A shocking report has been released by the World Health Organization. More than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.

Along with other groups, WHO says 38% of all women murdered were killed by their partners, and such violence is a major contributor to depression and other health problems.

WHO, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) released the report on partner and non-partner violence against women.

It is claimed to be the first systematic study of global data. The report details the impact on girls and women on both the physical and mental health. Fear of stigma prevents many women from reporting sexual violence. WHO says new guidelines must be adopted by health officials around the world to prevent the abuse and offer better protection to victims.

Below—Figures for women who have suffered violence from a partner (%)

WHO region                                                                                                                                    Prevalence                                                                                                                                           
Source: WHO, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, South African Medical Research Council

Low and middle-income regions

AFRICA (Botswana, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)                                              36.6%

AMERICAS (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia)                                                                                29.8%

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestinian territories)                                        37.0%

EUROPE (Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Rep of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine)                                                                                                                                                         25.4%

SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bangladesh, East Timor, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand)                                     37.7%

WESTERN PACIFIC (Cambodia, China, Philippines, Samoa, Vietnam)                                                      24.6%

High income(Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US)                                                                                                                                      23.2%

Violence from someone who was not their partner more than halved the percentage in all areas.

The weather around the world is changing. Singapore smog hits a hazardous level. Bad weather hits the India flood rescue.

Climate experts held a one-off summit yesterday to analyze just what is going on with Britain’s weather. They gave soggy Britain its outlook for the next ten years: A decade of washout summers. The forecast, based on findings that the Atlantic has warmed up, came after a climate summit at the Met Office HQ.

Between now and 2023, summer is going to be a thing of the past. Blazing hot days in the garden under a sunshade, barbeques in the warm outdoors to escape the heat of the house, cool drinks to quench a raging thirst, will all be a distant memory.

The think-tank in Exeter was called after six damp summers, a series of severe winters, the wettest summer in a century and the coldest spring in 50 years. The trend may extend for 20 years.

Meanwhile, the Summer Solstice, June 21st in England, is almost here. People who are attending the Stonehenge campsite pay for the privilege. All sorts of people and groups attend. They'll dance under the stars tonight and welcome the first rays of dawn tomorrow.

 A gloomy summer day at Stonehenge in southern England.  Stonehenge is an enigmatic prehistoric monument located on a chalky plain north of the modern day city of Salisbury, England. It was started 5,000 years ago and modified by ancient Britons over a period of 1,000 years.  Its purpose continues to be a mystery.

The increased temperature in the Atlantic has caused Earth's weather changes. The effect could be leading to another ice age. Despite all mankind's knowledge and power, we have no control over Mother Nature.

Are the figures on child hunger accurate? Every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger, a charity campaign states, urging the G8 leaders meeting in Ireland to pledge more aid for the world's poorest families. According to the latest version of the slogan, a child dies of hunger every 10 seconds.

Stats about deaths occurring every few seconds have been around for years.

This latest, the 10-second one, is based on a figure from a very reputable source: The Lancet, an internationally renowned journal which recently published a paper saying that more than three million children died of under-nutrition in 2011.

To get their attention-grabbing statistic, the campaign managers have divided the number of seconds in a year by that number of deaths: three million.

Child hunger facts. Source: The Lancet, World Food Programme.

      Under-nutrition causes 45% of child deaths, resulting in 3.1 million deaths annually

      Under-nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life is major determinant of stunted growth and chronic diseases in adulthood

      There are 165 million stunted children in the world

      Stunted children have compromised cognitive development and physical capabilities

      80% of the world's stunted children live in 20 countries

      Poor quality and volume of breastfeeding result in over 800,000 child deaths annually.

Apart from the blighted people in Somalia, the vast majority of those numbers are children who, because they haven't had the right nutrition in the very earliest parts of their lives, are really very susceptible to infectious diseases, like measles.

Rather than going to bed hungry, infants under two years in countries such as India or Nigeria are eating cereals or starches, which wouldn't provide the nutrition they need. These countries have the resources to feed the children better.

In some cultures, women don't get to eat the best food in the household, which can mean children are born underweight. Milk and meat may also be avoided for cultural reasons, as they are in parts of India for example. And sometimes, the value of fruit and vegetables is not appreciated.

According to the change in figures since 2008, there are signs of progress. There's been a decrease in the number of excess deaths so the world must be paying attention to their plight.

It seems to me that the countries requiring aid also need reeducation and a restructuring of their culture. The task will not be easy.

Many people have reviewed the new Superman movie with flagging degrees of enthusiasm. The old story, first published in comic form in 1938, is known to all. Just like a book version of any story is preferred to the movie, our imagination fills in the details. Is there more to say about the comic book hero?

Christopher Reeve will always be my ideal image of Superman. Strong, good-looking and thoughtful, he epitomized a hero to me. I wrote a tribute song to him and featured it in my book, Still Rock Water. In the plot, a music producer sold the song to a television program making a series about the curse of Superman.

I'm a day late with the Blogathon 2013 challenge of inserting my video, but here's the song called Comic Book Hero.

The curse of superman.

Much has been written about the so-called Superman Curse, especially after Christopher Reeve's 1995 tragic accident and his unfortunate death. Once again, tabloid writers drew comparisons with 1950s TV Superman George Reeves' suicide, with the hardships suffered by Superman co-creators Siegel and Shuster after they sold their billion-dollar creation to DC Comics for a mere $130, and with actor Kirk Alyn's lackluster career after playing Superman in two 1940s movie serials.

Quote: 'If anything is demonstrated by some of the unfortunate history surrounding Superman's media career during the past 66 years, it's an amazing and mathematically proven phenomenon observed time and again in the physical universe. That phenomenon is called coincidence.' – Brian McKernan, 12/04

Like any type of curse, Tutankhamen's curse for instance, mankind loves to whisper stories of intrigue and conspiracy. Now, new facts have come to light about child actors in the Elizabeth stage.


A study by of a University Oxford academic shows that child performers were subjected to abduction, cruelty and violence. These street kidnappings were legal. The theatre owners had licenses to forcibly recruit children. These powers had been granted by Queen Elizabeth I and carried her royal seal. Shakespeare, who comes out of this rather well, expressed his distaste for this use of captive children for entertainment.

Laws concerning children have changed and their circumstances have improved. Or have they? Are they free to go to a public theatre and watch an exciting movie about Superman without the need to fear the man sitting next to them?

A US jet broke the sound barrier over England on the way to Heathrow, London. The sonic boom caused loud explosions heard across the east of the country. The noise caused shaking and smashed windows and prompted calls to police.

The Ministry of Defense said a Typhoon jet from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire was launched when communication was lost with a Heathrow-bound plane. It is understood the plane, travelling from the USA, landed without incident.

The Cambridgeshire Police received reports of smashed windows. A woman caller said she was walking her horse around the arena, when she heard a thunderous bang, 10 times louder than thunder. The horse reacted immediately. She thought it might have been an explosion.


Most of the people who rang said they'd never heard anything so loud in their lives.

One man reported the noise from as far away as St Ives, on the far westerntip of Cornwall. He thought something had hit his roof because the whole house shook. The noise was so loud another person thought his neighbor's house had blown up. As an aside, I love St.Ives. All my books are written about St.Ives and Cornwall. In the futuriscic, fantasy adventure series, the characters call the place Saint Eyes.

What causes a sonic boom?

      When an aircraft approaches the speed of sound (768mph), the air in front of the nose of the plane builds up a pressure front because it has "nowhere to escape", Dr Jim Wild of Lancaster University explained to the BBC.

      A sonic boom happens when that air "escapes", creating a ripple effect which can be heard on the ground as a loud thunderclap.

      It can be heard over such a large area because it moves with the plane, rather like the wake on the bow of a ship spreading out behind the vessel.

I can't believe the pilots would have deliberately caused this effect on the population below. Perhaps it happened accidently, although I wouldn't have thought this was possible with all the gismos available in a jet liner. Let's hope an inquiry is held to establish the cause.

More people have been killed and injured during protests about precious green space in a large city.

In the BBC News today: Protesters have clashed with Turkish police in Istanbul, after riot squads used tear gas and water cannon to eject demonstrators from Gezi Park. Witnesses said it was one of the worst nights of unrest since the park was occupied 18 days ago. Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed since protests began in earnest on 31 May.

Thousands of people also took to the streets of the capital, Ankara, to express support for the protests. Plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park into a complex with new mosque and shopping centre have sparked a wave of protests in the Turkish city and beyond. The park is the only green area left in the city and the citizens say the ill-conceived plan was rushed though and passed by the government without proper talks.

Protest timeline:

      31 May: Protests begin in Gezi Park over plans to redevelop one of Istanbul's few green spaces

      3 June: Protesters establish camps with makeshift facilities from libraries to food centers

      4-10 June: Protests widen into show of anti-government dissent in towns and cities across Turkey; clashes between police and demonstrators

      11/12 June: Night of clashes see riot police disperse anti-government demonstrators in Taksim Square, which adjoins Gezi Park; camps in the park remain

      13 June: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues a "final warning" to protesters to leave Gezi Park

      14 June: Government agrees to suspend Gezi Park redevelopment plans until a court rules on the issue, PM holds talks with members of a key protest group

      15 June: Police move in, clearing protesters from Gezi Park

Setting aside the relevance of violence for any reason, let's focus on areas of peace and tranquility for city dwellers. As the world's population is drawn to ever-growing cities, the importance of green spaces is increasing. The benefits of green infrastructure are compelling. A recent study of over 350,000 people in the UK found that people residing near a park or reserve lived longer and health inequalities were significantly reduced. Natural greenspace in towns and cities can play an important part in helping to safeguard our national treasure of wildlife and geological features as well.

Two examples come to my mind: Central Park in NY, America, and the square of parks surrounding the city of Adelaide, Australia, where I used to live. Early planners recognized the future importance of these areas, and the residents nowadays appreciate the peace and recreation they can find there. Also, the trees absorb exhaust fumes from city traffic.

I'm lucky to live amongst green space—fields with horses to the back, and a strip of giant hose chestnut trees lining the other side of the busy road at the front. Beyond that, more fields as far as the eye can see. I would find returning to suburbia repugnant. Yet most of the population lives in built-up areas. They need access to parks where children can run free, feed the ducks and play. Adults should have a space where they can relax the mind and let Mother Nature wash over them, listen to the birds, and hear leaves rustle in the wind.

It's a shame that demonstrations and marches are the public's last resort to achieving their goal. They may have wanted a peaceful protest, but things escalated into violence in Turkey when the authorities became involved. What would you do if the same thing happened to you?

A new case of leprosy has been reported in Ireland. The patient is a Brazilian who has been living in the Irish Republic for several years. He had suffered a recurrence of his leprosy having first contracted it in Brazil, 10 years ago.

Eeek! Called unclean in the bible. Let's look at the history of leprosy.

The earliest evidence of leprosy comes from a 4,000-year old skeleton found in India.

Medieval Crusaders played a key role in moving the pathogen across the globe. In medieval times, a sufferer of leprosy was likely to be an outcast, secluded from society in quarantined colonies. Then as now, there was a social stigma with having the disease, but it can be cured if caught early. If left untreated, it can leave sufferers deformed and crippled.

Leprosy sufferers were often quarantined in living areas called leprosaria. In public, they had to wear bells to warn others of their presence. In the bible it was referred to as an "unclean" disease and by 1225, there were about 19,000 leprosaria colonies in Europe.

Prof Monica Green specializes in medical history at the Arizona State University, US. "The important thing to remember is that leprosaria were religious institutions, showing both a major material investment and adherence to a religious rule of life. Leprosy was the only disease in medieval Europe that elicited a specific institutional response. In its full-blown form, it was grossly disfiguring and maiming. Stigma might be reserved for persons with the most serious cases. There was a general decline towards the later middle ages, in part because the segregation provided by leprosaria worked in removing the most seriously affected individuals from open society."

Medieval skeletons give researchers a clue to the origins of this ancient disease. Now, the genetic code of leprosy-causing bacteria from 1,000-year-old skeletons has been laid bare. Similarities between these old strains of the bug and those prevalent today have given scientists unique insights into the spread of the disease.

Researchers hope to find the ancient origins of the disease. Leprosy is not highly infectious. It is transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated cases.

Leprosy infections in Europe today are minimal as an estimated 95% of the population has developed immunity, but globally leprosy remains a significant problem with 225,000 new cases recorded annually. India has the highest number of infections, followed by Brazil.

In the forth book in my futuristic Higher Ground novels co-written with Edith Parzefall, the travelling companions reach London where they come into contact with lepers living in an underground tube station. Here's an excerpt:
~~~Hasid stepped in front of him.  “They are leeps.  It's a horrible disease.  They are everywhere, Boris.  Let's get out of here.  This is their place.”

“Listen to the man,” Aron said.

Boris swallowed, then nodded.  Far too many grimy faces for him to count.  He turned his back on the miserable lot and walked towards his friends.  “Can't we do anything for them?” he whispered so only Eliza could hear him.

Tilting her head, she said, “I don't think anyone's tried yet.  Dey look horrible, dey stink and die.  When one's dead, dey put dem on da mound and take whatever da living can still use.  Makes sense, don't it?”

She studied him with searching eyes.

“Don't people have respect in this place?” Boris grumbled.

“What's respect?”

He glanced over his shoulder at the grey figures now hobbling after them, hands stretched out.  He remembered the scrap of food in his bag.  “I'll show you.” He spun around and strode towards the grey people.  Their putrid smell hit him again.

“Boris!” Eliza yelled.  “Don't!  Ya might catch it.”

Sorrow replaced the earlier horror in his heart as he neared the first grey figures.  He blocked his nose against the smell.  They'd stopped, hands reaching towards him.

“Bless you,” a woman whispered, her lips swollen and bruised.  A boil on her cheek sickened Boris, but he couldn't look away.

“Can you give us something?” a man without teeth said.

Boris pulled the hard piece of stale bread from his bag.  “You might have to soak this in water.”

“Bread,” the woman whispered.

The toothless man took the half loaf with trembling fingers.

The ugly boils on his bare arms reminded Boris of the dying man, eaten alive by maggots.  He closed his eyes for a moment.  ~~~


The title, Long Doom Calling is a twisted version of the song, London Calling. The book is due to be released around September. You can see the first three books on the right sidebar.

On the news this morning, experts suggest the menopause and its side effects can all be blamed on men.

First proposed in the 1950s, the grandmother hypothesis stated that menopause, which stops a female's fertility well before the end of her lifespan, may have evolved to benefit a social group. Grandmothers played an important a role in caring for offspring that were already born.

The grandmother effect suggests that women lose their fertility at an age where they might not live to see a child grow, and instead are available to care for younger women's children. The menopause was therefore seen as the block to older women from continuing to reproduce.

Using computer modeling, a research team concluded preferential mating was the evolutionary answer. Men of all ages chose younger women as partners. That meant older women didn't need to be fertile.

But a UK expert said that was the wrong way round and men chose younger women because older women were less fertile, which gave rise to menopause.

A grandmother effect link has been found in the behavior of whales and monkeys.

Scientists have discovered an evolutionary reason why humans and whales both have grandmothers. Scientists developed a mathematical model to study kinship dynamics in killer whales (orcas), short-finned pilot whales and humans. This revealed that, as post-menopausal females aged, they developed closer ties to infants.

This showed an underlying similarity between whales and great apes that might otherwise have been masked by the big differences in their social structures. Researchers said the analysis can help explain why, of all long-lived social mammals, it is specifically among great apes and toothed whales that menopause and post-reproductive helping have evolved.

In Japan, two grandmother monkeys have been seen intervening to raise their own grandchildren, providing essential care including suckling in one instance where the grandmother was young enough. The scientists who witnessed the actions say it is the first unambiguous example of such behavior shown by a non-human primate. The observations were made in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques. The group has been studied since 1958, so scientists have kept a record of the birth date and blood relationships of each individual.

Once again, experts' opinions differ about the reason for menopause. Do men choose younger women because older ones are less fertile? Or does their betrayal induce menopause? Maybe Mother Nature has a good reason for grandmothers to help in caring for the young.

Here's something we can all utilize. A short walk after a meal is beneficial. To everything. Perhaps you'll hear birdsong or the trees swishing. The wind might brush your face. Any green growth you pass will rest your eyes.

But most of all, a new US study has shown that a 15 minute walk after a meal could cut the diabetes risk in older people. Elevated blood sugar after meals could increase the risk of type-2 diabetes, so resting after eating is the worst thing you can do. Post-meal walks control blood sugar as well as one long walk. The study was the first to test short bouts of exercise in the risky period following meals, when blood sugar can rise rapidly.

The important take-home message is that doing any physical activity, even at a low intensity, is good for you.

Older people may be particularly susceptible to poor blood sugar control after meals due to insulin resistance in the muscles and slow or low insulin secretion from the pancreas, the researchers said. They found the best time to walk was after the evening meal, which is often the largest of the day and therefore causes the greatest rise in blood sugar.

Lately, I've felt cold after the evening meal, especially in the legs. I sit at my computer for an hour before retiring to the living room with my husband. Even though it's supposed to be summer, the temperatures are low. He's nice and warm, having cooked the meal and washed the dishes. I'm so cold I spread a blanket over my legs. Before you scoff that I'm lazy—I have a walking disability. An accident during a hip replacement shattered my femur, resulting in the bone being pinned and screwed onto a shaft. That should have worked, but it didn't. My leg is crooked and my walking is slow and painful. A rollator solves the problem outside.
It's pretty funny when other walkers pass me by on my afternoon stroll. I'm like the tortoise plodding on as the hare bounds past on wings of youth.

Dah! I see it now. Perfectly logical. I needed exercise.

Now I have a dilemma. My schedule will need to change. I've always loved routine—more so since I've passed the 70 year threshold. Mind and body respond well when I anticipate what is to come.

Nothing for it, I must alter that habit and walk for my life. Apparently, three 15 minute walks are better than one 45 minute workout.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this advice?

'May you live a long and productive life'. This is considered the ideal. But, let's break it down. Do we really want to live a long time?

This morning, a news article featured the world's oldest man who died yesterday.

Officials in Japan have announced the death of the world's oldest person and the oldest man ever to have lived. He died of natural causes aged 116. Kimura was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person in December 2012, after a woman from the United States died at the age of 115. The centenarian had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 15 great-great grandchildren, and worked at a post office for about 40 years. After retiring he took up farming which he continued to do until the age of 90. Positive and optimistic, he did not smoke and only ate until he was 80 percent full. His motto was, 'Eat light and live long'.

Back to 'May you live a long and productive life'. Live a productive life in what way? Loving your family? Keeping your immediate surroundings clean? Working at a job you don't really like for the sake of maintaining your life-style? Or doing something you really love long into your dotage? Of all of these, love is the most important. However, occupying your mind with an activity that brings joy must rate highly.

The other day, a writer friend died after a long life. I'm not certain of her age, but I believe she'd lived over 100 yrs. Laurel Lamperd was happy and fully occupied with her writing. She maintained her blog site and made her last entry in May this year.  Her Amazon author site lists seven published books. In this way, she kept up with the times while stimulating her mind. Her last published book on April 15th 2013 was Journey from Walara.

I wrote this poem for Laurel on her last birthday in May.