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

Yes, Maria, this Ebola thing is nothing to mess with. Mistakes were made here in the US where the one person who died was sent home with a fever of over 100 degrees! And now one of his nurses has it. It is really scary that even here in the states there is a very elaborate protocol to dispose of the medical waste and bodies and it's hard on the families. Those poor African countries are really in bad shape if the family members have to treat their members themselves---all it takes is for a person to slip up on taking off their protective clothes and they can be infected. And with their customary funeral practices relatives are supposed to wash the corpses so whole families are infected.

The only positive thing of all this is that a disease forgotten, as many others that affect poor people/who can´t afford it, is knocking of the doors of those who can do something about it. Not only pharmacological research, but also take seriously the many sufferings of enpoverished Africa. Rich in resources and constantly looted.

Those people are certainly owed aid, they are still suffering from the horrendous events that were done to Them as late colonies. And research should NOT have to pay for itself----we OWE it to them as fellow human beings. There will be a reckoning for everyone who doesn't care! There will be consequences!

We've also long owed it to ourselves and the rest of the world as a matter of preparedness.

Waiting to "cross that bridge when we come to it" is sometimes irresponsible idiocy.

Letting 'nature take its course' is the single most sure fire prescription for disaster.

"It can't happen to us." is not a disaster preparedness plan.




'It can and will eventually happen.'

'What shall we do when it happens?'

'What can we do to prevent it from happening?'

Are realistic and resposible outlooks.

Hmmm yes, deep thoughts, good insights, nothing constructive to add because I'm hopeless at wording constructive and worldly insights, doesn't mean I don't care though. Sheesh! What a world we are living in right now, my heart is doing overtime in aching and breaking.



What? Our computer tech guy has been messing with my laptop today, and now it is spellchecking everything. . It even spellchecked the red wine smiley. Redwine is not a word. 'Tis so a word, 'tis a hootoo smiley word. Hurrumph. Oooh it just drew a red line under hurrumph. I must disable this thing. Spelling discipline is great, but we have our own language around here.



No way, Maria! A Gregor Samsa coincidence! I love it.

When I was with secondary pupils I asked them to read it. One of them, a lovely clever girl made a comic with the story. They thanked me for the choice of reading.

I´ve just finished The Daughter of Robert Poste. Not as sharp as I had expected. Maybe I shouldn´t have expected a kind of Jane Austen style mixed with a cheeked and humourous one... Anyway, you smile most of the time. At the end you feel as you do one of those days after watching a bland film on tv during a Sunday afternoon, half asleep, comfy in your sofa. It´s just nice, no more.


Now I´ve to read Guide for the educative support of children with bonding/ affection disorders.
A workmate has recommended it to me. I´ve some complex pupils.

It seems that the first years of a person are crucial for the development of their brain, for the future behaviour, learning abilities, social interactions.... And receiving love, attention... is more than essential for all that.

Hey everyone, a new issue of is up---but beware it maybe scary so have your perculiar or close at hand.

We're getting to that hallowe'en time already eh? When magazines get scary and ghost hunters get wary, and you can print out lots of bat smileys.



That's interesting, Maria! I bet you are so magic with kids, you truly understand learning.

Good description, about the Sunday afternoon, half asleep on the sofa. I like that.

Yes, the difference between something being easy or nice, or having an impact. I think it's quite subtle. When I was younger, I craved the impact of art. The first time I heard Leonard Cohen, or Dylan, or discovered many great artistic discoveries, I remember that feeling of my world being turned upside down.

These days I prefer to live in a world that's the right way up, but it's my world, so it's not so affected by what I take in. erm .. what am I saying? . But if something is just nice, like bland, do I miss the impact? I don't know.

So that was really a very formative and intelligent paragraph, I think. .



Oh yes, definitely, I think the first few years of a child's life are crucial for the development of the brain, and who they are to become, how they will interact in the world.

Who said “Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man”? I never did know.



I just ate some very nice coleslaw.

Actually, I'm changing postings, for further incredibly interesting insights into my life and times.

It really was very nice coleslaw. .



My life and times are very happy at the moment. I'm just loving the small details of my life. Walking home from the bakery with a freshly baked loaf in my bag, feeling it warm against my back.

The autumn colours in the trees are so incredible, all green and gold and crimson. The sun was so warm today, we cycled for a few miles along the coast. Porridge with maple syrup for breakfast, in an hotel along the way.

I had a discussion about a cow with a nice lady on the bike track. There was a cow standing at the gateway to the hiking path which runs parallel to the bike track. Was it supposed to be there? It was an amiable cow, black and white, and very friendly to passing hikers.

eres muy graciosa, CC.

Hey Cactuscafé! I also saw some amiable cows this weekend. I was visiting Portugal and Spain. Details and links to pictures in my journal! But anyways it was a great outing.

Oh - and the quote about giving someone a child until the age of seven ... it is attributed to Francis Xavier, the co-founder of the Jesuits. The idea seems to be that the first seven years of someone's life are critical in forming that person's character.

Hey Willem , I thought you were in Europe for a moment there , I was planning the Spanish hootoo meet, with Maria as our guide offering us orange blossom tea. Ah we dream! Great journal entry, you are really getting around with the Bird Club, I think it's great.

Really? The co-founder of the Jesuits? That's interesting.

I guess as we grow older, beyond childhood, there's just more and more layers of junk and clutter to deal with, but our original essence is always there, under the layers, and we can always get back.

Perhaps the formative years are very important, but not everything, we can change at any time of life. hmm. Perhaps for some people the formative years are something they want to get away from, and they blossom in adult life.

Perhaps lots of things. Interesting to think about it.

Hey guys, this is a remarkable video showing the interconnectedness of all of nature. Wolves usually get bad press, but look how their reintroduction to Yellowstone national park changed everything including the landscape:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

Beautiful nature photography and

vaya, george mombiot has a voice! It´s the first time I hear him. I´ve read him a few times. It´s interesting, his writings and this video too!

Ay my dear CC, believe me, I daydream many times about a meeting of hootonians. I imagine it in the town of Granada, summertime ( yes a bit hot, but we will recover back in the old and cool house in the village. Where the hippy shower is.) I really love that idea, and I hope that sooner or later it will become real.
All of you will say yes, won´t you? It would be a very interesting group of people. Imagine... A party of different folks with interesting things to say... a la Agatha Christie but without murder



"but our original essence is always there, under the layers, and we can always get back. "

YESSS, of course. I feel I´m the same girl I was at 10 years old, in essence I think I´m like that María whose aim in life was to live like the Heidi of the cartoons.

"Perhaps the formative years are very important, but not everything, we can change at any time of life.

We can see resilience even in small children. It´s amazing to see how despite a big load of dirtyness ( mistreatment, neglect, violence...) they manage to get rid of that, to survive, to be happy...

back to

Maria, I read that the nurse who had ebola was cured there. I hope that ends the threat for Spain and they'll be able to cope better in the future.

Hey guys, check out these terrific wildlife photographs, they're amazing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-297018

The one with the female lions and their cubs is .

Hi cc,I'm back from America. We visited my brother on his farm, with and cows, and we drove down the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park and went for walks. Certainly the trees were gold and bronze but the weather wasn't that good - one day there was 4 inches of rain. That day we went to Luray Caverns, which have impressive displays of stalagtites and stalagmites. Unfortunately I think I left my camera on a rock at Harper's Ferry, so no pictures.
I think our plane brushed past ex-hurricane Gonzales on the way back, beause we got to Heathrow on time but, soon after, they were cancelling flights.

Poor MVP. I apologise for our weather - we've had WAY too much rain this fall.

Otherwise, the Shenandoah Valley is usually gorgeous. If you went to Luray Caverns, did you go to Natural Bridge?

I'm afraid not. There were lots of things we didn't do - we didn't get as far as Monticello and we didn't see much of Washington.
We did go to Gettysburg, which was more interesting than I expected.