I am so sick of all the negativity on BBC and Sky News I have decided to have a good news thread. This morning was the final straw, the oil price went up $20 for about one hour overnight (it was a temporary spike caused by speculators and nothing to do with supply & demand) BUT almost immediately the price came back down and is now less than this time yesterday (about $103, from a high of $147 two months ago) and yet the BBC and SKY News this morning only reported the HUGE increase in oil price.
SKY ended their report by mentioning as an aside that the pice has come back down but this was after a 5 minute story about the shock of higher oil prices - the BBC "forgot" to mention that the oil price rise was just for an hour!!
Bad news sells and that's all we are getting at the moment and it is depressing everyone and is fuelling the overall zeitgeist of doom-and-gloom.
So for those of you who want a bit of good news....................
Commodity prices have fallen by over 30% in tha last month and both Tesco and Sainsbury have said that they are now paying less for "the basics" and will be lowering prices accordingly (the news media must have missed this story).
The Oil price is nearly 50% down from 2 months ago and will ensure that inflation comes down which will ensure interest rates come down and therefore lower mortgage payments for all.
The lower natural gas prices will ensure utility bills will come down (although not for another couple of months).
Retail sales were 3% up last month (analysts had been expecting a fall), people are still have money and are still spending.
Most of the coffee shops are still selling their overpriced coffees in large volumes, surely this would be one of the first luxuries to be sacrificed if people were cutting back.
The rain has stopped.
Cancer is on the way out - more and more new drugs are available and the survival rates from all cancers are rising quickly and researchers seem to think that they have discovered a way to "turn cancer cells off" so that they don't spread.
The sales of electric and hybrid cars are the only growth market in the motor industry and our reliance on oil will be a distant memory in 15 years time. Also, lower emissions from these cars will benefit the environment.
And my final good news story (which the Daily Express and Mail especially missed out on)..............
Many Muslim groups are making a concerted effort to integrate with their communities over Ramadan - it's a great news story and yet I have only seen it mentioned in The Guardian!
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Series: ShortcutsPrevious | Next | Index How Muslim flashmobs can feed homeless peopleSarfraz Manzoor The Guardian, Monday September 22 2008 Article historyTomorrow evening the homeless men and women who congregate in London's Lincoln's Inn Fields will have some visitors. Young Muslims have been coming to the park each Tuesday during the fasting month of Ramadan, laden with chicken biryani, samosas and cakes, which they have distributed to homeless people.
It is the brainchild of 27-year-old Miqdad Asaria, who has dubbed the events "flashmob iftars". An iftar is the evening meal that marks the end of the daily fast and is traditionally eaten with friends or family.
"During Ramadan we Muslims get a glimpse of what it is like to be hungry," says Asaria. "I thought, 'What better time to share our food with those who are hungry all year?' I wanted to make the point that Muslims shouldn't only be looking overseas when they think about problems - there are plenty of problems in this country." He set up a Facebook page and arranged the first flashmob iftar two weeks ago. A hundred young Muslims turned up. The following week, attendance was more than 150 and footage of the iftar was uploaded on to YouTube.
"The homeless people were quite taken aback," says Asaria. "They're used to having food thrown out to them from the back of a van, but for us it was about sharing what we had and getting to know those we were eating with."
When I joined the flashmob last week I could see 30 Muslims kneeling in prayer in one corner of the park while elsewhere a group of women in hijabs and headscarves were offering pakoras to an elderly woman propping herself up with a walking stick.
Asaria has been approached by Indian restaurants that want to take the idea further, but he says the appeal of the flashmob iftar is its lack of organisation. "The Muslims who turn up don't know each other, so this is a social thing for them too. It's an example of taking something inspired by our values and using it to embrace the wider community."
Ramadan Events
Use this opportunity to share your faith, your community and your fast with Muslim and non-Muslims alike. Open up your Mosques and community centres to the community, organise community Iftars and donate food to needy families in your local area.
Let the rest of us know by listing here on this page. (Note, MCB is not responsible for these events)
Ramadan Journeys, talks at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Date: 31 August and 7 September
Time: 3pm
31 August: "Feasting, Fasting and Pilgrimage: Ramadan, Past and Present"
with Britta Bodenstein
7 September:"Crystal, Carpets and Calligraphy: Concept of God in Craftsmanship"
with Britta Bodenstein
www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/community/index.html www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/features/festivalOfLight/index.htmlFor more information please contact Syed Mohsin Abbas, Festival Director, on 07912 886676 or Email:
info@ramadanfestival.co.ukFlashmob Iftari with the Homeless
Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2
Time: 7:15pm
Tuesday 9th September
Bring food for you and one homeless person to eat together
No agenda, no organisation, no rules, just normal Muslims doing their thing
See the Facebook Group:
http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=25424748414Allah Karim! The Ramadan Festival
Date: Tues 16 September
Time: 6pm til late (Mahgrib/fast ends: 7:16pm )
Venue: St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78, Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG
Come and join us for a warm and wonderful night of generous Ramadan hospitality. Share delicious food, listen to poetry and Qur'anic recitation, learn about the ritual of the fast, and hear soul-inspiring Qawaali music and participate in Sufi dhikr. With Abdullah Trevathan and the International Sufi School . In collaboration with Arts Versa. We will provide food, but please also bring some simple food to share Bring a Muslim or a non-Muslim friend, or come on your own.
For more information please contact Syed Mohsin Abbas, Festival Director, on 07912 886676 or Email:
info@ramadanfestival.co.ukThe Sunset Walk
Sunday 14 September 2008, Central London
The Sunset Walk is a short stroll with a big heart. It’s your chance to take part in the season of Ramadan. To make new friends as you walk and talk – and raise money to provide food for poor communities worldwide.
It’s the most sociable and laidback fundraising you’ll ever do. The route passes through four royal parks – St. James, Green Park, Hyde Park and Regents Park. And when the S** goes down, you’ll share a fabulously tasty meal at the London Central Mosque.
All the money you raise will go to a variety of food aid projects.
