Helping the Victims Of Acid Attacks

A team of medics has gone out to India, using their holiday entitlement, and at their own cost, to perform corrective surgery on young women maimed in attacks where acid was thrown in their faces. The supposed crime these women committed? Rejecting the advances of an unwanted a suitor usually and one can see why they would reject such a man! The mindless, arrogant violence is depressing, but the bravery of the women and the generosity of the medical teams is truly inspiring.

One World

Salute Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard's twenty seven marathons in twenty seven days to honour Nelson Mandela and raise money for Sport Relief was inspiring and uplifting. An achievement that makes world famous athletes look a little ordinary, this was extraordinary in the extreme and in the extreme heat. This from the man who brought us The Death Star Canteen. Genius and I don't use the word lightly. There was something he said on his run which was remarkable too, this may not be word perfect but it was something like 'It's not what you own it's what you contribute to the human experience.' Absolutely Eddie, absolutely.

Death Star Canteen

The Government Backs Down

The government has made a U Turn on disability payments. Well, thank goodness for that! How much was down to public discontent and how much was down to Iain Duncan-Smith's resignation is hard to say. I can't make up my mind if Duncan-Smith is a man of conscience, or just a devious, divisive politician. The latter I suspect, he's certainly one of those idiots who wants to risk other people's livelihoods by promoting Brexit. Still independence payments for the disabled stay and that's an upper not a downer!

The Greatest Sailor Ever

Yachting and Boating World has revealed that previously unseen, by the wider world at least, pictures of captain Joshua Slocumb and his boat The Spray have come to light in the possession of an elderly lady in the USA. Joshua Slocumb was the first man ever to sail around the world single handed. He was a tough old man. In those days there were not marinas every forty miles and he did it all under sail, no engine in his boat for emergencies, or for making progress on windless days, or for maneuvering in a harbour either.

His life before his famed epic adventure is remarkable too. He endured, mutiny, shipwreck and the loss of his wife from disease on passage. He saw his world crumble as steam started to replace the great sailing ships he loved and captained, yet for all this, the thing that strikes me most hard about Slocumb is the twinkle in the old man's eye, the humour, the humanity. He makes the spirit soar.

The greatest sailor ever.

Happiness Is A Choice

There's a lot wrong with the world for sure, but for many of us our worries are pretty small relative to a great many others, choose to be happy, it actually works!

Spread the word!

Trump Cancelled

Trump reportedly canceled all TV appearances Tuesday because he didn't like the way he looked  Great, neither do we!