knee deep in static

Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.

— Hafsat Abiola

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.

— Eleanor Roosevelt

A few years ago, I was still at secondary school at the time, I was watching tv late one night.

It’s something I used to do a lot before I went to university - stay up till crazy o’clock and still go to school the next day, fresh as a daisy.

I was channel hopping, because back then we had dial-up internet that was charged per minute and I couldn’t go on for too long at a time. Luckily for me, it was back in the days of usenet and I could download, go offline, respond to a bunch of posts, go online and send them all.

But I was channel hopping and I caught the end of a documentary called “Peace One Day” on BBC2. I must have only seen about half of it, but the whole idea - of a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, a day of peace - really grabbed me and I never forgot seeing it. A day of peace where humanitarian organisations could dish out aid, immunise people, give medical help…do things that normally could not be done because of conflict.

It’s a great idea.

But it shouldn’t just be an idea.

Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.

— Buddha

An idea cannot really be great unless someone acts to try and put that idea into practice.

Jeremy Gilley, the founder of Peace One Day, decided to do something about it back in 1998. And he did do something. The UN recognised a fixed global day of peace - to be on 21st September - on 7th September 2001.

That was still not enough.

Peace, to have meaning for many who have only known suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread or rice, shelter, health and education, as well as freedom and human dignity.

— Ralph Johnson Bunche

Since then he and the Peace One Day organisation have been working to raise awareness of Peace Day. Slowly, as more and more people hear about this, things are being done.

The opportunities made by a day of ceasefire are being grabbed hold of. Last year, on this day, there was a day of ceasefire in Afghanistan. Children were given polio vaccinations. People had a break from conflict.

Just one day, but if we can manage one day, then managing another day is so much easier. If we can do it once, we can do it again. And again. And again. Until every day is a day of peace.

Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.

— The Dalai Lama

Do something today for peace. It could be opening a door for someone. Letting another car turn. Helping someone across the road. Smiling at someone. Giving a stranger your last Rolo. It doesn’t need to be big or world-changing.

Just one small action to bring a bit of peace to your immediate vicinity. It’s not hard. One thing.

But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.

— John F. Kennedy

http://www.peaceoneday.org/
http://internationaldayofpeace.org

http://www.warchild.org.uk

A 93-year-old woman who has had her first novel published has bought a house in Devon so she can help friends stay out of nursing homes.

I think this is awesome. So many old people have problems that could just be solved by them living with family or at least not living on their own - like for the most part being able to look after themselves, but just getting anxious because they live alone.

There should be more of this. Totally.

So. Today is polling day. I will, of course, be voting.

The only problem is that the candidates that I get to pick from for my ward all kind of SUCK.

Aldenham West

Caroline Boydell - Green
Sandra Huff - Labour
Simon Patnick - Conservative

Out of these three, only Simon Patnick has bothered to get a leaflet dropped through my letter box and he does seem to have made some comment to the Jewish Cronicle. Caroline Boydell doesn’t seem to exist on the internet other than as a “Representatives of the Green Party were not immediately available for comment.” note on the Borehamwood Times website. Sandra Huff, I suspect, does things in Aldenham, but again, I can’t seem to find any kind of comment from her anywhere.

You see my dilemma. Vote for a candidate who I have heard from, but whose policies I don’t really agree with and whose leaflet was full of boring personal details that I just don’t care about. Or vote for someone I know nothing about.

Augh.

On a more fun note:

The Hives

Originally uploaded by Front Rows, Pits and Pavements

The Hives were AWESOME. Caught up with a friend from back in the day. Well. Not that far back.

Awesome enough that I really should get hold of some of their music.

My cousin and a mate of his are cycling and running (respectively) from London to Liverpool. It’s quite a long way and they’re doing it for Macmillan Cancer Relief, so if you’re feeling particularly charitable feel free to sponsor them a couple of quid. My cousin’s the one on the left. It’s a very tiny picture, but that really is him.

They start running/cycling tomorrow.

Shepherd’s Bush Empire - José González

Originally uploaded by *hoodrat*

Jose Gonzalez last friday was AWESOMETASTIC.

And that’s all I have to say.

I suppose this is probably something that only really affects me, but generally it’s a bit annoying when you do some action which does something in one browser and…nothing happens because you’re using a completely different web browser.

Petty, I know.

What prompted this you might ask?

Well! Even if you don’t ask, I’m going to talk about it.

In Opera, mouse-clicking on the left edge of the browser window pops up a sidebar filled with all sorts of things - favourites, history, transfers…the rest of it. In Internet Explorer, nothing happens. At all.

Oh I know that there is something kind of similar, where you can click on the star to drop down a favourites or history sidebar, but it’s not the same is it?

And with Opera being my browser of choice, it does grate a bit when I’m forced to use other browsers.

Then there’s the differences which I can’t quite remember between Opera and Firefox and the keyboard shortcuts for scrolling through open tabs. I haven’t even got a clue what the shortcut to do that in Internet Explorer is.

And I’ll probably never find out.

I figured that I should resurrect the hate list - I kept one on my final year project blog and it at least kept me entertained in programming/dissertation purgetory.

So here it is! Ta-da!

…yeah.

Coughing then.

I’ve got some kind of virus, plague whatever and I keep coughing. Not enough to warrant running off to the chemist to get some sort of cough linctus yet and not enough to be painful, but just enough that it makes me feel sick.

It’s annoying to say the least. I can only think that if I just threw up, then the coughing wouldn’t be so bad - but I’m not coughing enough for that. Just ALMOST enough.

Augh.