Of the 2,000 people asked, more aged 35 to 44 said that they felt lonely or depressed than in other age groups.
And four in 10 people in that age group had been cheated on by their partner, which can't be improving matters.
The stereotypical midlife crisis is supposed to occur in the late 40s and early 50s, and in men comes complete with sportscar, younger girlfriend and the taking up of a musical instrument - as lampooned in this from a few years back.
So where's the misery coming from? More and more all people, rich and poor, men and women, are encouraged to chase their dreams, but can this only end in great disappointment. Not everyone can win The X-Factor or Australia's Next Top Model.
Ben Sutherland| 17:30 UK time, Wednesday, 29 September 2010
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 29 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
This post was written by Chloe in Louisville and posted by me.
Up to a hundred thousand people will take to the streets across Europe today to protest against austerity measures being implemented by governments across the continent.
The biggest of the protests will be in Brussels, but others will be held in Greece, Italy, Ireland and Latvia. A general strike is also taking place in Spain, hitting transport and other public services.
The protest in Brussels has been described by unions as a day of action under the slogan "No to austerity, priority to jobs and growth".
Are you prepared to take austerity measures for the greater good of the country?
Ben Sutherland| 15:51 UK time, Wednesday, 29 September 2010
or is it a parent's right to protect their children and get them banned?
This was an issue raised in our editorial meeting this morning.
And the High school students from Fern Creek High School, who took part, told us they have a restricted shelf in their school library where all books that have received just a single complaint from a parent are placed.
You can only get those books if you specifically request them, as aren't on display. Kyle, Ali and Jabril will be on the show, hopefully speaking to a parent who supports a ban. Let us know your take on his debate, after all it is .
One book that caused some controversy is after she refused to alter her plotline by replacing a homosexual couple with a heterosexual couple.Ìý
Another author that has upset some parents is Ellen Hopkins. Her first novel follows a grade A student who falls in love with a guy who introduces her to drugs and her life starts to fall apart.
Do young people need to be protected from this type literature? Enabling them to enjoy the innocence of youth? Or by providing them with information abou life choices does it help them become more rounded people?
Ben James| 00:36 UK time, Wednesday, 29 September 2010
It was apt, if unexpected, that pretty much the first thing the World Have Your Say team found in Louisville, Kentucky, todayÌýwasÌýthis karaoke performance over breakfast (yes, breakfast!)ÌýinÌýa local eaterie …
Mark Sandell| 18:42 UK time, Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Alphonsus "Arrow" Cassell - the man who gave the world the summer classic "Hot,Hot,Hot" died earlier this month at the ridiculously early age of 60.
He was favourite - and most famous- son and on Friday the island's 5 thousand population will swell by 20 per cent as people from all around the world arrive to pay their respects - and give thanks for the life of - the "Soca King".
And hopefully i'll be one of them if i can squeeze on to one of the extra ferries and flights being laid on by the island's
Ben Allen| 11:00 UK time, Tuesday, 28 September 2010
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We're updating all the time: / / /
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 28 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
They're often cited as the to peace in the Middle East and its taken just three weeks before the issue has caused in the talks.
The US has sent its Middle East Envoy to try and resolve the situation but have the settlements now become an excuse not to seek peace?
The US, EU and UN wanted Israel to cease construction whilst the talks were on going and on Sunday Mahmoud Abbas said talks were a "waste of time" unless the 10 month moratorium continued.
So where does this leave the process? Do the settlements stand in the way of peace? Could Israel be doing more? Should Palestinians except some settlements are there to stay? Is the lack of negotiation from both sides the real obstacle here?
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 27 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
This week it's the turn of the Labour Party to have its conference in Manchester, and we will be broadcasting the programme from there on Monday. On Saturday the party elected a new leader, Ed Miliband, as Gordon Brown stepped down when they lost the election in May.
During the period from May till this weekend Deputy Party Leader had been standing in as leader, and she will also be joining us on World Have Your Say.
Harriet Harman is currently one of the most important women in British politics. Since she became an MP 28 years ago, the number of women in the House of Commons increased from 3% to 20%.
In an article in Times Miss Harman says that the low number of female MPs exists because there is still an entrenched pattern and expectation that an MP or Cabinet Minister should be a man - because traditionally, they have been.
A Brazilian artist has by unveiling a series of drawings in which he depicts himself assassinating nine world leaders.
Amongst his "victims" are the Pope, George W Bush, the Queen and the Brazilian president Lula da Silva.
Chloe Tilley| 17:30 UK time, Friday, 24 September 2010
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 24 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
"As abhorrent and delusional as they are predictable". The US response to claims by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the US government was behind the 9/11 attacks. He made the claims whilst addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. The US delegation walked out and was joinedÌý by representatives from all the EU countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica.
It comes just just hours after US President Barack Obama seemed to take a softer line with Iran than often in the past. He told the United Nations General Assembly:
Chloe Tilley| 14:54 UK time, Friday, 24 September 2010
.....at 1530 BST. It's not been the easiest of weeks for the Commonwealth Games - 23 labourers were injured when a bridge collapsed, a section of the ceiling in the weightlifting arena fell down, athletes have pulled out, not to mention the athletes' village, which had already been condemned by team officials as "filthy" and "unfit for human occupation".
The Games start in a little over a week (3rd October) and images, obtained by 91Èȱ¬ Sport, have shown dirty bathrooms, animal footprints on beds and exposed wiring.
Should Delhi have been awarded the Games in in the first place? Was it too much to ask of a developing nation? Or is the criticism nothing more than developed world snobbery? Some of you have raised the issue of corruption and disorganisation, while others blame India's work culture. Is that fair?
Ros Atkins| 14:40 UK time, Thursday, 23 September 2010
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 23 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
Just a little to add to what Ben posted about below. It's fair to say that a lot of emails we've received about could be placed into two schools of thought. And they are...
Ben Allen| 09:49 UK time, Thursday, 23 September 2010
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We're updating all the time: / / /
Would you believe these pictures of the now infamous athletes' village in Delhi were taken just two days ago? Well today is the actual opening of the village and its clear from yesterdays discussion you feel very strongly about the games.
After the collapse of the bridge and the concerns over Dengue fever some of you called for the games to be cancelled well it seems people are now questioning India's . With so much at stake many are asking if these mega events are for developing nations?
Hosting mega events is like gambling with public funds - and people from developing nations are both least able to afford it, and the least likely to win.
Of course South Africa managed to pull off a so called mega event which is why this feels India has let down the developing world....
Even if they miraculously manage to salvage the situation and the games take place as planned, they will always be remembered as a country that couldn't build a footbridge that can stay intact for more than a few weeks. By letting this happen at the precise moment that the eyes of the world are on them, India have taken the struggle of developing nations a few decades back.
What do you think? Is it time to rethink who we give events to? Is it too much of a risk for developing nations? Or has India let the developing nations down?
The Commonwealth Games in Delhi are currently suffering worse pre-event publicity than a .
Events are moving fast. Mark Tweeted last night (UK time) that we would be thinking of discussing this on WHYS today; since then, , , and .
Literally as I clicked "publish" on this blog entry, news came through that a ceiling had collapsed at the weight-lifting arena. Who knows what else will have happened by the time we go on air?
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 21 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
Despite Krupa's name above, this is Ros here. In case your bandwidth doesn't like videos, today's show is exploring when a politician must follow conviction at all costs, and when compromise serves their party and country better. I've written more below the video.
Click through to the rest of the entry for a quick look at the Media Room, and a look at compromise around the world.
The Iranian government thinks so, and accuses the United States of a . It says the US is not in a position to criticise Iran over the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death for murder and adultery because the state of Virginia plans to execute a woman for the first time in almost 100 years.
Jeremy Browne is a Liberal Democrat politician who will be joining us on WHYS this evening. Earlier this year, he was appointed as a Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth office as part of the British coalition government. Here's what he had to say.
It's party political conference season here in Britain, and World Have Your Say will be broadcasting from all three main party conferences.
When I worked covering British politics three years ago I went to the political party conferences but back then Labour was in power so this year it will all be very different, now that there is a . On Tuesday we will be broadcasting from Liverpool where the Liberal Democrats are hosting their party conference.
This year the are expecting to have the largest conference they have ever had in their 22 year political
We're here at the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool. Here's a clip Ìýfrom Nick Clegg's speech where he talks about why it was right for the Lib Dems to join the coalition. What do you make of his justification?
Click below to see a clip of the standing ovation he received.
WHYS Team| 14:04 UK time, Monday, 20 September 2010
It's a big, bold statement, but it's one that will be at the forefront of the minds of the bloggers and internet activists gathering in Budapest next week for a big .
On Monday World Have Your Say will be coming to you live from Budapest where we will be gathering together some of those activists to ask whether all the blogs, tweets, mobile-phone videos and discussion boards that promote dissent and democracy have ever achieved it.
Chloe Tilley| 12:00 UK time, Monday, 20 September 2010
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In a little over a week, a small but perfectly formed WHYS team will be arriving in Louisville in Kentucky as part of the . We've been invited by Louisville's NPR News Station and will be broadcasting live with them.
If you're in Louisville we want you to take part. Tell us what the issues are in Kentucky that affect you, but also the world. What should we be talking about? This is your opportunity to speak to the WHYS community across the globe. Post below and I hope to meet lots of you when we broadcast on Sept 30th and October 1st.
Ros Atkins| 17:24 UK time, Friday, 17 September 2010
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The Pope has taken no time in giving us some profound issues to contemplate. Here are several lines that grabbed my attention - in particular his warning of 'a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms'.and 'a truncated vision of man and of society'. Is this sound advice to all societies? Read on for the quotes that caught my eye...
Papal vists are the says this blogger.Ìý With 2012 around the corner, maybe that's why the Pope chosen for his latest trip.
ButÌý whilst the glitz of the Olympics is present, the solidarity isn't. Many of you have mixed feelings aboutÌýhis trip. Controversial statements by Vatican staff about Britain being a , comments by the Pope about the dangers of Britain becoming a modern culture and the ongoing have done little to help the mood.
Despite the above, Madeleine Teahan asks Britain to .
It's normally host to the world's greatest musicians, actors and artists, but who's this shuffling across Waterloo Bridge towards London's South Bank? Yes, it's us lot, led by Claudia who's producing today's programme. And we're looking for your suggestions of subjects we should talk about.
WHYS is taking part in an event organised by the 91Èȱ¬ World Service Trust and the South Bank Centre which is bringing together several hundred women to discuss why the Millennium Development Goals affecting women are the furthest behind their targets.
We'll be broadcasting from the Purcell Room, and last time I went to a gig there was to see excellent Australian jazz trio The Necks (https://www.thenecks.com/). They specialise in very long improvisations that twist and turn over 30 minutes or longer. All of which is not dis-similar to how we're going to approach today's show.
WHYS Team| 18:00 UK time, Wednesday, 15 September 2010
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The EU has called France's decision to deport Roma migrants a "disgrace". The move has sparked international outrage.
But is France right to take targeted action against illegal Roma migrants who they believe have caused social problems and who are perceived by many French citizens to be taking unfair advantage of their country?
KIVPossum commenting on certainly thinks so:
"Of course not all Roma are theives. A high percentage are 'opportunists'. Most of our stores will only allow one Roma in at a time and many have a security guard follow them while they are shopping. The Roma come in, set up camp in a public park or on private property, tie in to the electric grid, hook up to a fire hydrant or some public water source, throw trash around. "
Ros Atkins| 15:31 UK time, Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Cuba cut one million public sector jobs this week. Meanwhile in the States, the Tea Party struck some impressive blows in the primaries, and as its members sit to the right side of the Republican Party, they are no fans of a large state. Also a fire chief in the Uk's in hot water after describing public sector workers as 'bone-idle'. I bet that went down well with his colleagues.
On yesterday's programme about pensions, many of you complained that public sector workers received too many benefits. Others pushed back that a stable, sizeable and fairly paid public sector is the anchor every economy needs.
Clearly you could spend your entire life studying matters of this scale, but we'll dip into it.
We're going to bring together a couple of big thinkers on the issue, and as you listen feel free to question or comment.
Who's been to a tea party? and he tells us not to judge so quickly,
'I didn't see a single racist sign or symbol. In fact, there were numerous African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic attendees who all attested to the Tea Party's incredible colorblindness....They are dissatisfied, but they are not disgruntled. They are agitated but not angry.'
It's a word in American politics that's become hard to ignore, and with yesterday's in Delaware ahead of November's US mid-term elections, many of you are asking what the Tea Party is all about.
Bschuler in Canada asks on Twitter: 'Not sure I understand the Tea Party but Bill Maher on Larry King proclaiming "all Tea Baggers hate African Americans" is dangerous.'
And KeishaMiles in Jamaica Tweets:Ìý 'IÌýscarcely understand American politics. Seems fascinating though - somebody school me on what this Tea Party is ...'
This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 14 September 2010. Listen to the programme.
Update: Today is retirement and pensions day at the 91Èȱ¬, across TV, radio and online. Here's more on the special coverage.
We've been meaning to discuss retirement for a number of months now, so today might be the day. There have been an endless number of global news stories related toÌýretirement recentlyÌýandÌýwe explain a bit more about them in the post below.Ìý
It's being dubbedÌýas the most radical move since the Revolution - Castro meets Capitalism.
Ìý
Up to one million public sector jobs are to go, half of them by March.Ìý For many of you it signals one thing, as Juhasaarinen inÌýNew ZealandÌýtweets: "The Counter Revolution is well underway."
In an interview with last week, FidelÌýCastroÌýsaid the unexpected:Ìý"The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore." For some, this was Fidel acknowledging failure,Ìýand throwing himself at "".
WHYS Team| 14:12 UK time, Monday, 13 September 2010
The new head of Belgium's Catholic Church has promised to focus on victims of institutionalised abuse, in an attempt to rebuild trust.
It comes after a shocking investigation by an independent body found that alleged abuse had occured in every single diocese of the church over decades.
The Catholic Church has been heavily criticised over the years for its response to abuse allegations in , and . But with this newÌýapproach from the Belgian archbishop, should we give them some credit? Is the Catholic Church changing for the better?
In the past 10 years African economies have grown by 6% on average and foreign investment and . Growing external demand for its goods and Africa's growth as a market for goods from elsewhere could see Africa becoming the next .
But despite this, have yet to benefit from the economic success.
Africa still accounts for only 3.3 per cent of global trade and there's been no improvement in higher-education funding, so , teachers and other professionals.
Ros Atkins| 15:00 UK time, Friday, 10 September 2010
Journalists are keen on anniversaries of all types. They give us a reason to return to a subject even though nothing beyond the passage of time has actually happened. Sometimes, that's welcomed by listeners who welcome the chance to revisit issues and emotions that remain of the moment to them.
The 9th anniversary of 9/11 has been brought into sharp focus because of the debate raging about the Islamic cultural centre planned for New York and Pastor Terry Jones. Ros Atkins is joined by guests in New York, Cairo, London, Karachi, Tehran and Baghdad to discuss America's relationship with Islam. See the rest of the TV discussion below.
Dan Damon| 10:02 UK time, Friday, 10 September 2010
Our daily news programme World Update is now available as a 30 minute podcast here
The 91Èȱ¬ has some fine podcasts - including World Have Your Say, of course.
We hope World Update Morning Commute, recorded at 5.30am US East Coast time, brings something extra - a short, global briefing and clear analysis at an important time in the daily news cycle.
Ros Atkins| 22:23 UK time, Thursday, 9 September 2010
UPDATE: Or is it? Having watched CNN try and explain what has happened over the past few hours, their description of it all as 'surreal' seems close to the mark. At the moment, the burning appears to be off, but may yet be back on. Either way, we'll have plenty to discuss come the time of the show.
ORIGINAL POST: Pastor Terry Jones says he will not burn Korans on Saturday, and he says the reason is that the Park 51 Islamic cultural centre will move further away from Ground Zero. The cancellation seems certain, but those behind Park 51 say they're not moving anywhere. All the latest developments are , and of course you can comment below. I'm also posting everything that comes in on twitter .
Chloe Tilley| 15:30 UK time, Thursday, 9 September 2010
There are few politicians and public figures who aren't speaking out against the proposed burning of the Koran at a small church in Gainesville, Florida this weekend, on the anniversary of 9/11. , The US Afghan commander General David Petraeus, The former British Prime Minster Tony Blair, The Pope, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, Sarah Palin, even Kurt Westergaard, the DANISH cartoonist who sparked Muslim outrage in 2006 with a drawing of the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb for a turban,
Is it understandable that Muslims around the world feel angry by what he's planning to do? Would there be similar outrage if Muslims were burning the bible? Or should this be viewed in the same way as President Obama sees it, as a "stunt?"
Nuala McGovern| 22:40 UK time, Wednesday, 8 September 2010
We've popped a load of photos up on our Flickr stream, you can see them at the right of this web page. The photo above is WHYS broadcasting in O'Hara's Pub. And here's a few videos from today to give you a taste of WHYS on the streets of New York. Please excuse the poor sound quality in a couple of them at the World Trade Center site, it was noisy!
Ros Atkins| 14:08 UK time, Wednesday, 8 September 2010
I got in on the last flight from London on Tuesday, so I'm straight into things. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf has written in the NY Times about his proposed Park 51 project. And we're here to get closer to the discussion which finds its roots in downtown Manhattan but which has spread the world over.
Follow us on twitter (, , ).
Our plan is to start at Ground Zero with a construction worker, pass by a bar where many police and fire staff like to hang out, before walking to where the cultural centre will be and talking to customers at supermarket across the road.
Nuala McGovern| 23:31 UK time, Tuesday, 7 September 2010
My second day in NYC today and it had a very different feel to yesterday. The city is coming back to life after the holiday weekend and with it, the debate over the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque has also reignited.
Mark, Alex and I plotted out a route around Ground Zero that Ros may take tomorrow during the show. Park51, the site of the proposed mosque was deserted yesterday, today there an artist, his photo is above, posters with historical quotes and even a car with a makeshift rocket rallying either for or against the mosque. (Click on 'read rest of entry' to see it)
has put Gainesville on the map. His Florida-based church has launched the 'burn a Koran' campaign that has got thousands protesting.
The Miami Herald call it the and a mere publicity stunt.
But it's no longer about one church with anti-Muslim sentiment.
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Petraeus, has said that the move could of troops in Afghanistan and protests have already kicked off in and .
Dan Damon| 12:52 UK time, Tuesday, 7 September 2010
In some ways, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain next week (he's here from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th) is more exciting than the previous Papal visit, by John Paul II in 1982.
Sure, was a rock star and the mood of love and reconciliation with the Church of England was in the air then.
This time, the atmosphere is darker, overshadowed by the child abuse scandal and the Vatican's decision to make it easy for Anglicans to leave their church and "come over to Rome" if they don't like the idea of women bishops.
Hi from NYC on a beautiful Labor Day. I spent the morning looking for venues for Wednesday's WHYS show near Ground Zero. We plan to discuss religious freedom and the Islamic cultural center and mosque that has been the subject of a lot of debate and protests in New York.
I took a stroll past the location for the Islamic center and bumped into people with opposing views. I'll let them tell you what they think about Park51.
They're young, in the money and in the limelight. So should we really expect our sports stars to stay out of trouble?
English football star Wayne Rooney has found himself on the front pages (rather than the back pages) of the papers after of his sexual liaisons with a prostitute whilst his wife was pregnant. His isn't too concerned.
"Man United fans love him. He could be a mass murderer as long as he's scoring goals....It's almost expected that if you are a Premier League football star you're going to be playing away...It's become a pantomime. It's a farce. It's as if it doesn't really matter."
Hi I'm Gillian St Lawrence, In July published my story "By freezing embryos, couples try to utilize fertility while delaying parenthood."
Spurned by the strong reactions I received from people, Alexandra Frean of the decided to interview me and just published "The girl who's put family plans in the deep freeze."
At age 30, despite nine happy years of marriage, my husband and I were not able to offer a child the time and financial resources we believed our child deserved. But, our fertility clocks were ticking. We knew that once we hit our mid-30's we would face significantly greater risks of infertility, miscarriage and genetic abnormality. With no solution to this dilemma we decided that we would not have children - until we found out about embryo freezing.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is changing - that's according to the 91Èȱ¬'s Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. In his latest radio bulletin, Jeremy says,
'A religious war is now being grafted on what used to be fundamentally a competition for territory between two national movements. You can make deals with nationalists. It's much harder with people who believe they're doing God's work.'
Ben Sutherland| 13:50 UK time, Thursday, 2 September 2010
Port-au-Prince still has a hangover.
The disastrous and anarchistic environment that prevails reminds us this city hasn't recovered from that deadly day, when so many thousands of lives were destroyed.
It's the weekend, and like most cities in the world, the dwellers of the capital are having fun: men are having cheap moonshine in an effort to numb their pains and fool their reality, young women are selling their misery to desperate males in need of an illusion of well-being, children are trading their innocence for sweets to monsters wearing the masks of philanthropists. The city is hell-bound.
But these aren't the stories that are making the headlines these days, the elections are; mostly Wyclef Jean's candidacy.
Where did we come from? How did we get here? Just a couple of the questions I'm confident have crossed your mind at some point in your life.
If your answer to these questions is God, the latest book by eminent might make you think twice. Prof. Hawking has revealed that modern physics has no place for the God when it comes to the creation of the universe.
Today Tony Blair's awaited memoirs, have been published and one of the in his book is his relationship with his Chancellor and successor, Gordon Brown. It's no secret that the two men didn't get on but Tony Blair says:
Ìý
"He was difficult, at times maddening? Yes. But he was also strong, capable and brilliant, and those were qualities for which I never lost respect. "
"The relationship with Gordon Brown was very very difficult but also very close. Towards the end it was frankly hard, going on impossible but that for large parts of the time we were in government, he was an immense source of strength.
But this book goes beyond the relationship between these two men, it talks about September 11th, the Iraq war, the death of Diana Princess of Wales, peace in Northern Ireland and even his use of alcohol as a crutch when things got tough. Here are some of the key quotes from his political memoirs.
Pop stars hurling abuse, president's ticking off politicians and sportsmen telling their managersÌýexactly what they think of themÌý-the Twitter tirade seems to be a popular option for getting things off your chest.
Russia's President Medvedev has used caught Tweeting in the middle of Kremlin meeting. The Russia PresidentÌýposted that the politician in question obviously had 'nothing more important to do.'
WHYS is a global conversation hosted by 91Èȱ¬ News. For updates on the stories and issues being covered on our broadcasts, pls visit . This is when we're on air:
1100 & 1700GMT Monday to Friday 91Èȱ¬ World Service radio
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| 14:30 UK time, Thursday, 30 September 2010
