h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

good question MR. I don't know that anti-foreigner sentiment is rising, I just think it's in the spotlight more now. I think it's generally lower in actuality.

I know in my home town 50-100 years ago the swedish vs italian immigrant rivalry/hatred was big. Now it's non-existant. I don't think any caucasian that moved into my area in upstate NY would have their background questioned at all. I don't know if this is a reduction in general, or just a shift in priorities, but it's definitely a change

Finally had power back on in my house at 6:30 pm. Minor damage due to wind and flooding. Whew! What a lucky one I am! Now onto Hurricane Ivan and his bag of tricks (Francis is still pulling moisture from the Carribean so there could be showers here by the bay yet)
Hope all is well with the Lakeland folk, Lil. Polk County got slammed!
Love to all;

~ox~

for Ox. I'm glad you're ok and your house is only 'inconvenienced'. What a horrible storm.

Helps herself to a kebab and a .

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:

Michael Barnave

Known in some parts of the world as:

Sandalphon of Slaves In Chains

The Great Archives Record:

Silently this one moves amongst the helpless and the oppressed.

Marv Grate is God of The Underworld

Known in some parts of the world as:

Pan of The Vile

The Great Archives Record:

Vile, foul, filthy and greedy: this creature knows nothing of light.

While Marvin White is God of The Far East

Known in some parts of the world as:

Morpheus of Wraiths

The Great Archives Record:

A needy and violent spirit.

ox, I'm so glad you've come through ok! I have yet to hear from Lakeland friends; one's dad is on oxygen, so I'm sure he's in hospital right now. As would my dad had the situation arisen.

*takes a kebab, unskewers the chicken and veggies and eats happily, oblivious to her personal tumultuous hell and tomorrow morning's dentist appointment*

I think my sister has finally managed to convince me that I never, ever want to have children. What if one of them grew up to be like her? I think I would die...

(see my journal for an explanation)

Hope all is well for the rest of you...

Sorceress of Moldovia

Known in some parts of the world as:

Lodemai of The Tormented

The Great Archives Record:

A soul in torment and tumult - hell of their own making!

I think Lil and I must be related...

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:
Sultana of The Far East

Known in some parts of the world as:

Mistress of Reykjavík

The Great Archives Record:

Amongst fire and ice, one who is hot and cold.

The hot and cold bit is quite accurate, with the flan blowing on my PC tower in an attempt to stop it crashing for overheating, my feet are cold and the rest of me is hot!

There was something else i was going to comment on and I've completely forgotten what it was

I'm not sure that over here is any harder for 'alien' spouses to enter a country. Isn't it supposed to be really hard to get a green card in the US?

Was there something I meant to say? Possibly something to do with having a holiday called after the day of work maybe...

Or was it something else?

Good to hear that ox is OK...

*helps herself to a kebab* Yummie...

About Danish rules for marrying foreigners being stricter than the Swedish ones - I've heard that that is so, but I don't know in detail - I've never attempted to import a husband!

Hullo folks good to be back, as Phil mentioned, Munchkin & I have spent a week and a bit camping all over the place.

Snippets from the blog,
Politics test, bottom left (like most folk)
Doric I got Munchkin to read it for me, but even he had trouble!
Tom Holt I liked him as an author, a calmer style than Pratchett. My favourite is who’s afraid of Beowulf? But I found the later ones a bit ‘samey’.
personality test, 'parently I am a big thinker!


Sometimes there are blessings to spending a week without a radio or TV. So sad to hear belatedly about the children in Russia, and the storms in Florida. (just heard my cousin was on holiday over there while the storms went through, and so was confined to her hotel. Between that and the flights, she now has a clot on her Lung! Luckily they have caught it in time, and hope that warfin will do the trick)

Other than that the holiday was more than needed and great fun, a nice relaxed time making up our minds as we went along. The Victorian festival (with beer to boot ) was great, and it was good to dust off a costume and have a play. Still I forget how hot things get down south, and I did manage to get burnt.
We did a good lot of walking and saw many hills and views. And Phil’s kite did get off the ground

Still nice to be home and sleep in a bed, even if W*rk beckons.

[Ben]

[Ag]

Zipping through, I have no time, I have no time, I'm late I'm late

Looks like the Lib Dems are getting Per Conference bounce

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1250140,00.html

Labour unchanged at 32 per cent
Tories down 2 at 30
Lib Dems up 2 at 26

If we get our usual 4 % bounce after conference we might be in second if not first place in the opinion polls.

Going back up a LED or two:

MR, the strict rules for marriages in Denmark (primarily there's a requirement for both to be 24 years old) has been put in place to limit arranged and forced marriages, a practice found - to which extent is topic of a lot of debate as it's quite hard to measure objectively - with immigrants from some cultures.

A part of the issue also is that a good part of the net immigration to Denmark happens through the right to have your spouse settle with you in Denmark – and there’s a solid political majority in Denmark to limit immigration as much as possible within international treaties (a topic in it’s own right – not that I won't discuss it but I will let it lie here...).

Personally, I think that sending a strong signal that Denmark does not accept forced and/or arranged marriages is right. It’s certainly a part of our values that all individuals can make their own choices and that women are not subject to the whims of their fathers and husbands.

Is it the right way of sending that message? I don’t know. In Sweden, the response to the Danish rule is that it will discriminate people who are not forced to marry – which is right, even though I *think* that the Swedes may have exaggerated the number of people it affects. The Swedish approach is that forced marriages are illegal by law and that families forcing children into a certain marriage can be prosecuted. A flaw in that approach could be that you'd probably need someone to press charges – and I can’t see a girl forced into a marriage for fear of family reactions standing up to draw them to court.

So there are pros and cons. On the balance, I think I’d rather have a different rule – I just don’t know what it should be...

'The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:

Raphael Darling

Known in some parts of the world as:

Boreas of Blood

The Great Archives Record:

Thirsty, unstoppable and vicious.'

Well, in the past I was certainly known to be thirsty.

There is all the difference in the world between forced marriages and arranged marriages.

Ben

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:

Will Flanders

Known in some parts of the world as:

Him of The Cursed

The Great Archives Record:

The cursed and the curser - bringing downfall and ill favour to kings and peasants alike!

Lil