Breast Cancer Breakthrough.

Breast Cancer Breakthrough! This comes just in time to give a boost to all those who will run in the ‘Race for Life’ in Glasgow on 6 June. These ladies should be saluted for taking on this challenge of not just running/walking the distance to qualify for their medal, but raising £Millions in a great and very worthy cause. Who among us, does not know someone who has been touched and even afflicted by this disease? Every penny raised will go to help find a cure for a world wide disease, which knows no friends! So to all you ladies and children who will take part on 6th June, go for it, and may God go with you!

Now a University in the USA has found a breakthrough vaccine which stops breast cancer BEFORE it happens! This has never been known in any research until now, so it is momentous!! The research team are excited because when mice with the cancer gene were injected with this vaccine, EVERY one survived. Only those without the same jab, got the cancer. So, the plan is that every woman over the age of 40 (normal child bearing age) will be given a jab, and will NEVER need to worry about contracting breast cancer. Does the significance of that not take your breath away?

Because we all know someone dear to us who would have benefitted from such a jab, we are all the more delighted that others will not need to go through the pain and heartache which this disease brings in its wake. This research is in very early stages, and it may take up to ten years for all the trials in labs and ladies to be completed, but if the success of the work on these mice is anything to go by, it will be a wait well worth having. Oh, I am sorry for all those animal testing activists out there, but in my book, these mice are heroes, and if that is the start of a new drug, I am not upset with the loss of a few (or even many) mice. Many, many ladies across the globe will benefit, so will it be a price worth paying? Yes. Absolutely, YES!! 

The World versus Israel

It seems that every time Israel is in the news, it's as a result of a media backlash against their protection of their nation, and people. The latest case has caused an international row. My understanding is that a flotilla of boats carrying aid to the stricken people in Gaza was set upon by the Israeli military, resulting in death and injury on both sides. So at first report, it looks like Israel stopped necessary aid getting to needy people.

What about some facts then? The flotilla of boats in question had been offered to go through the regular and independent channels used and sanctioned by Isreal, like the Red Cross, and the United Nations, but they chose not to do that. Instead they set sail for Gaza, in the full knowledge that this would cause a storm. When the 'aid' was searched, many weapons were found among the aid. Not only that, but some of the sailors were armed ready for combat. They knew what was going to happen, and got ready. It looks like it was a set up, and the world's media once again rose predictably to side with the lawless.

It also needs to be said that Israel is making sure the non military aid gets to Gaza by road, when the cargo has been fully checked. In other words, Israel is NOT against aid getting to Gaza. The reporting does not show this side of things too clearly, just that a well trained Israeli army stormed boats which were known to be carrying cargo from those with clear links to paramilitary organisations like al Qaeda and Hamas. They are proved right, but still the world is in a battle against the nation of Israel. I wonder why? I am sure you will have your own thoughts on that, but sometimes things don't stack up the way they are reported. We are living in an 'anti everything Israel' culture.

There is no doubt that the people of Gaza are poor and in need of help. That much is not in dispute, but why are the people there in such a state? Can they continue to blame everyone else (especially the Israelis) for ever? The country is barren, but look across the border and see the same desert flowering and producing crops to feed their peoples. The housing is very bad, and could be described mostly as slum, but look across the border a few miles and see what has been done there. We cannot put it all down to the Gaza people being kept poor by their hated enemy of Israel. Gaza has a part to play in the state they find themselves in now.

The media seem to have a policy which goes something like this. Gaza fires weapons and kills people in Israel, no problem. Israel fires on Gaza and kills, then there is a storm of fury. It all seems unbalanced to me. What I really want to see is a balanced reporting of the tension in the middle east, but I think that is asking too much. Now back to the original question, "Why"? I reckon the answer is not too difficult to figure out, but we don't want to admit it.  

David Laws in Trouble..

David Laws is the Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer's right hand man. He weilds a lot of political financial clout in our new coalition Tory/Lib Dem government, so he knows his way around the money of the country. He has now been found to have claimed £40,000 in expenses to house his 'long term male partner' of 10 years. His name didn't come up when the whole expenses scandal raised its ugly head in the months before the General Election, and he certainly didn't poke his head above the parapet to 'come clean'! Why?


Apparently, he, and others are debating the meaning of the word 'partner'. Yes, these top guys in our political elite, don't know what the word partner means! Amazing, isn't it? Maybe, just maybe they are looking for some way to get him off the hook, or am I being a tad cynical? There is the very obvious question of ethics and morality here too, and that's not even taking into account the fact that the money claimed was for his gay partner! There is the moral question of why did he try to hide the fact of his dubious expense claims over the past 9 years? The media report that he was only trying to 'protect his private life'.


Politicians don't have a 'private life' and everyone accepts that, especially within the political scene, so what does he mean? My own opinion is that he viewed his gay relationship as a stumbling block to his career, and so didn't want to expose it, if he could help it. Now he can't help it, and he has confessed and apologised, in the hope that it will all blow over quietly and quickly.

Who is kidding who here? These people took the electorate as fools before, and they are trying it again! The new PM, David Cameron, must be nervously waiting to see what the media will do about this, especially so soon into his leadership. I think the coalition is seeing its first big test. What to do? Let me help.... There is the moral question of pretending not to know what the word 'partner' means in the context of a relationship. Then there is the moral and ethical question of siphoning off £40,000 in expenses for his partner. Then, and most importantly in my opinion, there is the secrecy and hiding of the fact that he had a gay lover. I think this is key. If he was fully at peace with his gay lifestyle (he is not the first in the Commons) he would have been open and above board about it. Perhaps he was ashamed of it, and hence his reluctance to declare the expense because in doing so, he would have had to also declare his lifestyle.


Message to the new PM David Cameron. Don't sit on the fence in the hope that we will forget, and be taken for fools again. Sack David Laws and find another morally and ethically better one. That can't be too hard, can it?

MMR Scare

If I ask you who Andrew Wakefield is, you might not know. If I ask you if there might be a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children, you might say yes, because there has been a link proven about it. Many, many concerned parents up and down the country in the past few years have not given their babies the MMR jab because they feared the link to autism was too high to take a chance. This was, and still is, very understandable. After all, who wants to take risks with the health and welfare of their children?


Andrew Wakefield was a UK MD until today. He was struck off the medical register for his 'professional misconduct' regarding his misuse of the MMR research, which led to an almost epidemic surge in some areas of measles, which is easily protected by a MMR jab. Measles can be a very dangerous condition, especially in young children, so this doctor abused his position as he chased his piece of fame. He convinced enough parents to doubt, that they jeopardised the health of the very little people they wanted to protect.


This man will no longer be able to act as a doctor in the UK, but he is now living and working in the USA, having been discredited in his home country. He has 'lost' a part of his work in the UK, but has fallen on his feet in another country. But what about all those parents who risked everything precious to them on his say so? What of all those children who suffered measles needlessly? All because of one man's ego.


Sometimes we say glibly that doctors play God, and here is one instance where that is true. This man played God, and won!! What can we learn from that?   

Fergie Falls Foul.

The question is, who can we trust then? Answer, certainly not a newspaper offering you a cool half a million pounds for access to their ex husband! How stupid can a person be?


I had figured Fergie to be a wise and clever person, and certainly not the kind of woman who would fall for such an obvious (well it seems obvious to me) scam. We have seen stories of politicians getting caught on camera bending and breaking moral laws, and the laws of the land as well. Now we see another high profile person being caught on camera, selling her ex-husband's access to an undercover newspaper reporter for £500,000! She's not even married to him, and hasn't been for many years now, but she obviously thinks she can pull strings, as she thinks she owns him.


The whole fabric of our society seems to be getting more and more corrupt, and it is now evident that this moral corruption goes from the highest levels in society and politics, right down to the junkie on the street. We talk glibly about our role models. Who are these people? To go back to the beginning, who can we really trust? All of our nation seems to be stained by some kind of corruption. 


We have been failed by the people at the top, so the new role models are the celebrities. The high living, drug taking, loud, foul mouthed, beautiful people who can't stay with the same partner for a year, and who will have an opinion on anything, and charge you for it. What chance do our nation's youth have? I shudder to think what our society will be like in 20-30 years. We are sowing seeds which will be reaped in years to come, and we only have ourselves to blame. It wasn't someone else. We decided to go along with it, and be one of the silent ones, condoning corruption by our silence. 


I wonder what price we are prepared to pay before we decide to speak up, and better still do something about it. The answer lies in the hands of our Mums, Dads, Grans and Grandas. It would only take a small change to the family unit, but it would have far reaching effects. I think the family adults should be the new role models, and not our questionable celebrities. Certainly not our politicians and 'Royalty', because they don't know how to behave themselves either.

Twin Family Bonus

Sound family units hold the future. A good future, and this can sometimes been seen in the results of a photo shoot. Children who have a secure family unit to grow up in, are fortunate indeed, and this was the setting for this outing to get some family portraits updated.

It is always a pleasure to work with children, even when they are unpredictable, and maybe because they are unpredictable! In this case, it was easy to settle into a routine of fun for the family (well the children!), and work for me. Actually, work is too strong a word, as this was a bit of enjoyment for me too. 

The most important element is the finished result, and whether the parents are pleased with the outcome. Any amount of fun on the day is unimportant, compared to the satisfaction of the end result! I hope you can see the bond of this family unit. Separate people, but united in their love for each other. It's in the eyes!!

For more photos from this series, see my photo gallery on http://www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/picsmphoto

Bad News Comes in 3s

There is an old saying that goes, "bad news comes in 3s". This past week has shown that to be true in my case. First of the three was my washing machine which stopped working, and was not repairable, so a new one had to be bought. Secondly, my gas central heating and hot water boiler stopped working, and the Scottish Gas engineer told me that it could not be repaired either, as it was too old, so yes another expense, this time of a new boiler. Thirdly, my sister had a "heart scare" and had to go into hospital for tests.


I mentioned three things, but only one was important. Two of these 'problems' could be bought with new appliances, the third could not. Yes, the important one was the one which was outside my control. In fact, it was outside everybody's control. Add the fact that she and my brother (in-law, although I don't like that term) live in Florida, so I can't just go and visit. I can phone, and that was good, but it's not quite the same is it? For four days the medics worked to find medication which would get the heart arrhythmia under control, but this didn't work, so a procedure was decided upon which involved surgery. In a time like that, when the medical staff are concerned, you get concerned as well!


Anyone who has read some of my earlier blogs will have gathered that I do enjoy a good and sound Christian Faith, so being so far away, when I was out of other forms of help, I prayed. So did family. So did many others who knew of the situation. What happened next, can be described as a miracle. 


Already in the operating area, and all ready for the anaesthetist, with the surgical and medical staff around, and my brother and friends watching from a room nearby, my sister's heart started to work properly. Immediately. Correctly. The heart rate went from almost 200 beats per minute to a perfect 70. After four days of medical investigation and work, something changed as this particular patient lay on an operating table, and it went far beyond the ken of senior doctors and surgeons. It was a surprise and a shock to all those around, including the medics.


Those who profess a Christian Faith have no doubts as to what happened. It was a direct intervention by God. For those who do not have any such faith, it can be explained away as, something which would have happened anyway. It is not my place to argue about something which can have no rational explanation. It made me wonder why we don't usually expect an answer when we pray? Maybe it's because we don't always see the answers, but in this case it was common, even public knowledge! It is hard to argue against the obvious, and the obvious is that an erratic and unpredictable heart suddenly started to work properly, and before any surgical technique was applied!    


I already have paid for a new washing machine, and I will eventually pay to get a new central heating boiler, but I got a new sister for free! Strange how the most important and the biggest piece of bad news was the worst, but there is no cost associated with the miracle. But then some things have no price tag attached. Things like, Faith, family, and love. 


"For where your heart is, there will your treasure be also". Now, what is important to you?         

Legal Technicality

When a smart lawyer goes into the defence of his client on a 'legal technicality' you know then the defence is in trouble, and they have no real hard evidence to use which will help his client. In other words they look for a loophole. Nothing to do with the crime, but a point of law. When a criminal gets off under these circumstances, I wonder about the law, but also about the integrity of the so called lawyers!


And so, we hear today that BA has lost its appeal on the validity of the striking Unite workers who form the British Airways Cabin Crews. BA, and for this we can safely and accurately substitute the chairman Willie Walsh, hung their defence on a legal technicality, a point of law. Nothing to do with the dispute which separates the two warring sides, but a court case to decide about 11 spoiled voting papers. Willie Walsh took the union to court over 11 spoiled papers!


I have not usually been on the side of the usual union led strikes, but in this case, BA lost it themselves, and their credibility with it. It becomes patently clear that the one and possibly only thing in Walsh's mind is to bring down the union. The trouble is, in using this kind of tactic, he has lost the fight, and lost any moral high ground he thought he had.


There are no winners in this dispute, but I think it has come to the time for Willie Walsh to step down, and do the only decent thing he can. He hasn't done many decent things up until now, so this is his time. In the battle for the hearts, minds and support of the people of the country, and of the employees he is supposed to have in his care, the quicker he gets off his high horse, and goes into early retirement, the better. But don't worry about his future. It is secure. He will enjoy a very large pension, a very golden handshake, and possibly another top job where he can upset even more employees. Who said it was fair?

The Loonies are in Control!

The alleged leader of an al-Qaeda plot to bomb targets in north-west England has won his appeal against deportation.

A special immigration court said Abid Naseer was an al-Qaeda operative - but could not be deported because he faced torture or death back home in Pakistan. Mr Naseer, 23, was one of 10 Pakistani students arrested last April as part of a massive counter-terrorism operation in Liverpool and Manchester. Another student, Ahmad Faraz Khan, also 23, won his appeal on similar grounds.

Whoa there... did you get that? You might have to read it twice, and then think a little.

Two muslim men, trained by Al Qaeda, ready within days to carry out terrorism in the UK to kill and maim, and are considered a threat to our national security... ok, are you with me so far? The UK authorities will not deport them back to their homeland of Pakistan, because they could be hurt there, even tortured or killed. Oh diddums! That's where I got confused. Well, what were they trying to do here?

We have just been through a General Election where immigration was debated in many TV programmes, and it got people very annoyed. Now here we have terrorists IN the country, we catch them ,and we don't have the will to send them back to their own country! Doesn't make sense to me. We want to stop immigrants coming here, but we don't want to send the terrorists we have back home!! It's the wrong way round. Yes, the Loonies are definitely in control.....

   

Winners and Losers

A Christian bed and breakfast owner faces legal action after she turned away a gay "couple".

Their claim for damages in a civil court is being brought under Labour’s Sexual Orientation Regulations 2007, which make it illegal to refuse service to homosexuals, and is being supported by Britain’s leading civil liberties group, Liberty. A letter before action sent by Liberty’s legal director this week claims: “Your unlawful treatment of my clients resulted in considerable embarrassment and humiliation to them both and they seek compensation from you for the injury to their feelings.” Mrs Wilkinson, who lives in the Swiss B&B in Cookham, Berks, with her husband, Francis, took a booking from Mr Black in March this year for a double room assuming he was married. When he arrived with Mr Morgan she told him it would go against her conscience to allow two men to share a bed, so she repaid them their £30 deposit and they left. She said at the time: “If they had gone to a hotel I think it would probably be different, but this is my house, we live here with our children - it's our home that's the difference.”

Her views were later backed by Chris Grayling, who was then the shadow home secretary, and when his comments were reported in a Sunday newspaper it triggered a political storm that may have cost him a post in the new Cabinet. Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute, a lobby group that has previously supported Mrs Wilkinson, said: “There seems to be this view that religious conscience comes bottom of the pile. If there’s a clash, religious people lose every time".

So, who are the winners and losers here? Seems clear to me. 

Winners-

The feelings and embarrassment of a gay 'couple'.

The Liberty Group who have a lop sided agenda of civil liberty, and seem to decide for themselves which liberties to protect. Certainly not the Christian or religious liberty.

Political Correctness.

Losers- 

Christians and other religious groups in the UK.

Christian faith, feelings and convictions which are (were?) the bedrock of our legal system.

Normal (yes, I said normal) Family life. 

Precedent of law. If allowed this time, it will be allowed all the time.

Chris Grayling MP's career

Morals declining even further, and at the hands of our 'own' legal system

The security and sanctity of your own home.

Freedom of thought and expression

It looks like there are many more losers than winners here. So, how much lower do we allow the morals of our nation to sink? How about the gutter? Is that far enough before there is some kind of reaction at grass roots level? One thing is certain, if this goes ahead in Liberty's favour, it confirms that PC has gone mad and is now the 'new morality'. After this, we can expect almost anything immoral to be allowed, and legalised in the UK. Is that really what we want?

Junkie Heaven

This scheme is heaven on earth for drug addicts in Cambridgeshire. Could it be spread across the country? We are on a very slippery slope. No additional words are necessary to see the great harm this will do to our nation's mostly young, drug addicts.

Cambridgeshire police force is set to hand out DIY drug kits containing clean needles and advice on how to safely inject heroin, but critics have labelled the scheme as “farcical”. The so-called “Harm Reduction Kits” will be given to addicts who refuse to take part in a drug withdrawal programme as part of a week-long trial beginning next month. Officials hope the kits will help to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis, and reduce the number of dirty needles being dumped in public places.

Preventing

But former Home Office minister Ann Widdecombe slammed the scheme, saying: “We should be preventing heroin use, not sanitising the use of the drug.” And local MP David Davies said: “I am astonished by this initiative. My understanding is that it is the police’s job to catch drug dealers and possession of drugs is also against the law. “We should get drug users off the streets and if necessary force them to get medical help to combat their addiction.”

Banned

These concerns were reflected by Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, who said: “This is sending out mixed messages about drug use. The authorities should make their mind up whether they think drugs should be banned or not.” Each of the kits contains three clean needles, a sharps box for the disposal of used needles and a manual on how to inject drugs safely.

The Odd Couple reruns on TV

Remember the old TV show, 'The Odd Couple'?, well they have brought it back in the form of a reality show featuring two new, up and coming, actors called Cameron and Clegg! I have seen a couple of the new episodes, and this promises to be a cracker.


Clegg is cast as the double dealing, underhand, fly guy, shady man, and Cameron is cast as the straight, believable, safe pair of hands. But that's the thing, nobody really knows if that is how the show will pan out. It will be compulsive viewing as we watch the development of two very strong, but as yet hidden, characters. 


Cast your mind back just a few days, and remember the hostility and bitterness between them. Now see them today. Back slapping, double handshaking, smiling, unified, warm hand on the arm couple. It's scary, really scary. But why?? What changed??


Never underestimate the power of power itself! Both of these guys saw an opportunity to be in the country's top job, and deputy. Worse still, they saw what might happen if they didn't 'get friendly'. A very unstable parliament where they were both at the mercy of an already unstable set of MPs, who might easily have brought their parties down, oh and them with it! That's the key. To preserve their own ego, each man had to swallow hard, and smile as they joined together in an unholy marriage/coalition of two very opposite ideologies! Deep down, they don't trust each other. They don't really like each other either.


This show will be dynamite. It will run for 5 years, unless there is a 55% vote of no confidence (that's the get-out clause, so watch out for that episode) and along the way there will be more hugs, laughter, bitterness and tears between the rivals, and their respective camps. Who said politics was boring? Oh, the sad part is that while these men smile, and pat each other on the back, the morality and ethics of the nation goes down and down. They will agree to do many things, but one area they won't touch is the gulf between them where any kind of religious/moral/ethical question must be addressed. I think our two Neros will fiddle while our 'Rome' burns. This union is between an atheist and a Christian! Just my own thoughts, remember.    

Foul Language

Record numbers of people are complaining about the use of foul language on TV and radio programmes. Ofcom, the communications regulator, received 500 complaints in the first three months of this year, and has been asked to rule on a further 1,159 complaints from 2009. These figures represent a significant increase since 2006 when there were 841 complaints.

Obscene

Critics have attacked the use of obscene language, and called on Ofcom to impose stricter guidelines. Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch-UK, said: “This kind of language is not tolerated in the office or in the playground, so why is it on television? “Ofcom’s guidelines should also be tightened up so it is really clear what is acceptable and what is not. And when a company breaches the guidelines there should be real sanctions.”

One of the things I dislike the most, living in the West of Scotland, is the 'street language'. That's the name given for foul mouthed people, who speak about other foul mouthed people, as if it's an excuse or even a reason for swearing and cursing openly.

It's not too difficult to see the reasons for this unacceptable behaviour. We have come to tolerate much more bad language on TV, and it is even used in the home. No surprise then, when toddlers learn at an early age how to curse like the rest of the population, and the parents have the nerve to say, "I don't know where they picked that up". It's funny how they also know how to use the words, and what tone of voice to take!


It is also becoming evident that people who don't actually swear will substitute a word which sounds like swearing, rhymes with the real swear word, and can be used in the same manner. This is usually adopted by those who don't want to be said to swear, but want to 'join the club' of those who do, maybe making themselves appear bigger than they are, and don't have the nerve or backbone to be different, and speak without cursing! I find the non swearing 'swearers' harder to accept than those who swear outright. I think it is the pretence of 'goodness' that gets to me most. 


I certainly would not advocate cursing and swearing at any age, or by any person, so my message to those who are on the fringes of having a foul mouth is, STOP IT, you are doing yourself no favours!!!  

My Father's Way

Normally, I am not one for poetry, or verse, but recently I was sent this poem from a special Aunt, and for a special occasion. No explanation is needed, and it can apply to more than one situation, at more than one time in our lives.

My Father’s way may twist and turn

My heart may throb and ache

But in my soul I am glad to know

He maketh no mistake

My cherished plans may go astray

My hopes may fade away

But still I trust my Lord to lead

For Father knows the way

There is so much I cannot see

My eye is still so dim

But come what may I still can trust

And leave it all to Him

For by and by the mist will lift

And darkness turn to day

Then looking back we will praise His Name

Who led us all the way.

Most Important Job!

We have a new Prime Minister, and his speech outside No 10 was ok. Did you see and hear the outgoing PM's speech a little earlier? It was charged with truth and purpose.


Gordon Brown said something to the effect, "I have had the second greatest job in the country, but the first and greatest job is as a husband and father". Of all the things this ordinary, flawed man has said over the years, and recently, he never uttered a more accurate statement.


Forget the nation's high office. Forget the fame and trappings of being on the world stage, there is no greater work, or job, or vocation, than being a parent! Take that to the bank! It's true, and worthy to be cast in stone. Our children and grandchildren will forget who was prime minister, but they will always remember the parents who loved them above all else, and sacrificed on their behalf.


There are many things about Gordon Brown's premiership which I will not remember in time to come, but I will certainly always remember his speech today as he left the second most important job in the country, to concentrate on Job Number One! 

Nick Clegg, Used Car Salesman?

  The deal has been done, thanks mostly to this Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, however  the question on most people's lips is, "Would YOU buy a used car from this man?" He has done a fair (or very unfair) bit of wheeling and dealing to get to this place. I have never seen so much double talk and double dealing from one politician, to make sure he became 'top dog' and it has been 'dog eat dog' as he aimed for the top!


Having played each bigger political party against the another, using the old tools of half truths, and keeping the other party in the dark, he has emerged as a politician to watch, but for all the wrong reasons. Who can trust him now? Not his enemies, but certainly those he will share the cabinet table with. The old proverb is suitable, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer still". People who will work with Nick Clegg, can be excused if they are seen to be continually looking over their shoulder.... or to put it another way, minding their backs! 


Our nation is at a crossroads, and we need strong leadership, not a coalition which includes a 'wide boy' who has been shown to have no morals or scruples. I think we should be afraid, very afraid! The good book says, "A double minded man is unstable in ALL his ways". If this is accurate, there will be other flaws in his character, and we should be on the lookout for them in the coming days! Trust is hard to achieve, but easy to lose!

Hung or Balanced?

"We will work in the country's best interest". If I hear those words again, the TV might end up in the garden. I am beginning to ask myself if these politicians button up the back, or worse if they think we do! While these top leaders smile and say those words, they remain loyal to their own political beliefs and themes. 
An older statesman said that "these guys are tribal, and when the dust settles, they will become tribal again". That about sums it up. To get to the top level in politics, there are some characteristics which are essential, and being a master of deceit is top of that list. They also need to have an ego the size of Dumbarton Rock, so although the Tories and the Lib Dems are in 'unity' discussions, we need to bear in mind that they are there for their own good, and if it happens to appear to be in the national interest, then all to the good, but the national interest does not come first.
Meanwhile the Cinderella of the piece, Gordon Brown, is waiting in the wings for his 'knight' to give him a call to save him too. So where is the national interest here? I just wanted the election to be the end of the whole thing, but we have to suffer it longer now. Most commentators suggest there will be another UK election in a matter of months, so we will have to go through it all again, so what does that tell you about the permanence of the best arrangement the senior politicians can come up with? Not a lot, eh?
Back to the subject. Hung or balanced? Ah, but does that relate to the parliament, or the politicians? You decide....

The Unspoken Words

There are some words which we find hard to use in our daily lives, and a couple of those are 'death' and 'funeral'. They seem so final, and so cold and unfeeling, and when we are in a situation where the subject comes up, we dodge it and say things like, 'their name was on it' or 'it was their turn' or even 'they got a good day for it' and we think we are being funny or sensitive to the family's feelings.


So, why bring it up in this blog? Well, I went to one this week. Most people who go to a funeral will have been to one before, and there are many feelings which we bring to the situation. Our emotions can run high, partly because of the loss of a special loved one of our own, and partly due to the feelings resurrected by that earlier funeral where we were the affected, mourning family.


My heart tells me that funerals are sad. But what about my head? When all the emotion is stripped away, what are we there to do? The answer depends on the person that we are saying goodbye to. The saddest of all is the funeral where not many people attend. Maybe they were not well known, and maybe they didn't leave an impression on the friends and family they had. Yes, those occasions are cold and sad, but they are not all like that, so what makes the difference?


You can still feel an acute loss, but celebrate just the same. You know what I mean. The person who is 'lost' is not really gone forever, but just for a while! Who knows, maybe a short while. I have found that the funerals I remember best, are those where the person had a real impact on their friends, their family and those they came into contact with. They were nice people, but better than that, they were 'good' people, and even better, they were 'Godly' people! It's not so much a 'goodbye', but more of a 'cheerio' and I will see you later.


Morbid? No, I don't think so. Sad? Definitely yes! But people of faith have an inheritance waiting for them, which we can only imagine right now. The analogy is given of a ship on the horizon, just going out of our sight, but coming into the sight of another country. Another place. Deep within us, there is the strong desire to think that this life here, isn't all there is. There should be more, and so we believe, and have faith in another, and better place. I am in no particular hurry to leave this earth, but I know when I do, my ship will come into the sight of a Saviour and loved ones who are there already, and so my feelings are not sad, but satisfied in my future. A good piece of advice would be to live this life in faith, to your best, but with one eye on eternity! 

It's Not All Bad News

I have added this article to balance things a little, and to suggest it's not all bad news, even if it feels like it sometimes.

A Christian Tory candidate who faced slurs over her church involvement has been backed by party leader, David Cameron. Philippa Stroud is standing for the Conservative Party in Sutton and Cheam, South London. At the weekend The Observer newspaper alleged that she helped establish a church 20 years ago that taught homosexual conduct could be ‘cured’ through ‘prayer’.

Misreported

The Guardian website reports that Tony Blair’s former press secretary, Alastair Campbell, was pushing for the story to have wider coverage. But David Cameron told the BBC that Mrs Stroud had made “a very clear statement to say she was completely misreported”. In her statement Mrs Stroud said: “I make no apology for being a committed Christian.

Offended

“However, it is categorically untrue that I believe homosexuality to be an illness and I am deeply offended that The Observer has suggested otherwise. “I have spent 20 years working with disturbed people who society have turned their back on and are not often supported by state agencies; drug addicts, alcoholics, the mentally ill and the homeless that I and my charitable friends in the public sector have tried to help over the years. “The idea that I am prejudiced against gay people is both false and insulting.”

Poverty

Philippa Stroud lives in Sutton with her husband David, a church leader, and their three teenage children. She is Director of the Centre for Social Justice, an independent think-tank set up by Iain Duncan Smith in 2004 to tackle poverty and social breakdown. Last month senior Tory, Chris Grayling, said Christians who run B&Bs from their own home should be allowed freedom of conscience over the provision of double beds to same-sex couples.

Principles

Labour and the Lib Dems slammed the suggestion and Labour’s Alan Johnson called for Mr Grayling to be sacked. But Mr Grayling said that “we must be sensitive to the genuinely held principles of faith groups in this country.”

Marriage it is NOT!

mar·riage (Dictionary Definition)

  –noun

The social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

Quote: The Tories will consider the case for renaming same-sex civil partnerships as ‘marriages’. Yesterday Tory equalities spokeswoman Theresa May launched a document that stated a Conservative-led government would “consider the case for changing the law to allow civil partnerships to be called and classified as marriage.”

Ok, so now we know that the door is open. Not just ajar, but open. There was no shouting, no debate, no discussion, the minority has spoken, we bowed, and we have fallen like a house of cards. Like a domino rally, all in a row, one moral standard after another. I remember being told by those who advocated civil partnerships, that this could never be thought of as a marriage, all that was wanted was civil equality in matters of state. Well, well, it hasn't worked has it? What happened while we slept on our watch? The enemy has got in, and we will reap the results and regret in leisure.  


I don't know about you, but I am getting tired of tip-toeing around the PC culture we have created, which we all thought was going to protect us. Instead this one way tolerance has brought us to see changes which would have been unthought of a mere 30 years ago. And all the while the clock ticks, time passes, more bad law is introduced, and we tut-tut and moan about them.


We have now successfully reduced the sanctity of marriage to a mere joining of two people, and it doesn't have to be a man and woman. It might as well be a man and a chicken (or a woman and a turkey) for all it means now! To cap it all, this is being considered by the political party who is supposed to be the guardian of family values. Who are we kidding? 

I started to blog about the moral position of the politicians, as we head towards the General Election. Now this eleventh hour statement which will tickle the ears of the 'social progressives', but make the other normal voters wonder, what comes next. The polls seem to show that the Conservatives will win this election, so now we must... watch this space!! 

Getting Nasty

There is only a short 48 hours until the nation goes to the polls to determine the nature of the next government. I have already voted, using my postal vote, but most other folks will take a trip to the polling stations on Thursday 6 May 2010!


You must have noticed that all the candidates are getting as much as they can into the last few hours of their campaigns. After all, when a balanced or hung parliament is very possible, it is understandable that they are out campaigning hard for every vote, and rightly so.


The side of the campaign which I am finding more and more distasteful, is the way the media is conducting themselves. They have had a great time over the past few weeks, basking in their own piece of reflected glory, as they look for gaffes and headlines, but it is starting to turn nasty. Very nasty. I notice that every TV presenter wants to put every politician under as much pressure as possible, and it doesn't really matter how they do it, or what tactics they use. 


The people I refer to are Andrew Neil and Jeremy Paxman in particular, but the attitude applies across the board. It's like they are in the death throes of the election, and want a bit of publicity for themselves. I am no sympathiser for the politicians, but can these interviewers not let them speak for themselves, without continually putting words into their mouths? Having followed most of the election programming so far, all I can say is, thank goodness it is almost over, because I have had just about enough of the big headed, arrogant, loud, 'see me' interviewers that I can take. 


At this point I now see the media as worse than the politicians (even the bad ones), and that is saying something!!

The Real Moon Walkers

This weekend in Inverclyde, there is a very large group of women making their conviction loud and clear, that they want to beat cancer in all its forms. They will walk in moonlight, through the community, probably dressed in strange clothing, and with a happy, and cheerful step. Many of them do not have a reason to be like that. Many have lost loved ones to this horrible disease, and there will be those fighters in the crowd, who will be 'in treatment' to get their own life back.

There are many good, and worthwhile charities looking for your attention, and yes, money too. It is not always easy to decide who should get the benefit of your cash, but can I ask that you please leave something over for this charity, and others like it?

This disease affects men as well as women, and in different ways. Husbands, sons, brothers, nephews, and grandsons too are all affected by a disease which hopefully, in their lifetime will be reduced radically, or even eliminated altogether. I would love that to be the case. You see there have been those who did benefit from great treatment, and loving care, but sadly didn't make it. So, as one of those affected, take it from me that your care and yes money is needed for further research so that this generation of cancer survivors (not victims) will have a long, happy and worthwhile life.

There is something humbling about being in the company of someone who has this disease, and is going through treatment. These are the people taking every day with vigour, and living it to the full. They seem to be the most positive and yes, even happy ones I have had the privilege to know and love. These are the ones to remind us that we "don't know just how fortunate we are". (That's a direct quote from a very special and heavenly, 'moon walker' of my own.)