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An interesting hashtag appeared on Twitter today! In case you don’t know what a hashtag is, it’s basically a label to group similar topics together with clickable links. I had to find out what the hashtag #whatstigma was all about, especially because it was trending (a popular topic) in the UK. It turned out to be a campaign to end mental health discrimination, and you can find more about it on their site. People on Twitter who have mental health issues have been encouraged to tell the world today, with the hashtag #whatstigma at the end of the status update.

The website says: With hundreds of organisations and tens of thousands of individuals, Time to Change has built a movement for change that is having a real impact. Organisations across all sectors of society are getting involved.  Check out our new slideshow to see the organisations involved and what they have been up to! Whether you’re part of an organisation, or an individual who feels passionate about ending mental health discrimination, you can get involved today by setting up a campaign in your area or ordering free materials to help you spread the word.

There should be no stigma for those with mental health issues, millions of people cope with them every day and live perfectly normal lives. So I’m happy to add my voice: Yeah, I’ve got issues! #whatstigma

See also: Death of a Friend on Facebook

I love song lyrics as they can be hugely expressive, comparing favourably with the best poetry! I also enjoy sharing lyrics (and I know other people do as well), so I’ve created this special day for sharing lyrics on social media as updates. Put February 16 in your diary and start thinking of your favourite lyrics! There’s a Facebook Event which you can join and invite others to join. Please spread the word! The hashtag to use for anything related to the day is #songlyricsday and this is especially important on Twitter.

The candidates for the nineteenth General of The Salvation Army were announced yesterday. From the left they are Commissioners John Matear, Christine MacMillan, Barry Swanson, William Roberts, Max Feener, Linda Bond, Robert Street, William Francis and Dick Krommenhoek. Commissioner James Knaggs declined.

I’ve noticed from comments on Facebook and Twitter that many people would have liked to see Commissioner Betty Matear as one of the candidates. Unfortunately, although this might have been acceptable in western countries, because the Salvation Army is an international movement there is a difficulty. In many countries and cultures it would be very problematic for a wife to be seen as ‘in charge’ above her husband, whether we like it or not. But I can remember when (even in the UK) she would have been known as Mrs Commissioner Betty Matear! So culture can change and equality become a reality!

Note: See my related post on this subject by clicking here!

Update: Commissioner Linda Bond is the new General! (Monday 31 January 2011)

If you’re looking for software, probably the best site is FileHippo.com. Their site is regularly updated and provides all the freeware (and some shareware) you’re ever likely to need. They also have a very useful updater which will check your system and tell you which software needs updating, it can also be configured to start with Windows and then exit if no updates found. Another useful feature is that the results can be fully customized, and beta releases shown if desired. This is one of favourite websites listed on this page. You can also follow @filehippo on Twitter.