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Friday, December 6, 2013

The Friday Forum - December 6

How could I not start a Friday Forum without my sentiments about Nelson Mandela. He was a man who who spent 27 years as a prisoner in South Africa for opposing apartheid, led his country to democracy, became its first black president and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite knowing intuitively he was near death, his passing left me in tears yesterday. There are few human beings whose accomplishments have affected so many. May he rest in peace and become the guardian angel for those at war and those who fight to gain their freedom and human rights.

Imagine spending 27 years - 1/4 of your life - in jail. Jailed unfairly for so long, he never lost hope and his love for other people. The enormity of his example has left an indelible mark on his country and the world.

It seems rather trivial to go from the death of such an inspirational person to the world of beauty, so I won't - not this morning. I'll leave that fun to you in the comments section.

It's time for the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.

I hope you have a great weekend - without the snow or ice that's headed this way.

Photo courtesy of nelsonmandelaonline.net

11 comments:

  1. While I am happy that they finally let him go, after so much illness, I am devastated that he died seeing his country in the hands of Zuma,the corrupt and immoral. Such a tragedy.

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  2. Of all the global figures, I think Nelson Mandela is one of the most interesting for modern times. He was a communist, pled guilty to over 150 acts of violence (including a bombing) and was associated with a group declared a terrorist group by the US. Yet he fought for freedom and endured great personal sacrifice for that. It truly makes me stop and think how complex is the human race.

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  3. You're right; his life has effected so many people, and will continue to do so for many generations (I hope!).

    In beauty news, I had to switch from my usual skincare products from The Body Shop to drugstore brands, because they're more affordable and easier to get and I don't have to wait for a big sale to buy them. So I switched to Cetaphil. I took the Cetaphil bar with me on a trip recently. It dried out my skin a bit. So I switched the Cetaphil cleansing lotion in the bottle for Normal to Dry skin (I'm older now, and my skin's not oily as it used to be) and that's been working fine! It leaves my skin feeling soft and clean, so tight or itchy. I think it works better than my TBS product. In summer I'll probably have to switch to the Normal-Oily formula. I also took your advice and sprang for the big bucks, and bought La Roche-Posay Anthelios sunscreen lotion. I haven't used it yet, because I'm finishing up my tube of sunscreen from TBS. However, I did get a great deal on the Anthelios - I accidentally bought two bottles, and ended up getting both of them for only $45! Which I thought was pretty sweet. I bought it from Walgreens.com. They're not fancy, but they have good products there. So thanks for your advice, I appreciate it!

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  4. Finally a place I can say. . . . did anyone elso find it annoying that Brian Williams (who I generally adore) kept saying that the 95 year old Mandela's death was shocking???? He reported himself that most the pat 12 months was spent in the hospital and or on the ventilator. His lack of, and inadequate vocabulary was so disappointing and distracting. His death was not shocking. It was always amazing to me me that a man who had suffered the life he had had ever lived so long. He was an amazing man and a wonderful , inspriational leader. history will never forget him.

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  5. Well, I came for beauty and I definitely got - such beautiful words for such an important figure. I called my mom after I heard that Mandela died and she, admitting that she didn't follow the struggle against apartheid as it was happening, asked me how I first learned about Nelson Mandela. The question floored me: it's like asking how I learned about George Washington or Mother Teresa. Some things you just know - RIP Mandiba!


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  6. I have found myself in tears, as well, CG. He never lost hope, he struggled for change, he achieved his goals, and he did not hold on to bitterness. Amazing man...we could use more Nelson Mandelas!

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  7. I agree with Buggsie Bee and Deb's comments. I am South African and here we are very much aware, as stated by ex-Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu (another great man) that all the years in prison changed Mandela, whereby he no longer advocated violence as a means to an end, he had matured spiritually and chose to do things differently for the greater good of us all who live here. It is a tragedy that the current gov in power have not chosen to follow his path.

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  8. He was such a great noble man, we don't have so many in one century, alas!!! I do hope he will rest in peace after those long months...
    Such a pity his successor at the head of South Africa is not inspired by his impeccable qualities of stateman (he seems to be so corrupted, it's a shame)...
    I don't know how you express it in English, but in France we say a man such as N.Mandela is a real "lighthouse" guiding and shedding light in the surrounding darkness...He has inspired and will inspire lots of people, that's for sure.

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  9. Hi CG, We could set our clocks by your blog posts so when you miss one it's a red flag! Hope all is well on your end, with you, your Mom, Charlie, and everyone else important to you. Take care :)

    Denise at aeiokid at comcast dot net

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  10. Hi Denise, my Saturday was chock-full of activities, starting with leaving my house at 7:30 am to pick up Mom for our regular dentist appointments. Got home, after a few errands, in time to leave for a hair appointment. Then had one hour before I took off for MN for a Chantecaille facial (divine!). Picked up a pizza on the way home, ate, and went to bed. That was an action-packed Saturday without a second to write. :) All is fine. Thanks for caring.

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  11. I can't think of a better way to spend a day off work. And a pizza...icing on the cake! Happy you got some 'me' time :))

    Denise at aeiokid at comcast dot net

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