February 2015 Chit Chat

Good to hear she is well

Katiedot wrote:I'm glad you like! I filled my face with dumplings last night too!

On another note, am I the only who still finds it weird that George is married?  I think it's just hit me today that from now on, we're going to get so many 'George and Amal' articles.

I think it's unsettling to many.  You follow someone's career and life for a long time and then think you really have an idea of what the person is like and then BAM! they go and take a u-turn and make you scratch your head trying to figure it out.

But I must say, the man (and his antics) have never been boring!  HA!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/19/muslim-group-oslo-synagoge_n_6708702.html

Muslim Group To Form Human Shield Around Oslo Synagogue
On Feb. 21, a week after a shooting outside a synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark, left two people dead and five injured, a Muslim group in Norway plans to take measures to help ensure the safety of Jewish worshipers in that country.
The group of Norwegian Muslims will form a human "peace ring" around a synagogue in Oslo, according to a Facebook page for the event.
"We think that after the terrorist attacks in Copenhagen, it is the perfect time for us Muslims to distance ourselves from the harassment of Jews that is happening," 17-year-old organizer Hajrad Arshad told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) in an interview cited byThe Local Norway.
The Washington Post included a translation of the event's Facebook page:

Islam is about protecting our brothers and sisters, regardless of which religion they belong to. Islam is about rising above hate and never sinking to the same level as the haters. Islam is about defending each other. Muslims want to show that we deeply deplore all types of hatred of Jews, and that we are there to support them. We will therefore create a human ring around the synagogue on Saturday 21 February. Encourage everyone to come!

Ervin Kohn, the leader of Oslo’s Jewish community, said he welcomed the group's initiative. 

"What they are communicating is that if anyone wants to do anything against Jews in Norway, 'they have to go through us first,' and I think that is very positive," Kohn said, according to The Local.
Abdullah T. Antepli, chief representative of Muslim affairs at Duke University, said although he could not attend the event in person he would be supporting it "in spirit."
"These kinds of symbolic events are a good start, modest steps towards the right direction," Antepli told The Huffington Post in an email. "I pray many more substantial steps will take place to improve Jewish Muslim relations globally."
More than 1,500 people indicated on Facebook that they would attend the event as of Thursday morning.
In 2013, a group of at least 200 Pakistani Muslims formed a human chain outside the St Anthony’s Church in Lahore, in response to suicide attacks at a Peshawar church two weeks prior which had left more than 100 people dead. Mufti Mohammad Farooq quoted verses from the Quran preaching tolerance, while the church's Father Nasir Gulfam stood next to him. The crowd surrounding them held signs that read: "One Nation, One Blood."
"Well the terrorists showed us what they do on Sundays," the event's organizer, Mohammad Jibran Nasir, said according to The Express Tribune. "Here we are showing them what we do on Sundays. We unite."

Thanks for sharing the article it's me.  These type of actions, tho on a small scale, send a powerful message.  I can only hope similar displays of support and tolerance of our religious differences could be demonstrated in other multicultural communities.

thanks to you

we deeply need such news
or anyway  I need them

a lot

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/why-telling-your-friend-she-looks-thin-could-really-harm-her/ar-BBhS2ag


Why telling your friend she looks thin could really harm her
 The Telegraph 13 hrs ago By Natasha Devon
As I type, thousands of Australians are taking part in ‘Fat Talk Free February’, an endeavour pioneered by charitable organisations like the Butterfly Foundation (providing support for people with eating disorders). In Britain, our official ‘Fat Talk Free Week’ is in October, although many choose to observe the practice of banning fat talk during Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which this year begins today.
A pledge not to indulge in ‘fat talk’ precludes anything relating to body image, whether that’s commenting that a friend or colleague has lost weight, complimenting someone’s new shoes or analysing celebrity physiques. Traditionally, these topics are the remit of female conversation, which explains why a social media search shows the vast majority of participants in Fat Talk Free initiatives are women.
Reasons given for taking part by Twitter users include: "because makeup and filters are overrated!”,“We look our best when we are comfortable in our own skin”, and, intriguingly “friends don’t let friends fat talk!”.
Whilst the challenge might sounds simple, in practice it’s incredibly difficult. When I first tried it last year, I found it almost impossible to refrain from giving appearance-based compliments. Affirming each other’s physical attractiveness is a huge part of how women facilitate communication and bond with one another. In fact, Dr David Bainbridge, lecturer in Reproductive Biology at Cambridge University, argues in his latest tome ‘Curvology’ that women deliberately prostrate themselves at the feet of other women using aesthetic-based compliments as a sign of social subservience.
As harmless as it might sound, the use of ‘fat talk’ represents a significant social problem, especially for young women, who tend to soak up attitudes from their female elders by osmosis. For, it is argued, when we talk to each other in this way, we subtly and consistently reinforce the idea that our value to the world lies in how we look. What we are actually saying is: “I like you because you lost weight/have great legs/a nice handbag” or “I want you to like me and will achieve that by suggesting you are more beautiful than I”.
Model-turned Psychologist Dr Diahanne Rhiney says: “Although ‘fat talk’ may provide an initial feeling of relief or security, evidence suggests that exposure to it has negative outcomes. Psychological studies have shown self-disparaging body talk is a contagious bonding ritual that can trigger body image issues and unhealthy behaviour.”
I attended a ‘Fat Talk’ event hosted by UK-based charity The Succeed Foundation and listened as female speakers revealed the, occasionally horrifying, impact fat talk had on their lives. In particular, I remember a university graduate describing how she had bounded into the kitchen clutching the piece of paper she’s just received in the post which revealed she had achieved a 2:1 in her degree, only for her mother’s friend to remark: “You must be so proud of yourself! You are stick thin!”
This student went onto say: “The thing I took from that encounter was that my academic achievements didn’t matter, that all anyone would ever really be interested in is how I looked” she told us. “Later, I used those words to spur me on as I starved myself because I was convinced that being thin was the only way to get attention, or to get ahead”.
Myira Khan, Counsellor, Lecturer & Founder of the Muslim Psychotherapist Network told me: “Fat talk’s impact on the mind depends upon a person’s own sense of self and identity. It has the potential to reinforce unhealthy sense of self (i.e. good=being thin), thus reinforcing any potential unhealthy eating patterns, relationships or eating disorders.”
This certainly explains why eating disorder charities are so keen to encourage the practice of eschewing fat talk. However, the phenomenon is not just potentially harmful to those with diagnosed mental health issues. A staggering 87 per cent of teenage girls believe they are judged more on their looks than their abilities, according to a survey conducted by Girl Guiding last year, and almost half of them refrain from taking part in everyday activities like sport and public speaking because of body image insecurity.
A person’s value to other people (and indeed to herself) lies staunchly in invisible qualities that cannot be captured in a selfie and yet in today’s visual-obsessed culture, that’s easy to forget. If we want to support our fellow woman and boost each other’s confidence, we need to start reminding each other when we exhibit traits that truly matter.
During my self-esteem workshops for teenagers, I ask students to picture their best friend and then sum up in one word what they like most about that person. Popular responses include “funny”, “smart”, “kind”, “brave”, “loyal” and “weird”. (Having worked in more than 200 schools over the past eight years, I’m yet to hear a single pupil respond with “thin”.)
Even we British, with our stiff upper lip, are capable of saying “that was funny” when someone makes us laugh. It’s not beyond the realms of normal conversation to say “I thought that was really kind, what you did just then”, “I enjoyed spending time with you today” or “I appreciate you being here”.
Whilst researching my book Fundamentals, I had a realisation: We are influenced far more by the habitual, subconscious things we do and say every day than by less frequent, dramatic occurrences. It is addressing these habits which could prove to be life changing and to stem the terrifying tide of low self-esteem and lack of body confidence we have seen in this country throughout the past decade.
Fat talk has insidiously curtailed the potential of women for far too long: it’s time to change the conversation. So, give it a go this week. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Related:
Anorexia: signs and treatment  
Video: understanding eating disorders

This is fun advert from Air New Zealand...

nice !!!


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A Network of Eyes 

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