TOP TEN: The Absolute Truth (From The Argus)

Hmm 10 also see Pizza.

Great read as ever.

1. Colds and hangovers affect men worse than women.

2. Women can say that they want the body they had when a 16 year old girl but if their husband agrees he's in trouble.

3. Advice from family and friends is usually not what you wanted to hear.

4. If you laugh out loud at a memory of a Gerbil called Nob then you may be amused to know that my nob looks like a Gerbil.

5. Cruelty to the innocent should make you cry.

6. Each season has a distinctive smell, but Spring and Autumn smell the sweetest.

7. Plucking your eyebrows when drunk is the sign of a bad party.

8. Women who create lists about life/themselves will include shopping references.

9. A problem is rarely as difficult to get over as at first thought, health and friendship are the only things that matter.

10. If on a night out a Kebab seems like a good idea you should have gone home an hour ago.

11. It is easier to amend someone elses list than to create your own from scratch.

12. And my own, beliefs are more powerful than reason.

I'll attempt a few comments, Alice, although the task you set is enormous. Your ten points are opinions rather than 'facts' (although the word fact comes from the Latin 'faceo' which is something 'made', so in a very real sense your personal usage is more justified than the more general usage). In the terminology of modern science, there are no 'absolute truths', all 'facts' are 'theories' and are, by definition, provisional. I'll keep my comments brief and try not to be boring. First your ten points: (1) not in my case, colds are fewer and less lengthy than in my younger years (2) it is inevitable we regret the waning of the physical body the older we get -- I'm more than twice your age; you have nastier changes yet to come (3) we don't choose our familes: if your friends just 'have something to say', find some proper friends! (4) sorry -- can't understand your 'reactions' (5) all creatures have the right to a happy life? -- mice under your floorboards? fleas on your dog? bacteria, viruses (causing your colds)? (6 & 7) tautologies -- smells are part of the definition of the season? -- your eyebrow problem is part of the definition of drunkenness (8) options never open to me as an insulin dependent diabetic (9) just a restatement of "one person's meat ....", I've never tried Tequila, probably costing more than I'd ever been prepared to spend.

I can't offer a similar list; all my life I have loved learning and although I've collected three degrees along the way, 99% of what I've learned is self taught. Special interests have largely been around the political and/or religious fields, not so much interested in the ideologies tan seeking the reasons WHY individuals become committed to them. The most important people in my life have always been those who have disagreed with me and proceeded to modify or demolish my previously held beliefs. I try to work through a book a week -- but keep changing track and shooting off in new directions. I find this an exciting way to live (in spite of quite regular hefty donations of books to charity shops -- Amnesty International often) -- there are still about 10,000 books crammed in this house (it's probably the only occasional major dissention with Mrs Anubis!).

I'd love to be twenty again, starting off on a new career although it'd be a hell of a problem deciding WHICH of the half dozen options I'd wish to take up. Therefore, I can't provide a list of my 'absolute truths' .. because, whatever I said, I'd probably modify it before the year was out.

We have a largish (?) family -- three daughters -- all with degrees in vastly differing subjects -- all very actively engaged in their fields and all with their own three kids moving through the educational system. There is no point of view on any topic that does not find strong representation within the family. And yes, we often "give advice", often ignored .... and it's NEVER just because it's 'something to say'.

There is only one absolute constant in this life. It is, very simply,this - "Everything Changes"

Facts of Life....


1. Unintended pregnancies account for almost half of all pregnancies.

2. Four out of ten unintended pregnancies end in abortion.

3. Out of the total number of pregnancies, 24% end in abortion.

4. For women ages 15-44, two out of every hundred have an abortion.
Of these, 48% have had one or more abortions previously.

5. For women choosing abortion, 52% are under 25.
Teenagers account for 19%, and women 20-24 account for 33%.

6. Black women are almost four times as likely to have an abortion as white women.

7. Women who have never been married account for 2/3rds of all abortions.

8. The majority of women who choose abortions have already given birth.
Mothers who have had one or more children comprise over 60% of all abortions.

9. Women who have never used any birth control method account for 8% of abortions.

10. For women having abortions, 43% are Protestant and 27% identify as Catholic.

Thanks for your comments again, as always fun, engaging, honest, subversive!

Baldeagle and Anubis - your recreation of my list using your own examples are both genius and enlightening. Both got me thinking of further examples, highlighting Anubis your thoughts that such lists have to be fluid as we grow!

I love the input I get from readers here. Even when we don't agree...

All the best, until next time... RH x