Blank Page No. 14

Luz in Mexico is flying solo with John in London joining in on Sunday and the rest of the moderators playing a supporting role. A team of many talents I’d say. If you’d like to moderate a Blank Page, let me know.

Talking Points for July 1

Good morning, it’s Priya here with a few ideas for what we might discuss on today’s programme. Thanks Brett for looking after the blog overnight.

There are a number of debates already simmering away on the blog. Do you want to hear one of them on the programme?

On air: Is big business crucial to countries in crisis?

As Robert Mugabe begins his sixth term as Zimbabwean President with a trip to an African Union Summit, America wants to increase economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. China and South Africa do not. They argue there is no sense in cutting economic ties, and that in fact business and the co-operation and economic support it bring with it, are a force for good. Who do you side with? What role if any should big business play here?

Nairobi, Mwanza, Johannesburg and Robben Island

Hot off the heels of Glasgow, for those of you in or interested in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, we’ve got confirmed dates on shows from all three countries this month. As always there’s an open invite to come, and we’re after ideas of what we should talk about. Full details below.

Blank Page No. 12

Amy in Oregon and John in London are your hosts. They’re both debuting as moderators but I’m sure they’ll be into the swing of things from the off. If you’d like to host a Blank Page, let me know. All yours Amy and John.

Hello everyone - now that Zak has shown me the way here, I will quickly introduce myself. My name is John (most people call me JJ) and I live in London. Along with Amy I will be moderating comments on this page.

I have a quick question for anyone who might be reading this weekend’s Blank Page: Is the weekend the best part of the week? And should we extend weekends in summertime to allow families spend more time together? Let me know what you think - aspirational or impractical?

Hi all. I think this is a great thing to talk about. I have very fair skin so this is something that could help me some day: Curing skin cancer with your own immune cells

My expectations v those of my parents

Hi, this is Hannah in the UK. I’d be interested to hear what you think of this.

On air: Is being a teenage mum a bad thing?

This started on the blog after yesterday’s show with news of Britney Spears’ teenager sister having her first child.

On air: Is a Western lifestyle something for us all to aspire to?

This came out of a discussion about climate change.

Should we let our leaders lead?

Here’s a question for you. Do you want more involvement in the decisions your leaders take? I ask because we’re broadcasting from the Civicus World Assembly today and it’s fair to say all of those attending believe it’s a good idea.

On air: Should the world increase its search for oil?

President Bush thinks so. He’s called on Congress to end a 27-year ban on drilling for oil in US coastal waters, to reduce dependence on imports. Is he on to something? While the world searches for alternatives to oil, should we not lose sight of the fact that increased oil exploration, means more oil, means cheaper fuel and a lessening of the pressure on the world’s energy requirement and on the cost of living for all of us?