Sunday, October 11, 2009

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - Stonehenge, President Obama and Marge Simpson

It's been rather a strange week, with news from both sides of the pond causing some discussion.

First archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric site near Britain's famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge. Dubbed 'Bluehenge' after the color of the 27 Welsh stones of which it was once made up, it was uncovered over the summer near Amesbury in Wiltshire. It lies at the end of the 'avenue' - a pathway connecting Stonehenge to the River Avon, about a mile away from Stonehenge.

Then we heard how President Barack Obama had been awarded the "Nobel Peace Prize", which was to shock to even the people in the white house. It perhaps should not come as quite so much of a shock when you realize that the award is named after the person who not only discovered dynamite and ballistite, but was instrumental in turning Bofors from an iron company to an armaments company whilst he owned it. Why Nobel wished the Peace Prize to be administered in Norway is very unclear.

Obama however not the first US president to be awarded the "Peace Prize". Theodore Roosevelt won the prize in 1906 for his "mediation to end the Russo-Japanese war and for his interest in arbitration, having provided the Hague arbitration court with its very first case."

In 1919 President Woodrow Wilson won the award as "Founder of the League of Nations".

In 2002 another American President, well "X-President" won the award. This time it was Jimmy Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development"

The winner of "The Nobel Peace Prize" had often been controversial, with several of the selections being heavily criticized.

When President Obama collects his award he will be the 4th US President to receive the honor, yet Gandhi despite having been nominated five times, never won the award.

Then yesterday it happened with the shock report that Marge Simpson is gracing the cover of Playboy magazine, becoming the first cartoon character in the publication's history.

The November issue sees Marge posing on a chair with the distinctive Playboy Bunny logo.

It marks the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons, viewed as America's most dysfunctional family.

The move to put Marge on the cover is an attempt to draw in a younger audience for the soft porn magazine.

Barry




BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

1 comment:

  1. That's comforting. Nice to know they are trying to attract younger readers to Playboy. Good grief!

    ReplyDelete