From Tony Benn, MP

From: Violet-Ann Thompson (November 1999)

Dear Mr MacFarlane
I am a student at the University of Ulster in Belfast.
I am studying visual communications. I have recently been given a project on communications in 2010,
my specialisms being politics, education, procreation and the family.
After reading through the information on your website, I feel you have some very valid comments.
Therefore I would appreciate to hear what you think about where the world will be in ten years time.
If you have any theories about my chosen topics or any other area,
would you please either email me or write to me with your thoughts.
I appreciate any help you can give as I know your time is limited.
Thank you again.
Yours faithfully
Violet-Ann Thompson

===================================== reply from EGM
 

Dear Violet-Ann,
Thanks a million! You made my day by writing as above.
And my first move was to tell Geo (my wife of 62 years and mother of all
the children I ever fathered! NB!) to come and see my latest ideological
contact -- YOU!.
I had already composed my "Australia Fair Politics" before reading
my e-mails for today so you can perhaps see that you did well to contact me
for your project "2010" which I will be very pleased to be connected with.
I will add your name to my "cc" people to let you have first
notice of what I am trying to do on a fairly regular basis but I am in the
throes of having to "flit" from Broughty Ferry to Arbroath to be beside our
"carer" Margie Cursiter who is our youngest family member -- see "ABOUT ME"
for a picture of the diamond-wedding Edward Graham Macfarlane and Georgina
Macfarlane family.
I believe in glasnost communications so do not be scared to give me
your truthful opinion about anything. I will publish truthful writing of
all kinds because I am a truthful global democrat fundamentally and will
try to be so until I die. I have my own doubtful dogmas of course : one of
which is that no living person has eaten of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF
GOOD AND EVIL so I hope that my correspondents will all admit that they too
live by GUESSWORK rather than KNOWLEDGE. And that this is why no churches
nor political parties should be given control of any World Parliamentary
public schools.
Best wishes to you and your partner if you have one.
EGM.
 
 
Letter to Eric (World Forum Webmaster)
 
Dear Eric,
I think you have done well to publicise the letter to me from Ms
Violet-Ann Thompson challenging us all to try to forecast where the
constitution of the world society will have moved to by the year 2010.
By that time I will be 99 -- if I am still lucky enough to be alive --
and although I believe I know where I would like it to be my wishes may be
ignored by the Media and Press agencies which are so influential in
determining what the politicians think and do may have actually have
opposed my wishes.
Actually I was surprised to see that "MEDIA AND PRESS" were not included
among the "specialisms" cited in her PROJECT statement. And I was also
surprised to see that "PROCREATION AND THE FAMILY" were cited as
specialisms. What, I wonder, was the basic faith of the person who decided
what Ms Thompson's project would have for "specialisms" as specified. viz.
"politics, education, procreation and the family"..
I would agree that "politics" merits being put first because, in my
view, "politics" is the application of human inventiveness to social law and
order and politics MUST be "global" in definition rather that any form of
part-world patriotism. This is why I condemn "BRITISH" ideology as
practised by Blair, Hague, Kennedy, etc. and "SCOTTISH" ideology is chosen
by some Catholics and members of the SNP etc. and "IRISH" ideology is
chosen by IRA and UVF and others.
In my view the world can only be shaped for the future by people
and the shape acquired by the world under democratic rules obviously
depends upon the motives and guesswork of the living people between now and
the year 2010 SE.
(NB. SE stands for a post-Christian ideology like democracy or "Scientific Era".)
Now if the MEDIA and PRESS were modernly permissive or "glasnost"
we could confidently expect the world to be globalised with a WORLD
PARLIAMENT by the year 2010 SE but if we are still dominated by British
ANGLICANS like Blair or Hague or Kennedy the world could perhaps still be
the simply awful chaotic inter-nations mess it is today .
Please publish this as you have Ms Thompson's first letter and let
us hope that Violet-Ann will tell us what she thinks of the above response
to her challenging PROJECT 2010.
Best wishes to all concerned.
EGM.
 

Some time ago, I attended a Breast Cancer Awareness seminar put on by Terry Birk with support
from Dan Sullivan. During the Q&A period, I asked why the most common (and what seemed to be
deadliest) area for Breast Cancer was near  the arm pit.  My question could not be answered at that
time.  This email was just sent to me, and I find it interesting that my question has been answered. I
challenge you all to re-think your everyday use of a product that could ultimately lead to a terminal
illness.   Precaution? I certainly hope so.  A friend forwarded this to me.  I showed it to a friend going
through chemotherapy and she said she learned this fact in a support group recently.  I wish I had
known it 14 years ago.  I just got information from a health seminar that I would like to share. The
leading cause of breast cancer is the use of  anti- perspirant. A Concentration of toxins that leads to
cell mutations:       a.k.a. CANCER.
Yes, ANTI-PERSPIRANT.  Most of the products out there are an anti-perspirant/deodorant
combination so go home and check your labels. Deodorant is fine, anti-perspirant is not. Here's why:
The human body has a few areas that it uses to purge toxins; behind the knees, behind the ears, groin
area,   and armpits.  The toxins are purged in the form of perspiration. Anti-perspirant, as the name
clearly indicates, prevents you from perspiring, thereby inhibiting the body from purging toxins from
below the armpits. These toxins do not just magically disappear. Instead, the body deposits them in the
lymph nodes below the arms since it cannot sweat them out. Nearly all breast cancer tumors occur in
the upper outside quadrant of the breast area.  This is precisely where the lymph nodes are located.
Additionally, men are less likely (but not completely exempt) to develop breast cancer prompted by
anti-perspirant usage because most of the anti-perspirant product is caught in their hair and is not
directly applied to the skin. Women who apply anti-perspirant right after shaving increase the risk
further because shaving causes almost imperceptible nicks in the skin which give the chemicals
entrance into the body from the armpit area.
PLEASE pass this along to anyone you care about.  Breast Cancer is becoming frighteningly
common.  This awareness may save lives.  If you are skeptical about these findings, I urge you to do
some research for yourself.  You will arrive at the same conclusions, I assure you. Thank you.

Katrina Scott
Asst Director of Sports Marketing
Univ Maryland
P.O. Box 295
Cole Field House/Campus Drive
College Park, MD 20741-0295

Dear KATRINA,
I was delighted to get your letter and if you look at the end of
the attachments to this letter you will find the site address where I hope
Eric Goldsworthy will publish your information about the possible side
effects of anti-perspirants.
Our policy is to be as glasnost as possible about all messages
which come to us from concerned human beings.
This is why you will probably see your ideas being published here.
and, hopefully, commented upon by others.
I myself have recently contracted diabetes and a sweat rash in my
groin which is proving very resistent to curing, If you have any useful
information on that I would be grateful to know what to do.
I have put Eric's e-mail address first among the "cc" people.  GOOD
LUCK WITH YOUR RESEARCH!  Edward.

From Alistair Towers (March 1999)
 
It is quite interesting how my political ideology has changed in the
transition from student to worker. As a Geography student we covered a wide
variety of political ideologies, and the now distant state sheltered house
of academe, which gave birth to many Utopian idylls has been tempered by
the realities of life. In my view a pragmatic rather than idealistic view
of life has become apparent simply from seeing some what life is like for
many people in many different parts of the world.
I took a year out from work 20 months ago, and armed with a round the world
ticket set off to see some places only viewed through Jill Dando-esque spectacles.
In turn, I visited Southern Africa taking in places such as Mozambique and Namibia,
onwards to affluent Oz, to earn some dollars, New Zealand, and then central
and Southern America via a quick stop with friends in LA. Putting it very
briefly it has made me able to view so much and take so much in at a stage
in my life before I am even 30.
If you were to consider, that if I had been born even just 15 to 20 years earlier
then there would have been no way that I could have begun to afford such
an adventure.
Another reason that being around today is so fantastic is that I can communicate
with people anywhere on the planet instantaneously.
I have 'net and e-mail access in my wee flat here in Albert St, and I can speak to
amigos in South America, friends living and teaching in Japan, and ex work collegues
in Australia all from right here!
Being able to visit completely different parts of the
world and see them for yourself means that it is possible to make an
informed judgment on things that previously would have required the
economic capability of a media responsible for reporting 'accurately' back
to your narrow field of Information technology such as radio and TV.
I am very impressed that you have taken to the Net (there's no reason you
shouldn't) the 'net is  not ageist, as it is not racist, sexist or fascist.
In fact there is no such unmuzzled medium as it.