning CÃes Islands
The Romans called the CÃes Islands (Galicia), “the islands of the Gods”. To this day they are an idyllic paradise in northern Spain where you can enjoy nature and the sea. When you see them for yourself you will understand why their main beach was chosen as best in the world by The Guardian newspaper. Heaven on earth? If not, then this is close.
Crystal clear, turquoise water. Beaches with the finest white sand. A lake whose transparent surface allows you to see the wide variety of fish that live below. Are we in the tropics? No, these are the CÃes Islands, in northwestern Spain. There are three islands and they are located in the RÃas Baixas region of Galicia, facing the coast of Vigo. This archipelago, besides being a fairy-tale setting, is also of great ecological importance. Its stunning landscapes form part of the Islas Atlánticas National Park, outstanding for its rich sea beds and some of the most important colonies of marine birds in the world. The Atlantic Ocean, dunes, pine forest, cliffs… You will see for yourself – the CÃes Islands have incredible landscapes, worthy of the gods. How to visit Peace, quiet and cleanliness are further qualities that make these islands outstanding. To protect the environment and avoid mass tourism, access to visitors is limited to 2,200 people per day. During Easter week, at weekends in May and throughout the summer, there are regular boat services from Vigo, Baiona and Cangas de Morrazo. If you want to sleep on the CÃes Islands, then there is a campsite with capacity for 800 people. It opens for Easter week and 15 June to 15 September, and stays are limited to a maximum of 2 weeks. To make use of these facilities you should book in advance by telephone (on +34 986438358 or +34 986687050) and complete your camper’s registration card at the campsite office at Vigo Marine Resort. When you buy your boat ticket, don’t forget to show this card – otherwise you will only be sold a 1-day return.
Crystal clear, turquoise water. Beaches with the finest white sand. A lake whose transparent surface allows you to see the wide variety of fish that live below. Are we in the tropics? No, these are the CÃes Islands, in northwestern Spain. There are three islands and they are located in the RÃas Baixas region of Galicia, facing the coast of Vigo. This archipelago, besides being a fairy-tale setting, is also of great ecological importance. Its stunning landscapes form part of the Islas Atlánticas National Park, outstanding for its rich sea beds and some of the most important colonies of marine birds in the world. The Atlantic Ocean, dunes, pine forest, cliffs… You will see for yourself – the CÃes Islands have incredible landscapes, worthy of the gods. How to visit Peace, quiet and cleanliness are further qualities that make these islands outstanding. To protect the environment and avoid mass tourism, access to visitors is limited to 2,200 people per day. During Easter week, at weekends in May and throughout the summer, there are regular boat services from Vigo, Baiona and Cangas de Morrazo. If you want to sleep on the CÃes Islands, then there is a campsite with capacity for 800 people. It opens for Easter week and 15 June to 15 September, and stays are limited to a maximum of 2 weeks. To make use of these facilities you should book in advance by telephone (on +34 986438358 or +34 986687050) and complete your camper’s registration card at the campsite office at Vigo Marine Resort. When you buy your boat ticket, don’t forget to show this card – otherwise you will only be sold a 1-day return.
Monday, 28 July 2008
How not to do an American accent
Everyone can do an American accent... at least everyone thinks they can. But how many would pass muster with a Hollywood studio? The BBC's Stephen Robb took a lesson from one of the movie industry's top accent coaches.
Any actor or actress hoping to convince in a foreign accent must have three words in the back of their mind at all times.
They won't be phrases like "shape of mouth", "position of tongue" or "placement of voice" - although all of these will be fundamental to learning and adopting an accent.
The three words haunting the performer, driving hour after hour of dialect practice, are "Dick", "Van" and "Dyke".
Everyone can do an American accent... at least everyone thinks they can. But how many would pass muster with a Hollywood studio? The BBC's Stephen Robb took a lesson from one of the movie industry's top accent coaches.
Any actor or actress hoping to convince in a foreign accent must have three words in the back of their mind at all times.
They won't be phrases like "shape of mouth", "position of tongue" or "placement of voice" - although all of these will be fundamental to learning and adopting an accent.
The three words haunting the performer, driving hour after hour of dialect practice, are "Dick", "Van" and "Dyke".
The American's "strike a light, guv'nor" Cockney caricature in Mary Poppins is widely regarded as delivering the worst film accent of all time. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, it was not.
And that's up against competition from Sean Connery playing a Spaniard, an Irishman and a Russian at stages of his career.
British dialect coach Barbara Berkery admits that a lot of actors seeking her tutelage plead at the outset: "I don't want to sound like Dick Van Dyke."
Her glittering cast of former students include Gwyneth Paltrow, whom she trained for Emma and Shakespeare in Love, and Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones's Diary and Miss Potter.
Half-hour challenge
Paltrow won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and Zellweger was nominated as Bridget Jones, but probably the greater tributes to their English accents were the nominations from an obviously impressed British Academy - they sounded the part.
Berkery has also coached Brad Pitt (Seven Years in Tibet), Jim Carrey (A Christmas Carol, due out next year) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), and is currently working with Jake Gyllenhaal on his English accent for Prince of Persia.
The American's "strike a light, guv'nor" Cockney caricature in Mary Poppins is widely regarded as delivering the worst film accent of all time. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, it was not.
And that's up against competition from Sean Connery playing a Spaniard, an Irishman and a Russian at stages of his career.
British dialect coach Barbara Berkery admits that a lot of actors seeking her tutelage plead at the outset: "I don't want to sound like Dick Van Dyke."
Her glittering cast of former students include Gwyneth Paltrow, whom she trained for Emma and Shakespeare in Love, and Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones's Diary and Miss Potter.
Half-hour challenge
Paltrow won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and Zellweger was nominated as Bridget Jones, but probably the greater tributes to their English accents were the nominations from an obviously impressed British Academy - they sounded the part.
Berkery has also coached Brad Pitt (Seven Years in Tibet), Jim Carrey (A Christmas Carol, due out next year) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), and is currently working with Jake Gyllenhaal on his English accent for Prince of Persia.
In other words, or for words in another accent anyway, London-based Berkery has become the English dialect coach Hollywood turns to. "It's a nice position to be in," she says.
Usually conducting her training for several weeks in the run-up to a production, and then throughout the shoot, Berkery has consistently achieved convincing results with hugely-dedicated and highly-talented actors; what she can do with me in half an hour is a different challenge altogether.
Exposure to US films and television means most people probably believe they can affect a passable American accent - myself included.
But Berkery explains that "mimicry is not the same as doing accents - if somebody is just mimicking, I think we do feel it isn't quite truthful."
Her work involves building the accent authentically by teaching the real mouth shapes and tongue positions involved - for a general American accent, she tells me, that means a wide mouth and the tongue higher up in the mouth.
She also tells me to smile, in order to place the voice towards my nasal resonator - one of the three voice resonators along with the facial and throat resonators. Berkery describes learning to do an accent as having "a mask on the face that fits perfectly".
With my lifted tongue, wide mouth, attempted smile, and the concentration involved in maintaining these as we start voice exercises, my mask resembles something like Jack Nicholson's The Joker with a lobotomised, vacant look in the eyes. I feel certain that a cinema audience would find it distracting.
Berkery takes me through some of the major vowel changes from standard English to general American - their short "ah" in bath and sample, the "aw" in cloth and Boston - and the sound that comes out of my mouth is unrecognisable to me.
It is a long way from my own south-east England accent, but not much nearer my trusted American impression. It does sound vaguely American, but like an over-the-top, slightly camp game show host with an occasional lisp - not what I had been aiming for at all.
And I find the process very unnerving. "The voice is the soul and you are moving it," says Berkery.
"People do find it very frightening - it's like being off-balance."
As we continue, moving from vowel exercises to working on consonant changes, Berkery frequently offers comments like "Make it less" and "Don't do as much".
Not only is my performance dreadful, there is clearly much too much of it; my overacting makes Dick Van Dyke's infamous turn look like a masterclass of subtlety and technique.
"You mustn't play an accent," Berkery says. "You must play a character who has an accent, but you must never play an accent."
Berkery and her students start with nothing and build an accent from its essential parts.My brief lesson hints at the phenomenal amount of work involved in reaching a point where that accent convinces on a giant screen, in surround sound and over a two-hour running time.
While Berkery suggests most actors "can have a good stab at the accent if you have enough time", she stresses that those that "get it really perfect" do so through exceptional dedication.
She had two months working with Zellweger before filming started on Bridget Jones's Diary, comprising lessons in the morning followed by afternoons out together in London when the actress was forced to keep up her accent.
Zellweger later worked undercover in a publishing house using her English accent, and also maintained it on set for the entirety of the film's shoot.
"Some people never, ever heard her own accent until we finished the film," says Berkery.
"It was a testament to her talent and hard work. It was a complete transformation; she is a girl with a very strong Texan accent and she did completely transform herself."
An authentic accent will be "second-nature" to an actor, Berkery says, likening it to fluency in a foreign language where a person doesn't have to think about the process of speaking.
"You don't want the audience to notice," she adds. "You don't really want people to think, 'That's a good accent,' because if you think that you are not thinking about the character."
On those terms, maybe my accent wasn't such a flop after all - nobody's ever going to be distracted thinking how good it was.
Any actor or actress hoping to convince in a foreign accent must have three words in the back of their mind at all times.
They won't be phrases like "shape of mouth", "position of tongue" or "placement of voice" - although all of these will be fundamental to learning and adopting an accent.
The three words haunting the performer, driving hour after hour of dialect practice, are "Dick", "Van" and "Dyke".
Everyone can do an American accent... at least everyone thinks they can. But how many would pass muster with a Hollywood studio? The BBC's Stephen Robb took a lesson from one of the movie industry's top accent coaches.
Any actor or actress hoping to convince in a foreign accent must have three words in the back of their mind at all times.
They won't be phrases like "shape of mouth", "position of tongue" or "placement of voice" - although all of these will be fundamental to learning and adopting an accent.
The three words haunting the performer, driving hour after hour of dialect practice, are "Dick", "Van" and "Dyke".
The American's "strike a light, guv'nor" Cockney caricature in Mary Poppins is widely regarded as delivering the worst film accent of all time. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, it was not.
And that's up against competition from Sean Connery playing a Spaniard, an Irishman and a Russian at stages of his career.
British dialect coach Barbara Berkery admits that a lot of actors seeking her tutelage plead at the outset: "I don't want to sound like Dick Van Dyke."
Her glittering cast of former students include Gwyneth Paltrow, whom she trained for Emma and Shakespeare in Love, and Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones's Diary and Miss Potter.
Half-hour challenge
Paltrow won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and Zellweger was nominated as Bridget Jones, but probably the greater tributes to their English accents were the nominations from an obviously impressed British Academy - they sounded the part.
Berkery has also coached Brad Pitt (Seven Years in Tibet), Jim Carrey (A Christmas Carol, due out next year) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), and is currently working with Jake Gyllenhaal on his English accent for Prince of Persia.
The American's "strike a light, guv'nor" Cockney caricature in Mary Poppins is widely regarded as delivering the worst film accent of all time. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, it was not.
And that's up against competition from Sean Connery playing a Spaniard, an Irishman and a Russian at stages of his career.
British dialect coach Barbara Berkery admits that a lot of actors seeking her tutelage plead at the outset: "I don't want to sound like Dick Van Dyke."
Her glittering cast of former students include Gwyneth Paltrow, whom she trained for Emma and Shakespeare in Love, and Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones's Diary and Miss Potter.
Half-hour challenge
Paltrow won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and Zellweger was nominated as Bridget Jones, but probably the greater tributes to their English accents were the nominations from an obviously impressed British Academy - they sounded the part.
Berkery has also coached Brad Pitt (Seven Years in Tibet), Jim Carrey (A Christmas Carol, due out next year) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), and is currently working with Jake Gyllenhaal on his English accent for Prince of Persia.
In other words, or for words in another accent anyway, London-based Berkery has become the English dialect coach Hollywood turns to. "It's a nice position to be in," she says.
Usually conducting her training for several weeks in the run-up to a production, and then throughout the shoot, Berkery has consistently achieved convincing results with hugely-dedicated and highly-talented actors; what she can do with me in half an hour is a different challenge altogether.
Exposure to US films and television means most people probably believe they can affect a passable American accent - myself included.
But Berkery explains that "mimicry is not the same as doing accents - if somebody is just mimicking, I think we do feel it isn't quite truthful."
Her work involves building the accent authentically by teaching the real mouth shapes and tongue positions involved - for a general American accent, she tells me, that means a wide mouth and the tongue higher up in the mouth.
She also tells me to smile, in order to place the voice towards my nasal resonator - one of the three voice resonators along with the facial and throat resonators. Berkery describes learning to do an accent as having "a mask on the face that fits perfectly".
With my lifted tongue, wide mouth, attempted smile, and the concentration involved in maintaining these as we start voice exercises, my mask resembles something like Jack Nicholson's The Joker with a lobotomised, vacant look in the eyes. I feel certain that a cinema audience would find it distracting.
Berkery takes me through some of the major vowel changes from standard English to general American - their short "ah" in bath and sample, the "aw" in cloth and Boston - and the sound that comes out of my mouth is unrecognisable to me.
It is a long way from my own south-east England accent, but not much nearer my trusted American impression. It does sound vaguely American, but like an over-the-top, slightly camp game show host with an occasional lisp - not what I had been aiming for at all.
And I find the process very unnerving. "The voice is the soul and you are moving it," says Berkery.
"People do find it very frightening - it's like being off-balance."
As we continue, moving from vowel exercises to working on consonant changes, Berkery frequently offers comments like "Make it less" and "Don't do as much".
Not only is my performance dreadful, there is clearly much too much of it; my overacting makes Dick Van Dyke's infamous turn look like a masterclass of subtlety and technique.
"You mustn't play an accent," Berkery says. "You must play a character who has an accent, but you must never play an accent."
Berkery and her students start with nothing and build an accent from its essential parts.My brief lesson hints at the phenomenal amount of work involved in reaching a point where that accent convinces on a giant screen, in surround sound and over a two-hour running time.
While Berkery suggests most actors "can have a good stab at the accent if you have enough time", she stresses that those that "get it really perfect" do so through exceptional dedication.
She had two months working with Zellweger before filming started on Bridget Jones's Diary, comprising lessons in the morning followed by afternoons out together in London when the actress was forced to keep up her accent.
Zellweger later worked undercover in a publishing house using her English accent, and also maintained it on set for the entirety of the film's shoot.
"Some people never, ever heard her own accent until we finished the film," says Berkery.
"It was a testament to her talent and hard work. It was a complete transformation; she is a girl with a very strong Texan accent and she did completely transform herself."
An authentic accent will be "second-nature" to an actor, Berkery says, likening it to fluency in a foreign language where a person doesn't have to think about the process of speaking.
"You don't want the audience to notice," she adds. "You don't really want people to think, 'That's a good accent,' because if you think that you are not thinking about the character."
On those terms, maybe my accent wasn't such a flop after all - nobody's ever going to be distracted thinking how good it was.
'Nice day today, isn't it?'
Polish people in Britain are being told the weather is a good subject with which to strike up a conversation with a stranger. But is it? The Magazine's Tom Geoghegan puts the theory to the test.
Digesting what I'd just said to her, the old woman on the 220 bus to Putney, west London, scrutinises me intently.
If she turns away to look out the window now, that would spell humiliation.
Maybe "It's rather chilly out there," wasn't the right thing to say, and perhaps rubbing my hands together was a touch contrived. The one-second pause that follows feels like 10.
"Yes, it's meant to warm up later," she says at last, with a half-smile. Filled with relief, I respond with something about our forgotten summer and the verbal floodgates are open.
She neatly steers our chat from weather to traffic jams and from there to Ken Livingstone and candy floss, all in the five minutes before she alights.
Speaking to a stranger is a bit of a minefield, but it makes you feel good afterwards, especially in London where spontaneous conversations are pretty unfamiliar territory.
Not so in Devon, where a new welcome pack for Polish migrant workers advises them that a good way to start a conversation is to remark on the weather. And this unscientific survey in the capital suggests the advice is well-judged.
Anonymity
Out of 10 unsuspecting strangers, only one refuses to answer - a glance and a look away warn me off.
Six were positively bright and chatty, one was too immersed in his iPod to hear me, another couldn't understand me and one gave a courteous response but then returned to reading his newspaper.
Unlike a greeting that follows an introduction, a conversation between strangers is shrouded in anonymity and uncertainty. Standing at a bus stop or in a queue, the possibilities are endless. Begin with the weather and who knows where it will lead?
In one hour of approaching strangers, I learnt what the best time of year is to visit Marrakesh (October to March), that the local library is relocating (just down the road), what market traders make of the soon-to-be opened shopping centre nearby (upbeat and bullish) and what everyone thinks about the weather (even the sun has them moaning).
Older women are more talkative than younger men, who were glued to mobile phones and personal music players. And opportunities to chat abound - even when waiting to cross a road there's time for a quick exchange.
The weather is a good ice-breaker because in the UK it's so unpredictable and it's common to all of us, says Ros Taylor, who works with companies to encourage people to talk to each other. If you're stuck, look around you - if you're in a queue then talk about queues.
"We often imagine that conversations have to be clever and witty and shattering in their perceptiveness but all we want to do is bond and have a chat and make the time pass more quickly."
Chatting in this way makes life more pleasant, she says, and it's more common outside the South East.
"Go to the North of England and Scotland and people are ready to talk to anything that moves or breathes. They always have something in their heads that they say as soon as anyone comes into view."
But electronic communication is eroding our ability to connect personally, she says, and this could be contributing to increased feelings of isolation and even depression.
Another factor is that increased mobility means communities are less settled than they used to be, says Don Gabor, author of How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends.
"In a neighbourhood, when you interact on a regular basis it serves as a step-off point for the next conversation, so if you see someone every day, at the chip shop or in the park, and you start a conversation it can grow beyond the weather."
But a conversation with a stranger helps both parties - a smile at a cashier could be the first connection she has enjoyed that day.
Use sights, smells and sounds as verbal cues, he says. But there are simple ground rules - don't complain, avoid politics and religion, and keep strong opinions to yourself.
Digesting what I'd just said to her, the old woman on the 220 bus to Putney, west London, scrutinises me intently.
If she turns away to look out the window now, that would spell humiliation.
Maybe "It's rather chilly out there," wasn't the right thing to say, and perhaps rubbing my hands together was a touch contrived. The one-second pause that follows feels like 10.
"Yes, it's meant to warm up later," she says at last, with a half-smile. Filled with relief, I respond with something about our forgotten summer and the verbal floodgates are open.
She neatly steers our chat from weather to traffic jams and from there to Ken Livingstone and candy floss, all in the five minutes before she alights.
Speaking to a stranger is a bit of a minefield, but it makes you feel good afterwards, especially in London where spontaneous conversations are pretty unfamiliar territory.
Not so in Devon, where a new welcome pack for Polish migrant workers advises them that a good way to start a conversation is to remark on the weather. And this unscientific survey in the capital suggests the advice is well-judged.
Anonymity
Out of 10 unsuspecting strangers, only one refuses to answer - a glance and a look away warn me off.
Six were positively bright and chatty, one was too immersed in his iPod to hear me, another couldn't understand me and one gave a courteous response but then returned to reading his newspaper.
Unlike a greeting that follows an introduction, a conversation between strangers is shrouded in anonymity and uncertainty. Standing at a bus stop or in a queue, the possibilities are endless. Begin with the weather and who knows where it will lead?
In one hour of approaching strangers, I learnt what the best time of year is to visit Marrakesh (October to March), that the local library is relocating (just down the road), what market traders make of the soon-to-be opened shopping centre nearby (upbeat and bullish) and what everyone thinks about the weather (even the sun has them moaning).
Older women are more talkative than younger men, who were glued to mobile phones and personal music players. And opportunities to chat abound - even when waiting to cross a road there's time for a quick exchange.
The weather is a good ice-breaker because in the UK it's so unpredictable and it's common to all of us, says Ros Taylor, who works with companies to encourage people to talk to each other. If you're stuck, look around you - if you're in a queue then talk about queues.
"We often imagine that conversations have to be clever and witty and shattering in their perceptiveness but all we want to do is bond and have a chat and make the time pass more quickly."
Chatting in this way makes life more pleasant, she says, and it's more common outside the South East.
"Go to the North of England and Scotland and people are ready to talk to anything that moves or breathes. They always have something in their heads that they say as soon as anyone comes into view."
But electronic communication is eroding our ability to connect personally, she says, and this could be contributing to increased feelings of isolation and even depression.
Another factor is that increased mobility means communities are less settled than they used to be, says Don Gabor, author of How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends.
"In a neighbourhood, when you interact on a regular basis it serves as a step-off point for the next conversation, so if you see someone every day, at the chip shop or in the park, and you start a conversation it can grow beyond the weather."
But a conversation with a stranger helps both parties - a smile at a cashier could be the first connection she has enjoyed that day.
Use sights, smells and sounds as verbal cues, he says. But there are simple ground rules - don't complain, avoid politics and religion, and keep strong opinions to yourself.
Your DNA's in the post
Fancy being told you have a higher-than-average chance of getting prostate cancer but are at low risk of glaucoma? Now for about £500 you can have your genetic make-up analysed. Rob Liddle swabbed his cheek and sent off for a scan.
An e-mail pops into my basket to say the results of my genetic scan are ready. I have a few minutes free - shall I take a peep now or wait until I can devote the time to digest the results properly?
Curiosity gets the better of me and I log on to the Decodeme website to view my password-protected "gene profile".
This is quite exciting - could what I find out in the next few minutes alter the course of my life? I'm curious by nature, but that doesn't extend to wanting to know when the Grim Reaper is going to come a-knocking.
Up pops a list of grisly conditions - most of which are familiar to me, indeed some of them lurk in my family history.
And it's the ones that have touched my life that I am drawn to first. I click on Heart Attack, bypass the warm-up "introduction" to the condition, and head straight for my own "risk summary".
I'm told: "According to the selected literature, the relative genetic risk calculated from your genotype for males of European ancestry is 0.90.
"This corresponds to a 44.2% lifetime risk of developing heart attack, which is 10% less than for males of European ancestry in general."
Fated to be fat?
So far so good, I suppose, but that's still a high risk and I'm not celebrating with a full English breakfast yet.
I scan the list of 25 traits again and settle on Crohn's disease. Here I'm told the research indicates that I have a lifetime risk 1.42 times the average. Not so good. But for Diabetes, types 1 and 2, better news.
Next I plump for Obesity - surely a banker. These genes make me look fat, right? No, a lower-than-average risk. I can't use that as an excuse for my fuller figure.
A number of personal genomics firms, including Iceland-based Decodeme and 23andme and Navigenics, in the US, are now directly selling tests to the public that assess genetic risks of suffering from certain conditions.
Some also provide information about your ancestral origins.
After receiving a sample taken from the inside of your cheek, Decodeme analyses up to one million DNA markers, annotates them and puts them in the context of disease risk, providing you with a personal profile.
'Do more exercise'
One reason the tests have proved controversial is that they can measure only the genes that studies have linked to certain conditions - not the many that have yet to be discovered.
Decodeme says it is continually adding the results of new research to its database, improving the accuracy of the existing risk summaries and extending the list of traits for which you can assess yourself.
But there are other risk factors that could easily override these genetic indications, such as family history and lifestyle. My genetic risk of getting type 2 diabetes is rated as below average, but being overweight probably counts for more.
Steve Jones, author and professor of genetics at University College, London, believes that, in most cases, individual genes cannot say much about a person's risk. For him, potential customers would be better off following the advice of the health lobby.
"It is a new form of diagnosis - before any symptoms manifest themselves - but really what everybody should do is smoke less, eat less and do more exercise," he says.
The Decodeme website has a section on risk factors and prevention for each of the conditions featured, which I later peruse.
From this I learn that the prevalence for Crohn's is highest during the second and third decades of life - but that it can crop up in the over-70s. I'm 42, so may have dodged that bullet.
And if I still have questions, I can message Decodeme's team, who may then refer me to a genetic counsellor.
But for some critics, discovering your risk of developing a serious condition from a web page rather than a doctor presents a serious problem - even if the scans are unlikely to throw up any catastrophic results.
The authorities in some states in the US have recently warned testing companies that they should not continue to solicit business from residents unless the process is being sanctioned by a licensed physician.
'Reduced autonomy'
Daniel Sokol, a lecturer in medical ethics at the University of London, says the absence of the direct doctor-patient relationship does create a problem.
"The results could allow people to make changes for the better to their lifestyle," says Dr Sokol.
"However, if they misinterpret them - the scans could do more harm than good and could actually reduce people's autonomy if they interpret the results incorrectly or exaggerate their implications."
But Kari Stefansson, chief executive of Decodeme, says it should be a matter of personal choice how people treat their own data.
"The people who feel that they want to go over the results with a doctor should go to a doctor," he says.
"When I got mine, I went into the office and closed the door. I wanted to be alone.
"It should be your decision - we are not ramming it down anyone's throat. How you use it depends on who you are, but you are entitled to make the choice of getting the information or not getting it.
"But you can get so much out of it - it could be extremely beneficial to know that you are at a higher risk."
Dr Stefansson admits that the cost of the test at $985 probably puts it out of reach for most people, but he predicts a future in which accessing such personal genetic information will be commonplace - with the tests possibly costing a 10th of what they do now in five years' time.
We go through my results together. I appear to have a slightly increased chance of suffering macular degeneration (an eye problem), coeliac disease and Crohn's, but there is nothing in my risk summary that indicates that I need to take further medical advice immediately.
"I'm afraid to tell you that you are just an average guy," jokes Dr Stefansson.
Perhaps this news is the hardest of all to take.
An e-mail pops into my basket to say the results of my genetic scan are ready. I have a few minutes free - shall I take a peep now or wait until I can devote the time to digest the results properly?
Curiosity gets the better of me and I log on to the Decodeme website to view my password-protected "gene profile".
This is quite exciting - could what I find out in the next few minutes alter the course of my life? I'm curious by nature, but that doesn't extend to wanting to know when the Grim Reaper is going to come a-knocking.
Up pops a list of grisly conditions - most of which are familiar to me, indeed some of them lurk in my family history.
And it's the ones that have touched my life that I am drawn to first. I click on Heart Attack, bypass the warm-up "introduction" to the condition, and head straight for my own "risk summary".
I'm told: "According to the selected literature, the relative genetic risk calculated from your genotype for males of European ancestry is 0.90.
"This corresponds to a 44.2% lifetime risk of developing heart attack, which is 10% less than for males of European ancestry in general."
Fated to be fat?
So far so good, I suppose, but that's still a high risk and I'm not celebrating with a full English breakfast yet.
I scan the list of 25 traits again and settle on Crohn's disease. Here I'm told the research indicates that I have a lifetime risk 1.42 times the average. Not so good. But for Diabetes, types 1 and 2, better news.
Next I plump for Obesity - surely a banker. These genes make me look fat, right? No, a lower-than-average risk. I can't use that as an excuse for my fuller figure.
A number of personal genomics firms, including Iceland-based Decodeme and 23andme and Navigenics, in the US, are now directly selling tests to the public that assess genetic risks of suffering from certain conditions.
Some also provide information about your ancestral origins.
After receiving a sample taken from the inside of your cheek, Decodeme analyses up to one million DNA markers, annotates them and puts them in the context of disease risk, providing you with a personal profile.
'Do more exercise'
One reason the tests have proved controversial is that they can measure only the genes that studies have linked to certain conditions - not the many that have yet to be discovered.
Decodeme says it is continually adding the results of new research to its database, improving the accuracy of the existing risk summaries and extending the list of traits for which you can assess yourself.
But there are other risk factors that could easily override these genetic indications, such as family history and lifestyle. My genetic risk of getting type 2 diabetes is rated as below average, but being overweight probably counts for more.
Steve Jones, author and professor of genetics at University College, London, believes that, in most cases, individual genes cannot say much about a person's risk. For him, potential customers would be better off following the advice of the health lobby.
"It is a new form of diagnosis - before any symptoms manifest themselves - but really what everybody should do is smoke less, eat less and do more exercise," he says.
The Decodeme website has a section on risk factors and prevention for each of the conditions featured, which I later peruse.
From this I learn that the prevalence for Crohn's is highest during the second and third decades of life - but that it can crop up in the over-70s. I'm 42, so may have dodged that bullet.
And if I still have questions, I can message Decodeme's team, who may then refer me to a genetic counsellor.
But for some critics, discovering your risk of developing a serious condition from a web page rather than a doctor presents a serious problem - even if the scans are unlikely to throw up any catastrophic results.
The authorities in some states in the US have recently warned testing companies that they should not continue to solicit business from residents unless the process is being sanctioned by a licensed physician.
'Reduced autonomy'
Daniel Sokol, a lecturer in medical ethics at the University of London, says the absence of the direct doctor-patient relationship does create a problem.
"The results could allow people to make changes for the better to their lifestyle," says Dr Sokol.
"However, if they misinterpret them - the scans could do more harm than good and could actually reduce people's autonomy if they interpret the results incorrectly or exaggerate their implications."
But Kari Stefansson, chief executive of Decodeme, says it should be a matter of personal choice how people treat their own data.
"The people who feel that they want to go over the results with a doctor should go to a doctor," he says.
"When I got mine, I went into the office and closed the door. I wanted to be alone.
"It should be your decision - we are not ramming it down anyone's throat. How you use it depends on who you are, but you are entitled to make the choice of getting the information or not getting it.
"But you can get so much out of it - it could be extremely beneficial to know that you are at a higher risk."
Dr Stefansson admits that the cost of the test at $985 probably puts it out of reach for most people, but he predicts a future in which accessing such personal genetic information will be commonplace - with the tests possibly costing a 10th of what they do now in five years' time.
We go through my results together. I appear to have a slightly increased chance of suffering macular degeneration (an eye problem), coeliac disease and Crohn's, but there is nothing in my risk summary that indicates that I need to take further medical advice immediately.
"I'm afraid to tell you that you are just an average guy," jokes Dr Stefansson.
Perhaps this news is the hardest of all to take.
Why is a 99p price tag so attractive?
The tactic of shops ending prices with 99p is nothing new, but a study has found it's as effective as ever in getting shoppers to part with their cash. So why is one of the oldest tricks in the retail trade hard to resist?
In terms of familiar retail ruses employed to entice shoppers to part with their money, ending price tags with 99p, rather than rounding up to the full pound, is right up there with buy one, get one free promotions and half-price offers.
But according to a French study the phenomenon still swings a considerable number of shoppers. Researchers found that lowering the price of a pizza from 8.00 euros to 7.99 euros boosted sales by 15%.
For consumers, the saving is minimal and the copper coins they receive as change when paying with a note seem to be more of a hassle than a benefit - in 2005, Britons discarded or stashed away £133m in unwanted coppers, according to Virgin Money.
So if shoppers aren't concerned about saving mere pennies these days, why are they falling for the 99p effect?
Emotional difference
One theory is consumers just aren't up to the maths. Dr Jane Price, lecturer in psychology at the University of Glamorgan, says we "tend to put numbers in categories like 'under £5' or 'under £6' - rather than them representing a value. Shoppers are aware of what is going on, but don't respond to it because they don't think logically about how close numbers are - such as £99.99 and £100."
She thinks shoppers tend to focus on the big denomination - which the pound sign draws the eye to - rather than the smaller denomination: the pence. There is also the emotional incentive - people like to feel they are getting better value for money.
Robert Schindler, professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School in the US, has published several papers on the "99 effect". He expresses it slightly differently, observing that people overweigh the left hand number.
"When a price changes from $30 to $29.99, the change from three to two makes more of a difference than the value of that money could predict," says Mr Schindler. "It is like when a 39-year-old turns 40, the birthday feels like a big deal. Or when 1999 ends and 2000 starts. It feels like an emotional difference."
Discount associations
It's sometimes suggested the "99 effect" was adopted as a control on employee theft - cashiers had to open the till for change, reducing the chances of them pocketing the bill.
But Mr Schindler thinks it has a different origin. It was introduced for sale items, to emphasise the discount.
"I studied adverts in the New York Times from 1850 - where there were no 99 endings - to the 1870s and 1880s where they started to appear. Although department stores were doing it - which would fit with the cash register hypothesis - they were advertising discounts. But for the regular price they would use a round number," he says.
He thinks the retail practice developed from there, to communicate discount or the impression that things are on sale - even when they are not.
But it is a subtle effect, which works when consumers are susceptible to price sensitivities and are making a snap decision, rather than deliberating over big items like cars and houses. And high end brands which exude a classy image tend not to use the tactic.
Pressure on income
Nick Gladding of Verdict Research, is sceptical shoppers are fooled by the "99p effect". However, in these more straitened times, even tiny adjustments in price can be enough to win over hard up consumers.
"We are seeing fuel prices going up and down by 1p - it is a tiny amount of money, but people want to hear about it," he says.
So are there any other numbers that the unsuspecting shopper should be aware of?
A .95 ending is also popular, observed Mr Schindler, although anyone shopping in Asia might be struck by how prices often end in .88. The reason? Eight is an auspicious number in countries such as Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China.
In terms of familiar retail ruses employed to entice shoppers to part with their money, ending price tags with 99p, rather than rounding up to the full pound, is right up there with buy one, get one free promotions and half-price offers.
But according to a French study the phenomenon still swings a considerable number of shoppers. Researchers found that lowering the price of a pizza from 8.00 euros to 7.99 euros boosted sales by 15%.
For consumers, the saving is minimal and the copper coins they receive as change when paying with a note seem to be more of a hassle than a benefit - in 2005, Britons discarded or stashed away £133m in unwanted coppers, according to Virgin Money.
So if shoppers aren't concerned about saving mere pennies these days, why are they falling for the 99p effect?
Emotional difference
One theory is consumers just aren't up to the maths. Dr Jane Price, lecturer in psychology at the University of Glamorgan, says we "tend to put numbers in categories like 'under £5' or 'under £6' - rather than them representing a value. Shoppers are aware of what is going on, but don't respond to it because they don't think logically about how close numbers are - such as £99.99 and £100."
She thinks shoppers tend to focus on the big denomination - which the pound sign draws the eye to - rather than the smaller denomination: the pence. There is also the emotional incentive - people like to feel they are getting better value for money.
Robert Schindler, professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School in the US, has published several papers on the "99 effect". He expresses it slightly differently, observing that people overweigh the left hand number.
"When a price changes from $30 to $29.99, the change from three to two makes more of a difference than the value of that money could predict," says Mr Schindler. "It is like when a 39-year-old turns 40, the birthday feels like a big deal. Or when 1999 ends and 2000 starts. It feels like an emotional difference."
Discount associations
It's sometimes suggested the "99 effect" was adopted as a control on employee theft - cashiers had to open the till for change, reducing the chances of them pocketing the bill.
But Mr Schindler thinks it has a different origin. It was introduced for sale items, to emphasise the discount.
"I studied adverts in the New York Times from 1850 - where there were no 99 endings - to the 1870s and 1880s where they started to appear. Although department stores were doing it - which would fit with the cash register hypothesis - they were advertising discounts. But for the regular price they would use a round number," he says.
He thinks the retail practice developed from there, to communicate discount or the impression that things are on sale - even when they are not.
But it is a subtle effect, which works when consumers are susceptible to price sensitivities and are making a snap decision, rather than deliberating over big items like cars and houses. And high end brands which exude a classy image tend not to use the tactic.
Pressure on income
Nick Gladding of Verdict Research, is sceptical shoppers are fooled by the "99p effect". However, in these more straitened times, even tiny adjustments in price can be enough to win over hard up consumers.
"We are seeing fuel prices going up and down by 1p - it is a tiny amount of money, but people want to hear about it," he says.
So are there any other numbers that the unsuspecting shopper should be aware of?
A .95 ending is also popular, observed Mr Schindler, although anyone shopping in Asia might be struck by how prices often end in .88. The reason? Eight is an auspicious number in countries such as Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China.
Why is John Barrowman gay?
Torchwood star John Barrowman has known he was gay since he was nine. But was he born that way or did his upbringing have something to do with it? Here, he explains why he set out to try to solve this mystery, for the BBC One show The Making of Me.
I was in the closet for three hours once in 1972. It was dark, uncomfortable, and really cramped. Plus, I was convinced I wasn't alone (a crumpled jacket lurking in the corner looked pretty dangerous). I was five and my brother, Andrew, then 10, and my sister, Carole, 13, had shoved me into the coat closet because, well, really for absolutely no good reason. I mean what baby brother has ever annoyed his siblings to the point of needing to be locked up or tied down?
This story still gets a laugh from my nieces and nephews. Depending on who's doing the telling, Uncle John was either locked up for 30 fleeting minutes or for three long, tortuous, oxygen-starved hours. As simple as the story is I think it's an apt metaphor for the way I've chosen to live my life - openly, honestly, with no regrets. And, whenever I can, I try to confront the monsters in the dark. As my favourite Jerry Herman song proclaims: "There's no return and no deposit. One life. So open up your closet."
My sexuality has never been deliberately hidden. I'm in a committed relationship with the love of my life, Scott Gill, and he is as much a part of the family as my sister's husband, Kevin, and my brother's wife, Dot. However, just because I'm comfortable with my sexuality doesn't mean that I'm not curious about it and that's one of the reasons I agreed to take this journey to discover the making of me.
I remember vividly when I first realised I was gay. I was nine and a few of my friends were looking at some mild porn in the playground during recess. While they were ogling the well-endowed female models, I couldn't take my eyes off the male members in the shot.
Growing up in the Barrowman household, conversations about sexuality were never taboo. Over the years, we've talked about many of the theories that may explain what makes a person gay. In fact, it's always been a bit of a joke in our family that my dad was responsible - he frequently dressed me up as a girl. In fact, he has some cross-dressing in his own past. He once dressed up as a tarty neighbour, pretended to crash his own party, and proceeded to flirt with the men in the room- all with my mum playing along for the laughs.
Nature or nurture?
The show actually gave me an opportunity to discover whether or not I had ancestors who were gay because years ago if you were in the closet you were so far in the closet you were in the house next door.
My sexuality has never been deliberately hidden. I'm in a committed relationship with the love of my life, Scott Gill, and he is as much a part of the family as my sister's husband, Kevin, and my brother's wife, Dot. However, just because I'm comfortable with my sexuality doesn't mean that I'm not curious about it and that's one of the reasons I agreed to take this journey to discover the making of me.
I remember vividly when I first realised I was gay. I was nine and a few of my friends were looking at some mild porn in the playground during recess. While they were ogling the well-endowed female models, I couldn't take my eyes off the male members in the shot.
Growing up in the Barrowman household, conversations about sexuality were never taboo. Over the years, we've talked about many of the theories that may explain what makes a person gay. In fact, it's always been a bit of a joke in our family that my dad was responsible - he frequently dressed me up as a girl. In fact, he has some cross-dressing in his own past. He once dressed up as a tarty neighbour, pretended to crash his own party, and proceeded to flirt with the men in the room- all with my mum playing along for the laughs.
Nature or nurture?
The show actually gave me an opportunity to discover whether or not I had ancestors who were gay because years ago if you were in the closet you were so far in the closet you were in the house next door.
Other psychological and physical tests told me more about my sexuality. Like whether I had any latent attraction to women at all. That one really caught me by surprise - at least for a moment. And in word association tests, men tend to be more factual and literal. But women and gay men tend to be much more descriptive and eloquent. I'm glad to say that was true for me as well.
Another test involved looking at moving images of different combinations of men and women. I had to press buttons to signal my reaction while lying in an MRI scanner which also measured my reaction so I couldn't lie.
I'm proud to say that in some of the tests I was totally off the scale.
So participating in this programme was exciting and provocative, but in the end, taking the personal risk to discover what makes me gay was worth it because on a daily basis I get letters from young men and women who are feeling the brunt of our culture's homophobia. If exploring this issue can bring comfort to some of these young people then I think the programme will have done a really wonderful thing.
I was in the closet for three hours once in 1972. It was dark, uncomfortable, and really cramped. Plus, I was convinced I wasn't alone (a crumpled jacket lurking in the corner looked pretty dangerous). I was five and my brother, Andrew, then 10, and my sister, Carole, 13, had shoved me into the coat closet because, well, really for absolutely no good reason. I mean what baby brother has ever annoyed his siblings to the point of needing to be locked up or tied down?
This story still gets a laugh from my nieces and nephews. Depending on who's doing the telling, Uncle John was either locked up for 30 fleeting minutes or for three long, tortuous, oxygen-starved hours. As simple as the story is I think it's an apt metaphor for the way I've chosen to live my life - openly, honestly, with no regrets. And, whenever I can, I try to confront the monsters in the dark. As my favourite Jerry Herman song proclaims: "There's no return and no deposit. One life. So open up your closet."
My sexuality has never been deliberately hidden. I'm in a committed relationship with the love of my life, Scott Gill, and he is as much a part of the family as my sister's husband, Kevin, and my brother's wife, Dot. However, just because I'm comfortable with my sexuality doesn't mean that I'm not curious about it and that's one of the reasons I agreed to take this journey to discover the making of me.
I remember vividly when I first realised I was gay. I was nine and a few of my friends were looking at some mild porn in the playground during recess. While they were ogling the well-endowed female models, I couldn't take my eyes off the male members in the shot.
Growing up in the Barrowman household, conversations about sexuality were never taboo. Over the years, we've talked about many of the theories that may explain what makes a person gay. In fact, it's always been a bit of a joke in our family that my dad was responsible - he frequently dressed me up as a girl. In fact, he has some cross-dressing in his own past. He once dressed up as a tarty neighbour, pretended to crash his own party, and proceeded to flirt with the men in the room- all with my mum playing along for the laughs.
Nature or nurture?
The show actually gave me an opportunity to discover whether or not I had ancestors who were gay because years ago if you were in the closet you were so far in the closet you were in the house next door.
My sexuality has never been deliberately hidden. I'm in a committed relationship with the love of my life, Scott Gill, and he is as much a part of the family as my sister's husband, Kevin, and my brother's wife, Dot. However, just because I'm comfortable with my sexuality doesn't mean that I'm not curious about it and that's one of the reasons I agreed to take this journey to discover the making of me.
I remember vividly when I first realised I was gay. I was nine and a few of my friends were looking at some mild porn in the playground during recess. While they were ogling the well-endowed female models, I couldn't take my eyes off the male members in the shot.
Growing up in the Barrowman household, conversations about sexuality were never taboo. Over the years, we've talked about many of the theories that may explain what makes a person gay. In fact, it's always been a bit of a joke in our family that my dad was responsible - he frequently dressed me up as a girl. In fact, he has some cross-dressing in his own past. He once dressed up as a tarty neighbour, pretended to crash his own party, and proceeded to flirt with the men in the room- all with my mum playing along for the laughs.
Nature or nurture?
The show actually gave me an opportunity to discover whether or not I had ancestors who were gay because years ago if you were in the closet you were so far in the closet you were in the house next door.
Other psychological and physical tests told me more about my sexuality. Like whether I had any latent attraction to women at all. That one really caught me by surprise - at least for a moment. And in word association tests, men tend to be more factual and literal. But women and gay men tend to be much more descriptive and eloquent. I'm glad to say that was true for me as well.
Another test involved looking at moving images of different combinations of men and women. I had to press buttons to signal my reaction while lying in an MRI scanner which also measured my reaction so I couldn't lie.
I'm proud to say that in some of the tests I was totally off the scale.
So participating in this programme was exciting and provocative, but in the end, taking the personal risk to discover what makes me gay was worth it because on a daily basis I get letters from young men and women who are feeling the brunt of our culture's homophobia. If exploring this issue can bring comfort to some of these young people then I think the programme will have done a really wonderful thing.
More than just a Carry On?
Caricatured as low-brow and smutty, Carry On films were never much rated by movie critics. But do they tell us something more profound about the huge social changes in post-war Britain? The BBC's Carolyn Quinn (right) thinks so.
A few weeks ago on her Sunday morning radio programme, Gabby Logan made an unintentionally saucy comment and referred to having had a "Carry On moment". Without further explanation you know exactly what she meant.
Almost everyone has seen at least one of the films. Most people have a favourite Carry On scene or cringe-making pun.
The very first Carry On film - Sergeant - came out 50 years ago this August and its appearance spawned a series of 30 over the next two decades. I decided to put in an idea to make a documentary marking the golden anniversary - not the sort that had been made many times before, focusing on the saucy lines and, at times, the desperately sad story of the troupe of actors who became such familiar faces to us all.
Instead, I wanted to examine the amazing social changes society underwent over the 20 years during which Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and the rest were Carrying On.
Think about it. When Carry on Sergeant, a low budget black and white movie came out in 1958, National Service - the core of its plot - still had a couple of years to run in Britain.
By the time the last film of the main series, Carry on Emmannuelle, was released in 1978, life was very different - the permissive age was in full swing and the post-war era of deference had gone, replaced by the desire to escape the duties and limitations that most of those living in the 40s, 50s and some of the 60s accepted as part of their "lot" in life.
From 1958 to 1978 the Carry On films held up a mirror to British society, its institutions and its rapid changes. National Service ended, the National Health Service expanded rapidly, the sexual revolution arrived, the country faced bouts of industrial strife and working-class families started to holiday abroad.
'Proto-feminist'
Amid the slapstick, the innuendo and the corny puns, the Carry Ons reflected all of this. Derided by highbrow critics, it is only recently that social commentators have come to appreciate them for the unvarnished portrait they paint of a nation in flux.
Take Carry on Cabby (1963) for tentative stirrings of feminism as Hattie Jacques sets up an all-female taxi firm to rival that of husband Sid.
In the words of Daily Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer, Cabbie is "certainly what Germaine Greer would call a proto-feminist film".
By the time of Carry on Girls, 10 years later, bra-burning feminists disrupt a beauty contest in the seaside town of Fircombe.
While the humour may have been upfront, any social commentary was more subtly conveyed, says Andy Medhurst, lecturer in film, media and cultural studies at Sussex University.
"They weren't films that set out to have an explicit social message but in a paradoxical kind of way that gives them more meaning," says Mr Medhurst. "They capture the way people living humdrum lives with limited horizons found a release in comedy. They seem to encapsulate an everyday life in Britain of that time."
Earnest people
Indeed, the makers of the Carry Ons had no serious ambition for them other than as easy entertainment in the best music hall tradition. The man behind the scripts for the first six Carry Ons, Norman Hudis, had no idea he was being "significant". Now in his 80s, and living in America, he recalls he was simply reflecting life at the time.
"For the most part," says Hudis, "it was earnest people in circumstances where they were being tried or pushed to the limit, almost giving in but eventually coming through and doing what they were supposed to do and doing it well."
For Simon Heffer, these early Carry Ons reflect a "sense of social cohesion which was really important before an age when individualism became as highly prized as it is now".
"I think that was the predominant sociological current and the films very accurately reflect that."
Where Hudis drew on his own wartime service for Carry On Sergeant, he also plundered his wife Rita's memory for Nurse. She had been a state-registered nurse and provided him with many a juicy story of life on the wards.
Yet again, there was more to 1959's Nurse than the saucy one-liners.
Former nurse Julia Hallam, now a film lecturer at Liverpool University, says Nurse provides a patients' eye insight into what was really going on in hospitals.
Sexy stereotype
"One of the things that you can think of them as representing is the first wave of consumer critique of the health service, particularly in the hospitals which were very authoritarian.
"Patients often felt too terrified to ask questions of people. They felt hospital was a very demeaning process and robbed you of your identity. From the patients' point of view, you can see the Carry Ons are a bit of a rebellion against that idea."
In 1959's Nurse, the NHS seemed novel and egalitarian. The nurses were cool and professional - and the patients fell in love with them.
By Carry On Doctor, eight years later, Barbara Windsor had introduced the saucy nurse to the nation - much to the chagrin of the Royal College of Nursing, which was horrified by the portrayal of the "sexy nurse" and fought the image for years, says Ms Hallam.
All across the Carry On canon, the rich entertainment was suffused with broader sociological comment.
Soft porn
From Teacher (1959) which seized on the ethics of corporal punishment in schools - eventually outlawed in 1986 - and the strains between traditional and progressive teaching methods, to 1971's Carry On at Your Convenience, with its undercurrents of industrial unrest.
That was the year a new Industrial Relations Act was passed, aimed at cutting numbers of unofficial strikes; the previous 12 months had been the worst in terms of days lost in industrial disputes since 1926.
Yet by the mid-70s Carry Ons' knack of feeling the pulse of British mass entertainment was fading.
By 1978 and Carry on Emmannuelle - in which the eponymous "heroine" manages to step outside a lot without her clothes - the Carry Ons were dying. Soft porn was readily available in British cinemas in the form of the raunchier Confessions films and even the original Emmanuelle.
The time for nudge-nudge-wink-wink, innuendo-laden comedy had passed. Somehow the Carry Ons seemed old-fashioned and naive.
But as the decades have passed, the pendulum has swung back, allowing us to view the Carry Ons with affection. Even if you think they are corny/cheesy/horribly dated you may at least appreciate them for their nostalgia value and their reminder of more innocent times.
A few weeks ago on her Sunday morning radio programme, Gabby Logan made an unintentionally saucy comment and referred to having had a "Carry On moment". Without further explanation you know exactly what she meant.
Almost everyone has seen at least one of the films. Most people have a favourite Carry On scene or cringe-making pun.
The very first Carry On film - Sergeant - came out 50 years ago this August and its appearance spawned a series of 30 over the next two decades. I decided to put in an idea to make a documentary marking the golden anniversary - not the sort that had been made many times before, focusing on the saucy lines and, at times, the desperately sad story of the troupe of actors who became such familiar faces to us all.
Instead, I wanted to examine the amazing social changes society underwent over the 20 years during which Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and the rest were Carrying On.
Think about it. When Carry on Sergeant, a low budget black and white movie came out in 1958, National Service - the core of its plot - still had a couple of years to run in Britain.
By the time the last film of the main series, Carry on Emmannuelle, was released in 1978, life was very different - the permissive age was in full swing and the post-war era of deference had gone, replaced by the desire to escape the duties and limitations that most of those living in the 40s, 50s and some of the 60s accepted as part of their "lot" in life.
From 1958 to 1978 the Carry On films held up a mirror to British society, its institutions and its rapid changes. National Service ended, the National Health Service expanded rapidly, the sexual revolution arrived, the country faced bouts of industrial strife and working-class families started to holiday abroad.
'Proto-feminist'
Amid the slapstick, the innuendo and the corny puns, the Carry Ons reflected all of this. Derided by highbrow critics, it is only recently that social commentators have come to appreciate them for the unvarnished portrait they paint of a nation in flux.
Take Carry on Cabby (1963) for tentative stirrings of feminism as Hattie Jacques sets up an all-female taxi firm to rival that of husband Sid.
In the words of Daily Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer, Cabbie is "certainly what Germaine Greer would call a proto-feminist film".
By the time of Carry on Girls, 10 years later, bra-burning feminists disrupt a beauty contest in the seaside town of Fircombe.
While the humour may have been upfront, any social commentary was more subtly conveyed, says Andy Medhurst, lecturer in film, media and cultural studies at Sussex University.
"They weren't films that set out to have an explicit social message but in a paradoxical kind of way that gives them more meaning," says Mr Medhurst. "They capture the way people living humdrum lives with limited horizons found a release in comedy. They seem to encapsulate an everyday life in Britain of that time."
Earnest people
Indeed, the makers of the Carry Ons had no serious ambition for them other than as easy entertainment in the best music hall tradition. The man behind the scripts for the first six Carry Ons, Norman Hudis, had no idea he was being "significant". Now in his 80s, and living in America, he recalls he was simply reflecting life at the time.
"For the most part," says Hudis, "it was earnest people in circumstances where they were being tried or pushed to the limit, almost giving in but eventually coming through and doing what they were supposed to do and doing it well."
For Simon Heffer, these early Carry Ons reflect a "sense of social cohesion which was really important before an age when individualism became as highly prized as it is now".
"I think that was the predominant sociological current and the films very accurately reflect that."
Where Hudis drew on his own wartime service for Carry On Sergeant, he also plundered his wife Rita's memory for Nurse. She had been a state-registered nurse and provided him with many a juicy story of life on the wards.
Yet again, there was more to 1959's Nurse than the saucy one-liners.
Former nurse Julia Hallam, now a film lecturer at Liverpool University, says Nurse provides a patients' eye insight into what was really going on in hospitals.
Sexy stereotype
"One of the things that you can think of them as representing is the first wave of consumer critique of the health service, particularly in the hospitals which were very authoritarian.
"Patients often felt too terrified to ask questions of people. They felt hospital was a very demeaning process and robbed you of your identity. From the patients' point of view, you can see the Carry Ons are a bit of a rebellion against that idea."
In 1959's Nurse, the NHS seemed novel and egalitarian. The nurses were cool and professional - and the patients fell in love with them.
By Carry On Doctor, eight years later, Barbara Windsor had introduced the saucy nurse to the nation - much to the chagrin of the Royal College of Nursing, which was horrified by the portrayal of the "sexy nurse" and fought the image for years, says Ms Hallam.
All across the Carry On canon, the rich entertainment was suffused with broader sociological comment.
Soft porn
From Teacher (1959) which seized on the ethics of corporal punishment in schools - eventually outlawed in 1986 - and the strains between traditional and progressive teaching methods, to 1971's Carry On at Your Convenience, with its undercurrents of industrial unrest.
That was the year a new Industrial Relations Act was passed, aimed at cutting numbers of unofficial strikes; the previous 12 months had been the worst in terms of days lost in industrial disputes since 1926.
Yet by the mid-70s Carry Ons' knack of feeling the pulse of British mass entertainment was fading.
By 1978 and Carry on Emmannuelle - in which the eponymous "heroine" manages to step outside a lot without her clothes - the Carry Ons were dying. Soft porn was readily available in British cinemas in the form of the raunchier Confessions films and even the original Emmanuelle.
The time for nudge-nudge-wink-wink, innuendo-laden comedy had passed. Somehow the Carry Ons seemed old-fashioned and naive.
But as the decades have passed, the pendulum has swung back, allowing us to view the Carry Ons with affection. Even if you think they are corny/cheesy/horribly dated you may at least appreciate them for their nostalgia value and their reminder of more innocent times.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend
The value of a special piece of jewellery is not just monetary - a gem with a story attached evokes a great deal about the past, says Lisa Jardine.
The internet auctioneer eBay has won a significant battle in the war over the sale of luxury goods on its site. An American court has ruled that the internationally famous jewellers, Tiffany & Co, failed to prove that eBay was responsible for the sale of fake Tiffany jewellery.
It had been alleged that eBay turned a blind eye to the sale of imitation brand-name jewellery, and that almost three quarters of so-called Tiffany jewellery pieces bought on eBay were counterfeit. The court decided that it was up to the manufacturer to pursue those auctioning counterfeit versions of their goods.
One of the problems for high-profile brand names is, I imagine, that some of today's younger purchasers are quite comfortable with a Tiffany fake - particularly if it comes with plausible pale-blue packaging. High Street shopping has democratised dazzle: this week's must-have imitation designer earrings can be worn with panache, then discarded at the end of the season in favour of something new.
A ring or bracelet, however humble, can be given more lasting value by the memories associated with it. Today, friends or lovers exchanging personal gifts will still expect the stones in these to be real.
The meaningful piece of jewellery par excellence is probably the diamond engagement ring - the modern version of which (a solitaire diamond in a six-prong setting, which raises the stone above the band for extra brilliance) Tiffany claim to have introduced in 1886.
Noses to glass
The crowds queuing to see the new William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery at the V&A Museum in London provide confirmation that it's the real thing that holds our interest. One of the problems for high-profile brand names is, I imagine, that some of today's younger purchasers are quite comfortable with a Tiffany fake - particularly if it comes with plausible pale-blue packaging. High Street shopping has democratised dazzle: this week's must-have imitation designer earrings can be worn with panache, then discarded at the end of the season in favour of something new.
A ring or bracelet, however humble, can be given more lasting value by the memories associated with it. Today, friends or lovers exchanging personal gifts will still expect the stones in these to be real.
The meaningful piece of jewellery par excellence is probably the diamond engagement ring - the modern version of which (a solitaire diamond in a six-prong setting, which raises the stone above the band for extra brilliance) Tiffany claim to have introduced in 1886.
Noses to glass
The crowds queuing to see the new William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery at the V&A Museum in London provide confirmation that it's the real thing that holds our interest.
In well-lit cases, behind non-reflective glass, the visitor can get right up close to each of the over 3,000 glittering gems on display. These cover the entire history of jewellery, beginning with a beaten gold Celtic breast ornament from the late bronze age, which arrests your attention as you enter the gallery.
One among many highlights is the Heneage or Armada jewel, presented by Queen Elizabeth I to Sir Thomas Heneage in the early 1590s. On its front is a gold profile relief of the queen, in a pearl-studded crown and ornate ruff, on a blue enamel ground, surrounded by an intricately worked frame of square cut diamonds and rubies. Inside is an exquisite miniature portrait of Elizabeth by Nicholas Hilliard.
Then there are the 19th and early 20th Century high society necklaces and tiaras. In one of my early Points of View, I reported that the Poltimore Tiara, worn by Princess Margaret at her wedding, had been sold at auction to a Chinese multi-millionaire. I expressed the hope that British museums would court the new international rich to acquire and display such items (see Museums and the super-rich, linked on right of this page).
Shortly thereafter the V&A acquired the Manchester Tiara - a garland-style diadem made up of more than 15,000 diamonds, commissioned from Cartier in 1903 by the Cuban-American socialite Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester. It now sparkles in pride of place in the new gallery, collecting a crowd around it.
Family heirloom
There is a fundamental difference between the gems in the Bollinger Gallery and the glittering ornaments with which women today deck themselves out on special occasions.
On the whole, only the fortunes of really costly, head-turning pieces of jewellery are recorded, as they pass from hand to hand, and generation to generation, thereby establishing a continuous narrative of acquisition and possession.
It is provenance - the story of how particular pieces of jewellery have been lovingly kept and passed down - that provides precious stones with a history. As such, they can, like other material remains, form an important part of our understanding of the past.
Here, for example, is a telling story involving the provenance of a strategically stylish piece of jewellery, from my own recent research.
In March 1641, the Portuguese Jewish gem-dealer Gaspar Duarte wrote from Antwerp to Sir Constantijn Huygens, First Secretary to the Dutch Stadholder - Holland's elected head of state, in The Hague.
The letter informed Huygens that Duarte's son Jacob in London had located a particularly gorgeous piece of jewellery - an elaborate, eye-catching brooch in the latest fashionable style, comprising four individual diamonds in a complicated setting, and designed to be worn on the bodice of a woman's dress.
Duarte was under instructions to find an impressive gift for the Stadholder's 14-year-old son Prince William of Orange to present to his bride-to-be, Charles I's nine-year-old daughter Princess Mary Stuart, on the occasion of their marriage in London that May.
Because of the exceptional beauty of the design and setting, Duarte writes to Huygens, the four diamonds in combination have the impact of a single diamond of value 1 million florins - suitably impressive to be presented by a family of minor royals to the far more prestigious house of Stuart.
On 7 April, Duarte's son arrived in Antwerp with the jewel, and the following day Huygens examined it closely. But a fortnight later negotiations had stalled - the price proposed was, according to Duarte senior, nowhere near high enough. King Charles I had seen the brooch in London (he told Huygens) and offered a considerably higher sum for it.
The suggestion that the English King himself had expressed interest in the piece was a shrewd way of applying commercial pressure, and was apparently successful. On 9 May, Duarte acknowledged receipt of payment of the asking price by Huygens on the Stadholder's behalf.
Shortly afterwards, the young Dutch prince, with an entourage of 250 people, arrived in England for his wedding, and was received at Whitehall Palace, where he presented members of the royal household with diamonds, pearls and other jewellery, to the value of several million pounds in modern money.
The delightful van Dyck wedding portrait of the young couple, now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, shows little Princess Mary wearing her own diamond-studded gift, tied with a ribbon to the bodice of her exquisite silver dress.
What a gem
When the English Civil War broke out less than a year later, Princess Mary and her mother Queen Henrietta Maria fled to the safety of William of Orange's court in The Hague, and the jewelled brooch went with them. Thus within a year, this distinctive, exquisitely crafted, costly piece crossed the English Channel three times.
As a piece of political dealing between London and the Netherlands, here is an intriguing story of a luxury object which played a key part in a dynastic marriage - one which brought together the ruling houses of England and the Dutch United Provinces, preparing the way for the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and eventually the Anglo-Dutch joint reign of William and Mary.
The wealthy Dutch Stadholder needed a gift which would impress the English King. The Duartes - suppliers of gems to Charles I in London - were close observers of English royal taste.
The expert advisor to the Stadholder, Sir Constantijn Huygens, was fluent in English and moved freely between England and the United Provinces, rubbing shoulders with the aristocracy on his regular visits to the English and Dutch courts.
The must-have appeal of the diamond brooch cemented relations between two ruling families, successfully straddling the geographical distance between them.
story like this one suggests that Tiffany & Co can stop worrying about the general availability of tawdry take-offs of their jewellery, offered for sale by unscrupulous vendors on the internet. In the end, it is the desire for the real thing that triumphs, producing objects of enduring beauty like those on display in the Bollinger Gallery.
Most of us neither could, nor would wish to own such objects (personally, just the cost of keeping them safe would fill me with dread). But, the well-documented stories of their commissioning, who bought and wore them, who coveted and acquired them, together form a vital part of the historical record.
In some cases, indeed, posterity remembers individuals and whole family lines simply because of the name which attaches to a particularly striking heirloom, and the stories associated with it.
After all, how many of us would remember the name of Sir Thomas Heneage, had his reward for provisioning the land troops in preparation for a Spanish invasion in 1588 not taken the form of the fabulous Armada jewel?
TIMELINE-Major attacks in India since 2003
September 8, 2006 - At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 km (160 miles) - (Reuters) - India's major cities were put on high alert on Sunday, with fears of more attacks after at least 46 people were killed in two days of bombings that hit a communally sensitive western city and a southern IT hub.
Following is a chronology of some of the major attacks in India in the past five years:
March 13, 2003 - A bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.
August 25, 2003 - Two almost simultaneous car bombs kill about 60 in Mumbai.
August 15, 2004 - Bomb explodes in northeastern state of Assam, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and wounding dozens.
October 29, 2005 - Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.
March 7, 2006 - At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three explosions in the north Indian Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi.
July 11, 2006 - More than 180 people are killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai, blamed on Islamist militants.
September 8, 2006 - At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 km (160 miles) northeast of Mumbai.
February 19, 2007 - Two bombs explode aboard a train bound from India to Pakistan, burning to death at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis.
May 18, 2007 - A bomb explodes during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing 11 worshippers. Police later shoot dead five people in clashes with hundreds of enraged Muslims who protest against the attack.
August 25, 2007 - Three explosions within minutes at an amusement park and a street-side food stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40 people.
May 13, 2008 - Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets of India's western city of Jaipur, killing at least 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.
July 25, 2008 - Eight small bombs hit the IT city of Bangalore killing at least one woman and wounding at least 15.
July 26 - At least 16 small bombs explode in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161. A little known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack. They also claimed responsibility for the May 13 attack in Jaipur.
Following is a chronology of some of the major attacks in India in the past five years:
March 13, 2003 - A bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.
August 25, 2003 - Two almost simultaneous car bombs kill about 60 in Mumbai.
August 15, 2004 - Bomb explodes in northeastern state of Assam, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and wounding dozens.
October 29, 2005 - Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.
March 7, 2006 - At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three explosions in the north Indian Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi.
July 11, 2006 - More than 180 people are killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai, blamed on Islamist militants.
September 8, 2006 - At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 km (160 miles) northeast of Mumbai.
February 19, 2007 - Two bombs explode aboard a train bound from India to Pakistan, burning to death at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis.
May 18, 2007 - A bomb explodes during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing 11 worshippers. Police later shoot dead five people in clashes with hundreds of enraged Muslims who protest against the attack.
August 25, 2007 - Three explosions within minutes at an amusement park and a street-side food stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40 people.
May 13, 2008 - Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets of India's western city of Jaipur, killing at least 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.
July 25, 2008 - Eight small bombs hit the IT city of Bangalore killing at least one woman and wounding at least 15.
July 26 - At least 16 small bombs explode in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161. A little known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack. They also claimed responsibility for the May 13 attack in Jaipur.
U.S. accuses China and India of threatening WTO round
GENEVA (Reuters) - A clash between the United States and two big emerging markets, China and India, over cutting farm and industrial tariffs threatened to derail more than a week of work to salvage a world trade deal Monday.
"We are very much concerned about the direction that a couple of countries are taking," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said during a break on the eighth day of World Trade Organisation talks.
"I am very concerned it will jeopardise the outcome of this round," she told reporters.
Her comments reflected strong differences over U.S. demands for countries to agree to deep tariff cuts in at least some manufacturing sectors and China and India's insistence that developing countries be given a strong new tool to guard against agricultural import surges.
David Shark, deputy U.S. ambassador to the WTO, said resistance by India and China to opening up to more imports had thrown the global trade talks into their "gravest jeopardy" since their launch in 2001.
China responded quickly. "We have tried very hard to contribute to the success of the round," its WTO ambassador Sun Zhenyu told delegates. "It is a little bit surprising that at this time the U.S. started this finger-pointing.
TRIAL RUN FOR CLIMATE TALKS?
Top trade officials from around 30 key WTO members have been in Geneva since last Monday to try to agree on terms for cutting farm subsidies and tariffs on agricultural and manufactured goods. After a rough start, the talks appeared to be making progress just as problems resurfaced again.
The meeting has been described by some European officials as a test of a changing balance of power in the world as developing economies grow in confidence, and also a possible trial run for climate change talks.
India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told reporters India had never agreed to Lamy's package, but had continued talks in the hope of winning further concessions from developed countries.
"I'm still hoping we will see some movement. I'm still optimistic," Nath told reporters after meeting ministers from seven key WTO players.
Priorities include deeper reductions in allowed spending on developed country farm subsidies than the proposed 70 percent cut for the United States and 80 percent cut for the EU in the current package, he said.
Developing countries also need a better "special safeguard mechanism" to help ward off import surges or price collapses in farm products, and long-awaited action on U.S. cotton subsidies which hurt developing country farmers, he said.
The United States, under pressure to cut its farm subsidies and tariffs in core markets such as autos and clothing, insists developing countries make significant openings in return.
In manufacturing, it wants China, India and others to agree to "sectoral" negotiations, in which a critical mass of countries would agree to cut tariffs to as close to zero as possible for industries ranging from jewellery to chemicals.
The United States and many other farm exporters, such as Uruguay and Paraguay, also fear the proposed safeguard mechanism would let developing countries massively increase tariffs in response to normal growth in trade.
Separately, France kept up pressure on EU trade chief Peter Mandelson not to agree to a deal that meant farm concessions in return for little gains elsewhere.
VOLUNTARY OR NOT?
WTO members endorsed the idea of "voluntary" sectoral agreements at ministerial meetings in Hong Kong in 2005.
China and India object to a compromise provision which encourages countries to take part in at least two sectoral talks by allowing them lower cuts in other industrial tariffs.
Developed countries want sectorals in "machinery, chemicals and automobiles, in which they enjoy substantial export advantage" and are pressuring developing countries to join in, said Lu Xiankun, a Chinese press counsellor.
In agriculture negotiations, "China has indicated that it intends to shield cotton, sugar, rice and other commodities from any tariff cuts whatsoever", U.S. envoy Shark said.
That makes it much harder for the White House to sell farm subsidy cuts to Congress, particularly for cotton, which WTO members have agreed will face faster and deeper reductions.
Lu noted the United States would be able to spend up to $14.5 billion on trade-distorting subsidies under the proposed deal, or about twice what it currently does.
"We are very much concerned about the direction that a couple of countries are taking," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said during a break on the eighth day of World Trade Organisation talks.
"I am very concerned it will jeopardise the outcome of this round," she told reporters.
Her comments reflected strong differences over U.S. demands for countries to agree to deep tariff cuts in at least some manufacturing sectors and China and India's insistence that developing countries be given a strong new tool to guard against agricultural import surges.
David Shark, deputy U.S. ambassador to the WTO, said resistance by India and China to opening up to more imports had thrown the global trade talks into their "gravest jeopardy" since their launch in 2001.
China responded quickly. "We have tried very hard to contribute to the success of the round," its WTO ambassador Sun Zhenyu told delegates. "It is a little bit surprising that at this time the U.S. started this finger-pointing.
TRIAL RUN FOR CLIMATE TALKS?
Top trade officials from around 30 key WTO members have been in Geneva since last Monday to try to agree on terms for cutting farm subsidies and tariffs on agricultural and manufactured goods. After a rough start, the talks appeared to be making progress just as problems resurfaced again.
The meeting has been described by some European officials as a test of a changing balance of power in the world as developing economies grow in confidence, and also a possible trial run for climate change talks.
India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told reporters India had never agreed to Lamy's package, but had continued talks in the hope of winning further concessions from developed countries.
"I'm still hoping we will see some movement. I'm still optimistic," Nath told reporters after meeting ministers from seven key WTO players.
Priorities include deeper reductions in allowed spending on developed country farm subsidies than the proposed 70 percent cut for the United States and 80 percent cut for the EU in the current package, he said.
Developing countries also need a better "special safeguard mechanism" to help ward off import surges or price collapses in farm products, and long-awaited action on U.S. cotton subsidies which hurt developing country farmers, he said.
The United States, under pressure to cut its farm subsidies and tariffs in core markets such as autos and clothing, insists developing countries make significant openings in return.
In manufacturing, it wants China, India and others to agree to "sectoral" negotiations, in which a critical mass of countries would agree to cut tariffs to as close to zero as possible for industries ranging from jewellery to chemicals.
The United States and many other farm exporters, such as Uruguay and Paraguay, also fear the proposed safeguard mechanism would let developing countries massively increase tariffs in response to normal growth in trade.
Separately, France kept up pressure on EU trade chief Peter Mandelson not to agree to a deal that meant farm concessions in return for little gains elsewhere.
VOLUNTARY OR NOT?
WTO members endorsed the idea of "voluntary" sectoral agreements at ministerial meetings in Hong Kong in 2005.
China and India object to a compromise provision which encourages countries to take part in at least two sectoral talks by allowing them lower cuts in other industrial tariffs.
Developed countries want sectorals in "machinery, chemicals and automobiles, in which they enjoy substantial export advantage" and are pressuring developing countries to join in, said Lu Xiankun, a Chinese press counsellor.
In agriculture negotiations, "China has indicated that it intends to shield cotton, sugar, rice and other commodities from any tariff cuts whatsoever", U.S. envoy Shark said.
That makes it much harder for the White House to sell farm subsidy cuts to Congress, particularly for cotton, which WTO members have agreed will face faster and deeper reductions.
Lu noted the United States would be able to spend up to $14.5 billion on trade-distorting subsidies under the proposed deal, or about twice what it currently does.
Saturday, 26 July 2008
Altitude With Attitude in Colorado
A RUGGED mountain town perched at a lung-searing 10,152 feet — nearly two miles above sea level — Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. Its main street is crammed with 1880s brick Victorians painted a kaleidoscope of colors: yellow, pink, purple and green. Even in summer, snowfields lace the soaring peaks that cradle the town.
Tourists and outdoorsy types are discovering the allure of this postcard of a town high in the Rockies. It’s 25 miles from the Interstate, it has only one stoplight, and the residents exchange phone numbers in four digits. Mountain bikers and horseback riders hit the trails; intrepid hikers scale Mounts Elbert and Massive, the two 14,000-foot peaks that dominate Leadville’s skyline; and anglers pull rainbows from high alpine lakes.
Gold was discovered in the town’s California Gulch in 1860, followed by silver in the late 1870s. But for Leadville, mining isn’t just the stuff of bygone reminiscences. Children in Lake County are routinely tested for blood-lead levels. (Sandboxes filled with mine tailings are not unheard of.) Until 1986, the Climax mine was running at full tilt, extracting molybdenum, a mouthful of a word that rolls easily off the tongues of locals. (It’s used as an agent for hardening steel.) With molybdenum prices spiking, the mine is expected to reopen in 2009.
On a weekend in June, Chris Albers, a green-eyed South Dakota farm boy, puttered around Cycles of Life, his new bike shop on Harrison Avenue, Leadville’s main drag. He also owns Provin’ Grounds, a hip coffee shop where locals sip lattes and peck on laptops. Mr. Albers first migrated to Vail in his 20s to snowboard. Before long, he was looking for a more authentic Western town, and he found it in Leadville.
While restoration is in the works for many of the century-old buildings in the 70-square-block historical district, the town’s back alleys and side streets are peppered with sagging outhouses, boarded-up barns and half-painted churches with broken stained glass windows. In a small grassy parcel downtown, rusting beer cans hang from wires, marked with a small wooden sign reading “Redneck Windchimes.”
“Leadville’s got character,” Mr. Albers said. “It’s not just another slick pop-up ski town. The old folks are miners, but there’s a new breed of people moving here.”
People like Dru Pashley, 28, a wiry runner who slings pizza dough at High Mountain Pies. As my husband, our three children and I waited for a takeout order, Mr. Pashley told us of his plans to run the Leadville 100. Every summer, ultramarathoners converge to run 100 miles of rocky trail in the thin air. (T-shirts for sale in Leadville riff on the milk campaign: “Got Oxygen?”)
We followed a walking tour map around Harrison Avenue, starting at the somewhat dilapidated Tabor Opera House, built in 1879 by Horace Tabor, a silver magnate. Inside, we climbed onto the stage, where Oscar Wilde once performed — and where live horses galloped on a treadmill during a production of “Ben-Hur.”
Tabor also left a legacy of salacious gossip. He deserted his austere first wife, Augusta, to marry Elizabeth McCourt Doe, a bodacious, round-eyed beauty nicknamed Baby Doe. They spent lavishly: a $90,000 diamond necklace; diamond-studded diaper pins; 100 peacocks to strut on their mansion grounds in Denver. When the price of silver crashed in 1893, they were left penniless, and after Tabor died, Baby Doe retreated to a cabin at the Matchless mine, where she lived as a recluse for 35 years.
Her power to intrigue appears timeless. When a tour guide at the Matchless told us that Baby Doe’s frozen body was discovered in the cabin during the brutal winter of 1935, my boys listened with eyes wide, mouths agape.
Another stop was Western Hardware, now an antiques store. Behind the counter is a wall of hundreds of tiny drawers, each with a different knob or hook. The row of copper nails used to measure lengths of rope is still visible in the wooden floorboards. The store is jam-packed with relics and replicas, including brothel tokens for $3 apiece.
If the year were 1879 and the tokens were real, they could have been cashed in at the tiny town of Twin Lakes, 20 miles south of Leadville. A onetime stop for stagecoaches and for miners heading over Independence Pass to Aspen, Twin Lakes is a ramshackle collection of dirt roads, sloping 1800s shacks and log cabins. Columbines grow among the weeds. We rented a boat from Johnny Gwaltney, a k a Johnny Canoe, who wore purple-tinted glasses and a giant silver belt buckle. “I’m a hikerneck,” he said. “It’s a cross between a hiker, a biker and a redneck.” (He traded his Harley for canoes five years ago.)
We paddled half an hour across Twin Lakes to the abandoned Interlaken resort, where Denver’s upper crust vacationed in the 1880s. They arrived by train; today the ghost resort is accessible only by a 45-minute hike or by boat. Of the handful of buildings, including a hexagonal six-stall privy that once featured leather seats, only Dexter Cabin has been restored. Inside, visitors can explore rooms decorated in eight different imported woods and climb a steep ladder to a cupola overlooking the lake.
Back in Leadville, at the 1878 Silver Dollar Saloon, Paul Smith, a 42-year-old transplant from Kansas, told us how he fell in love with the mountains after being stationed in Italy in the army. “I’ve got Elbert and Massive right out my window,” he said. “I’m in heaven here.” But to stay there, he drives 45 minutes to heating-and-cooling-system jobs in Vail. “It’s not so bad,” he said. “I bring a pot of coffee and listen to N.P.R.”
It’s not an unusual commute in Leadville, which remains a hardscrabble frontier outpost where fourth-generation families scratch out a living. In 1983, California Gulch was designated a Superfund site. In 1986, when the Climax mine closed, 3,000 workers were laid off. Earlier this year, a temporary state of emergency was declared when a billion gallons of toxic water backed up in the mines.
In the face of it all, Leadville has persevered by retooling itself as a tourist destination. One major drawing card: the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. Visitors can marvel at the museum’s model of the ice castle Leadville constructed out of 5,000 tons of ice in 1896. For rockhounds, there’s a 2,155-pound hunk of galena, icelike logs of selenite, chunks of polished malachite. Here I learned that the sparkle in my eye shadow comes from mica, and the dust on my chewing gum is limestone.
BUT really, the best way to appreciate Leadville’s mining pedigree is to leave the museum and explore the mining district firsthand. We started with a walk on the 11.6-mile Mineral Belt Trail, a paved path that circumnavigates Leadville and its adjacent mining district. Bikers and skateboarders passed us as we ambled through Stray Horse Gulch, an area dotted with rusting ore carts, wooden shacks and head frames. The kids stopped to toss rocks into a tailings pond filled with water the color of boiled beets. A superfluous sign warned, “No Swimming.”
Later we rumbled on a scenic passenger train along the old South Park rails, where freight cars once hauled ore from the Climax mine. The next morning, we took a ghost-town driving tour and were captivated by the skeletons of century-old ore houses, hoists and mine tunnels. Less enchanting were the mountains of tailings, waste rock and black slag.
It’s possible, though, to transcend it all from the Venir mine shaft, the tour’s high point at 11,550 feet. We climbed past slumping mine structures of timber and corrugated tin, up mounds of tailings that looked like a strange lumpy beach, and soaked in a 360-degree panorama of jagged peaks. Before long, the kids found chips of mica glittering in the tailings. They used their fingernails to dig them out. “We’re rich!” they shouted. We may not have hit pay dirt in Leadville, but we did drive away in a minivan covered in dust.
Tourists and outdoorsy types are discovering the allure of this postcard of a town high in the Rockies. It’s 25 miles from the Interstate, it has only one stoplight, and the residents exchange phone numbers in four digits. Mountain bikers and horseback riders hit the trails; intrepid hikers scale Mounts Elbert and Massive, the two 14,000-foot peaks that dominate Leadville’s skyline; and anglers pull rainbows from high alpine lakes.
Gold was discovered in the town’s California Gulch in 1860, followed by silver in the late 1870s. But for Leadville, mining isn’t just the stuff of bygone reminiscences. Children in Lake County are routinely tested for blood-lead levels. (Sandboxes filled with mine tailings are not unheard of.) Until 1986, the Climax mine was running at full tilt, extracting molybdenum, a mouthful of a word that rolls easily off the tongues of locals. (It’s used as an agent for hardening steel.) With molybdenum prices spiking, the mine is expected to reopen in 2009.
On a weekend in June, Chris Albers, a green-eyed South Dakota farm boy, puttered around Cycles of Life, his new bike shop on Harrison Avenue, Leadville’s main drag. He also owns Provin’ Grounds, a hip coffee shop where locals sip lattes and peck on laptops. Mr. Albers first migrated to Vail in his 20s to snowboard. Before long, he was looking for a more authentic Western town, and he found it in Leadville.
While restoration is in the works for many of the century-old buildings in the 70-square-block historical district, the town’s back alleys and side streets are peppered with sagging outhouses, boarded-up barns and half-painted churches with broken stained glass windows. In a small grassy parcel downtown, rusting beer cans hang from wires, marked with a small wooden sign reading “Redneck Windchimes.”
“Leadville’s got character,” Mr. Albers said. “It’s not just another slick pop-up ski town. The old folks are miners, but there’s a new breed of people moving here.”
People like Dru Pashley, 28, a wiry runner who slings pizza dough at High Mountain Pies. As my husband, our three children and I waited for a takeout order, Mr. Pashley told us of his plans to run the Leadville 100. Every summer, ultramarathoners converge to run 100 miles of rocky trail in the thin air. (T-shirts for sale in Leadville riff on the milk campaign: “Got Oxygen?”)
We followed a walking tour map around Harrison Avenue, starting at the somewhat dilapidated Tabor Opera House, built in 1879 by Horace Tabor, a silver magnate. Inside, we climbed onto the stage, where Oscar Wilde once performed — and where live horses galloped on a treadmill during a production of “Ben-Hur.”
Tabor also left a legacy of salacious gossip. He deserted his austere first wife, Augusta, to marry Elizabeth McCourt Doe, a bodacious, round-eyed beauty nicknamed Baby Doe. They spent lavishly: a $90,000 diamond necklace; diamond-studded diaper pins; 100 peacocks to strut on their mansion grounds in Denver. When the price of silver crashed in 1893, they were left penniless, and after Tabor died, Baby Doe retreated to a cabin at the Matchless mine, where she lived as a recluse for 35 years.
Her power to intrigue appears timeless. When a tour guide at the Matchless told us that Baby Doe’s frozen body was discovered in the cabin during the brutal winter of 1935, my boys listened with eyes wide, mouths agape.
Another stop was Western Hardware, now an antiques store. Behind the counter is a wall of hundreds of tiny drawers, each with a different knob or hook. The row of copper nails used to measure lengths of rope is still visible in the wooden floorboards. The store is jam-packed with relics and replicas, including brothel tokens for $3 apiece.
If the year were 1879 and the tokens were real, they could have been cashed in at the tiny town of Twin Lakes, 20 miles south of Leadville. A onetime stop for stagecoaches and for miners heading over Independence Pass to Aspen, Twin Lakes is a ramshackle collection of dirt roads, sloping 1800s shacks and log cabins. Columbines grow among the weeds. We rented a boat from Johnny Gwaltney, a k a Johnny Canoe, who wore purple-tinted glasses and a giant silver belt buckle. “I’m a hikerneck,” he said. “It’s a cross between a hiker, a biker and a redneck.” (He traded his Harley for canoes five years ago.)
We paddled half an hour across Twin Lakes to the abandoned Interlaken resort, where Denver’s upper crust vacationed in the 1880s. They arrived by train; today the ghost resort is accessible only by a 45-minute hike or by boat. Of the handful of buildings, including a hexagonal six-stall privy that once featured leather seats, only Dexter Cabin has been restored. Inside, visitors can explore rooms decorated in eight different imported woods and climb a steep ladder to a cupola overlooking the lake.
Back in Leadville, at the 1878 Silver Dollar Saloon, Paul Smith, a 42-year-old transplant from Kansas, told us how he fell in love with the mountains after being stationed in Italy in the army. “I’ve got Elbert and Massive right out my window,” he said. “I’m in heaven here.” But to stay there, he drives 45 minutes to heating-and-cooling-system jobs in Vail. “It’s not so bad,” he said. “I bring a pot of coffee and listen to N.P.R.”
It’s not an unusual commute in Leadville, which remains a hardscrabble frontier outpost where fourth-generation families scratch out a living. In 1983, California Gulch was designated a Superfund site. In 1986, when the Climax mine closed, 3,000 workers were laid off. Earlier this year, a temporary state of emergency was declared when a billion gallons of toxic water backed up in the mines.
In the face of it all, Leadville has persevered by retooling itself as a tourist destination. One major drawing card: the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. Visitors can marvel at the museum’s model of the ice castle Leadville constructed out of 5,000 tons of ice in 1896. For rockhounds, there’s a 2,155-pound hunk of galena, icelike logs of selenite, chunks of polished malachite. Here I learned that the sparkle in my eye shadow comes from mica, and the dust on my chewing gum is limestone.
BUT really, the best way to appreciate Leadville’s mining pedigree is to leave the museum and explore the mining district firsthand. We started with a walk on the 11.6-mile Mineral Belt Trail, a paved path that circumnavigates Leadville and its adjacent mining district. Bikers and skateboarders passed us as we ambled through Stray Horse Gulch, an area dotted with rusting ore carts, wooden shacks and head frames. The kids stopped to toss rocks into a tailings pond filled with water the color of boiled beets. A superfluous sign warned, “No Swimming.”
Later we rumbled on a scenic passenger train along the old South Park rails, where freight cars once hauled ore from the Climax mine. The next morning, we took a ghost-town driving tour and were captivated by the skeletons of century-old ore houses, hoists and mine tunnels. Less enchanting were the mountains of tailings, waste rock and black slag.
It’s possible, though, to transcend it all from the Venir mine shaft, the tour’s high point at 11,550 feet. We climbed past slumping mine structures of timber and corrugated tin, up mounds of tailings that looked like a strange lumpy beach, and soaked in a 360-degree panorama of jagged peaks. Before long, the kids found chips of mica glittering in the tailings. They used their fingernails to dig them out. “We’re rich!” they shouted. We may not have hit pay dirt in Leadville, but we did drive away in a minivan covered in dust.
China Surpasses U.S. in Number of Internet Users
SHANGHAI — China said the number of Internet users in the country reached about 253 million last month, putting it ahead of the United States as the world’s biggest Internet market.
The estimate, based on a national phone survey and released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Center in Beijing, showed a powerful surge in Internet adoption in this country over the last few years, particularly among teenagers.
The number of Internet users jumped more than 50 percent, or by about 90 million people, during the last year, said the center, which operates under the government-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences. The new estimate represents only about 19 percent of China’s population, underscoring the potential for growth.
By contrast, about 220 million Americans are online, or 70 percent of the population, according to the Nielsen Company. Japan and South Korea have similarly high percentages.
Political content on Web sites inside China is heavily censored, and foreign sites operating here have faced restrictions. But online gaming, blogs, and social networking and entertainment sites are extremely popular among young people in China.
The survey found that nearly 70 percent of China’s Internet users were 30 or younger, and that in the first half of this year, high school students were, by far, the fastest-growing segment of new users, accounting for 39 million of the 43 million new users in that period.
With Internet use booming, so is Web advertising. The investment firm Morgan Stanley says online advertising in China is growing by 60 to 70 percent a year, and forecasts that by the end of this year, it could be a $1.7 billion market.
China’s biggest Internet companies, including Baidu, Sina, Tencent and Alibaba, are thriving, and in many cases are outperforming the China-based operations of American Internet giants like Google, Yahoo and eBay.
“The Internet market is the fastest-growing consumer market sector in China,” said Richard Ji, an Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley. “We are still far from saturation. So the next three to five years, we’re still going to see hyper-growth in this market.”
Baidu, for instance, said on Thursday that its second-quarter net profit had jumped 81 percent. During that period, Baidu had a 63 percent share of China’s search engine market, while Google had about 26 percent, with Yahoo trailing far behind, according to iResearch, a market research firm based in Beijing.
Tencent, a popular site for social networking and gaming, now has a stock market value of $15 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable Internet companies. In comparison, Amazon.com is valued at about $30 billion.
One measure of the growth of the Internet here, and its social and entertainment functions, is the popularity of blogs.
The site of China’s most popular blogger, the actress Xu Jinglei, has attracted more than 174 million visitors over the last few years, according to Sina.com, the popular Web portal, which posts a live tally. According to Sina, 11 other bloggers have also attracted more than 100 million visitors in recent years.
The Internet’s popularity often poses serious challenges to the government. Online gambling, pornography, videos of protests and addiction have led to regular campaigns to crack down on what the government views as vices. But Internet users have also used the Web for nationalist campaigns to criticize the Western news media or foreign companies, as was the case after riots broke out in Tibet this year.
While several organizations had projected that China would surpass the United States in Internet users this year, the new survey results were the first time a government agency had released figures showing China’s market to be larger than that of the United States.
The estimate, based on a national phone survey and released on Thursday by the China Internet Network Information Center in Beijing, showed a powerful surge in Internet adoption in this country over the last few years, particularly among teenagers.
The number of Internet users jumped more than 50 percent, or by about 90 million people, during the last year, said the center, which operates under the government-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences. The new estimate represents only about 19 percent of China’s population, underscoring the potential for growth.
By contrast, about 220 million Americans are online, or 70 percent of the population, according to the Nielsen Company. Japan and South Korea have similarly high percentages.
Political content on Web sites inside China is heavily censored, and foreign sites operating here have faced restrictions. But online gaming, blogs, and social networking and entertainment sites are extremely popular among young people in China.
The survey found that nearly 70 percent of China’s Internet users were 30 or younger, and that in the first half of this year, high school students were, by far, the fastest-growing segment of new users, accounting for 39 million of the 43 million new users in that period.
With Internet use booming, so is Web advertising. The investment firm Morgan Stanley says online advertising in China is growing by 60 to 70 percent a year, and forecasts that by the end of this year, it could be a $1.7 billion market.
China’s biggest Internet companies, including Baidu, Sina, Tencent and Alibaba, are thriving, and in many cases are outperforming the China-based operations of American Internet giants like Google, Yahoo and eBay.
“The Internet market is the fastest-growing consumer market sector in China,” said Richard Ji, an Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley. “We are still far from saturation. So the next three to five years, we’re still going to see hyper-growth in this market.”
Baidu, for instance, said on Thursday that its second-quarter net profit had jumped 81 percent. During that period, Baidu had a 63 percent share of China’s search engine market, while Google had about 26 percent, with Yahoo trailing far behind, according to iResearch, a market research firm based in Beijing.
Tencent, a popular site for social networking and gaming, now has a stock market value of $15 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable Internet companies. In comparison, Amazon.com is valued at about $30 billion.
One measure of the growth of the Internet here, and its social and entertainment functions, is the popularity of blogs.
The site of China’s most popular blogger, the actress Xu Jinglei, has attracted more than 174 million visitors over the last few years, according to Sina.com, the popular Web portal, which posts a live tally. According to Sina, 11 other bloggers have also attracted more than 100 million visitors in recent years.
The Internet’s popularity often poses serious challenges to the government. Online gambling, pornography, videos of protests and addiction have led to regular campaigns to crack down on what the government views as vices. But Internet users have also used the Web for nationalist campaigns to criticize the Western news media or foreign companies, as was the case after riots broke out in Tibet this year.
While several organizations had projected that China would surpass the United States in Internet users this year, the new survey results were the first time a government agency had released figures showing China’s market to be larger than that of the United States.
Flush With Cash, More Asian Tourists Flock to Japan
SHIRETOKO NATIONAL PARK, Japan — Once prohibitively expensive, Japan is suddenly drawing soaring numbers of Asian tourists who splurge at the nation’s department stores, lounge in its hot spring resorts or explore remote corners, like this stretch of pristine mountains and forests on Japan’s northernmost tip.
While a boon for Japan’s faltering tourism industry, the new tourists are also a sign of larger economic changes in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.
Japan itself was once known for its free-spending tourists, who flocked to boutiques from Hong Kong to Fifth Avenue. But as Japan’s economy stalled for the last dozen or so years, rapid development in countries like China and South Korea raised living standards there.
Those countries are now catching up with slow-growing Japan, long the region’s dominant economic power. Indeed, Japan’s dwindling, but still potent, lead in technology is a major draw for Asian tourists, who are as likely to visit a Toyota car factory as a Zen temple.
At the same time, there has been a decline in the number of people going abroad from Japan. The number of Japanese traveling abroad has fallen 3 percent from the peak in 2000 of 17.8 million, the government-run Japan National Tourist Organization said.
The decline was particularly pronounced among Japanese in their 20s, whose trips abroad fell to 2.8 million last year, down 40 percent from a decade ago. Officials from the tourist group attributed the drop among the young Japanese to falling wages and more modest lifestyles.
By contrast, the number of visitors to Japan from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong almost doubled last year from five years earlier, to 5.36 million, according to the tourist group. Those four regions alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of all foreign visitors to Japan last year, the organization said.
But far from being concerned about yet another sign of their nation’s declining status, many Japanese seem to embrace this change. The government helped open the gates five years ago by waiving visa requirements for tourists from Taiwan and South Korea.
Asian visitors are now regarded by a growing number of Japanese as a financial shot in the arm for Japan, whose vitality has been sapped by economic maturity and an aging population.
“Asia has closed the gap in economic power,” said Yukiko Fukagawa, an economics and politics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. “And Japan is slowly realizing that maybe this is not such a bad thing.”
In the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo, the excitement these days is all about the large numbers of rich Asian tourists, most from China. This has pushed stores to begin hiring Chinese-speaking clerks and keep stacks of Chinese bills by cash registers.
At the marble-columned Mitsukoshi department store, one of Tokyo’s fanciest stores, wealthy Chinese buy Japanese and European-brand clothes and handbags by the dozen, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, apparently on a whim, for a watch or painting in the store, said Shoji Saito, manager of overseas-related business.
Mr. Saito said the store had not experienced such big-spending shoppers since Japan’s own go-go era in the 1980s.
“Asian tourists are our new growth market,” he said.
Many Asian tourists interviewed said they liked to shop here because Japan has the latest fashions first, and at prices way below those in many other Asian countries, where tariffs are steep. They also said they liked visiting Japan because it was close, safe and cleaner than much of the rest of Asia.
But many also say they are drawn by a deep fascination for Japan. Now that they can afford to come, they say they want to see the country that has long been the region’s front-runner in high technology, fashion and other realms of popular culture. They said they felt envy and respect for Japan as the region’s only fully developed nation, even if they did not always see eye to eye on matters like the events of World War II.
“We feel very close to the Japanese culturally, but they are also still ahead,” said Kao Yu-jeng, a 50-year-old schoolteacher who was part of a Taiwanese tour group visiting Shiretoko park, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. “We want to know more about what makes them tick.”
According to the Taiwanese government’s Tourism Bureau, Japan passed Macao last year to become the second-most-popular overseas destination for Taiwanese going abroad, after Hong Kong.
“Japan used to be a very distant presence,” said Hsu Ya-shan, assistant director in the Tokyo office of the Taiwan Visitors Association, a Taiwanese government-run tourism promotion agency. “Now, it feels a lot closer.”
Officials at the Japan National Tourist Organization called the surge in Asian visitors an unexpected result of their Visit Japan program, a 2003 advertising campaign whose goal was to double foreign visitors to 10 million by 2010. While they initially envisioned planeloads of arriving Westerners, it was Asians who actually showed up, officials said.
Skip to next paragraph
During the 1980s, Americans were the largest group of overseas visitors to Japan, but have now fallen to fourth behind South Korea, Taiwan and China.
“Japan always had this huge, unnatural imbalance of sending out far more tourists than it took in,” said Daisuke Tonai, a senior assistant manager at the tourist group. “The situation is finally becoming more normal.”
Mr. Tonai said surveys also showed Asian tourists came to Japan for different reasons than Westerners. While Americans said they came to see cultural attractions like temples, Asians cited shopping, followed by hot springs and nature. Visits to factories are also popular, he said.
Recently, a top draw for Asian tourists is Hokkaido, Japan’s least developed major island, with open spaces and picturesque farms reminiscent of the American Midwest.
Mr. Kao, the Taiwanese teacher, called Hokkaido’s natural beauty a welcome change from pollution-choked cities in Taiwan, and China, where he has visited.
As the group’s bus wound along Shiretoko’s rugged coastline, the tour guide, Yu Li-fang, warned the travelers of the dangers of entering a true wilderness area.
“What do you do if you see a bear?” she said.
“Run,” one voice said.
“Kill it,” said another.
“Do you know how to kill a bear?” Ms. Yu asked, only half jokingly.
While the group did not encounter a bear, many members did experience a different kind of shock at a gift store, where the prices were far higher than in Taiwan.
“Taiwan is getting closer, but Japan is still ahead when it comes to prices,” Lin Hsiao-ching, a 44-year-old homemaker, said with a laugh. “We still have to keep an eye on every bill.”
While a boon for Japan’s faltering tourism industry, the new tourists are also a sign of larger economic changes in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.
Japan itself was once known for its free-spending tourists, who flocked to boutiques from Hong Kong to Fifth Avenue. But as Japan’s economy stalled for the last dozen or so years, rapid development in countries like China and South Korea raised living standards there.
Those countries are now catching up with slow-growing Japan, long the region’s dominant economic power. Indeed, Japan’s dwindling, but still potent, lead in technology is a major draw for Asian tourists, who are as likely to visit a Toyota car factory as a Zen temple.
At the same time, there has been a decline in the number of people going abroad from Japan. The number of Japanese traveling abroad has fallen 3 percent from the peak in 2000 of 17.8 million, the government-run Japan National Tourist Organization said.
The decline was particularly pronounced among Japanese in their 20s, whose trips abroad fell to 2.8 million last year, down 40 percent from a decade ago. Officials from the tourist group attributed the drop among the young Japanese to falling wages and more modest lifestyles.
By contrast, the number of visitors to Japan from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong almost doubled last year from five years earlier, to 5.36 million, according to the tourist group. Those four regions alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of all foreign visitors to Japan last year, the organization said.
But far from being concerned about yet another sign of their nation’s declining status, many Japanese seem to embrace this change. The government helped open the gates five years ago by waiving visa requirements for tourists from Taiwan and South Korea.
Asian visitors are now regarded by a growing number of Japanese as a financial shot in the arm for Japan, whose vitality has been sapped by economic maturity and an aging population.
“Asia has closed the gap in economic power,” said Yukiko Fukagawa, an economics and politics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. “And Japan is slowly realizing that maybe this is not such a bad thing.”
In the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo, the excitement these days is all about the large numbers of rich Asian tourists, most from China. This has pushed stores to begin hiring Chinese-speaking clerks and keep stacks of Chinese bills by cash registers.
At the marble-columned Mitsukoshi department store, one of Tokyo’s fanciest stores, wealthy Chinese buy Japanese and European-brand clothes and handbags by the dozen, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, apparently on a whim, for a watch or painting in the store, said Shoji Saito, manager of overseas-related business.
Mr. Saito said the store had not experienced such big-spending shoppers since Japan’s own go-go era in the 1980s.
“Asian tourists are our new growth market,” he said.
Many Asian tourists interviewed said they liked to shop here because Japan has the latest fashions first, and at prices way below those in many other Asian countries, where tariffs are steep. They also said they liked visiting Japan because it was close, safe and cleaner than much of the rest of Asia.
But many also say they are drawn by a deep fascination for Japan. Now that they can afford to come, they say they want to see the country that has long been the region’s front-runner in high technology, fashion and other realms of popular culture. They said they felt envy and respect for Japan as the region’s only fully developed nation, even if they did not always see eye to eye on matters like the events of World War II.
“We feel very close to the Japanese culturally, but they are also still ahead,” said Kao Yu-jeng, a 50-year-old schoolteacher who was part of a Taiwanese tour group visiting Shiretoko park, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. “We want to know more about what makes them tick.”
According to the Taiwanese government’s Tourism Bureau, Japan passed Macao last year to become the second-most-popular overseas destination for Taiwanese going abroad, after Hong Kong.
“Japan used to be a very distant presence,” said Hsu Ya-shan, assistant director in the Tokyo office of the Taiwan Visitors Association, a Taiwanese government-run tourism promotion agency. “Now, it feels a lot closer.”
Officials at the Japan National Tourist Organization called the surge in Asian visitors an unexpected result of their Visit Japan program, a 2003 advertising campaign whose goal was to double foreign visitors to 10 million by 2010. While they initially envisioned planeloads of arriving Westerners, it was Asians who actually showed up, officials said.
Skip to next paragraph
During the 1980s, Americans were the largest group of overseas visitors to Japan, but have now fallen to fourth behind South Korea, Taiwan and China.
“Japan always had this huge, unnatural imbalance of sending out far more tourists than it took in,” said Daisuke Tonai, a senior assistant manager at the tourist group. “The situation is finally becoming more normal.”
Mr. Tonai said surveys also showed Asian tourists came to Japan for different reasons than Westerners. While Americans said they came to see cultural attractions like temples, Asians cited shopping, followed by hot springs and nature. Visits to factories are also popular, he said.
Recently, a top draw for Asian tourists is Hokkaido, Japan’s least developed major island, with open spaces and picturesque farms reminiscent of the American Midwest.
Mr. Kao, the Taiwanese teacher, called Hokkaido’s natural beauty a welcome change from pollution-choked cities in Taiwan, and China, where he has visited.
As the group’s bus wound along Shiretoko’s rugged coastline, the tour guide, Yu Li-fang, warned the travelers of the dangers of entering a true wilderness area.
“What do you do if you see a bear?” she said.
“Run,” one voice said.
“Kill it,” said another.
“Do you know how to kill a bear?” Ms. Yu asked, only half jokingly.
While the group did not encounter a bear, many members did experience a different kind of shock at a gift store, where the prices were far higher than in Taiwan.
“Taiwan is getting closer, but Japan is still ahead when it comes to prices,” Lin Hsiao-ching, a 44-year-old homemaker, said with a laugh. “We still have to keep an eye on every bill.”
Prominent Cancer Doctor Warns About Cellphones
The head of a prominent cancer research institute has warned his faculty and staff to limit cellphone use because of a possible cancer risk, The Associated Press reports.
Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, notes that while the evidence about a cellphone-cancer link remains unclear, people should take precautions, particularly for children.
“Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Dr. Herberman told The Associated Press.
Earlier this year, three prominent brain surgeons raised similar concerns while speaking on “The Larry King Show.” Their concerns were largely based on observational studies that showed only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship. The most important of these studies is called Interphone, a vast research effort in 13 countries, including Canada, Israel and several in Europe.
Some of the research suggests a link between cellphone use and three types of tumors: glioma; cancer of the parotid, a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain. All these tumors are rare, so even if cellphone use does increase risk, the risk is still very low.
On Wednesday, Dr. Herberman sent a memo to about 3,000 faculty and staff saying that children should use cellphones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing. He advised adults to keep cellphones away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he said.
“Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cellphone use,” he wrote in his memo.
Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, notes that while the evidence about a cellphone-cancer link remains unclear, people should take precautions, particularly for children.
“Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Dr. Herberman told The Associated Press.
Earlier this year, three prominent brain surgeons raised similar concerns while speaking on “The Larry King Show.” Their concerns were largely based on observational studies that showed only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship. The most important of these studies is called Interphone, a vast research effort in 13 countries, including Canada, Israel and several in Europe.
Some of the research suggests a link between cellphone use and three types of tumors: glioma; cancer of the parotid, a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain. All these tumors are rare, so even if cellphone use does increase risk, the risk is still very low.
On Wednesday, Dr. Herberman sent a memo to about 3,000 faculty and staff saying that children should use cellphones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing. He advised adults to keep cellphones away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he said.
“Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cellphone use,” he wrote in his memo.
China’s Genocide Olympics -By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The Beijing Olympics this summer were supposed to be China’s coming-out party, celebrating the end of nearly two centuries of weakness, poverty and humiliation.
Instead, China’s leaders are tarnishing their own Olympiad by abetting genocide in Darfur and in effect undermining the U.N. military deployment there. The result is a growing international campaign to brand these “The Genocide Olympics.”
This is not a boycott of the Olympics. But expect Darfur-related protests at Chinese Embassies, as well as banners and armbands among both athletes and spectators. There’s a growing recognition that perhaps the best way of averting hundreds of thousands more deaths in Sudan is to use the leverage of the Olympics to shame China into more responsible behavior.
The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA. That is the latest year for which figures are available.
China provided Sudan with A-5 Fantan bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, K-8 military training/attack aircraft and light weapons used in Sudan’s proxy invasion of Chad last year. China also uses the threat of its veto on the Security Council to block U.N. action against Sudan so that there is a growing risk of a catastrophic humiliation for the U.N. itself.
Sudan feels confident enough with Chinese backing that on Jan. 7, the Sudanese military ambushed a clearly marked U.N. convoy of peacekeepers in Darfur. Sudan claimed the attack was a mistake, but diplomats and U.N. professionals are confident that this was a deliberate attack ordered by the Sudanese leaders to put the U.N. in its place.
Sudan has already barred units from Sweden, Norway, Nepal, Thailand and other countries from joining the U.N. force. It has banned night flights, dithered on a status-of-forces agreement, held up communications equipment and refused to allow the U.N. to bring in foreign helicopters. The growing fear is that the U.N. force will be humiliated in Sudan as it was in Rwanda and Bosnia, causing enormous damage to international peacekeeping.
Another possible sign of Sudan’s confidence: an American diplomat, John Granville, was ambushed and murdered in Khartoum early this month. Many in the diplomatic and intelligence community believe that such an assassination could not happen in Khartoum unless elements of the government were involved.
Chinese officials argue that they are engaging in quiet diplomacy with Sudan’s leaders and that this is the best way to seek a solution in Darfur. They note that Sudan has other backers, and that China’s influence is limited.
It is true that since the start of the “Genocide Olympics” campaign (www.dreamfordarfur.org) a year ago, China has been more helpful, and it’s only because of Chinese pressure on Khartoum that U.N. peacekeepers were admitted to Darfur at all. But the basic reality is that China continues to side with Sudan — it backed Sudan again after it ambushed the U.N. peacekeepers — and Sudan feels protected enough that it goes on thumbing its nose at the international community.
Just a few days ago, Sudan appointed Musa Hilal, a founding leader of the Arab militia known as the janjaweed, to a position in the central government. This is the man who was once quoted as having expressed gratitude for “the necessary weapons and ammunition to exterminate the African tribes in Darfur.”
Other countries also must do much more, but China is crucial. If Beijing were to suspend all transfers of arms and spare parts to Sudan until a peace deal is reached in Darfur, then that would change the dynamic. President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would be terrified — especially since he is now preparing to resume war with South Sudan — and would realize that China is no longer willing to let its Olympics be stained by Darfuri blood.
Without his Chinese shield, Mr. Bashir would be more likely to make concessions to Darfur rebels and negotiate seriously with them, and he would no longer have political cover to resume war against South Sudan. That would make long-term peace more likely in Darfur and also in South Sudan.
I’m a great fan of China’s achievements, and I’ve often defended Beijing from unfair protectionist rhetoric spouted by American politicians. But those of us who admire China’s accomplishments find it difficult to give credit when Beijing simultaneously underwrites the ultimate crime of genocide.
China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power. But so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics.
Instead, China’s leaders are tarnishing their own Olympiad by abetting genocide in Darfur and in effect undermining the U.N. military deployment there. The result is a growing international campaign to brand these “The Genocide Olympics.”
This is not a boycott of the Olympics. But expect Darfur-related protests at Chinese Embassies, as well as banners and armbands among both athletes and spectators. There’s a growing recognition that perhaps the best way of averting hundreds of thousands more deaths in Sudan is to use the leverage of the Olympics to shame China into more responsible behavior.
The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA. That is the latest year for which figures are available.
China provided Sudan with A-5 Fantan bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, K-8 military training/attack aircraft and light weapons used in Sudan’s proxy invasion of Chad last year. China also uses the threat of its veto on the Security Council to block U.N. action against Sudan so that there is a growing risk of a catastrophic humiliation for the U.N. itself.
Sudan feels confident enough with Chinese backing that on Jan. 7, the Sudanese military ambushed a clearly marked U.N. convoy of peacekeepers in Darfur. Sudan claimed the attack was a mistake, but diplomats and U.N. professionals are confident that this was a deliberate attack ordered by the Sudanese leaders to put the U.N. in its place.
Sudan has already barred units from Sweden, Norway, Nepal, Thailand and other countries from joining the U.N. force. It has banned night flights, dithered on a status-of-forces agreement, held up communications equipment and refused to allow the U.N. to bring in foreign helicopters. The growing fear is that the U.N. force will be humiliated in Sudan as it was in Rwanda and Bosnia, causing enormous damage to international peacekeeping.
Another possible sign of Sudan’s confidence: an American diplomat, John Granville, was ambushed and murdered in Khartoum early this month. Many in the diplomatic and intelligence community believe that such an assassination could not happen in Khartoum unless elements of the government were involved.
Chinese officials argue that they are engaging in quiet diplomacy with Sudan’s leaders and that this is the best way to seek a solution in Darfur. They note that Sudan has other backers, and that China’s influence is limited.
It is true that since the start of the “Genocide Olympics” campaign (www.dreamfordarfur.org) a year ago, China has been more helpful, and it’s only because of Chinese pressure on Khartoum that U.N. peacekeepers were admitted to Darfur at all. But the basic reality is that China continues to side with Sudan — it backed Sudan again after it ambushed the U.N. peacekeepers — and Sudan feels protected enough that it goes on thumbing its nose at the international community.
Just a few days ago, Sudan appointed Musa Hilal, a founding leader of the Arab militia known as the janjaweed, to a position in the central government. This is the man who was once quoted as having expressed gratitude for “the necessary weapons and ammunition to exterminate the African tribes in Darfur.”
Other countries also must do much more, but China is crucial. If Beijing were to suspend all transfers of arms and spare parts to Sudan until a peace deal is reached in Darfur, then that would change the dynamic. President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would be terrified — especially since he is now preparing to resume war with South Sudan — and would realize that China is no longer willing to let its Olympics be stained by Darfuri blood.
Without his Chinese shield, Mr. Bashir would be more likely to make concessions to Darfur rebels and negotiate seriously with them, and he would no longer have political cover to resume war against South Sudan. That would make long-term peace more likely in Darfur and also in South Sudan.
I’m a great fan of China’s achievements, and I’ve often defended Beijing from unfair protectionist rhetoric spouted by American politicians. But those of us who admire China’s accomplishments find it difficult to give credit when Beijing simultaneously underwrites the ultimate crime of genocide.
China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power. But so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics.
Girls For Sale -By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
One thinks of slavery as an evil confined to musty sepia photographs. But there are 21st-century versions of slaves as well, girls like Srey Neth.
I met Srey Neth, a lovely, giggly wisp of a teenager, here in the wild smuggling town of Poipet in northwestern Cambodia. Girls here are bought and sold, but there is an important difference compared with the 19th century: many of these modern slaves will be dead of AIDS by their 20's.
Some 700,000 people are trafficked around the world each year, many of them just girls. They form part of what I believe will be the paramount moral challenge we will face in this century: to address the brutality that is the lot of so many women in the developing world. Yet it's an issue that gets little attention and that most American women's groups have done shamefully little to address.
Poipet, 220 miles on bouncy roads from Phnom Penh, is a dusty collection of dirt alleys lined with brothels, where teenage girls clutch at any man walking by. It has a reputation as one of the wildest places in Cambodia, an anything-goes town ruled by drugs, gangs, gambling and prostitution.
The only way to have access to the girls is to appear to be a customer. So I put out the word that I wanted to meet young girls and stayed at the seedy $8-a-night Phnom Pich Guest House -- and a woman who is a pimp soon brought Srey Neth to my room.
Srey Neth claimed to be 18 but looked several years younger. She insisted at first (through my Khmer interpreter) that she was free and not controlled by the guesthouse. But soon she told her real story: a female cousin had arranged her sale and taken her to the guesthouse. Now she was sharing a room with three other prostitutes, and they were all pimped to guests.
''I can walk around in Poipet, but only with a close relative of the owner,'' she said. ''They keep me under close watch.They do not let me go out alone. They're afraid I would run away.''
Why not try to escape at night?
''They would get me back, and something bad would happen. Maybe a beating. I heard that when a group of girls tried to escape, they locked them in the rooms and beat them up.''
''What about the police?'' I asked. ''Couldn't you call out to the police for help?''
''The police wouldn't help me because they get bribes from the brothel owners,'' Srey Neth said, adding that senior police officials had come to the guesthouse for sex with her.
I asked Srey Neth how much it would cost to buy her freedom. She named an amount equivalent to $150.
''Do you really want to leave?'' I asked. ''Are you sure you wouldn't come back to this?''
She had been watching TV and listlessly answering my questions. Now she turned abruptly and snorted. ''This is a hell,'' she said sharply, speaking with passion for the first time. ''You think I want to do this?''
Another girl, Srey Mom, grabbed at me as I walked down the street. She wouldn't let go, tugging me toward the inner depths of her brothel -- but she looked so young and pitiable that I couldn't help thinking that she really wanted me to tug her away.
So I did. I paid the owner $8 to spring her for the evening and then took her away for an interview. (Photographs of both girls are at www.nytimes.com/kristof.)
The owner let Srey Mom go out unsupervised, it turned out, partly because she had been a prostitute for several years and was trusted to return -- and partly because her dark complexion meant that she was of little value anyway. The brothel sold her to men for just $2.50, compared with the $10 commanded by the lighter-skinned Srey Neth.
I asked Srey Mom what her freedom would cost. Payment of about $70 in debts to her brothel owner, she said. Two girls in her brothel had been freed after they found boyfriends who paid their debts, she said, and she spoke of her longing to see her sisters and the rest of her family in her village on the other side of Cambodia.
''Do you really want to leave the brothel?'' I asked.
''I love myself,'' she answered simply. ''I do not want to let my life be destroyed by what I'm doing now.''
That's when I made a firm decision I'd been toying with for some time: I would try to buy freedom for these two girls and return them to their families. I'll tell you in my column on Wednesday what happens next.
I met Srey Neth, a lovely, giggly wisp of a teenager, here in the wild smuggling town of Poipet in northwestern Cambodia. Girls here are bought and sold, but there is an important difference compared with the 19th century: many of these modern slaves will be dead of AIDS by their 20's.
Some 700,000 people are trafficked around the world each year, many of them just girls. They form part of what I believe will be the paramount moral challenge we will face in this century: to address the brutality that is the lot of so many women in the developing world. Yet it's an issue that gets little attention and that most American women's groups have done shamefully little to address.
Poipet, 220 miles on bouncy roads from Phnom Penh, is a dusty collection of dirt alleys lined with brothels, where teenage girls clutch at any man walking by. It has a reputation as one of the wildest places in Cambodia, an anything-goes town ruled by drugs, gangs, gambling and prostitution.
The only way to have access to the girls is to appear to be a customer. So I put out the word that I wanted to meet young girls and stayed at the seedy $8-a-night Phnom Pich Guest House -- and a woman who is a pimp soon brought Srey Neth to my room.
Srey Neth claimed to be 18 but looked several years younger. She insisted at first (through my Khmer interpreter) that she was free and not controlled by the guesthouse. But soon she told her real story: a female cousin had arranged her sale and taken her to the guesthouse. Now she was sharing a room with three other prostitutes, and they were all pimped to guests.
''I can walk around in Poipet, but only with a close relative of the owner,'' she said. ''They keep me under close watch.They do not let me go out alone. They're afraid I would run away.''
Why not try to escape at night?
''They would get me back, and something bad would happen. Maybe a beating. I heard that when a group of girls tried to escape, they locked them in the rooms and beat them up.''
''What about the police?'' I asked. ''Couldn't you call out to the police for help?''
''The police wouldn't help me because they get bribes from the brothel owners,'' Srey Neth said, adding that senior police officials had come to the guesthouse for sex with her.
I asked Srey Neth how much it would cost to buy her freedom. She named an amount equivalent to $150.
''Do you really want to leave?'' I asked. ''Are you sure you wouldn't come back to this?''
She had been watching TV and listlessly answering my questions. Now she turned abruptly and snorted. ''This is a hell,'' she said sharply, speaking with passion for the first time. ''You think I want to do this?''
Another girl, Srey Mom, grabbed at me as I walked down the street. She wouldn't let go, tugging me toward the inner depths of her brothel -- but she looked so young and pitiable that I couldn't help thinking that she really wanted me to tug her away.
So I did. I paid the owner $8 to spring her for the evening and then took her away for an interview. (Photographs of both girls are at www.nytimes.com/kristof.)
The owner let Srey Mom go out unsupervised, it turned out, partly because she had been a prostitute for several years and was trusted to return -- and partly because her dark complexion meant that she was of little value anyway. The brothel sold her to men for just $2.50, compared with the $10 commanded by the lighter-skinned Srey Neth.
I asked Srey Mom what her freedom would cost. Payment of about $70 in debts to her brothel owner, she said. Two girls in her brothel had been freed after they found boyfriends who paid their debts, she said, and she spoke of her longing to see her sisters and the rest of her family in her village on the other side of Cambodia.
''Do you really want to leave the brothel?'' I asked.
''I love myself,'' she answered simply. ''I do not want to let my life be destroyed by what I'm doing now.''
That's when I made a firm decision I'd been toying with for some time: I would try to buy freedom for these two girls and return them to their families. I'll tell you in my column on Wednesday what happens next.
Pessimism and Other Crowd Pleasers
The midsummer moment seemed absurdist enough for Samuel Beckett: a woman launched into monotone observations amid a Midtown crowd on Tenth Avenue. She turned out to be discreetly scalping tickets to a sought-after dramatic reading of Beckett. They were snapped up in minutes on the theater steps, as if the deal were the Boss in open air, not Ralph Fiennes performing Beckett in signature gloom.
A case of “Worstward Ho,” as the laureate once despaired of humanity? More likely an endorsement of his grim concession: “Words are all we have.” Either way, it was an encouraging scene in the city’s fifth season — the one in which so many residents flee on vacation that those remaining have room to re-hone their appetite for this place.
The Beckett crowd, so avid on the way in, so musing on the way out, was worth attention. So were the two young men bearing surfboards, grinning obliviously as they crammed onto a subway car of angry passengers. (“I can’t go on. I’ll go on,” was applicable choreography from Beckett.)
Witnessing the city’s resilient turnings led to quarreling with him, too. (“The sun shone having no alternative on the nothing new.”). Wrong. Look over there in the sunshine of Columbus Circle at that sidewalk table of what seem to be evangelicals working the city throng. On closer inspection, they turn out to be volunteers from NYC Atheists Inc. — laid-back, amiable disbelievers — manning their weekly post outside the circle’s luxury shopping mall.
The sighting bolsters the fable of the city’s possessing a melting-pot soul. But a few blocks away, Mr. Fiennes is in firm soul denial on stage, portraying a life-worn Beckett grumbler. The mix of words and silence is spellbinding. It survives the sacrilege of someone’s cellphone ringing amid a deep riff of pessimism. The effect afterward is to make the city feel even more itself; outside, the streets are brighter for fallibility.
A case of “Worstward Ho,” as the laureate once despaired of humanity? More likely an endorsement of his grim concession: “Words are all we have.” Either way, it was an encouraging scene in the city’s fifth season — the one in which so many residents flee on vacation that those remaining have room to re-hone their appetite for this place.
The Beckett crowd, so avid on the way in, so musing on the way out, was worth attention. So were the two young men bearing surfboards, grinning obliviously as they crammed onto a subway car of angry passengers. (“I can’t go on. I’ll go on,” was applicable choreography from Beckett.)
Witnessing the city’s resilient turnings led to quarreling with him, too. (“The sun shone having no alternative on the nothing new.”). Wrong. Look over there in the sunshine of Columbus Circle at that sidewalk table of what seem to be evangelicals working the city throng. On closer inspection, they turn out to be volunteers from NYC Atheists Inc. — laid-back, amiable disbelievers — manning their weekly post outside the circle’s luxury shopping mall.
The sighting bolsters the fable of the city’s possessing a melting-pot soul. But a few blocks away, Mr. Fiennes is in firm soul denial on stage, portraying a life-worn Beckett grumbler. The mix of words and silence is spellbinding. It survives the sacrilege of someone’s cellphone ringing amid a deep riff of pessimism. The effect afterward is to make the city feel even more itself; outside, the streets are brighter for fallibility.
Change Germans Can’t Believe In
WITH gestures that ranged from a wink to a sneer, most anyone you met here this week volunteered the view that Barack Obama’s visit to Europe caused unprecedented frenzy. But it’s been hard for me to find a European, aside from two Harvard-educated friends in Paris, who confessed to excitement — not just about the visit, but the prospect of an Obama presidency.
It is true that Der Spiegel, the German newsweekly, featured Mr. Obama on its cover, topped by the words “Germany Meets the Superstar” — but the cover was satire, and nasty satire at that. The editors managed to find the ugliest photograph of Mr. Obama ever taken. It caught the senator at a moment that might be exhaustion but looks like conceited smirking. When Der Spiegel featured Mr. Obama on its cover in March, the cover line was “The Messiah Factor.” Must one add that this, too, was not meant to be taken at face value?
Europeans will be as relieved as 72 percent of Americans to see the end of the Bush administration, but their attitudes toward the Democratic candidate are far from being the same as the ones he arouses at home. Mr. Obama makes Europeans uncomfortable.
In Germany, politicians in front of large, shouting crowds evoke images that nobody wants to see repeated. But genuine worries about demagoguery are not all that’s at issue. The mocking undertone that accompanies most descriptions of Mr. Obama in the European news media signifies a trans-Atlantic divide. George W. Bush made matters far worse than they ever were, but the neoconservatives who advised him were right about one thing: Europe is gripped by a world-weariness that resists American dreams.
Not every European shows scorn for Mr. Obama. Karsten Voigt, the astute coordinator of the German Foreign Ministry’s America policies, thinks the United States is attempting a “complete renewal of its own political culture.”
But then, Mr. Voigt told me last week, he considers himself a Kantian. Very few Germans do. Robert Kagan, the conservative foreign-policy expert, once claimed that Americans are hard-headed Hobbesian realists, while Europeans are Kantian idealists, but he got it backwards. European institutions may be closer to those imagined by Enlightenment thinkers, but the Enlightenment’s spirit crossed the Atlantic long ago. The whole-hearted enthusiasm of audiences back home is an American thing. Europeans wouldn’t understand.
Berlin, in particular, is in the middle of a very post-heroic moment. Its former bravado about its history now approaches indifference. Take the awkward turquoise building where visitors from the West used to part from loved ones at the Friedrichstrasse border. Dubbed the “Palace of Tears” by East Berliners, it later symbolized the local talent for black humor and raw energy when it was turned into a disco after reunification. Surrounded by cranes at work on yet another office building, the Palace of Tears no longer has any function, nor anyone to complain about it.
So when Mr. Obama reminded Berliners of their greater moments — the airlift, the destruction of the wall — he risked more scoffing. There was plenty of speculation about which German sentence he would memorize to one-up John F. Kennedy’s famous speech.
In fact, what Mr. Obama did was far more interesting. He studied a speech given by Ernst Reuter, West Berlin’s beleaguered mayor during the 1948 airlift. When Reuter said, “People of the world, look at Berlin!” he was calling for help. When Mr. Obama echoed him, he was using the city as a model — for all the other possibilities that Berliners, and the rest of us, are slow to acknowledge.
This was no feel-good speech about working together. Mr. Obama’s riff on the Berlin airlift was a reminder that you need not drop a bomb to be a hero, and that American influence lasts when we don’t. Nor was he merely flattering his hosts about their achievements or calling to mind happier days of trans-Atlantic partnerships. He was using the past to remind us all that we need not resign ourselves to the way things are now. What better place to remember than in the heart of Berlin?
“No one could live long in Berlin without being completely disabused of illusions,” said Ronald Reagan in his speech calling on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate. I remember that day in 1987: the eyeballs rolled upward amid jaded sighs.
Mr. Reagan’s hosts heard his remarks with not quite concealed contempt, for most saw his speech as a tiresome bit of American naïveté. They had made their peace with a structure they thought would last forever — like the barrier between rich and poor nations whose existence, Mr. Obama concluded Thursday, is the greatest challenge of this century.
In other speeches, Mr. Obama has emphasized “the extraordinary nature of America,” where loyalty is less about particular places or tribes than particular ideas: above all the idea that we are not constrained by accidents of birth. We can make of our lives what we will.
Nothing quite like this is open to Europeans. The German philosopher Jürgen Habermas proposed that Germans cultivate what he calls constitutional patriotism, but neither the estimable Mr. Habermas nor his countrymen have found the language to inspire it. Americans are lucky that our national thinkers could write words that continue to ring.
Mr. Obama’s speech gave Europeans a chance to hear the difference between optimism and idealism. Optimists refuse to acknowledge reality. Idealists remind us that it isn’t fixed.
It is true that Der Spiegel, the German newsweekly, featured Mr. Obama on its cover, topped by the words “Germany Meets the Superstar” — but the cover was satire, and nasty satire at that. The editors managed to find the ugliest photograph of Mr. Obama ever taken. It caught the senator at a moment that might be exhaustion but looks like conceited smirking. When Der Spiegel featured Mr. Obama on its cover in March, the cover line was “The Messiah Factor.” Must one add that this, too, was not meant to be taken at face value?
Europeans will be as relieved as 72 percent of Americans to see the end of the Bush administration, but their attitudes toward the Democratic candidate are far from being the same as the ones he arouses at home. Mr. Obama makes Europeans uncomfortable.
In Germany, politicians in front of large, shouting crowds evoke images that nobody wants to see repeated. But genuine worries about demagoguery are not all that’s at issue. The mocking undertone that accompanies most descriptions of Mr. Obama in the European news media signifies a trans-Atlantic divide. George W. Bush made matters far worse than they ever were, but the neoconservatives who advised him were right about one thing: Europe is gripped by a world-weariness that resists American dreams.
Not every European shows scorn for Mr. Obama. Karsten Voigt, the astute coordinator of the German Foreign Ministry’s America policies, thinks the United States is attempting a “complete renewal of its own political culture.”
But then, Mr. Voigt told me last week, he considers himself a Kantian. Very few Germans do. Robert Kagan, the conservative foreign-policy expert, once claimed that Americans are hard-headed Hobbesian realists, while Europeans are Kantian idealists, but he got it backwards. European institutions may be closer to those imagined by Enlightenment thinkers, but the Enlightenment’s spirit crossed the Atlantic long ago. The whole-hearted enthusiasm of audiences back home is an American thing. Europeans wouldn’t understand.
Berlin, in particular, is in the middle of a very post-heroic moment. Its former bravado about its history now approaches indifference. Take the awkward turquoise building where visitors from the West used to part from loved ones at the Friedrichstrasse border. Dubbed the “Palace of Tears” by East Berliners, it later symbolized the local talent for black humor and raw energy when it was turned into a disco after reunification. Surrounded by cranes at work on yet another office building, the Palace of Tears no longer has any function, nor anyone to complain about it.
So when Mr. Obama reminded Berliners of their greater moments — the airlift, the destruction of the wall — he risked more scoffing. There was plenty of speculation about which German sentence he would memorize to one-up John F. Kennedy’s famous speech.
In fact, what Mr. Obama did was far more interesting. He studied a speech given by Ernst Reuter, West Berlin’s beleaguered mayor during the 1948 airlift. When Reuter said, “People of the world, look at Berlin!” he was calling for help. When Mr. Obama echoed him, he was using the city as a model — for all the other possibilities that Berliners, and the rest of us, are slow to acknowledge.
This was no feel-good speech about working together. Mr. Obama’s riff on the Berlin airlift was a reminder that you need not drop a bomb to be a hero, and that American influence lasts when we don’t. Nor was he merely flattering his hosts about their achievements or calling to mind happier days of trans-Atlantic partnerships. He was using the past to remind us all that we need not resign ourselves to the way things are now. What better place to remember than in the heart of Berlin?
“No one could live long in Berlin without being completely disabused of illusions,” said Ronald Reagan in his speech calling on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate. I remember that day in 1987: the eyeballs rolled upward amid jaded sighs.
Mr. Reagan’s hosts heard his remarks with not quite concealed contempt, for most saw his speech as a tiresome bit of American naïveté. They had made their peace with a structure they thought would last forever — like the barrier between rich and poor nations whose existence, Mr. Obama concluded Thursday, is the greatest challenge of this century.
In other speeches, Mr. Obama has emphasized “the extraordinary nature of America,” where loyalty is less about particular places or tribes than particular ideas: above all the idea that we are not constrained by accidents of birth. We can make of our lives what we will.
Nothing quite like this is open to Europeans. The German philosopher Jürgen Habermas proposed that Germans cultivate what he calls constitutional patriotism, but neither the estimable Mr. Habermas nor his countrymen have found the language to inspire it. Americans are lucky that our national thinkers could write words that continue to ring.
Mr. Obama’s speech gave Europeans a chance to hear the difference between optimism and idealism. Optimists refuse to acknowledge reality. Idealists remind us that it isn’t fixed.
Time to Regulate Big Tobacco
The House of Representatives is poised to vote next week on a pioneering bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration its first real power to regulate tobacco products, much as it now regulates food, drugs and medical devices. This is a critically important bill, the culmination of more than a decade of struggle to bring the renegade tobacco industry under regulatory control.
In the 1990s, the F.D.A. tried to regulate tobacco products under existing statutes, but the Supreme Court ruled that the agency had exceeded the authority granted by Congress. Now both houses are considering bills that would write the agency’s 1996 rules into law and add many other tools and powers as well. David Kessler, the former food and drug commissioner who led the regulatory battle more than a decade ago, called it “as strong a tobacco bill as we have seen in our lifetimes.”
The bill pending in the House would empower the F.D.A. to regulate both the content and marketing of tobacco products. The agency could not ban tobacco products outright or eliminate all nicotine from them, but it could reduce the levels of nicotine, eliminate other harmful ingredients and set product standards to protect the public’s health. It could also restrict advertising and promotion to the extent permitted by the First Amendment.
The Bush administration has opposed the bill on several grounds — none of them compelling. Its core objection is that the bill would heap new responsibilities on the F.D.A. at a time when the agency is struggling to enhance food safety and improve oversight of imported drugs, devices and foods. Of course, the reason the agency is struggling is that the administration, true to its animus against regulation, has failed to provide adequate resources during most of its tenure. The solution is to provide enough money and people to perform all vital tasks, not to duck a new one.
The administration further frets that user fees imposed on the tobacco industry won’t cover all costs of the regulatory effort, thus forcing the F.D.A. to cannibalize other programs to make up the difference. But the bill now clarifies that only the designated user fees and no other F.D.A. funds can be used to regulate tobacco.
The administration also contends — as do some anti-tobacco activists — that F.D.A. oversight could leave the public with the misperception that tobacco products are safe, or at least safer, with regulation. But the bill prohibits tobacco companies from implying that they have F.D.A. approval, and the agency has ample ways to remind the public that tobacco is harmful.
The bill has strong support from such organizations as The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. It is supported by Philip Morris, but opposed by most of the tobacco industry. It has strong bipartisan support in Congress.
The legislation needs to be passed this year by veto-proof margins in both houses, lest the reform impulse dissipate next year as a new administration and new Congress grapple with a host of complicated foreign, military and domestic issues.
In the 1990s, the F.D.A. tried to regulate tobacco products under existing statutes, but the Supreme Court ruled that the agency had exceeded the authority granted by Congress. Now both houses are considering bills that would write the agency’s 1996 rules into law and add many other tools and powers as well. David Kessler, the former food and drug commissioner who led the regulatory battle more than a decade ago, called it “as strong a tobacco bill as we have seen in our lifetimes.”
The bill pending in the House would empower the F.D.A. to regulate both the content and marketing of tobacco products. The agency could not ban tobacco products outright or eliminate all nicotine from them, but it could reduce the levels of nicotine, eliminate other harmful ingredients and set product standards to protect the public’s health. It could also restrict advertising and promotion to the extent permitted by the First Amendment.
The Bush administration has opposed the bill on several grounds — none of them compelling. Its core objection is that the bill would heap new responsibilities on the F.D.A. at a time when the agency is struggling to enhance food safety and improve oversight of imported drugs, devices and foods. Of course, the reason the agency is struggling is that the administration, true to its animus against regulation, has failed to provide adequate resources during most of its tenure. The solution is to provide enough money and people to perform all vital tasks, not to duck a new one.
The administration further frets that user fees imposed on the tobacco industry won’t cover all costs of the regulatory effort, thus forcing the F.D.A. to cannibalize other programs to make up the difference. But the bill now clarifies that only the designated user fees and no other F.D.A. funds can be used to regulate tobacco.
The administration also contends — as do some anti-tobacco activists — that F.D.A. oversight could leave the public with the misperception that tobacco products are safe, or at least safer, with regulation. But the bill prohibits tobacco companies from implying that they have F.D.A. approval, and the agency has ample ways to remind the public that tobacco is harmful.
The bill has strong support from such organizations as The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. It is supported by Philip Morris, but opposed by most of the tobacco industry. It has strong bipartisan support in Congress.
The legislation needs to be passed this year by veto-proof margins in both houses, lest the reform impulse dissipate next year as a new administration and new Congress grapple with a host of complicated foreign, military and domestic issues.
Getting to Know You
The conventional wisdom in this radically unconventional presidential race is that the voters have to get to know Barack Obama better. That’s what this week’s overseas trip was about: to showcase the senator as a potential commander in chief and leader of U.S. foreign policy.
According to this way of thinking, as voters see more of Mr. Obama and become more comfortable with him (assuming no major foul-ups along the way), his chances of getting elected will be enhanced.
Maybe so. But what about the other guy? How much do voters really know about John McCain?
Senator McCain crossed a line that he shouldn’t have this week when he said that Mr. Obama “would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.” It was a lousy comment, tantamount to calling Mr. Obama a traitor, and Senator McCain should apologize for it.
But what we’ve learned over the years is that Mr. McCain is one of those guys who never has to pay much of a price for his missteps and foul-ups and bad behavior. Can you imagine the firestorm of outrage and criticism that would have descended on Senator Obama if he had made the kind of factual mistakes that John McCain has repeatedly made in this campaign?
(Or if Senator Obama had had the temerity to even remotely suggest that John McCain would consider being disloyal to his country for political reasons?)
We have a monumental double standard here. Mr. McCain has had trouble in his public comments distinguishing Sunnis from Shiites and had to be corrected in one stunningly embarrassing moment by his good friend Joe Lieberman. He has referred to a Iraq-Pakistan border when the two countries do not share a border.
He declared on CBS that Iraq was the first major conflict after 9/11, apparently forgetting — at least for the moment — about the war in Afghanistan. In that same interview, he credited the so-called surge of U.S. forces in Iraq with bringing about the Anbar Awakening, a movement in which thousands of Sunnis turned on insurgents. He was wrong. The awakening preceded the surge.
More important than these endless gaffes are matters that give us glimpses of the fundamental makeup of the man. A celebrated warrior as a young man, he has always believed that the war in Iraq can (and must) be won. As the author Elizabeth Drew has written: “He didn’t seem to seriously consider the huge costs of the war: financial, personal, diplomatic and to the reputation of the United States around the world.”
He also felt we could have, and should have, won the war in Vietnam. “We lost in Vietnam,” said Mr. McCain in 2003, “because we lost the will to fight, because we did not understand the nature of the war we were fighting and because we limited the tools at our disposal.”
The spirit of the warrior was on display in the famous incident in which Mr. McCain, with the insouciance of a veteran bomber pilot, sang “Bomb-bomb Iran” to the tune of “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys.
No big deal. Just John being John.
But then, we are already bogged down in two wars. And John is running for president. It’s hardly crazy to wonder.
Part of the makeup of the man — apparently a significant part, according to many close observers — is his outsized temper. Mr. McCain’s temperament has long been a subject of fascination in Washington, and for some a matter of concern. He can be a nasty piece of work. (Truly nasty. He once told an extremely cruel joke about Chelsea Clinton — too cruel to repeat here.)
If the McCain gaffes seem endless, so do the tales about his angry, profanity-laced eruptions. Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, said of Mr. McCain: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.”
Senator Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican, told Newsweek in 2000: “I decided I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.”
Both senators have since endorsed Senator McCain’s presidential bid, but their initial complaints were part of a much larger constellation of concerns about the way Mr. McCain tends to treat people with whom he disagrees, and his frequently belligerent my-way-or-the-highway attitude.
Senator McCain has acknowledged on various occasions that he has a short fuse and has at times made jokes about it. He told Larry King in 2006: “My anger did not help my campaign ... People don’t like angry candidates very much.”
My guess is that most voters don’t see John McCain as an angry candidate, despite several very public lapses. The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy.
Barack Obama is not the only candidate the voters need to know more about.
According to this way of thinking, as voters see more of Mr. Obama and become more comfortable with him (assuming no major foul-ups along the way), his chances of getting elected will be enhanced.
Maybe so. But what about the other guy? How much do voters really know about John McCain?
Senator McCain crossed a line that he shouldn’t have this week when he said that Mr. Obama “would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.” It was a lousy comment, tantamount to calling Mr. Obama a traitor, and Senator McCain should apologize for it.
But what we’ve learned over the years is that Mr. McCain is one of those guys who never has to pay much of a price for his missteps and foul-ups and bad behavior. Can you imagine the firestorm of outrage and criticism that would have descended on Senator Obama if he had made the kind of factual mistakes that John McCain has repeatedly made in this campaign?
(Or if Senator Obama had had the temerity to even remotely suggest that John McCain would consider being disloyal to his country for political reasons?)
We have a monumental double standard here. Mr. McCain has had trouble in his public comments distinguishing Sunnis from Shiites and had to be corrected in one stunningly embarrassing moment by his good friend Joe Lieberman. He has referred to a Iraq-Pakistan border when the two countries do not share a border.
He declared on CBS that Iraq was the first major conflict after 9/11, apparently forgetting — at least for the moment — about the war in Afghanistan. In that same interview, he credited the so-called surge of U.S. forces in Iraq with bringing about the Anbar Awakening, a movement in which thousands of Sunnis turned on insurgents. He was wrong. The awakening preceded the surge.
More important than these endless gaffes are matters that give us glimpses of the fundamental makeup of the man. A celebrated warrior as a young man, he has always believed that the war in Iraq can (and must) be won. As the author Elizabeth Drew has written: “He didn’t seem to seriously consider the huge costs of the war: financial, personal, diplomatic and to the reputation of the United States around the world.”
He also felt we could have, and should have, won the war in Vietnam. “We lost in Vietnam,” said Mr. McCain in 2003, “because we lost the will to fight, because we did not understand the nature of the war we were fighting and because we limited the tools at our disposal.”
The spirit of the warrior was on display in the famous incident in which Mr. McCain, with the insouciance of a veteran bomber pilot, sang “Bomb-bomb Iran” to the tune of “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys.
No big deal. Just John being John.
But then, we are already bogged down in two wars. And John is running for president. It’s hardly crazy to wonder.
Part of the makeup of the man — apparently a significant part, according to many close observers — is his outsized temper. Mr. McCain’s temperament has long been a subject of fascination in Washington, and for some a matter of concern. He can be a nasty piece of work. (Truly nasty. He once told an extremely cruel joke about Chelsea Clinton — too cruel to repeat here.)
If the McCain gaffes seem endless, so do the tales about his angry, profanity-laced eruptions. Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, said of Mr. McCain: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.”
Senator Pete Domenici, a New Mexico Republican, told Newsweek in 2000: “I decided I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.”
Both senators have since endorsed Senator McCain’s presidential bid, but their initial complaints were part of a much larger constellation of concerns about the way Mr. McCain tends to treat people with whom he disagrees, and his frequently belligerent my-way-or-the-highway attitude.
Senator McCain has acknowledged on various occasions that he has a short fuse and has at times made jokes about it. He told Larry King in 2006: “My anger did not help my campaign ... People don’t like angry candidates very much.”
My guess is that most voters don’t see John McCain as an angry candidate, despite several very public lapses. The mythical John McCain is an affable, straight-talking, moderately conservative war hero who is an expert on foreign policy.
Barack Obama is not the only candidate the voters need to know more about.
Berry furious about trespass pictures
Halle Berry has lashed out at a paparazzo she claims wandered onto private property to get shots of the actress and her baby.
The new mum fired off a brief statement to the media on Friday, claiming shots of her holding four-month-old Nahla Ariela Aubry in her back garden were taken by a trespasser.
Berry flew into a rage when she saw the pictures on the Internet and in two celebrity magazines, and has refuted claims the shots were taken while she was "out and about in Los Angeles."
Her attorney, Evan Spiegel, has filed a criminal complaint and an investigation is reportedly underway.
Spiegel claims he has witnesses who saw the photographers conducting a "very blatant and invasive trespass."
The new mum fired off a brief statement to the media on Friday, claiming shots of her holding four-month-old Nahla Ariela Aubry in her back garden were taken by a trespasser.
Berry flew into a rage when she saw the pictures on the Internet and in two celebrity magazines, and has refuted claims the shots were taken while she was "out and about in Los Angeles."
Her attorney, Evan Spiegel, has filed a criminal complaint and an investigation is reportedly underway.
Spiegel claims he has witnesses who saw the photographers conducting a "very blatant and invasive trespass."
Attenborough blames violent films for youth crime
Filmmaker Lord Richard Attenborough has called for an end to gratuitous violence on-screen - insisting graphic images in movies have led to a rise in youth crime.
The Ghandi director, who starred as a knife-wielding thug in 1947's Brighton Rock, spoke out about violent scenes in movies and TV shows in a speech at Sussex University earlier this week.
The veteran star accused the movie industry of creating a culture where film fans are no longer shocked by the use of guns and knives on the big screen.
And he believes this may be connected to the sharp rise in knife crime in the UK since the start of 2008 - including the fatal stabbings of Harry Potter star Robert Knox and the brother of soap actress Brooke Kinsella.
Attenborough says, "Thirty years ago if (legendary late actor) Gary Cooper pulled out a gun the audience would give a sharp intake of breath.
"Now the act of violence is the norm and we in the entertainment industry are partly responsible in making the presence of weapons such as knives almost an acceptable commonplace."
He adds, "So now knife crime is not thought of as something that is horrific and to be abhorred. It is part of normal existence."
Attenborough's comments come just weeks after a host of celebrities including singer Lily Allen and rapper Busta Rhymes called for an end to the spiralling knife crime epidemic in the UK.
The Ghandi director, who starred as a knife-wielding thug in 1947's Brighton Rock, spoke out about violent scenes in movies and TV shows in a speech at Sussex University earlier this week.
The veteran star accused the movie industry of creating a culture where film fans are no longer shocked by the use of guns and knives on the big screen.
And he believes this may be connected to the sharp rise in knife crime in the UK since the start of 2008 - including the fatal stabbings of Harry Potter star Robert Knox and the brother of soap actress Brooke Kinsella.
Attenborough says, "Thirty years ago if (legendary late actor) Gary Cooper pulled out a gun the audience would give a sharp intake of breath.
"Now the act of violence is the norm and we in the entertainment industry are partly responsible in making the presence of weapons such as knives almost an acceptable commonplace."
He adds, "So now knife crime is not thought of as something that is horrific and to be abhorred. It is part of normal existence."
Attenborough's comments come just weeks after a host of celebrities including singer Lily Allen and rapper Busta Rhymes called for an end to the spiralling knife crime epidemic in the UK.
Spears/Federline custody battle over
Britney Spears' custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline is officially over.
A settlement was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday.
In the documents, obtained by TMZ.com, Spears has five days to pay Federline's lawyer Mark Kaplan GBP125,000 in fees, and she'll hand over GBP10,000-a-month in child support.
There's no mention of an increase in visitation for the pop star - she currently enjoys three days and one night a week with her young sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.
Federline has sole custody of the boys.
A settlement was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday.
In the documents, obtained by TMZ.com, Spears has five days to pay Federline's lawyer Mark Kaplan GBP125,000 in fees, and she'll hand over GBP10,000-a-month in child support.
There's no mention of an increase in visitation for the pop star - she currently enjoys three days and one night a week with her young sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.
Federline has sole custody of the boys.
Turkish soap opera flop takes Arab world by storm
RIYADH (Reuters) - A Turkish soap opera that flopped when first broadcast in its native Turkey three years ago has taken the Arab world by storm, provoking a flood of Gulf Arab tourists to Turkey that even includes royalty.
"Noor" became an immediate hit when Saudi-owned MBC satellite television began airing it earlier this year, partly because of its unconventional usage of colloquial Arabic dubbing -- and because its blond-haired, blue-eyed leading man had women swooning.
Turkey is expecting the number of Saudi tourists this year to top 100,000, including King Abdullah's wife Hissa al-Shaalan, who has been the subject of YouTube videos showing her swanning through the markets and sweet-shops of Istanbul.
"From 41,000 (tourists) last year to 100,000 this year -- the same year this show became phenomenally successful," said Turkish diplomat Yasin Temizkayn. "It's more than just a coincidence."
Spanish-language soap operas have been shown on Arab television in the lucrative Saudi and Gulf markets in recent years with classical Arabic voice-overs.
But with "Noor" -- the main character whose name means "light" -- the names of the characters in the original Turkish soap "Gumus" have been swapped for Arabic, and Syrian vernacular has replaced the formal classical Arabic of modern media and religion.
"I don't like all that Maria Mercedes nonsense," says Dania Nugali, 16, referring to a popular Mexican soap. "I feel like I am in Arabic literature class when I watch Mexican shows. But when I watch Noor, I definitely feel that it is entertainment."
Yet the main pull has been the co-star Muhannad, 24-year-old Turkish actor and model Kivanc Tatlitu.
"It seems most viewers are female," said Hana Rahman, who runs an Arab entertainment blog (waleg.com). "They're so swept away by the main character. He's become a heartthrob here! He has even caused divorce cases in Saudi Arabia."
The drama, which made poor ratings when first shown in Turkey in 2005, centres around a family whose patriarch strives to ensure his sons focus on the family business and maintain cohesion without straying into romantic temptation.
"We made the series with a Turkish audience in mind," Tatlitu told al-Arabiya Television during a recent visit to Dubai. "The fact that it has amassed such a following in the Arab world just proves how much our cultures have in common."
Many Saudi women explained their devotion to the show as a form of escapism from stifling, love-less marriages.
"Our men are rugged and unyielding," quipped a 26-year-old house-frau who preferred to remain unnamed. "I wake up and see a cold and detached man lying next to me, I look out the window and see dust. It is all so dull. On Noor, I see beautiful faces, the beautiful feelings they share and beautiful scenery."
"Noor" became an immediate hit when Saudi-owned MBC satellite television began airing it earlier this year, partly because of its unconventional usage of colloquial Arabic dubbing -- and because its blond-haired, blue-eyed leading man had women swooning.
Turkey is expecting the number of Saudi tourists this year to top 100,000, including King Abdullah's wife Hissa al-Shaalan, who has been the subject of YouTube videos showing her swanning through the markets and sweet-shops of Istanbul.
"From 41,000 (tourists) last year to 100,000 this year -- the same year this show became phenomenally successful," said Turkish diplomat Yasin Temizkayn. "It's more than just a coincidence."
Spanish-language soap operas have been shown on Arab television in the lucrative Saudi and Gulf markets in recent years with classical Arabic voice-overs.
But with "Noor" -- the main character whose name means "light" -- the names of the characters in the original Turkish soap "Gumus" have been swapped for Arabic, and Syrian vernacular has replaced the formal classical Arabic of modern media and religion.
"I don't like all that Maria Mercedes nonsense," says Dania Nugali, 16, referring to a popular Mexican soap. "I feel like I am in Arabic literature class when I watch Mexican shows. But when I watch Noor, I definitely feel that it is entertainment."
Yet the main pull has been the co-star Muhannad, 24-year-old Turkish actor and model Kivanc Tatlitu.
"It seems most viewers are female," said Hana Rahman, who runs an Arab entertainment blog (waleg.com). "They're so swept away by the main character. He's become a heartthrob here! He has even caused divorce cases in Saudi Arabia."
The drama, which made poor ratings when first shown in Turkey in 2005, centres around a family whose patriarch strives to ensure his sons focus on the family business and maintain cohesion without straying into romantic temptation.
"We made the series with a Turkish audience in mind," Tatlitu told al-Arabiya Television during a recent visit to Dubai. "The fact that it has amassed such a following in the Arab world just proves how much our cultures have in common."
Many Saudi women explained their devotion to the show as a form of escapism from stifling, love-less marriages.
"Our men are rugged and unyielding," quipped a 26-year-old house-frau who preferred to remain unnamed. "I wake up and see a cold and detached man lying next to me, I look out the window and see dust. It is all so dull. On Noor, I see beautiful faces, the beautiful feelings they share and beautiful scenery."
Vorderman quits Countdown
Presenter Carol Vorderman has decided to step down from television game show Countdown.
The presenter, who has been with the programme for 26 years, was said to be "extremely sad".
Carol's manager John Miles said in a statement: "It was a difficult decision because she loves Countdown dearly and always has. The contestants, viewers and crew are like family to her.
"They have, with Carol, been through decades of joy and also tremendous pain when Richard (Whiteley) died.
"Carol had considered quitting when Richard died suddenly three years ago but she eventually agreed to continue, turning down the offer to take over as host.
"She has been lucky enough to have worked with two wonderful new co-hosts in Des Lynam and Des O'Connor. Countdown has been such a huge part of her life for so long."
Her decision follows the announcement on Wednesday that Des O'Connor, the 76-year-old current host of Countdown, is also to quit the show.
The statement added: "Carol was the first woman on Channel 4 and she is enormously grateful to have had 26 wonderful years and nearly 5,000 shows on Countdown.
"She wants to thank all of the crew, the thousands of contestants who have played the game and the millions of Countdown viewers for whom she has the greatest respect. She is extremely sad."
Carol is due to step down from Countdown at the end of the year.
The presenter, who has been with the programme for 26 years, was said to be "extremely sad".
Carol's manager John Miles said in a statement: "It was a difficult decision because she loves Countdown dearly and always has. The contestants, viewers and crew are like family to her.
"They have, with Carol, been through decades of joy and also tremendous pain when Richard (Whiteley) died.
"Carol had considered quitting when Richard died suddenly three years ago but she eventually agreed to continue, turning down the offer to take over as host.
"She has been lucky enough to have worked with two wonderful new co-hosts in Des Lynam and Des O'Connor. Countdown has been such a huge part of her life for so long."
Her decision follows the announcement on Wednesday that Des O'Connor, the 76-year-old current host of Countdown, is also to quit the show.
The statement added: "Carol was the first woman on Channel 4 and she is enormously grateful to have had 26 wonderful years and nearly 5,000 shows on Countdown.
"She wants to thank all of the crew, the thousands of contestants who have played the game and the millions of Countdown viewers for whom she has the greatest respect. She is extremely sad."
Carol is due to step down from Countdown at the end of the year.
Sci-fi merchandise banned from Hamlet
Star Trek and Doctor Who fans have been banned from asking Patrick Stewart And David Tennant to autograph sci-fi merchandise while they star in a stage production of Hamlet.
Stewart and Tennant - currently performing the play in Stratford - have been bombarded by devotees waiting at the stage doors with "bags" of TV franchise memorabilia to be signed.
But The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has now declared that only official programmes can be autographed.
A statement released by the theatre firm says: "Due to the huge amount of interest in the RSC's current production of Hamlet, only Royal Shakespeare Company or production related memorabilia will be signed by members of the company.
"It is very flattering that there is so much interest in this production, but the sheer volume of requests means that we need to set some limits which will be as fair as possible for everyone.
"We apologise if this causes any disappointment."
Stewart and Tennant - currently performing the play in Stratford - have been bombarded by devotees waiting at the stage doors with "bags" of TV franchise memorabilia to be signed.
But The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has now declared that only official programmes can be autographed.
A statement released by the theatre firm says: "Due to the huge amount of interest in the RSC's current production of Hamlet, only Royal Shakespeare Company or production related memorabilia will be signed by members of the company.
"It is very flattering that there is so much interest in this production, but the sheer volume of requests means that we need to set some limits which will be as fair as possible for everyone.
"We apologise if this causes any disappointment."
Britain 'Heading For Recession'
The British economy is heading into recession, according to a member of the Bank of England committee which sets interest rates.
David Blanchflower, who sits on the Monetary Policy Committee, also warned that recent job losses could be "the tip of the iceberg".
In an interview in the Guardian newspaper, he said: "I think we are going into recession and we are probably in one right now."
He added: "We will probably have three or four quarters of negative growth, but the risks are to the downside.
"It's not too late to stop it, but we have to act right now. Monetary policy has been far too tight for too long. We can't just sit and do nothing as we have done for too long."
Mr Blanchflower, who lives in the US, was the sole committee member calling for a cut in interest rates in May and June.
But the Bank of England has held interest rates at 5% for the last three months after cutting them in April.
Minutes of this month's meeting will be published on Wednesday, but the academic economist seems certain to have repeated his call for lower rates.
Sky's business correspondent Joel Hills said: "If his forecasts are true, it would mean this recession, if it is one, would turn out to be worst than the five full-blown post-war recessions that we have seen, the last being in 1991.
Hills added: "This is all pretty gloomy stuff. However, bear in mind that he has been a lone voice on the panel for some time.
"He has been at odds with the prevailing consensus of the committee, which has been that the big problem isn't the slowing economy, it's rising prices."
Mr Blanchflower also said that house prices in Britain could fall by as much as a third and that the British economy could be facing a worse ride than even the US.
David Blanchflower, who sits on the Monetary Policy Committee, also warned that recent job losses could be "the tip of the iceberg".
In an interview in the Guardian newspaper, he said: "I think we are going into recession and we are probably in one right now."
He added: "We will probably have three or four quarters of negative growth, but the risks are to the downside.
"It's not too late to stop it, but we have to act right now. Monetary policy has been far too tight for too long. We can't just sit and do nothing as we have done for too long."
Mr Blanchflower, who lives in the US, was the sole committee member calling for a cut in interest rates in May and June.
But the Bank of England has held interest rates at 5% for the last three months after cutting them in April.
Minutes of this month's meeting will be published on Wednesday, but the academic economist seems certain to have repeated his call for lower rates.
Sky's business correspondent Joel Hills said: "If his forecasts are true, it would mean this recession, if it is one, would turn out to be worst than the five full-blown post-war recessions that we have seen, the last being in 1991.
Hills added: "This is all pretty gloomy stuff. However, bear in mind that he has been a lone voice on the panel for some time.
"He has been at odds with the prevailing consensus of the committee, which has been that the big problem isn't the slowing economy, it's rising prices."
Mr Blanchflower also said that house prices in Britain could fall by as much as a third and that the British economy could be facing a worse ride than even the US.
Terror as plane plunges 20,000ft
Passengers on a packed jumbo jet flight from London have spoken of their terror after a gaping hole appeared in the plane as it headed for Australia.
Some passengers vomited when oxygen masks had to be used as the Melbourne-bound Qantas Boeing 747 plane prepared to make an emergency landing at Manila in the Philippines.
Passengers spoke of hearing a loud bang and debris flying into the first class cabin as the plane's flooring gave way, part of the ceiling collapsed and the plane reportedly plunged 20,000ft.
The aircraft touched down safely at Manila at 11.15am local time and all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally.
Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima told local radio the plane lost cabin pressure shortly after take-off on the Hong Kong to Melbourne leg of its journey and the pilot radioed for an emergency landing.
He said: "There is a big hole in the belly of the aircraft near the right wing, about three metres in diameter.
"Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared."
Dr June Kane, from Melbourne, said: "There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down.
"On the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there's a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody. It's about two metres by four metres and there's baggage hanging out, so you assume that there's a few bags that may have gone missing. It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say everyone was very calm."
Peter Gibson, from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, told ABC Radio that initial reports indicated a problem with air pressure in the cabin.
Some passengers vomited when oxygen masks had to be used as the Melbourne-bound Qantas Boeing 747 plane prepared to make an emergency landing at Manila in the Philippines.
Passengers spoke of hearing a loud bang and debris flying into the first class cabin as the plane's flooring gave way, part of the ceiling collapsed and the plane reportedly plunged 20,000ft.
The aircraft touched down safely at Manila at 11.15am local time and all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally.
Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima told local radio the plane lost cabin pressure shortly after take-off on the Hong Kong to Melbourne leg of its journey and the pilot radioed for an emergency landing.
He said: "There is a big hole in the belly of the aircraft near the right wing, about three metres in diameter.
"Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared."
Dr June Kane, from Melbourne, said: "There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down.
"On the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there's a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody. It's about two metres by four metres and there's baggage hanging out, so you assume that there's a few bags that may have gone missing. It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say everyone was very calm."
Peter Gibson, from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, told ABC Radio that initial reports indicated a problem with air pressure in the cabin.
Briton arrested for sex attacks on sheep
LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a series of sex attacks on sheep, London police said on Friday.
The 27-year-old man was held at his home in Dulwich, south London, on suspicion of bestiality with sheep. He was also wanted in connection of the possession of drugs with intent to supply.
Detectives said the arrest followed allegations made to them in May and June.
"Two male joggers said they had observed a man molesting the sheep in a field at Botany Bay Lane, Chislehurst," police said in a statement.
"A similar incident was reported to police by a stables employee in the area."
Media reports said the man had been barred from visiting farmland while officers carried out their investigation.
The 27-year-old man was held at his home in Dulwich, south London, on suspicion of bestiality with sheep. He was also wanted in connection of the possession of drugs with intent to supply.
Detectives said the arrest followed allegations made to them in May and June.
"Two male joggers said they had observed a man molesting the sheep in a field at Botany Bay Lane, Chislehurst," police said in a statement.
"A similar incident was reported to police by a stables employee in the area."
Media reports said the man had been barred from visiting farmland while officers carried out their investigation.
New Billie-Jo 'suspect' revealed
Former teacher Sion Jenkins claims he has identified a possible new suspect for the murder of his teenage foster daughter 11 years after her killing at the family home.
Jenkins claims he spoke to someone he thought was a dark-haired, plain-clothed police officer in his hallway in the confused hour after Billie-Jo Jenkins was found bludgeoned to death.
But now, coinciding with the publication of his book, the Murder of Billie-Jo Jenkins, Jenkins says he believes he may have come face to face with her murderer.
Billie-Jo, 13, was found in a pool of blood with head injuries inflicted by a metal tent peg on the patio of the family's large Victorian home in Lower Park Road, Hastings, East Sussex, on February 15, 1997.
Jenkins, at the time headteacher-designate at all-boys William Parker School in Hastings, has maintained his innocence and insisted Billie-Jo must have been killed by an intruder while he visited a DIY store.
In 1998 he was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of murdering her and jailed for life but had a retrial in 2005 after successfully appealing. However, the jury failed to agree a verdict and a second retrial ended the same way in 2006, allowing him to walk free.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Saturday on his belief of a possible new suspect, Jenkins said: "In my statement, I talk about being in the hall and talking to a police officer.
"I say he was not in uniform, but I was aware he was a police officer, so he must have told me that. Everyone else I describe in my witness statement - the uniformed officer, the female police sergeant, the ambulance man - gave their own witness statements, but this man I describe has never been traced.
"It has only struck me as I researched the book. I would like the police to issue a photo-fit and find him."
Sussex Police said on Saturday it would not comment directly on the book.
Jenkins claims he spoke to someone he thought was a dark-haired, plain-clothed police officer in his hallway in the confused hour after Billie-Jo Jenkins was found bludgeoned to death.
But now, coinciding with the publication of his book, the Murder of Billie-Jo Jenkins, Jenkins says he believes he may have come face to face with her murderer.
Billie-Jo, 13, was found in a pool of blood with head injuries inflicted by a metal tent peg on the patio of the family's large Victorian home in Lower Park Road, Hastings, East Sussex, on February 15, 1997.
Jenkins, at the time headteacher-designate at all-boys William Parker School in Hastings, has maintained his innocence and insisted Billie-Jo must have been killed by an intruder while he visited a DIY store.
In 1998 he was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of murdering her and jailed for life but had a retrial in 2005 after successfully appealing. However, the jury failed to agree a verdict and a second retrial ended the same way in 2006, allowing him to walk free.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Saturday on his belief of a possible new suspect, Jenkins said: "In my statement, I talk about being in the hall and talking to a police officer.
"I say he was not in uniform, but I was aware he was a police officer, so he must have told me that. Everyone else I describe in my witness statement - the uniformed officer, the female police sergeant, the ambulance man - gave their own witness statements, but this man I describe has never been traced.
"It has only struck me as I researched the book. I would like the police to issue a photo-fit and find him."
Sussex Police said on Saturday it would not comment directly on the book.
Overseas drivers face law clampdown
A clampdown on overseas drivers and truckers who flout UK road regulations has been announced by the Government.
Offending non-UK drivers and hauliers could face fines and have their vehicles immobilised under proposals put out for consultation by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.
A new system will give police and examiners from the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) the power to collect on-the-spot penalties from anyone without a satisfactory UK address from next year.
They will also be able to issue penalty points against a non-UK driver's record for licence-endorsable offences.
For the first time VOSA examiners will also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to hauliers for a range of offences such as breaking driving hours, weight or vehicle safety regulations.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "These tough new measures mean non-UK drivers who break our laws will find themselves in a similar position to UK drivers who are either issued with a fixed penalty or prosecuted in court.
"From next year all drivers without a satisfactory UK address who commit offences will have to pay a financial penalty deposit equal to the amount of the fixed penalty - or up to £300 as a surety in respect of a potential court fine."
He went on: "Our message is clear - those who break the rules of the road will not get away with it, irrespective of whether or not they live in the UK.
"The only way to avoid a penalty will be to ensure that vehicles are fully roadworthy, drivers comply with UK road traffic law and commercial vehicle drivers do not break drivers' hours rules or run with an overloaded vehicle."
Offending non-UK drivers and hauliers could face fines and have their vehicles immobilised under proposals put out for consultation by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick.
A new system will give police and examiners from the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) the power to collect on-the-spot penalties from anyone without a satisfactory UK address from next year.
They will also be able to issue penalty points against a non-UK driver's record for licence-endorsable offences.
For the first time VOSA examiners will also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to hauliers for a range of offences such as breaking driving hours, weight or vehicle safety regulations.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "These tough new measures mean non-UK drivers who break our laws will find themselves in a similar position to UK drivers who are either issued with a fixed penalty or prosecuted in court.
"From next year all drivers without a satisfactory UK address who commit offences will have to pay a financial penalty deposit equal to the amount of the fixed penalty - or up to £300 as a surety in respect of a potential court fine."
He went on: "Our message is clear - those who break the rules of the road will not get away with it, irrespective of whether or not they live in the UK.
"The only way to avoid a penalty will be to ensure that vehicles are fully roadworthy, drivers comply with UK road traffic law and commercial vehicle drivers do not break drivers' hours rules or run with an overloaded vehicle."
Actor Quizzed On Domestic Assault
Actor Sean Bean spent the night in a police cell following allegations that he assaulted his wife.
Police were called following a claim of domestic assault and arrested the 49-year-old at his London home.
Bean was taken to a police station and kept overnight before being released without charge.
The Lord of the Rings star married his fourth wife, 29-year-old Georgina Sutcliffe, in February.
The couple originally intended to marry in January but cancelled 24 hours before the big day, citing "personal reasons".
Ms Sutcliffe, who is an actress told the Sun: "Everything is okay. Sean and I are at home enjoying the sunshine. He was arrested. Everything was blown out of proportion."
Bean told the newspaper: "I'm fine."
The Sheffield-born actor married his first wife Debra at the age of 21, followed by marriages to Bread actress Melanie Hill and Sharpe co-star Abigail Cruttenden.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Police were called to a home at 11.40pm on Thursday night following an allegation of domestic assault.
"A man was taken to a police station and bailed on Friday morning. Later that day he was advised that no further police action would be taken."
WTO ministers look to capitalise on new optimism
GENEVA (AFP) - A new sense of optimism surrounded WTO negotiations on a new global trade pact Saturday amid hopes of a breakthrough after seven years of deadlock.
Ministers from 35 leading nations headed for meetings hoping to finally bridge their differences, with pressure piling on emerging market countries India and Argentina which have signalled opposition to a proposed deal.
"This afternoon's session will be important. India will be looking to see what it can get out of the session to decide whether to ditch discussions," a diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Ministers from 35 leading economies have been meeting at the World Trade Organization since Monday to discuss cuts in subsidies and import tariffs with the aim of mapping out a new deal under the so-called Doha Round of WTO talks.
The Doha Round was launched in the Qatari capital seven years ago but has stalled because of disputes between the rich developed world and poorer developing nations on trade in farm and industrial products.
The talks this week looked doomed -- like so many others since Doha began in 2001 -- until a breakthrough late Friday saw the biggest powers find common ground on a draft agreement.
"I think the situation looks strong. I think we can be very hopeful now," said European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson as he left talks late on Friday.
The United States warned that a handful of countries could still torpedo the exercise and Argentina said the draft agreement was unacceptable.
"There are a handful of large emerging markets that quite frankly risk unravelling the entire package," said United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
She added, however, that while there was "more work to do, it is a path forward."
Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has insisted all week that he will protect his country's millions of subsistence farmers and nascent industry, which are shielded from imports by tariffs levied on foreign goods.
"We're not very happy with the package, primarily on agricultural issues," said Indian ambassador to the WTO, Ujal Singh Bhatia, on Saturday.
Indian newspaper Business Standard reported Saturday that Nath had threatened to walk out of negotiations on Friday.
"We have come with many goodies. We expect to return with many goodies. If not, we'll return with the same goodies we brought," said Bhatia, underlining that India was still ready to walk away.
Mandelson said Friday that he thought the Asian giant would eventually come on board, telling reporters: "I don't think India will be the one to break a world trade round. I really don't."
The talks Friday focused on trade in farm and industrial products -- the two main sticking points of a deal -- but attention is set to turn Saturday to the services sector.
The gathering is due to over-run its original programme, which foresaw an end on Saturday, and continue throughout the weekend and early next week, sources said.
"My opinion is that the chances of reaching an accord have risen to 65 percent from 50 percent," said Brazil's trade negotiator, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who said he had accepted the draft agreement.
The marked turnaround Friday emerged after meetings between seven key trading powers -- the United States, the European Union, Australia, Brazil, China, India and Japan.
The talks then widened to a ministerial conference of all 35 key nations invited to Geneva to broker the pact.
Anything approved by the 35 parties would still have to be cleared by all 153 WTO member states. A new pact can only be adopted with unanimity.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy had warned earlier on Friday that the talks faced failure unless countries showed flexibility and determination.
Among new proposals he put forward Friday was a further cut in the US annual farm subsidies to 14.5 billion dollars (9.2 billion euros) and a clause to prevent developing countries from shielding entire sectors from tariff cuts, a source told AFP.
Diplomats and negotiators had said that Friday would be make-or-break at the end of gruelling week of bargaining that had produced scant evidence of progress.
Ministers from 35 leading nations headed for meetings hoping to finally bridge their differences, with pressure piling on emerging market countries India and Argentina which have signalled opposition to a proposed deal.
"This afternoon's session will be important. India will be looking to see what it can get out of the session to decide whether to ditch discussions," a diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Ministers from 35 leading economies have been meeting at the World Trade Organization since Monday to discuss cuts in subsidies and import tariffs with the aim of mapping out a new deal under the so-called Doha Round of WTO talks.
The Doha Round was launched in the Qatari capital seven years ago but has stalled because of disputes between the rich developed world and poorer developing nations on trade in farm and industrial products.
The talks this week looked doomed -- like so many others since Doha began in 2001 -- until a breakthrough late Friday saw the biggest powers find common ground on a draft agreement.
"I think the situation looks strong. I think we can be very hopeful now," said European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson as he left talks late on Friday.
The United States warned that a handful of countries could still torpedo the exercise and Argentina said the draft agreement was unacceptable.
"There are a handful of large emerging markets that quite frankly risk unravelling the entire package," said United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
She added, however, that while there was "more work to do, it is a path forward."
Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has insisted all week that he will protect his country's millions of subsistence farmers and nascent industry, which are shielded from imports by tariffs levied on foreign goods.
"We're not very happy with the package, primarily on agricultural issues," said Indian ambassador to the WTO, Ujal Singh Bhatia, on Saturday.
Indian newspaper Business Standard reported Saturday that Nath had threatened to walk out of negotiations on Friday.
"We have come with many goodies. We expect to return with many goodies. If not, we'll return with the same goodies we brought," said Bhatia, underlining that India was still ready to walk away.
Mandelson said Friday that he thought the Asian giant would eventually come on board, telling reporters: "I don't think India will be the one to break a world trade round. I really don't."
The talks Friday focused on trade in farm and industrial products -- the two main sticking points of a deal -- but attention is set to turn Saturday to the services sector.
The gathering is due to over-run its original programme, which foresaw an end on Saturday, and continue throughout the weekend and early next week, sources said.
"My opinion is that the chances of reaching an accord have risen to 65 percent from 50 percent," said Brazil's trade negotiator, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who said he had accepted the draft agreement.
The marked turnaround Friday emerged after meetings between seven key trading powers -- the United States, the European Union, Australia, Brazil, China, India and Japan.
The talks then widened to a ministerial conference of all 35 key nations invited to Geneva to broker the pact.
Anything approved by the 35 parties would still have to be cleared by all 153 WTO member states. A new pact can only be adopted with unanimity.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy had warned earlier on Friday that the talks faced failure unless countries showed flexibility and determination.
Among new proposals he put forward Friday was a further cut in the US annual farm subsidies to 14.5 billion dollars (9.2 billion euros) and a clause to prevent developing countries from shielding entire sectors from tariff cuts, a source told AFP.
Diplomats and negotiators had said that Friday would be make-or-break at the end of gruelling week of bargaining that had produced scant evidence of progress.
Karadzic reportedly escaped arrest in Austria last year
VIENNA (Reuters) - Radovan Karadzic evaded capture last year when Austrian police raided a Vienna apartment where he was staying but did not recognise the disguised war crimes suspect, an Austrian newspaper reported on Friday.
Karadzic, who was captured in Belgrade earlier this week after 11 years in hiding, was found disguised as a doctor. Serb authorities said the 63-year-old Karadzic, who had been indicted for genocide during the Bosnia wars, was barely recognisable in his white long beard.
The Kronen Zeitung said in a report that police found the bearded, white-haired man when they raided the apartment of the girlfriend of a Serb man suspected of having shot dead another Serb in a Vienna cafe in May 2007.
When the police asked him to identify himself, the report said that he showed a Croat passport under the name Petar Glumac and added he was in Vienna for training. It said that he
appeared calm and readily answered police questions about the suspect.
The Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed the raid, which took place on May 4, 2007, and said policemen who took part in recognised Karadzic as the man they saw in the apartment when they saw his pictures after his capture.
"When the pictures of Karadzic emerged after his arrest in Serbia, policemen who participated in the raid have reported that the man they have encountered there was probably Karadzic," Interior Ministry spokesman Wolfgang Gollia told Austrian television.
Gollia said the ministry was still making checks with Croat and Serb authorities and was interviewing the policemen and other witnesses before confirming the man's identity.
According to the Kronen Zeitung report, Karadzic lived in the apartment for three months and sold herbal solutions and ointments.
Earlier on Friday, another daily, Kurier, reported that Karadzic had practiced medicine under the name Pera as a miracle healer in the private homes of Serbs living in Vienna.
Bearing a Croat passport, Karadzic would not have needed a visa for entering Austria.
Karadzic, who was captured in Belgrade earlier this week after 11 years in hiding, was found disguised as a doctor. Serb authorities said the 63-year-old Karadzic, who had been indicted for genocide during the Bosnia wars, was barely recognisable in his white long beard.
The Kronen Zeitung said in a report that police found the bearded, white-haired man when they raided the apartment of the girlfriend of a Serb man suspected of having shot dead another Serb in a Vienna cafe in May 2007.
When the police asked him to identify himself, the report said that he showed a Croat passport under the name Petar Glumac and added he was in Vienna for training. It said that he
appeared calm and readily answered police questions about the suspect.
The Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed the raid, which took place on May 4, 2007, and said policemen who took part in recognised Karadzic as the man they saw in the apartment when they saw his pictures after his capture.
"When the pictures of Karadzic emerged after his arrest in Serbia, policemen who participated in the raid have reported that the man they have encountered there was probably Karadzic," Interior Ministry spokesman Wolfgang Gollia told Austrian television.
Gollia said the ministry was still making checks with Croat and Serb authorities and was interviewing the policemen and other witnesses before confirming the man's identity.
According to the Kronen Zeitung report, Karadzic lived in the apartment for three months and sold herbal solutions and ointments.
Earlier on Friday, another daily, Kurier, reported that Karadzic had practiced medicine under the name Pera as a miracle healer in the private homes of Serbs living in Vienna.
Bearing a Croat passport, Karadzic would not have needed a visa for entering Austria.
Dominatrix "sorry" for Mosley orgy row
LONDON (Reuters) - The woman who filmed motor racing chief Max Mosley taking part in a sado-masochistic orgy and sold the story to a tabloid newspaper has apologised for the trouble it caused.
On Thursday, Mosley, 68, won 60,000 pounds in damages at London's High Court from the News of the World newspaper for breaching his privacy by reporting details of a German-themed sex session with five prostitutes.
The paper's story, which claimed Mosley, son of Britain's 1930s Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, had taken part in a "sick Nazi orgy" was based on footage captured by one of the women involved in the sex session, referred to in court as "Woman E".
In an interview with Sky News, she said there had been no Nazi element and was sorry for the trouble it had caused Mosley, president of Formula One's governing body.
"It was never talked about that it was going to be a Nazi scene, we just had confirmation to say that it was going to be a German prison scenario," the self-confessed dominatrix said.
"I can only apologise for what has happened but it's not going to take back all the damage that has been done."
The woman, a mother-of-two who Sky said was called Michelle, said the scandal had also forced her husband to quit his job as an agent for Britain's MI5 security service.
"He decided that the best thing to do was just be right and resign and save them any embarrassment," she said.
After the story emerged, Mosley faced pressure to quit his job but held on after winning a confidence vote at an extraordinary general assembly of the International Automobile Federation, Formula One's governing body.
In court, he revealed that his wife of 48 years had had no idea about his sado-masochistic fetish. He said he had frequently paid up to 2,500 pounds a time to have prostitutes beat, whip and humiliate him.
On Thursday, Mosley, 68, won 60,000 pounds in damages at London's High Court from the News of the World newspaper for breaching his privacy by reporting details of a German-themed sex session with five prostitutes.
The paper's story, which claimed Mosley, son of Britain's 1930s Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, had taken part in a "sick Nazi orgy" was based on footage captured by one of the women involved in the sex session, referred to in court as "Woman E".
In an interview with Sky News, she said there had been no Nazi element and was sorry for the trouble it had caused Mosley, president of Formula One's governing body.
"It was never talked about that it was going to be a Nazi scene, we just had confirmation to say that it was going to be a German prison scenario," the self-confessed dominatrix said.
"I can only apologise for what has happened but it's not going to take back all the damage that has been done."
The woman, a mother-of-two who Sky said was called Michelle, said the scandal had also forced her husband to quit his job as an agent for Britain's MI5 security service.
"He decided that the best thing to do was just be right and resign and save them any embarrassment," she said.
After the story emerged, Mosley faced pressure to quit his job but held on after winning a confidence vote at an extraordinary general assembly of the International Automobile Federation, Formula One's governing body.
In court, he revealed that his wife of 48 years had had no idea about his sado-masochistic fetish. He said he had frequently paid up to 2,500 pounds a time to have prostitutes beat, whip and humiliate him.
BA execs said to face price-fixing charges
LONDON (Reuters) - Four past and present British Airways executives will be charged with fixing the price of passenger fuel surcharges on transatlantic flights, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
In an unsourced report, the newspaper said the case was being brought by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) against the four men, who face the threat of up to five years in jail.
British Airways' rival Virgin Atlantic blew the whistle on BA in 2006 after individuals at the two carriers discussed proposed changes to fuel surcharges, introduced to help airlines cope with rising cost of jet fuel.
Precise charges are due to be announced within weeks, the newspaper said.
British competition law makes tipping off a rival about price changes illegal and bans firms from agreeing prices.
Fuel surcharges soared from 5 pounds to 60 pounds per ticket on typical BA or Virgin long return flights between 2004 and 2006. British Airways has defended the rises, which came as crude oil prices surged.
In February British Airways and Virgin Atlantic agreed together to pay about $203 million (102 million pounds) to settle a lawsuit brought by passengers over the surcharge fixing. Last year BA agreed to pay roughly $247 million in a settlement with British authorities.
In an unsourced report, the newspaper said the case was being brought by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) against the four men, who face the threat of up to five years in jail.
British Airways' rival Virgin Atlantic blew the whistle on BA in 2006 after individuals at the two carriers discussed proposed changes to fuel surcharges, introduced to help airlines cope with rising cost of jet fuel.
Precise charges are due to be announced within weeks, the newspaper said.
British competition law makes tipping off a rival about price changes illegal and bans firms from agreeing prices.
Fuel surcharges soared from 5 pounds to 60 pounds per ticket on typical BA or Virgin long return flights between 2004 and 2006. British Airways has defended the rises, which came as crude oil prices surged.
In February British Airways and Virgin Atlantic agreed together to pay about $203 million (102 million pounds) to settle a lawsuit brought by passengers over the surcharge fixing. Last year BA agreed to pay roughly $247 million in a settlement with British authorities.
Poll adds to woes over Brown future
LONDON (Reuters) - Speculation about Prime Minister Gordon Brown's future gathered pace on Saturday with media reports of concern amongst senior Labour figures and a new opinion poll putting the Conservatives 22 points ahead.
Ministers have openly spoken of their support for the embattled prime minister but a day after Labour lost one of its safest parliamentary seats, newspapers were rife with rumours of backbenchers were sharpening their knives behind the scenes.
The Guardian newspaper said that discussions were under way at cabinet level on whether to seek Brown's "orderly resignation" while the Independent said Labour MPs were urging senior ministers to tell Brown to quit.
"I do not recognise those comments from the Cabinet colleagues I talk to," Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband told BBC's Newsnight programme when asked about the claims.
"People realise there is a big collective responsibility here -- the collective responsibility is not to turn inwards but to turn outwards and understand the concerns of the country."
The BBC also reported that Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who papers said had been approached by Labour backbench MPs to tell Brown to step down, had told them to "calm down".
The speculation has grown since the Scottish National Party (SNP) snatched a slim 365-vote majority in the Glasgow East constituency with a 22.5 percent swing that overturned the 13,500 majority enjoyed by Labour at the 2005 election.
In further bad news, an opinion poll for the Independent on Saturday showed the Conservatives with 46 percent support of voters, way ahead of Labour on 24 percent.
That would give the Tories a landslide victory at the next general election, which Brown must call by May 2010.
This weekend the party's main policy-making forum is meeting to try to work out how to win back voters disillusioned by a string of political gaffes, rising inflation, falling house prices and a slowing economy.
Brown, whose popularity has slumped in the 13 months since he replaced Tony Blair, has vowed to fight on, saying he is the right man to be at the helm as the country deals with difficult worldwide economic problems.
Former minister David Blunkett backed that stance.
"The issues that affect people are not ones which divide the party or Gordon Brown from any potential successor," he told BBC radio.
"We are not a hatchet job party like the Conservatives who can drop their leader literally at the drop of a hat.
"So grow up, don't go for what might be a popular quick fix that you couldn't actually put in place and let's actually combine in the way we know best and work out what will actually reach people."
Ministers have openly spoken of their support for the embattled prime minister but a day after Labour lost one of its safest parliamentary seats, newspapers were rife with rumours of backbenchers were sharpening their knives behind the scenes.
The Guardian newspaper said that discussions were under way at cabinet level on whether to seek Brown's "orderly resignation" while the Independent said Labour MPs were urging senior ministers to tell Brown to quit.
"I do not recognise those comments from the Cabinet colleagues I talk to," Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband told BBC's Newsnight programme when asked about the claims.
"People realise there is a big collective responsibility here -- the collective responsibility is not to turn inwards but to turn outwards and understand the concerns of the country."
The BBC also reported that Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who papers said had been approached by Labour backbench MPs to tell Brown to step down, had told them to "calm down".
The speculation has grown since the Scottish National Party (SNP) snatched a slim 365-vote majority in the Glasgow East constituency with a 22.5 percent swing that overturned the 13,500 majority enjoyed by Labour at the 2005 election.
In further bad news, an opinion poll for the Independent on Saturday showed the Conservatives with 46 percent support of voters, way ahead of Labour on 24 percent.
That would give the Tories a landslide victory at the next general election, which Brown must call by May 2010.
This weekend the party's main policy-making forum is meeting to try to work out how to win back voters disillusioned by a string of political gaffes, rising inflation, falling house prices and a slowing economy.
Brown, whose popularity has slumped in the 13 months since he replaced Tony Blair, has vowed to fight on, saying he is the right man to be at the helm as the country deals with difficult worldwide economic problems.
Former minister David Blunkett backed that stance.
"The issues that affect people are not ones which divide the party or Gordon Brown from any potential successor," he told BBC radio.
"We are not a hatchet job party like the Conservatives who can drop their leader literally at the drop of a hat.
"So grow up, don't go for what might be a popular quick fix that you couldn't actually put in place and let's actually combine in the way we know best and work out what will actually reach people."
Obama defends foreign tour as visit closes
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, wrapping up a tour abroad where he got a rock star reception, defended on Saturday his decision to take the trip despite signs it has not helped to boost his popularity at home.
"I am convinced that many of the issues we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad," he told reporters in London after meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"This was important for me not only to try to highlight or amplify how the international situation affects our economy back home but also hopefully to give people at home but also leaders abroad some sense of where an Obama administration might take our foreign policy."
Obama said he had a "terrific conversation" with Brown on a range of topics including the Middle East, climate change, terrorism and financial markets.
The two men chatted on the patio of 10 Downing Street and took a brief walk together in a tourist area nearby.
On earlier legs of his trip, Obama drew a crowd of 200,000 people in Berlin and elicited effusive praise from French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
But the reaction from U.S. voters, whom Obama acknowledges are worried about gas prices and home foreclosures, has been mixed.
"I'm not sure that there's going to be some immediate political impact," he said. "I wouldn't even be surprised that in some polls you saw a little bit of a dip as a consequence -- we've been out of the country for a week."
PROTOCOL RESPECTED
Earlier Obama had breakfast with Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Their talks focused on the Middle East and climate change, Blair's office said in a statement.
Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in the November 4 U.S. election, aims to burnish his foreign policy credentials through his overseas trip and counter McCain's criticism that he lacks experience.
Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war accounts for part of his appeal with the European public. He has called for a refocusing of U.S. efforts on Afghanistan and an end to the Iraq war. He also wants Europe to contribute more in Afghanistan.
Brown followed protocol to ensure he did not appear to be favouring a particular candidate in the race between Obama and McCain.
There was no handshake between Brown and Obama at the front door of Downing Street, as would take place with a visiting head of government, and did not hold a joint news conference.
Obama was later to meet opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron, whose party enjoys a strong lead over Brown's Labour Party in opinion polls.
"I am convinced that many of the issues we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad," he told reporters in London after meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"This was important for me not only to try to highlight or amplify how the international situation affects our economy back home but also hopefully to give people at home but also leaders abroad some sense of where an Obama administration might take our foreign policy."
Obama said he had a "terrific conversation" with Brown on a range of topics including the Middle East, climate change, terrorism and financial markets.
The two men chatted on the patio of 10 Downing Street and took a brief walk together in a tourist area nearby.
On earlier legs of his trip, Obama drew a crowd of 200,000 people in Berlin and elicited effusive praise from French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
But the reaction from U.S. voters, whom Obama acknowledges are worried about gas prices and home foreclosures, has been mixed.
"I'm not sure that there's going to be some immediate political impact," he said. "I wouldn't even be surprised that in some polls you saw a little bit of a dip as a consequence -- we've been out of the country for a week."
PROTOCOL RESPECTED
Earlier Obama had breakfast with Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy. Their talks focused on the Middle East and climate change, Blair's office said in a statement.
Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in the November 4 U.S. election, aims to burnish his foreign policy credentials through his overseas trip and counter McCain's criticism that he lacks experience.
Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war accounts for part of his appeal with the European public. He has called for a refocusing of U.S. efforts on Afghanistan and an end to the Iraq war. He also wants Europe to contribute more in Afghanistan.
Brown followed protocol to ensure he did not appear to be favouring a particular candidate in the race between Obama and McCain.
There was no handshake between Brown and Obama at the front door of Downing Street, as would take place with a visiting head of government, and did not hold a joint news conference.
Obama was later to meet opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron, whose party enjoys a strong lead over Brown's Labour Party in opinion polls.
ATP Tour - Murray dumps out Djokovic
Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3 7-6 to reach the semi-finals of the Toronto Masters.
The eighth-seeded Scot stunned the defending champion in an hour and 44 minutes and will now face Rafael Nadal.
"This is the best I've played, he's always beaten me badly," said the satisfied Murray, now 1-4 against his rival from junior days.
"He really played good, he made me run, but I defended well. It was awesome to play in this atmosphere of a packed house.
"He's one of the best players, you can't make many errors against him and expect to win," added Murray, who saved a set point in the 10th game of the second set.
"If he had converted that, the momentum could have changed."
The Serbian third seed was from his best, committing more than 30 unforced errors in an effort which left him looking far from a threat for the summer hardcourt season.
Murray twice gave back breaks in the second set before finally squeezing into a tie-breaker, which he dominated to claim the victory on his third match point.
"It's a big win mentally for me, the last three times I played him I lost pretty badly," Murray said.
"Nadal is always going to be a big win. It gives you confidence, especially when you've lost to him three or four times beforehand.
"I want to try and keep this sort of form."
Nadal recovered after a marathon tie-break setback to seal a high-tension triumph over France's Richard Gasquet.
Spain's Wimbledon and French Open champion overcame 10th-seeded Gasquet 6-7 (12-14) 6-2 6-1 but required two hours and 14 minutes to claim his 59th victory of the season.
Nadal roared back after losing the 75-minute opening set, which Gasquet claimed on his sixth set point after saving two set points for Nadal.
"It was a very tough first set," Nadal said. "I had chances, I was up a a break twice.
"But Richard played well to beat me in the set. In the second I had to stay positive and concentrated."
The eighth-seeded Scot stunned the defending champion in an hour and 44 minutes and will now face Rafael Nadal.
"This is the best I've played, he's always beaten me badly," said the satisfied Murray, now 1-4 against his rival from junior days.
"He really played good, he made me run, but I defended well. It was awesome to play in this atmosphere of a packed house.
"He's one of the best players, you can't make many errors against him and expect to win," added Murray, who saved a set point in the 10th game of the second set.
"If he had converted that, the momentum could have changed."
The Serbian third seed was from his best, committing more than 30 unforced errors in an effort which left him looking far from a threat for the summer hardcourt season.
Murray twice gave back breaks in the second set before finally squeezing into a tie-breaker, which he dominated to claim the victory on his third match point.
"It's a big win mentally for me, the last three times I played him I lost pretty badly," Murray said.
"Nadal is always going to be a big win. It gives you confidence, especially when you've lost to him three or four times beforehand.
"I want to try and keep this sort of form."
Nadal recovered after a marathon tie-break setback to seal a high-tension triumph over France's Richard Gasquet.
Spain's Wimbledon and French Open champion overcame 10th-seeded Gasquet 6-7 (12-14) 6-2 6-1 but required two hours and 14 minutes to claim his 59th victory of the season.
Nadal roared back after losing the 75-minute opening set, which Gasquet claimed on his sixth set point after saving two set points for Nadal.
"It was a very tough first set," Nadal said. "I had chances, I was up a a break twice.
"But Richard played well to beat me in the set. In the second I had to stay positive and concentrated."
Friday, 25 July 2008
Mike Leigh
If ever there was, truly, an actor’s director, it must be Mike Leigh. Even when he began his career staging plays back in the 60s, he had a freewheeling style that depended on actors to help build characters and story through improvisation. However, when it came to making movies, his fluid approach to scriptwriting was something that scared away financiers. This partly explains the 17-year gap between his feature debut Bleak Moments in 1971 and his second film, High Hopes (1988). But Leigh also earned a reputation for dealing in dark, gritty subject matter considered a tough sell for the Saturday night crowd, despite the rich vein of humour which often runs through his work. It was only in recent years that Leigh finally earned the trust of British moneymen. Secrets & Lies, starring Brenda Blethyn, earned five Oscar nominations in 1997, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. And, more importantly for Leigh, it guaranteed the green light for his next project. In the ten years since, he has produced five more films, working in exactly the same way, and attending the Oscars again in 2005 with abortionist drama Vera Drake. His latest project, Happy-Go-Lucky, is a much brighter, breezier affair featuring Sally Hawkins as an eternal optimist. Talking to BBC Film Network, Leigh explains why he too is determined to look at the bright side of British filmmaking. Happy-Go-Lucky is on general release from 18th April 2008. The short film 'Lovers' Lane' by Film Network Director, Guy Ducker will be screening as a pre-feature during its week long run at the Barbican from Friday April 25th to Thursday May 1st.
Soul Carriage
Made for around £100,000, British filmmaker Conrad Clark's Soul Carriage is a powerful depiction of working class modern-day rural life. What's most remarkable about it, however, is that it's set in China with a Chinese cast and told entirely in Mandarin. How did a 28-year-old English anthropology student end up spending two years in China on a movie which went on to scoop the New Director's Award at the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival? Conrad Clark talks here about the making of his debut feature...Tell us how you came to make this film in China?Conrad Clark: I ended up in China partly by chance, partly by interest. I'd just done a Masters in Anthropology in London and a Taiwanese producer friend of mine [Wendy Kuan] also wanted to move to Shanghai to set up a little film company. Another friend of mine, Saleh Karama, had a small script that he was developing, which was the original idea of Soul Carriage. We put these elements together and thought we could make the film happen in China. We went out there to check it out, I started working on the script, we found some finance from Taiwan and we were off.What about the logistics of filming in China? It sounds like a very controlling environment for filmmakers...There's two ways you can make a movie in China: one is the official way, the other is the unofficial way. We tried to do the official way but we didn't get through the bureaucracy in time so we just went, "What the hell, we'll shoot it anyway!" We were applying for all of our licences anyway so we weren't what they call an 'underground' film in China, and we didn't have too many big problems whilst we were shooting. The key is we had a couple of really good guides with us in Shanghai who speak Shanghainese, because the police come and interrupt you nearly every day. These guides just knew how to speak to them, how to handle them, and it was fine. We're still trying to get our licence to show the film in China, and I think we will get it soon.How's your Chinese? Do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin?I speak Mandarin and a little bit of Shanghainese. When I was shooting I spoke very basic Mandarin, but by the time I'd finished editing I spoke pretty good Mandarin. Tell us about your cast and where you found them...I found a few actors in the theatre from going to as many productions as possible. For the main actor, I went and stayed on a building construction site in China for a few days and slept in the dormitories and found this one guy there, Yang Feng Jun. He was one of the bosses of a bunch of young guys and he was quite quiet and I didn't really speak to him that much, but he just had something about him, an interesting style... the way he ate, the way he interacted with the other people. So I invited him to Shanghai and started doing some casting sessions with him and every time he just kept getting it. In the end I went for him and I'm really happy with that choice.What about the production itself. You said you weren't an underground production, but I assume you shot with a small crew and tried to stay low profile?We were pretty low profile. We shot on a Sony HD camera, the F900, and it's still a pretty big camera with big lenses on it, so we were about 20-30 people most of the time. Pretty much the whole crew was Chinese - there were a couple of Taiwanese people as well - and we just came together really well as a team. That crew is still together and working on film productions in Shanghai now.To the western eye, a lot of China - especially the provincial side - is virgin territory...One of my big aims with this film was to do something very modern in the countryside in China. We know Beijing, Shanghai and the modern cities of China a little, but there's still very little idea of what's going on in the Chinese countryside. I wanted to focus on how these 100-year-old houses are going through their first round of development and their second round of development. This became part of the theme of the film and helped me construct my plot as we went through this environment, affecting the psychology of the character.Soul Carriage portrays modern working class Chinese life. Is this a world the Chinese are used to seeing on screen?I think in China this world is pretty well known. I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Wang Xiaoshuai, he's one of the leading Chinese new generation directors and he's been depicting lots of these middle countryside towns and focusing on that kind of life.Tell us about your cast and where you found them...I found a few actors in the theatre from going to as many productions as possible. For the main actor, I went and stayed on a building construction site in China for a few days and slept in the dormitories and found this one guy there, Yang Feng Jun. He was one of the bosses of a bunch of young guys and he was quite quiet and I didn't really speak to him that much, but he just had something about him, an interesting style... the way he ate, the way he interacted with the other people. So I invited him to Shanghai and started doing some casting sessions with him and every time he just kept getting it. In the end I went for him and I'm really happy with that choice.What about the production itself. You said you weren't an underground production, but I assume you shot with a small crew and tried to stay low profile?We were pretty low profile. We shot on a Sony HD camera, the F900, and it's still a pretty big camera with big lenses on it, so we were about 20-30 people most of the time. Pretty much the whole crew was Chinese - there were a couple of Taiwanese people as well - and we just came together really well as a team. That crew is still together and working on film productions in Shanghai now.To the western eye, a lot of China - especially the provincial side - is virgin territory...One of my big aims with this film was to do something very modern in the countryside in China. We know Beijing, Shanghai and the modern cities of China a little, but there's still very little idea of what's going on in the Chinese countryside. I wanted to focus on how these 100-year-old houses are going through their first round of development and their second round of development. This became part of the theme of the film and helped me construct my plot as we went through this environment, affecting the psychology of the character.Soul Carriage portrays modern working class Chinese life. Is this a world the Chinese are used to seeing on screen?I think in China this world is pretty well known. I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Wang Xiaoshuai, he's one of the leading Chinese new generation directors and he's been depicting lots of these middle countryside towns and focusing on that kind of life. You studied anthropolgy, and your interest in people shines through in the film. What about the directing side, though, how did you find that side of things?They're two very different things. It's easy to come to a place, spend a long time there and produce an ethnographic-type film or an intellectual study of it. But I'm a really big believer in the concept of quite pure cinema. I did a year at film school in London, but I think I've learned most about cinema from sitting at the NFT in London going through all the master directors and seeing them on the big screen. For this film directors like Antonioni were big influences - where the relationship between the characters and the environment becomes a sub-plot, if you like.Have you been able to screen the film to anyone in China? If so, what's the response been like?The Chinese people that watch the film haven't really committed to big comments about the film, to be honest. Generally what people tell me when they see the film is that it could easily have been directed by a Chinese guy and they are surprised when they see my face! I've been getting a lot of that. In Europe I guess people are trying to get to the root of the film and get me to commit to what I think about China right now. And what are you saying about China right now?I guess it's some sort of comparison between the new industrialisation versus the old ways, the more natural ways. I'm not trying to commit overtly to a stance, I'm just trying to show one reality - which is the reality I've seen in the Chinese countryside - through the narrative of someone going back to the countryside and looking for some kind of roots, which are slightly disappearing in China. You studied anthropolgy, and your interest in people shines through in the film. What about the directing side, though, how did you find that side of things?They're two very different things. It's easy to come to a place, spend a long time there and produce an ethnographic-type film or an intellectual study of it. But I'm a really big believer in the concept of quite pure cinema. I did a year at film school in London, but I think I've learned most about cinema from sitting at the NFT in London going through all the master directors and seeing them on the big screen. For this film directors like Antonioni were big influences - where the relationship between the characters and the environment becomes a sub-plot, if you like.Have you been able to screen the film to anyone in China? If so, what's the response been like?The Chinese people that watch the film haven't really committed to big comments about the film, to be honest. Generally what people tell me when they see the film is that it could easily have been directed by a Chinese guy and they are surprised when they see my face! I've been getting a lot of that. In Europe I guess people are trying to get to the root of the film and get me to commit to what I think about China right now. And what are you saying about China right now?I guess it's some sort of comparison between the new industrialisation versus the old ways, the more natural ways. I'm not trying to commit overtly to a stance, I'm just trying to show one reality - which is the reality I've seen in the Chinese countryside - through the narrative of someone going back to the countryside and looking for some kind of roots, which are slightly disappearing in China.
Faintheart set visit
Faintheart is a comedy set in the world of battle re-enactments. Richard played by Eddie Marsan (Gangs of New York: 21 Grams; Vera Drake; Happy-Go-Lucky) is having a crisis of confidence and is trying to win back his wife, Cath played by Jessica Hynes (formerly Stephenson of Spaced). He escapes to the Viking world to hide from the realities of modern life and the responsibilities of being a father and husband. The film follows his journey to find the warrior within...
The project won the Myspace Movie Mash Up competition, in which it was selected by a panel of experts and then voted the winning entry by the public. Castings were hosted on Myspace with half-a-dozen roles going to members auditioning on online. Faintheart is director Vito Rocco's first feature, in the video interview he talks of the challenges of stepping up from shorts to features and filmmaking alongside the Myspace community.Watch the video above to see interviews with director Vito Rocco, producer Allan Niblo & Actor Eddie Marsan and see on set footage from Faintheart.Faintheart receives its world premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the Edinburgh International Film Festival at Cineworld on Thursday 26th June 2008.
The project won the Myspace Movie Mash Up competition, in which it was selected by a panel of experts and then voted the winning entry by the public. Castings were hosted on Myspace with half-a-dozen roles going to members auditioning on online. Faintheart is director Vito Rocco's first feature, in the video interview he talks of the challenges of stepping up from shorts to features and filmmaking alongside the Myspace community.Watch the video above to see interviews with director Vito Rocco, producer Allan Niblo & Actor Eddie Marsan and see on set footage from Faintheart.Faintheart receives its world premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the Edinburgh International Film Festival at Cineworld on Thursday 26th June 2008.
A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures
THE FILM: Steven Soderbergh came of age at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival with sex, lies, and videotape, but even he would have to admire the chutzpah of Chris Waitt, whose directorial feature debut premiered at the Holiday Village Cinema in Park City on Saturday 19th January. A commendably honest look at the director's less-than-successful love life, Complete History was probably the Brit buzz films of the festival and looks certain to land a US distributor in the very near future.
The Edge of Love
It was as a student in the late 70s that John Maybury first picked up a Super-8mm camera to capture the real-life emergence of the London punk scene. He saw himself as an artist more than a documentary filmmaker, having studied art with a view to painting canvases. However, a chance meeting with avant-garde director Derek Jarman inspired a deeper exploration of new filmmaking techniques. He served as a set designer for Jarman on his punk portrait Jubilee (1977) then, in the late 80s, worked as his editor and designer on rabble-rousing dramas The Last Of England and War