Is this nasty or what?

All is quiet and asleep, but...the sound of a sleigh is heard dashing through the sky!

May the many joys that come with this Christmas EVE always remain in your home and heart!

How are human rights abused and violated? Do you ever feel that your rights are limited or even pushed aside?

Read these extracts from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Article 26. (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

Is forgiving people of their faults and misdeeds an act of nobility and courage or an act of yielding and admitting defeat?

...for I hope my friends will pardon me when I declare I know none of them without a fault, and I should be sorry if I could imagine I had any friend who could not see mine. Forgiveness of this kind we give and demand in turn. It is an exercise of friendship and perhaps none of the least unpleasant. And this forgiveness we must bestow without desire of amendment. There is, perhaps, no super mark of folly than an attempt to corect the natural infirmity of those we love. The finest composition of human nature, as well as the finest china, may have a flaw in it!

Henry Fielding (April 22, 1707 – October 8, 1754) was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones. www.wikipedia.org

Democracy and its restrictions.

Democracy is favored by the many and portrayed as the problem solver of any troubled society.

Under this great idea Kings, scholars and even modern day politicians and philosophers carved the destiny of the world and led us to where we stand today.

Men who in the name of democracy led thousands of men into war and millions of others to the social breakdown our countries face today.

But the original idea of democracy the one that was under trial for thousands of years- and still survives today- is becoming a distorted idea. It has become only a fragment of its previous self and only a tiny fraction of its past glory remains in our memories.

Millions and millions of analysts try to infiltrate our minds even our souls to convince us that under the name of democracy even atrocious actions can be forgiven. And after they are finished with raping our thoughs and feelings we are left with a guilty subconscious and a guard to make sure that we won't feel, think, act; that guard being the media. Papers, TV even the radio and other ways of communication are spoon-feeding us with "safety" in other words emotional inhibitors making us forget of the long-gone quest for justice, peace and prosperity.

These words might mean nothing to you since you are brainwashed to believe anything a TV screen tells you or maybe you agree with me because this is a TV screen, so to say, as well. Anyhow spoon-fed or not you must still have "clean" brainshells that can give you an opinion on the matter. If you have one post it!

The Wonderland

Technology, think of the Internet for example which errupts with activity, has become indispensable. Our life has undergone a complete change.

More and more of us are nowadays staying at home, using it to chat, email messages or make new friends, thus losing the stimulus that comes from being in direct contact with other people. Dozens of questions surface. Is the Internet blurring the line between real experience and imagined one? Between living and non-living?

At the same time, can we really reject the positive influence the Internet has on our minds? It is its invention that started the information revolution. Is there a limit to what we can do or experience through it? Will we have to take sides? To make it part and parcel of our existence or to become the 21st century Luddites?

It is this magic broom we use along with our imagination to fly and reach otherwise inaccessible destinations. A journey of unparalleled and unique opportunities - a Wonderland

The Luddites were a social movement of English textile workers in the early 1800s who protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their jobs. The movement, which began in 1811, was named after a mythical leader, Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1813 that resulted in many death penalties and transportations (deportation to a penal colony). The English historical movement has to be seen in its context of the harsh economic climate due to the Napoleonic Wars; but since then, the term Luddite has been used to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change. For the modern movement of opposition to technology, see neo-luddism. Their principal objection was to the introduction of new wide-framed looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many textile workers. Similar objections have risen throughout history, for example with the introduction of robots to assembly lines. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite)

OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARDS

PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - An Oregon high school teacher on Tuesday sued for her right to bring a gun into the classroom for personal protection, clashing with anti-gun advocates fighting for years to rid U.S. schools of weapons.
The teacher, who has a legal permit to carry a concealed handgun, filed a lawsuit against the Medford school district in southwestern Oregon to overturn the district's rule that prohibits teachers from bringing a weapon onto school grounds.
The standoff between the teacher and the school district has grabbed the attention of both sides of the national gun debate.
After a student shot dead 32 people at Virginia Tech University in April, some pro-gun advocates have argued that teachers and perhaps students should be armed to prevent such tragedies in the future.
"The right to protect yourself is natural, God-given and should not be taken away," said Kevin Starrett, executive director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, which is paying for the teacher's legal bills.
"State law unequivocally allows her to do this," he said.
School safety became a national issue after the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado in which two students killed 13 people. Anti-gun advocates used the tragedy as an example of the need for tighter gun controls.
. The teacher's identity is being concealed to protect her from an abusive ex-husband who has made threats against her and her two children. She said the school district cannot adequately protect her.
The lawsuit was filed in Oregon's state Circuit Court in Jackson County and a hearing is set for mid-October.
The 12,370-student school district argues that being gun-free is a condition of her employment.
"We are saying that the school district has the right to regulate the conduct of its employees to foster a safe environment for students and staff," said Tim Gerking, the school district's attorney.
"If they prevail, will other staff members also want to start carrying weapons? What might happen if the gun got into the wrong hands?" said Gerking.

It's Joke Time!

A man is talking to God.

The man: "God, how long is a million years?"
God: "To me, it's about a minute."
The man: "God, how much is a million dollars?"
God: "To me it's a penny."
The man: "God, may I have a penny?"
God: "Wait a minute."


An elementary school teacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school.

"If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I will promise not to believe everything your child says happens at home.

Q: What is white when it's dirty and black when it's clean?
A: A blackboard.


Q: What do you call a hippie's wife?
A: Mississippi.


Q: What did the ocean say to the beach?
A: Nothing, it just waved!


Teacher: Today, we're going to talk about the tenses. Now, if I say "I am beautiful," which tense is it?
Student: Obviously it is the past tense.


Feel free to submit your own jokes. We'll make sure they get posted.

Sunken ship a ‘time bomb’

Uncollected fuel trapped in the sunken cruise ship Sea Diamond off the island of Santorini is a time bomb for the marine environment and has started to escape from the ship’s tanks into other parts of the vessel, according to experts.

Oil from the cruise ship, which sunk in April close to the island’s port, has yet to be siphoned off as authorities are still searching for a way to safely drain the 400 tons of diesel.

Experts said the fuel has remained trapped in the vessel but has started to seep into other parts of the ship, such as passenger rooms.

Divers are taking video footage of the sunken ship as an investigation continues into the conditions surrounding the accident which resulted in the death of two French tourists. In June, the government fined the owners, operator and captain of the Sea Diamond cruise ship 1.17 million euros for causing marine pollution.

Kathimerini 19/9/2007

What do you think should be done to avoid such accidents in the future? Do governments take strict enough measures to punish companies that cause such severe damage?

'Better servitude with safety than freedom with danger.' Is servitude a high honour or actually lack of personal freedom?

' A lion had a fox to attend on him, and whenever they went hunting the fox found the prey and the lion fell upon it and killed it, and then they divided it between them in certain proportions. But the lion always got a very large share, and the fox a very small one, which didn't please the latter at all; so he determined to set up on his own account. He began by trying to steal a lamb from a flock of sheep: but the shepherd saw him and set his dogs on him. The hunter was now the hunted, and was very soon caught and despatched by the dogs.'

Aesop's Fables

First day at school

A boy returns from school
Mom: how was your first day son?
Boy: fine, exept for a guy called TEACHER who kept spoiling all our fun.

How do you deal with the emotional and practical issues surrounding your first day at school? Some students are intimidated even by the thought of stepping foot into it. Having to deal with the allegedly 'insurmountable problems' beyond their control. Teachers who spoil the fun by assigning loads of H.W , constantly downgrading you, minimizing every effort you make. Classmates ready to make a mock of you. But is that really the case? If not, how would you call it? Allow me to call it FEAR. Should you clog your mind with useless misconceptions? It is Your mind which is capable of belittling these niggling thoughts.

Should private education be a choice even at the highest levels or money should not be an issue when education is concerned?

LOOK at the faculty list for any leading university in America or Europe and you will be struck by the number of Greek names. Campuses all over the Western world—especially Britain—are also full of Greek students, many of whom get excellent results under pressure from parents who have stretched their family budgets to give their children the best chance. But despite the importance that Greeks attach to education, Greece has some of the worst universities in Europe.

Marietta Giannakou, the Greek education minister, hopes to start correcting that. She says there are about 5,000 scientists and professors of Hellenic origin who might be lured back to their native land if its university system were more rational and freed from the state's stranglehold. But the minister's efforts at reform have run into a wave of violent protests, both among students and among academics who like the status quo.

Instead of sitting their qualifying exams, Greek students spent the final weeks of the academic year staging noisy street demonstrations. Last week, a group of extremists among a 10,000-strong student protest in Athens hurled petrol bombs and paving-stones at police, who fought back with tear gas. The protesters claim to be inspired by those at the Athens Polytechnic who tried to overthrow Greece's ruling colonels three decades ago. But graffiti around Athens University explain their main gripe: they are enraged by the centre-right government's talk of ending the state's monopoly on higher education and introducing private, not-for-profit universities.

Such universities would certainly charge for tuition, but they could also get cash from Greek shipping tycoons and other frustrated benefactors, who now endow departments of Greek studies at American universities and would love a chance to be similarly generous at home. Greece's economy—one of the weakest in the euro area—would improve faster if more students could earn MBAs and doctorates in computer sciences at home, Mrs Giannakou argues.
Even if the mood on the streets were calmer, she would not be able to authorise independent universities at a stroke. That requires a change in the constitution, a complex procedure that starts in the life of one parliament but can be completed only in the next. But there are other things that parliament could, in theory, do now—such as set time limits for students to finish their courses, or make them pay for some tuition and textbooks. Those were among the aims of an education bill which Mrs Giannakou had hoped to push through parliament during its partial recess this summer. After the recent protests, the bill has been shelved until the autumn.
The centre-right government will not give up on education reform. One reason why Costas Karamanlis, the American-educated prime minister, is prepared to tackle it is that the Socialist opposition leader, George Papandreou (who has degrees from American and British universities), agrees on the need for change.

Higher education is only one area of Greek life where common sense—and cooler heads in the top ranks of both main political parties—points one way, while long-established practice, and the mood on the street, point in the opposite direction. Much the same applies to the security situation in the Aegean, where military competition between Greece and Turkey costs billions of dollars—and puts at risk even larger amounts of tourist revenues, in the event of a serious incident. A lot of money could be freed to improve its education system, if Greece were somehow able to reduce the share