Well hi there tumblrites. Sorry I’ve been away for so long for some reason I got locked out of my own account.
Anyway what’s been happening? Oh aye she’s gone! I am happy to say that I managed to avoid all the coverage of the funeral.
In other news labour MP’s manage to undermine their own 1st minister at every opportunity and call me Dave and Gideon still don’t have a clue what they’re doing. That sums up politics at the minute. Ymlaen
I’ve had a new Nikon Camera for Christmas so thought i would try it out on my beautiful wife Jilly x
I have noticed recently that ‘Call Me Dave’ has been reiterating his favourite mantra of ‘we are all in this together’.
Well I beg to differ. Is the prime minister aware that in South Wales 25% of children are living in poverty? Or that fuel poverty is affecting older people to the extent that many are forced to choose between heating their home or eating a meal.
This sir is not all of us sharing the burden. This government has basically let the bankers off scott free for getting us into the recession, allows multi national corporations to pay virtually no tax and lines the pockets of the well off while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves.
I for one did not vote for this. However at least I can say that I did vote. And therein lies the crux of our problem. None of us actually voted for the government we now have! Had good old Nick not been so desperate to have a seat at any table we would not find ourselves in the dire situation we now face.
The actual winner in the last general election was in fact apathy. With so many people choosing to stay away from the polling stations no wonder we find ourselves in the state we are currently in. Now I’m not sure whether or not I would be in favour of compulsory voting but surely something must be done. I realise that even if we made it compulsory to vote still not everyone would however I am convinced it would be better than the situation we now face.
I will be interested to see the outcome of the referendum in Scotland on independance. With 16 and 17 year olds voting I think it could put a very different slant on the outcome. If I am honest I haven’t looked at the pros and cons for Scotland but I do intend to take a keen interest in the debates as they unfold over the coming months. Why? Because I believe that for Wales this could have a major impact. Already there has been talk of relocating the nuclear submarine fleet. Do I want nuclear weapons in Wales? No is the short answer, and this is not a NIMBY attitude I would rather see them done away with all together.
If Scotland decides to go it alone then why not here in Wales also. After all we have an abundance of renewable energy resources. We have high unemployment which may seem a negative however it could also be seen as a workforce in waiting.
My question is not so much why should we be independant but rather why not?
I was interested to read recently that the leader of the Liberal Democrats described the intervention of Leighton Andrews in the row over GCSE’s as meddeling in education.
The question I find myself asking is, if education in devolved to the Senedd then how can it possibly be described in this way. Either the Welsh Government has the right to do as it pleases with devolved powers or it doesn’t.
Here in lies the crux of the matter. While we are at the behest of London there will always be this dilema. It is my opinion that while full independence may be some way off there is no reason why such things as tax and justice should not be devolved now.
I must say that I am in favour of independence, and yes I know I am English but I have chosen to make my home here. For Plaid Cymru to succeed in gaining support for this they must put forward a robust economic plan for the future.
At the centre of this surely should be the parties ‘Greenprint’ agenda. Leanne Wood was instrumental in drawing up this report and is now in the perfect place to see it enacted. Renewable energy is something we have in abundance in Wales. Let us make the most of this.
It is easy to allow politics to take a back seat when there are no elections around the corner but if we dont act and continue to act then just as happened at the last election apathy will win the day.
This is why I am supporting the new initiative promoted by Plaid Cymru to enable grass routes supporters to become community champions. Local people who are aware of the local issues and who are willing to keep the topics important in their particular area high on the political agenda.
Wales has always had a strong heritage, it’s time for it to have an equally strong future. To be part of this why not have a look at the Plaid Cymru website and see how you can be part of the change.
Andrew Murray wrote, ‘God has no more precious gift than a man who lives as an embodiment of His will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do.’ When Paul writes, ‘Be an example,’ he means ‘be a role model.’ The first car off the assembly line is a prototype of all that follows. Dressmakers study the pattern, and then design the garment accordingly. The word ideal sounds lofty, and it is. But even if you don’t achieve the ideal, it should still be your goal. What Paul was saying to young Timothy was, ‘When you talk about Jesus, people should see so much of Him in your life that they desire to know Him. When you talk about faith, the evidence of it should be so compelling that they want to live by it.’ The poet wrote: ‘I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way. The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear, fine counsel is confusing but examples always clear. And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds, for to see good put in action is what everybody needs. I soon can learn to do it if you’ll let me see it done; I can see your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And the lectures you deliver may be very fine and true; but I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do. For I may not understand you and the high advice you give; but there’s no misunderstanding, how you act and live.’
It’s nice to say, ‘Be an example,’ but in what specific areas? For the next few days let’s look at some of them: ‘Be an example…in speech.’ Go back and read what Paul says to Timothy before this: ‘Don’t let anybody look down on you because…’ When you speak, your credibility is at stake. Solomon says, ‘Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him’ (Proverbs 29:20). The trouble with words is, once they’re spoken their impact is felt either positively or negatively-and you can’t take them back! You can say you’re sorry, but you may have to rebuild your credibility with the person you spoke to, or about. Here’s the litmus test for your words, and it’s a high standard: ‘May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord’ (Psalm 19:14 NLT). The poet wrote: ‘A careless word may kindle strife; a cruel word may wreck a life. A gracious word may soothe the way, a joyous word may light the day. A timely word may lessen stress, a loving word may heal and bless.’ So today let your words be faith-building, for people battle with doubt and fear. Let your words be comforting, for people have wounds you cannot see. Let your words be uplifting, for people get torn down by criticism and discouragement. Let your words be calming, for God has promised to bless you if you are a peacemaker. And let your words be character-building; that way you’ll leave people better off than you found them.
Seneca, the Roman statesman, said, ‘I govern my life and thoughts as though the world were to see one and read the other.’ You can always predict what a person of integrity will do in two areas: 1) In business. Saying ‘no’ to your boss usually isn’t a good career move. But when faced with a choice between his career and his convictions, Daniel refused to eat the king’s meat because it was a violation of God’s law (Daniel 1:8-17). Joseph refused to sleep with the boss’s wife (Genesis 39:6-12). Elisha refused to accept a rich man’s money in exchange for healing (2 Kings 5:1-16). Getting the idea? 2) At home. Noah saved his family from destruction by listening to God (Hebrews 11:7). And the first thing he did when he emerged from the ark was to build an altar. Think about that! Noah had an altar before he had a home. Most of us have homes, but no prayer altar, and it shows! Lot, on the other hand, lost his wife and his sons-in-law to the destructive influences of Sodom (Genesis 19:14-26). Today issues of character that once raised alarm don’t even raise an eyebrow. But they should. ‘I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect’ (Romans 12:1-2 NLT).
Jesus said: ‘Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful’ (Luke 6:35-36 NKJV). Such words bring us to our knees, for we fall far short of practising them. The pastor of a large church tells of being on an elevator with a drunk man who was throwing up. The pastor couldn’t wait to get off. All the way to his room he kept criticising the man. Later that night God spoke to him and said, ‘You laughed at him, but I loved him enough to die for him.’ Watch your attitude! The same sunshine that melts the butter hardens the clay. When you constantly deal with people’s problems, it will make you either callous or compassionate. In spite of his disappointment in people, Jesus never lost His sense of compassion. Love isn’t a virus that you catch, it’s a virtue you’re supposed to practice every day. And there’s a divine dimension to this kind of love. ‘…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Romans 5:5 NKJV). You can’t reach into the well of your own emotions to find such love; you can only take the love of God that’s been poured into your heart and share it with others. And if you are to serve God successfully, you must have regular transfusions of His love.
In Bible times, Jews looked down on non-Jews. They actually referred to them as ‘dogs.’ So when Christ’s disciples went in to a Samaritan village to find accommodation for the night, they were turned away. How did the disciples handle this? With understanding? Not a chance! ‘They said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what…spirit you are of’ ’ (Luke 9:54-55 NKJV). Check your spirit! You can be totally unaware of your attitude toward others. You can even use Scripture to justify yourself. The disciples thought that because Elijah called down fire on his enemies at Mount Carmel, they should be able to zap these poor Samaritans. Amazing! Christ had just got through telling them: ‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven…’ (Luke 6:22-23 NKJV). Only as you read the Scriptures and pray, can God shine the spotlight on your hidden biases and help you correct them. Often the look on your face has more impact than the words you speak. You can be arrogant and think you’re being assertive. You can be insensitive and think you’re a truth-teller. You can be purpose-driven and convince people that their only value to you is in what they contribute. When it comes to your ‘spirit,’ you need a regular check-up.
Having the faith required to get answers to your prayers is an important truth. But that’s not what Paul is speaking about here. He begins the chapter saying, ‘…some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits…’ (1Timothy 4:1 NKJV). He warns, stay anchored to the truth, or you’ll be caught in the undertow of error. Here’s a fact that should alarm us: 90 percent of all those who end up in cults started out in mainline churches. How come? Because they weren’t grounded in the truth of Scripture! They are like the guy who was asked, ‘What do you believe?’ He replied, ‘The same thing my church believes.’ When asked, ‘What does your church believe?’ he replied, ‘The same thing I believe.’ When asked, ‘What do you both believe? He replied, ‘We both believe the same thing.’ Bottom line: he didn’t know what he believed! You say, ‘But doesn’t God have more truth to reveal to us?’ Yes. ‘The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day’ (Proverbs 4:18). But God doesn’t destroy the foundations of truth, He builds on them. Sometimes Bible teachers with fresh revelation act like ‘the party started when I arrived!’ That’s ego, not anointing! We are not called to be tasters of experience, but testers of truth. We must honour the ministry, but understand that just because a preacher says it, doesn’t make it so. The Bereans ‘…received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so’ (Acts 17:11 NKJV). You must do that!
This word ‘purity’ refers to that which is not polluted. Pollution causes disease and death. The products on the grocery store shelf may be beautifully packaged, but when food-borne illness results, we must go back to the source and find the problem. What is it? Careless, cost-cutting methods that not only permit disease but promote it. Consider this: some of the things that entertain us today would have shocked our parents and grandparents. Is that because we are more enlightened? Look around you and judge for yourself! While living under his father’s authority the Prodigal Son was well off. But in search of enlightenment and entertainment, he ended up in a pigsty. Yes, he was forgiven and welcomed back home, but he lost a lot in the process. Today the world of politics, education and entertainment are battling for your mind, your attention and your allegiance. So here’s a Scripture you need to think about carefully: ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5 NKJV). In other words, submit your thoughts to God. If He approves them-they’re okay. Paul writes: ‘We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT). If you don’t ‘capture’ wrong thoughts and submit them to the test of scriptural truth, they’ll lead you in the wrong direction.
These thoughts came from a series by a man called Bob Gass. Life would be so much easier if we took a moment to consider our words especially in these days of social media where negative comments may be shared around the world at the click of a mouse. I realise not everyone reading this shares my beliefs but my thought in publishing is that we really can care for one another regardless of belief if we just take the time to consider what it is we say and how we say it.
It would appear that Mr Osbourne has devloped a new sat nav. Unfortunately all it does is tell you to make a U turn at the next opportunity!
It has to be a worry when those who are supposed to be leading the country really dont have a clue as to what they are doing. However, what scares me more is that we still have another three years and there are no signs of things improving.
I suppose I should be getting all excited about the Jubilimpics but to be honest those of you who read this regularly will know that 1) I’m a republican and 2) I don’t know why we should be paying millions to promote London. Yes I know Bah humbug and all that but while you are all revelling in the delights of shelling out all this money remember that unemployment is on the rise, there are more 16 - 25 year olds who have never worked, and if posh boy has his way probably never will because he is expecting those of us with jobs to keep working until we drop.
We must find an alternative to same old same old. In Wales we have renewable energy sources in abundance but the Welsh Governement needs to be able to have fiscal responsibility to be able to utilise these most effectively. Now as you may already know dear reader I am all in favour of independence, I know that is hard for some to swallow so lets go for tax setting powers devloved to WG and more control over what happens in this wonderful country. Oh and before anyone starts the ‘but you are English’ thing, I am but I have chosen this wonderful land as my home.
I dread to think what state the United Kingdom will be in by the end of this parliament. We need change and we need it sooner rather than later. We are in a recession which makes the eighties look like a boom time, we have a government no body voted for and that appears to not know one end of an economic stratergy from another.
Plaid Cymru’s team in the Senedd have the answers but no body seems to be listening. Local jobs which are real and not just welfare to work, a green print for growth which will also protect our environment and more importantly a series of policies which cares about people.
We all know that there is a better way than the track this government is taking us down. Lets hope that posh boy and his cronies make a few more U turns before its too late.
These very simple instructions when applied to any potential suitor for your little princess may prove invlauable. To all dads’ out there enjoy!
Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.
Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them.
Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, In order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.
Rule Four:
I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.
Rule Five:
In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early”
Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter:
- Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool.
- Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight.
- Places where there is darkness.
- Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness.
- Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat.
- Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay.
- Hockey games are okay.
- Old folks homes are better.
Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.
Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy outside of Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car-there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.
If you happen to find yourself in a meeting, and it happens more often than you might think, be careful they can be tricky creatures to deal with.
There are two major kinds of meetings:
1. Meetings that are held for basically the same reason that the Queens’ birthday is observed - namely, tradition. For example, a lot of managerial people like to meet on Monday, because it’s Monday. You’ll get used to it. You’d better, because this kind account for 83% of all meetings (based on a study in which I wrote down numbers until one of them looked about right). This type of meeting operates the way “Show and Tell” does in nursery school, with everyone getting to say something, the difference being that in nursery school, the children actually have something to say.
When it’s your turn, you should say that you’re still working on whatever it is you’re supposed to be working on.
This may seem pretty stupid, since obviously you’d be working on whatever you’re supposed to be working on, and even if you weren’t, you’d claim you were, but that’s the traditional thing for everyone to say. It would be a lot faster if the person running the meeting would just say, “Everyone who is still working on what he or she is supposed to be working on, raise your hand.” You’d be out of there in five minutes, even allowing for jokes. But this is not how we do it in Britain. My guess is it’s how they do it in Japan.
2. Meetings where there is some alleged purpose. These are trickier, because what you do depends on what the purpose is. Sometimes the purpose is harmless, like someone wants to show slides of pie charts and give everyone a big, fat report. All you have to do in this kind of meeting is sit there and make up elaborate fantasies, then take the report back to your office and throw it away, unless, of course, you’re a head of service, in which case you write the name of a subordinate in the upper right hand corner, followed by a question mark, like this “Harry?”
Then you send it to Harry and forget all about it. (Although it will plague Harry for the rest of his career.)
But sometimes you go to meetings where the purpose is to get your “input” on something. This is very serious because what it means is they want to make sure that in case whatever it is turns out to be stupid or fatal, you’ll get some of the blame, so you have to escape from the meeting before they get around to asking you anything.
One way is to set fire to your tie.
Another is to have an accomplice interrupt the meeting and announce that you have a phone call from someone very important, such as the Service Director or the Pope. It should be one or the other, however, not both. It would a sound fishy if the accomplice said, “You have a call from the Service Director, or the Pope.”
You should know how to take notes at a meeting. Use a yellow legal pad. At the top, write the date and underline it twice. Now wait until an important person, such as your boss, starts talking; when he or she does, look at them with an expression of enraptured interest, as though they are revealing the secrets of life itself. Then draw interlocking rectangles. If it is an especially lengthy meeting, you can draw more elaborate doodles and maybe even a caricature of the boss.
If somebody falls asleep in a meeting, have everyone else leave the room. Then collect a group of total strangers, right of the street, and have them sit around the sleeping person until he wakes up. Then have one of them say to him, “Bob, your plan is very, very risky. However, you’ve given us no choice but to try it. I only hope, for your sake, that you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Then they should file quietly out of the room.
