The Knife Angel

We have been experiencing increasing knife crime in the UK, with the majority of cases affecting our young men and boys. Deaths are increasing and there are few towns that have not experienced death or serious injuries. The police have regular knife amnesties, and seize weapons when they find them.

As part of the campaign to draw attention to this useless waste of life and the seriousness of carrying knives, a huge sculpture, made of blades of all shapes and sizes that have been handed in, or seized, has been created. It is called The Knife Angel.

You can read about the Knife Angel here or see the inspiration behind it, its creation, and its current location in Derby in the videos below.

Incidentally, the little map of Derby, shown in the link above, shows MHA “Methodist Homes for the Aged” , where I worked for 17 years prior to retirement.

 

 

The People of a Place — The Chatter Blog

For Paddy, and all those unsung heroes who are the salt of the earth, thanks to Colleen for introducing some of them to us.

We approached an Irish monument. I’m always excited to see the world as it used to be, or relics of it and use my imagination to create how I think it was. It was late in the day and only stragglers wandered about. As I stepped through the gates I could see an elderly man […]

via The People of a Place — The Chatter Blog

Privilege and Fractures

Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind has done a great job of explaining the problems facing The United States of America…and it starts with the haves, afraid they will lose something, vs. the have nots, who are struggling with the long-held belief that upward mobility is possible. This applies equally to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Interesting to note that UNITED appears in both country titles, but fails to appear in everyday living!
Thanks to Margo at https://margosviews.wordpress.com for her initial re blog of this post.

Wanderings of an Elusive Mind

Privilege is defined as “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group”.

As a white-skinned man, you have always been granted the privilege to “sit at the counter”, drink from a water fountain, live in the better neighborhoods, be given credit for some degree of intelligence, admitted to the school of your choice, enter in the business of your choice, ride in the front of the bus, vote for the candidate of your choice. Women have had to fight hard for these privileges. People of color have had to fight harder for these privileges.

Even today, when equality is purportedly granted to all, some experience much more privilege than others.

As a wealthy white man, you have always had more privileges than those of a lower “class” or income group. As a wealthy man, you have always had the privilege of being…

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#WeRemember

There are still lessons to be learned, as hatred and bigotry are still widespread in all countries. It was reported today that 1 in 10 in the UK do not believe the Holocaust happened. Thank you to Kelly for the reminder.

Kelly With A Why

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and marks the 74^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I thought it was a fitting time to recount my visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum back in November.

The museum was established in 1992 by the generation of Holocaust Survivors who settled in Australia. This very special place continues to give a voice to the victims of the Holocaust, so their individual and collective stories can spark dialogues and inspire change. As well as preserving and documenting this important historical period, the museum also beautifully illustrates the richness of Jewish life in Australian society. The ground floor displays teach many aspects of Jewish faith and traditions. This Gentile found it fascinating.

The Holocaust exhibition stretches across three levels of the building, and details the persecution and murder of European Jewry from 1933-1945. The events of Hitler’s WWII are described in chronological order…

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Remember: not just Who and When, but also understand Why — babbitman

This makes so much sense to me. I hope it may make you think beyond the ceremony of remembrance!

Wars kill people. They devastate families. Wars should be a politician’s absolute last resort and they are an admission that they have failed their people.

via Remember: not just Who and When, but also understand Why — babbitman

Twittering Tales #103 – 25 September 2018

It’s time again for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge to tax our creative souls. Just take her photo prompt and write a story, inspired by it, in 280 characters or fewer.

Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution. Check out all the fabulous entries here.

Branching out into horrible humour

The tree had become quite a tourist attraction.
57 pairs of shoes in the branches.
114 uppers, 114 laces, 114 throats, 114 tongues, and 114 heels.
Beneath the tree there were only half that number of tongues, all belonging to the 57 bodies buried there!

Please pray for their souls!

(279 characters)

 

So Simple A Dog Understands

Don’t you just LOVE Martha contemplating the meaning of life?
How true these words are!

Mitigating Chaos

Thought for the Day.

Martha, 2017 on the Savannah River, Augusta, GA

I’ve been sick and NEEDED a doctor. 

I’ve encountered trouble and NEEDED a police officer.

I’ve lived through times of war when our nation NEEDED our military.

I’ve NEEDED a farmer 3 times a day.

I have even NEEDED an auto mechanic, a plumber, a house painter and a lot of other everyday people.

But I have NEVER, not even once, NEEDED a pro athlete or Hollywood entertainer for ANYTHING,

So simple a dog can understand it.

Thanks, Carla.

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Sunday sayings #48

Two for the price of one this week.

I believe that what we do, what we say, and how we support each other, matters more now than at any other time in my life.

July 4, 2018

Margo, “That little voice“, has a few very pertinent questions for the American people on this, their Independence Day. The same questions apply to all countries, to all societies, to all peoples, and it is the people who must decide the answers. I do so hope that they get it right!

that little voice

July 4, 2018

Can I celebrate this day the way I have past Independence Days: without thought, concern, doubt, fear, disgust, or alarm?

The question plagues me as I watch the sun rise on this two hundred and forty-second birthday of the United States of America. On this day more than two centuries ago a group of men signed a paper declaring America would no longer be ruled by another nation. Our country would be independent of and from outside dominance. Henceforth we would determine our own fate, decide how we would be governed, guided by a Constitution that promised equality.

Not a perfect document, but one filled with hope, determination, and belief that individual voices can better chart the future of this new democracy, not one person.

So I wonder if we, the people of this fragile yet strong, and relatively new nation, can weather the storm of today’s internal…

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A different point of view

REFUGEES – An upside down poem!

Syrian Refugees

They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way

(now read from bottom to top)

– Brian Bilston

This poem is taken from You Took the Last Bus Home, a collection of Brian Bilston’s poetry published by Unbound in October 2016
http://www.brianbilston.com