Headlines 28th August - 3rd September
So this week we see our Dominic evading questions about when he went on holiday and not being able to say with any accuracy how many UK Nationals are left if Afghanistan. Excusing the lack of planning for a steady withdrawal of Afghani citizens and UK personal on bad intelligence. ‘Honestly Guv, we thought it would take a year for the Takiban to take Kabul.” I mean hadn’t he seen the TV series Spooks?
Surely at least one of the words in the phrase “Intelligence Community” is incorrect.
So, to other news this week.
Religious groups in UK failing children over sex abuse, report says
Well, there’s a surprise... it’s not just the Catholics then!
There are "shocking failings" and "blatant hypocrisy" in the way major UK religious groups handle child sex abuse allegations, an inquiry has found.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said some religious organisations in England and Wales were "morally failing" children.
It examined evidence from 38 groups, including sects from Christianity, Orthodox Judaism and Islam.
Leaders discouraged reporting abuse to protect reputations, the report found.
It said the religious leaders also blamed victims for their abuse, and relied on religious dogma when responding to allegations.
The report, which follows on from inquiries into the Catholic and Anglican Churches, comes after several weeks of public hearings held last year in which victims of abuse gave evidence.
It covers a series of religious groups including Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Methodists, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and non-conformist Christian denominations.
The report said that many religious sects were putting children at risk by:
Victim blaming
Not openly discussing matters of sexuality
Abuse of power by religious leaders
Men dominating the leadership
Mistrust of non-religious agencies
Misusing the concept of "forgiveness"
Source : BBC News
We may ask how these religious organisations are being allowed to get away with this kind of systematic abuse. I guess those who take inspiration from The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, can find justification in the abuse, genocide, rape and torture carried out on the name of a jealous God,
In recent weeks I have read articles from numerous writers whose affiliation have been “religions of The Book” trying to come to terms with the fact that their leaders interpretation of scripture leave a lot to be desired. More importantly they are seeing the hypocrisy inherent in their values, attitudes and behaviours.
It can’t really come as a surprise that archaic patriarchal attitudes condone such systematic abuse If only by their inaction.
A EUROMILLIONS winner who said her massive £27million win "destroyed" her life has tragically been found dead.
Margaret Loughrey, who was aged in her 50s, scooped the staggering jackpot eight years ago.
She said at the time she had been to a job market to get an application form for a charity job when she bought the ticket on a whim.
Despite her huge win, Margaret continued to live in her home town and vowed to "spread" the cash around.
She said previously: "No point having £27million and being lonely. That can’t make me happy, that can only make me happy that everybody else’s happy and so far everybody is absolutely delighted.”
Despite her huge win, Margaret continued to live in her home town and vowed to "spread" the cash around.
Margaret added: "Money has brought me nothing but grief. It has destroyed my life.
“I have had six years of this. I don’t believe in religion, but if there is a hell, I have been in it. It has been that bad. I went down to five-and-a-half stone.”
Police confirmed they were called to Margaret's humble home following reports of a "sudden death".
They added: "A post-mortem is due to take place but at this stage, the death is not being treated as suspicious.”
The Sun
I think many of us would be ‘Over the Moon” at such a luck lottery win, yet the reality of suddenly having that mush money can only really be understood by a few people.
Money isn’t wealth and wealth isn’t necessarily about money.
This story brings home the point that it’s how we connect with ourselves and each other that brings happiness. When everything is good in that area of our lives money can be a bonus. However when these things are lacking money is just another problem to be sorted. What do you do with it, how do you keep it and what happens if you
loose it,
West Sussex foster couple cared for more than 600 children
Pauline and Roger Fitter said they would cherish memories of watching vulnerable children flourish at their home in Camelsdale, West Sussex.
One girl, aged three, arrived "silent", unwilling to make eye contact or be touched, Mrs Fitter, 81, recalled.
"It was a long process with her and then one day she just put her very tiny little hand inside mine," she said.
"She must be in her 30s, but that has stayed with me because she was such a damaged little girl. It sounds a small thing, but actually it's not, it's huge."
Alongside fostering, the couple raised five children - including an adopted child who they had previously fostered - and now have 11 grandchildren.
Home life had been at times "quite chaotic," but the house was "still standing", Mrs Fitter told BBC Radio 4's World at One.
Mr Fitter, 86, a retired forester, said: "I don't think at any point we thought enough is enough. We could see the results of our efforts and it was very rewarding."
The couple began fostering in 1965 after Mrs Fitter, a nurse, worked in a residential nursery with young children and babies awaiting adoption.
"It really hurt me to see these babies becoming institutionalised and I promised myself at the age of 19 that when I married I would foster," she said.
Three months after their marriage in September 1965, the couple welcomed their first foster child - a newborn baby boy who had bronchitis.
Source : BBC News
In contrast to the lottery winner, this couple seemed to have found happiness and purpose in caring for others. A truly inspiring story of a truly amazing family.
And finally...
One Glasgow nightclub is working to sustainably harness the energy released from its partiers on the dance floor. The pioneering system at SWG3 could save the popular nightspot up to 70 tons of CO2 per year.
In the run-up to the UN’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November, BODYHEAT turns the energy from dancing bodies into a source for heating and cooling outlets.
A statement from the club says, “We’re hugely excited to reveal our plans to introduce a state-of-the-art renewable heating and cooling system to the SWG3 complex, transforming body heat from clubbers and gig-goers into a source of energy to be used again.”
The first of its kind to be installed in Scotland, BODYHEAT uses heat pumps and fluids to capture body heat generated by SWG3’s crowds, channeling their combined energy into twelve 150m-deep bore holes drilled beneath the venue. This heat can then either be used immediately to cool the audience, or stored under the ground until it’s needed to heat the building.
Good News Network
What a great idea.
As I mentioned last week there comes a time when protests and protestors need to evolve into actions and solution finders.
Until next week
Alan /|\