Spotlight: PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently celebrated thirty years of tireless work on behalf of the world's animals with a gala honoring activists and celebrity supporters of their outspoken organization.  Some of PETA's actions have been criticized for being over the top, but as the literature of their "Give McCruelty the Bird" campaign states, "sometimes being polite just doesn't work."  If not for their sometimes line-crossingly rude anti-fur campaigns, many people would never have even considered the lives of the animals slaughtered for fashion.  If not for their Sexy Celebrity Vegetarians campaigns, many people would never have considered a vegetarian or vegan diet... cool.  If not for their anti-cruelty exposes on animal farms, animal experimentation and meat manufacturing, many people would still have no idea how severely animals are abused and tortured, and therefore how truly unhealthy many meats are by the time they reach the dinner table.  

 

As a long-time PETA supporter and vegetarian for more than twenty-five years, I applaud their efforts and their results!  So here's to thirty years of bold work on behalf of our animal friends who rely on us to speak up for them.  If you would like to know more about PETA or becoming vegetarian or vegan, Click Here!

Ronnie Barker in Aylesbury

David Jason & Ronnie Corbett

Laugh if you may but Aylesbury, the County Town of Buckinghamshire, is not unknown to the stars of stage and screen. Part of Clockwork Orange was filmed in our concrete underpasses, Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh lived nearby at Notely Abbey, David Jason lives by Coombe Hill and Sir John Gielgud lived in the South Pavilion, Grendon Underwood House, now Tony & Cherie Blair’s country house. Many made their way to the Prime Minister’s country house at Chequers 2 miles from our modest cottage and Burton, Taylor and many famous luvvies used to wine and dine at the Bell in Aston Clinton when it was a rather top restaurant. And then there was an actor who began his acting career in Aylesbury more than 60 years ago.

A bronze statue of the late comedy legend Ronnie Barker was unveiled today in Aylesbury. The Porridge and Two Ronnie’s star, who died five years ago, was born in Bedford and Aylesbury Vale District Council commissioned sculptor Martin Jennings to design the statue as part of its Waterside development project. It now takes pride of place in the new public space in Exchange Street. The statue was officially unveiled by Mr Barker's widow, Joy.


Ronnie Barker's widow Joy at the unveiling

The Waterside development is an ambitious project to redevelop Aylesbury town centre, creating a new shopping area in Exchange Street (including a department store and food store) and a 525 space multi-storey car park and more than 200 homes in Walton Street. Further east at Circus Field there will be a mix of residential development and a new canal basin with residential moorings. Aylesbury has its own branch on the Grand Union Canal, which links London and Birmingham.


Aylesbury branch of The Grand Union Canal

Although only a two-minute walk from the centre of town, Aylesbury Waterside theatre is conspicuous to passing drivers on its site next to a roundabout on the ring road. It’s one of several cultural, retail, infrastructure and residential buildings planned as part of the Aylesbury Waterside development, an urban regeneration project intended to transform a rundown area of the town. The theatre enjoys a wonderful location adjacent to one of the town’s greatest assets – the canal. The canal basin itself is to be redeveloped and opened up to restaurants and homes. A new public green space will provide an attractive interface between the theatre and a new canal side Waitrose store and hotel.


Waterside Theatre

The £35m theatre, which has a 1200- seat auditorium, was commissioned by Aylesbury Vale District council and replaces the civic theatre in the town. The auditorium is housed inside a reinforced concrete block at the core of the building, which is surrounded on three sides by the timber and glass facade. The space between the facade and the auditorium block functions as an acoustic buffer, keeping out traffic noise and at the same time providing light, spacious public areas and views of the adjacent exchange Street and uphill towards the town centre.


Aerial view of Aylesbury Waterside Theatre under construction

When architect Norman Bragg was struggling to come up with a concept for the proposed Aylesbury Waterside theatre in Buckinghamshire, the last place he expected to find inspiration was driving down the A41 dual carriageway. “I was heading towards Aylesbury to visit a possible site, when I noticed thousands of sleek dark pine trees covering the horizon, a really impressive sight,” explains Bragg. “Then, as I approached the town through Aylesbury Vale I was awestruck by the beautiful, undulating green hills that dominate the scenery.”

She was joined at the ceremony by some of her husband's former colleagues including long-time comedy partner Ronnie Corbett and Open All Hours co-star David Jason. The Two Ronnies teamed up in 1971. Sculptor Martin Jennings has depicted Mr Barker in his role as prison inmate Norman Stanley Fletcher, in the classic 1970s' series Porridge, sitting on a stone bench looking up at the new theatre.



The Two Ronnies

Mr Jennings, whose work includes the statue of poet Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras station in London, said: "It's been delightful to make this statue of Ronnie Barker. He was a comic genius and he was a wonderful shape to sculpt. I've depicted him in his Porridge character glancing up approvingly at the new theatre as if looking back happily over a long career to the days when he began it all in Aylesbury."

Ronnie Barker was born in Bedford in 1929 and worked in a bank before joining the Aylesbury Repertory Company. He made his professional debut on 15 November 1948, at the old County Theatre in Aylesbury's Market Square, with a small role playing Lt Spicer in JM Barrie's Quality Street. By 1955 he was in demand in the West End and appeared in a number of productions including Mourning Becomes Electra, Lysistrata and Irma La Douce. During the 1960s, he became well established as a radio performer, leaving his theatrical career behind.


The theatre sits alongside Aylesbury's canal basin and is the centrepiece of the town's Waterside development

He teamed up with Ronnie Corbett in 1971, and their sketch show, The Two Ronnies, ran for 12 series over 16 years. His many accolades include four Baftas and he was appointed an OBE in 1978. Councillor John Cartwright, Leader of Aylesbury Vale District Council, said: "The sculptor Martin Jennings has created a wonderful work of art. The statue is a fitting tribute to a great man and one of Britain's best loved performers. I'm sure it will not only delight theatregoers, but will also be an attraction to Ronnie Barker fans throughout the country and perhaps even further afield."

Ronnie Barker in Aylesbury

David Jason & Ronnie Corbett

Laugh if you may but Aylesbury, the County Town of Buckinghamshire, is not unknown to the stars of stage and screen. Part of Clockwork Orange was filmed in our concrete underpasses, Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh lived nearby at Notely Abbey, David Jason lives by Coombe Hill and Sir John Gielgud lived in the South Pavilion, Grendon Underwood House, now Tony & Cherie Blair’s country house. Many made their way to the Prime Minister’s country house at Chequers 2 miles from our modest cottage and Burton, Taylor and many famous luvvies used to wine and dine at the Bell in Aston Clinton when it was a rather top restaurant. And then there was an actor who began his acting career in Aylesbury more than 60 years ago.

A bronze statue of the late comedy legend Ronnie Barker was unveiled today in Aylesbury. The Porridge and Two Ronnie’s star, who died five years ago, was born in Bedford and Aylesbury Vale District Council commissioned sculptor Martin Jennings to design the statue as part of its Waterside development project. It now takes pride of place in the new public space in Exchange Street. The statue was officially unveiled by Mr Barker's widow, Joy.


Ronnie Barker's widow Joy at the unveiling

The Waterside development is an ambitious project to redevelop Aylesbury town centre, creating a new shopping area in Exchange Street (including a department store and food store) and a 525 space multi-storey car park and more than 200 homes in Walton Street. Further east at Circus Field there will be a mix of residential development and a new canal basin with residential moorings. Aylesbury has its own branch on the Grand Union Canal, which links London and Birmingham.


Aylesbury branch of The Grand Union Canal

Although only a two-minute walk from the centre of town, Aylesbury Waterside theatre is conspicuous to passing drivers on its site next to a roundabout on the ring road. It’s one of several cultural, retail, infrastructure and residential buildings planned as part of the Aylesbury Waterside development, an urban regeneration project intended to transform a rundown area of the town. The theatre enjoys a wonderful location adjacent to one of the town’s greatest assets – the canal. The canal basin itself is to be redeveloped and opened up to restaurants and homes. A new public green space will provide an attractive interface between the theatre and a new canal side Waitrose store and hotel.


Waterside Theatre

The £35m theatre, which has a 1200- seat auditorium, was commissioned by Aylesbury Vale District council and replaces the civic theatre in the town. The auditorium is housed inside a reinforced concrete block at the core of the building, which is surrounded on three sides by the timber and glass facade. The space between the facade and the auditorium block functions as an acoustic buffer, keeping out traffic noise and at the same time providing light, spacious public areas and views of the adjacent exchange Street and uphill towards the town centre.


Aerial view of Aylesbury Waterside Theatre under construction

When architect Norman Bragg was struggling to come up with a concept for the proposed Aylesbury Waterside theatre in Buckinghamshire, the last place he expected to find inspiration was driving down the A41 dual carriageway. “I was heading towards Aylesbury to visit a possible site, when I noticed thousands of sleek dark pine trees covering the horizon, a really impressive sight,” explains Bragg. “Then, as I approached the town through Aylesbury Vale I was awestruck by the beautiful, undulating green hills that dominate the scenery.”

She was joined at the ceremony by some of her husband's former colleagues including long-time comedy partner Ronnie Corbett and Open All Hours co-star David Jason. The Two Ronnies teamed up in 1971. Sculptor Martin Jennings has depicted Mr Barker in his role as prison inmate Norman Stanley Fletcher, in the classic 1970s' series Porridge, sitting on a stone bench looking up at the new theatre.



The Two Ronnies

Mr Jennings, whose work includes the statue of poet Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras station in London, said: "It's been delightful to make this statue of Ronnie Barker. He was a comic genius and he was a wonderful shape to sculpt. I've depicted him in his Porridge character glancing up approvingly at the new theatre as if looking back happily over a long career to the days when he began it all in Aylesbury."

Ronnie Barker was born in Bedford in 1929 and worked in a bank before joining the Aylesbury Repertory Company. He made his professional debut on 15 November 1948, at the old County Theatre in Aylesbury's Market Square, with a small role playing Lt Spicer in JM Barrie's Quality Street. By 1955 he was in demand in the West End and appeared in a number of productions including Mourning Becomes Electra, Lysistrata and Irma La Douce. During the 1960s, he became well established as a radio performer, leaving his theatrical career behind.


The theatre sits alongside Aylesbury's canal basin and is the centrepiece of the town's Waterside development

He teamed up with Ronnie Corbett in 1971, and their sketch show, The Two Ronnies, ran for 12 series over 16 years. His many accolades include four Baftas and he was appointed an OBE in 1978. Councillor John Cartwright, Leader of Aylesbury Vale District Council, said: "The sculptor Martin Jennings has created a wonderful work of art. The statue is a fitting tribute to a great man and one of Britain's best loved performers. I'm sure it will not only delight theatregoers, but will also be an attraction to Ronnie Barker fans throughout the country and perhaps even further afield."

CHILD HUNGER -- THE SCOURGE OF THE PLANET

What do you do if your child says to you "I'm hungry"?

Or, if you don't have a child, what do you recall happening when you said this when you were a kid?

In most cases, I'd assume, Mum/Dad arranged a snack -- or advised you to get it yourself.

Well, guess what: For a lot of kids, food is a luxury. And I'm not even talking about the Third World nations that the "developed world" has so callously exploited and plundered.

Right here in the United States we have our own Third World. I'm not kidding. The distribution of wealth is that criminal -- and has been from Day 1. An alarming number of kids are regularly without enough food. I've read varying reports but I think you'd be pretty safe in saying that something like one in four kids goes to bed hungry at night in America.

ONE IN FOUR! HUNGRY! Not "I need a snack" hungry. I mean empty-belly hungry. Shame on us all for allowing this to happen! Just because these aren't our kids doesn't mean we should ignore this crisis. Here's a news flash: They're all our kids.

Please sign this important petition right now.

And don't stop there. Search the Web for other things you can do/sign/learn about hunger and poverty. Sponsor a child through World Vision or a similar reputable organization (it costs virtually nothing!). Go without something to give to someone more needy. You can afford it and you know it.

But definitely, DEFINITELY, contact your mayors, representatives, senators, prime ministers and presidents and tell them that child hunger -- and poverty in general -- is not okay by you. Write a letter to the editor of your local or city paper -- you can do it online these days. Call up your favorite talk show. But get off your butt and do something.

When there is enough noise, politicians listen.

This is a big issue, but every step counts.

Nothing troubles me more than the rampant poverty on this planet. There is no reason for it. There is enough wealth, enough food. The enforced "vagaries" of capitalist market economics even sees perfectly good food -- "excess production" -- dumped!

Til my last breath I'm going to make some kind of effort to rectify this. And there's nothing at all heroic about that. It's my duty as a privileged human being.

What are you going to do?

Take care and simply... care,
Adrian Zupp
IF THIS POST WAS OF INTEREST TO YOU, I invite you to also take a look at EVERY CHILD COUNTS.

Gargelgate – A very Irish tragedy

Our very own Brian Cowen

Some years ago when the in laws retired to Co. Offaly in Ireland their TD (Member of Parliament) was a local auctioneer, Brian Cowen. Cowen was born in Clara, County Offaly, the son of May and Bernard Cowen, a former Fianna Fáil TD and Senator. The family owned a public house in Clara town, located adjacent to the family home. His father also worked as an auctioneer. Now it has been observed that languages invent words because they need them and Irish is sprinkled with words like Gombeen, “a pejorative Hiberno-English term for a shady, small-time "wheeler-dealer" or businessman who is always looking to make a quick profit, often at someone else's expense or through the acceptance of bribes”, Sleeveen “somebody who is sly, plausible, and ingratiating” or Spalpeen “a rascal.” You get the idea the Irish language had to invent these words / descriptors because it needed them, no more so than for the Irish Political Class who contain a fair proportion of Gombeen Men (and Women) who previously followed noble callings as Publicans, Auctioneers, Bookmakers or general multi-purpose shysters!


Tom Byrne's satirical depiction of Taoiseach Brian Cowen performing 'Lakes of Pontchartrain' at the Fianna Fail “Think-in” on display in the Apollo Gallery, Dublin.

Cowen became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) in May 2008 following the resignation of his predecessor Bertie Ahern after he was found to have received over £200.000 in unaccounted cash from “Benefactors.” Somewhat embarrassingly (for he was Minister of Finance for much of the time) he hadn’t accounted for tax on these “donations.” Indeed such was his faith in ready cash that he didn’t have a bank account for much of the time either! However, even if every allegation against Bertie Ahern was true it all pales into insignificance against the low standards set by his predecessor, the late Charles Haughey who, in his time, pocketed £8.4 million in “donations”. Although an Anglophobe by birth and conviction, Haughey cultivated the most elaborate tastes and mannerisms of the Anglo-Irish gentry. He had mansions, estates and a private island. He liked antique furniture, and fine art, horses, clothes and wines.


Charlie "The Squire" Haughey

Haughey’s Minister of Justice, Ray Burke, has previously been found culpable of receiving large sums of cash and indeed having his own house and its land “donated” by Brennan and McGowan, developers who benefited from wide scale rezoning of land. Liam Lawlor, another Fianna Fail T.D. (Irish Member of Parliament) was also found to have corruptly benefited from payments from developers who had agricultural land rezoned for development, often at great cost to the public purse in providing the infrastructure.


The Bold Bertie in typical heroic pose

Even squeaky clean former Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald was found to have a 320,000 pound loan from Allied Irish Bank to invest in the shares of Guinness Peat Aviation (of which he was a director) written off by the bank when the investment went wrong, as you or I would in similar circumstances. Dr. FitzGerald had previously been Prime Minister when the same bank had been bailed out to the tune of £121 million when their investment in the Insurance Corporation of Ireland went wrong.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/bertie-ahern-and-poverty-in-ireland.html

Since Cowen became Taoiseach the Irish economy has nose dived, its sovereign debt rating has been cut and he has launched a 4 Billion programme of cuts which has copper fastened his unpopularity. Cuts are not easy in a statist country like Ireland where Gombeen Pork Barrel politics are the order of the day. With the same population as Greater Manchester the country supports no less than 380 Quangos once again proving the truth of Brendan Behan’s saying “The Irish are very popular with themselves!”



Now to economic misery has been added National Mortification in the scandal of the allegedly drunken interview known as Gargelgate - Brian Cowen's now infamous early morning interview came five-and-a-quarter hours after he left The Blazers Bar in the Ardilaun Hotel following a night of drinking, singing and telling yarns.

It was a night typical of any party gathering, enjoyed by TDs, senators and assembled journalists. At the time, no one could have foreseen the political storm that would envelop the Taoiseach in what would become one of the most damaging episodes of his political career which has been picked up in America by Jay Leno on NBC’s Tonight Show.



US chat-show host Jay Leno says he is not going to apologise to Taoiseach Brian Cowen for mocking him as a "drunken moron" on his prime time show. Leno displayed a photo of Mr Cowen and asked his audience to guess if he was a bartender, a politician or a "nightclub comedian", before revealing he was the "Prime Minister of Ireland" to loud laughter. "He's Brian Cowen, the Prime Minister of Ireland. Oh God, it's so nice to know we're not the only country with drunken morons, isn't it?" Leno joked.

Mr Cowen has featured in the international media since it emerged he was singing and drinking in the early hours of the morning at the Fianna Fail party think-in (In itself a strange concept!) in the Ardilaun Hotel, Co Galway, two weeks ago. He was criticised for his performance on an RTE 'Morning Ireland' interview several hours later. He admitted afterwards that he needed to be more cautious in his social life but strongly denied he was drunk or hung-over during the interview.


Dublin - capital of a very free Ireland

But this national embarrassment doesn't stop even at Cowen's door – Irish State Broadcaster RTE's initial refusal to repeat the phrase 'drunken morons' proves that while Cowen can't control the antics of an NBC employee, he still holds sway over the national broadcaster.

Brian Cowen called a "drunken moron" in NBC Tonight Show segment from Sept 22, 2010



The Irish PM Brian Cowen has refuted claims that he sounded "halfway between drunk and hungover" in a radio interview.



Brian Cowen Drunk Live Radio Interview (audio slowed) before his breakfast on RTÉ News Morning Ireland, Tuesday, 14 September 2010. Taoiseach Brian Cowen drunk interview live on air.

Gargelgate – A very Irish tragedy

Our very own Brian Cowen

Some years ago when the in laws retired to Co. Offaly in Ireland their TD (Member of Parliament) was a local auctioneer, Brian Cowen. Cowen was born in Clara, County Offaly, the son of May and Bernard Cowen, a former Fianna Fáil TD and Senator. The family owned a public house in Clara town, located adjacent to the family home. His father also worked as an auctioneer. Now it has been observed that languages invent words because they need them and Irish is sprinkled with words like Gombeen, “a pejorative Hiberno-English term for a shady, small-time "wheeler-dealer" or businessman who is always looking to make a quick profit, often at someone else's expense or through the acceptance of bribes”, Sleeveen “somebody who is sly, plausible, and ingratiating” or Spalpeen “a rascal.” You get the idea the Irish language had to invent these words / descriptors because it needed them, no more so than for the Irish Political Class who contain a fair proportion of Gombeen Men (and Women) who previously followed noble callings as Publicans, Auctioneers, Bookmakers or general multi-purpose shysters!


Tom Byrne's satirical depiction of Taoiseach Brian Cowen performing 'Lakes of Pontchartrain' at the Fianna Fail “Think-in” on display in the Apollo Gallery, Dublin.

Cowen became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) in May 2008 following the resignation of his predecessor Bertie Ahern after he was found to have received over £200.000 in unaccounted cash from “Benefactors.” Somewhat embarrassingly (for he was Minister of Finance for much of the time) he hadn’t accounted for tax on these “donations.” Indeed such was his faith in ready cash that he didn’t have a bank account for much of the time either! However, even if every allegation against Bertie Ahern was true it all pales into insignificance against the low standards set by his predecessor, the late Charles Haughey who, in his time, pocketed £8.4 million in “donations”. Although an Anglophobe by birth and conviction, Haughey cultivated the most elaborate tastes and mannerisms of the Anglo-Irish gentry. He had mansions, estates and a private island. He liked antique furniture, and fine art, horses, clothes and wines.


Charlie "The Squire" Haughey

Haughey’s Minister of Justice, Ray Burke, has previously been found culpable of receiving large sums of cash and indeed having his own house and its land “donated” by Brennan and McGowan, developers who benefited from wide scale rezoning of land. Liam Lawlor, another Fianna Fail T.D. (Irish Member of Parliament) was also found to have corruptly benefited from payments from developers who had agricultural land rezoned for development, often at great cost to the public purse in providing the infrastructure.


The Bold Bertie in typical heroic pose

Even squeaky clean former Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald was found to have a 320,000 pound loan from Allied Irish Bank to invest in the shares of Guinness Peat Aviation (of which he was a director) written off by the bank when the investment went wrong, as you or I would in similar circumstances. Dr. FitzGerald had previously been Prime Minister when the same bank had been bailed out to the tune of £121 million when their investment in the Insurance Corporation of Ireland went wrong.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/bertie-ahern-and-poverty-in-ireland.html

Since Cowen became Taoiseach the Irish economy has nose dived, its sovereign debt rating has been cut and he has launched a 4 Billion programme of cuts which has copper fastened his unpopularity. Cuts are not easy in a statist country like Ireland where Gombeen Pork Barrel politics are the order of the day. With the same population as Greater Manchester the country supports no less than 380 Quangos once again proving the truth of Brendan Behan’s saying “The Irish are very popular with themselves!”



Now to economic misery has been added National Mortification in the scandal of the allegedly drunken interview known as Gargelgate - Brian Cowen's now infamous early morning interview came five-and-a-quarter hours after he left The Blazers Bar in the Ardilaun Hotel following a night of drinking, singing and telling yarns.

It was a night typical of any party gathering, enjoyed by TDs, senators and assembled journalists. At the time, no one could have foreseen the political storm that would envelop the Taoiseach in what would become one of the most damaging episodes of his political career which has been picked up in America by Jay Leno on NBC’s Tonight Show.



US chat-show host Jay Leno says he is not going to apologise to Taoiseach Brian Cowen for mocking him as a "drunken moron" on his prime time show. Leno displayed a photo of Mr Cowen and asked his audience to guess if he was a bartender, a politician or a "nightclub comedian", before revealing he was the "Prime Minister of Ireland" to loud laughter. "He's Brian Cowen, the Prime Minister of Ireland. Oh God, it's so nice to know we're not the only country with drunken morons, isn't it?" Leno joked.

Mr Cowen has featured in the international media since it emerged he was singing and drinking in the early hours of the morning at the Fianna Fail party think-in (In itself a strange concept!) in the Ardilaun Hotel, Co Galway, two weeks ago. He was criticised for his performance on an RTE 'Morning Ireland' interview several hours later. He admitted afterwards that he needed to be more cautious in his social life but strongly denied he was drunk or hung-over during the interview.


Dublin - capital of a very free Ireland

But this national embarrassment doesn't stop even at Cowen's door – Irish State Broadcaster RTE's initial refusal to repeat the phrase 'drunken morons' proves that while Cowen can't control the antics of an NBC employee, he still holds sway over the national broadcaster.

Brian Cowen called a "drunken moron" in NBC Tonight Show segment from Sept 22, 2010



The Irish PM Brian Cowen has refuted claims that he sounded "halfway between drunk and hungover" in a radio interview.



Brian Cowen Drunk Live Radio Interview (audio slowed) before his breakfast on RTÉ News Morning Ireland, Tuesday, 14 September 2010. Taoiseach Brian Cowen drunk interview live on air.

Tomorrow's world is shaped by what we teach our children

The world today teaches children about life's pleasures, life's history and many ways of living according to the law of men. Yes they are taught respect, tolerance, how to be a good child, but are they being taught about the word of God?

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 11:18-19

Many people overlook the importance of children growing up in the presence of God and learning about His word from an early age. Teaching starts from home, when parents guide their children by through God's word. One of the calling God has for parents is to teach their children about the word of God that gives life.

The word of God is very important even to the little ones, it teaches them to love God, live a godly life, to know the truth and to grow in His presence. Children's literature is often read by children up till the age of 12.

Parents can make learning about the Lord Jesus Christ and His ways fun and enjoyable by buying them children's bible story books, literature or cartoons colouring books. They can sit and read to them, explaining to them the way of God and also praying with them in their homes. Let your joy be to help your child learn the word of God.

When children learn God’s truths early, they can grow spiritually and have the wonderful life that God has planned for them. This will bring honour and glory to our Lord and an opportunity for the children to have inner happiness and contentment in life.

Recently I spoke to Nomusa who is a mother of two children aged between 10 and 14 years old. She has not with-held the knowledge that she received in the church about God. “My children are still very young, but I try to teach them about God, His word and faith. Though young but they know how to use their faith. I have seen that the difference between those who don't receive guidance from their parents are very much different from those who are taught the right way of God and this is why I teach my children as well. I want them to grow in the presence of God, to learn about Him while still young believing that as they grow older they will man and woman of God, concluded Nomusa.

“Discipline your, son and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” Proverbs 29:17

Music Mends!

I don't think there is any situation that can not be made better with music. Playing for Change agrees and is on a mission to unite the world through music.  They've recorded musicians from myriad backgrounds, stages and places and formed a collective through which music can be shared and musicians that would not all have access to distribution, can benefit. If you would like to help Playing for Change advance their marvelous musical mission, Click Here!

Populer Graffiti Alphabet Murals

Sketch Graffiti Alphabet Black Book

Sketch Graffiti Alphabet BlackBook A sketch graffiti alphabet created by artists who called Taringa. Graffiti sketch was made with an easy and simple way on a paper. Of course, with lots of character design, not just one just because of this sketch artists want to reconcile some of the characters to be compared with the obvious which ones you think are the best. There are types of graffiti

RICKS Graffiti

RICKS Graffiti

LIFE'S SHORT... MAKE IT COUNT

I just saw the aftermath of what had to have been a fatal accident.

I was out for an evening walk and at a nearby intersection a motorcycle had speared into the side of a van. It was still wedged in there somehow, upright but unmanned. The cops were still on the scene but the ambulances had been and gone.

It was just one more reminder of how brief and unpredictable life is. Who knows what'll happen next or how any of us will end up? This much I do know: You have to make it count.

I believe in what Bill Hicks used to say: "It's just a ride." We shouldn't take ourselves or the daily minutiae or our pursuit of goodies too seriously. We're not on the planet for long enough for any of that stuff to matter. And last I heard it was eternity that went on for quite a while.

But like Hicks I also believe that we should care about each other while we're here. Having a good time and not "sweating the small stuff" doesn't mean we shouldn't occasionally sweat some of the big stuff. That's why I write this blog.

There are a lot of people in the world who don't even get to enjoy the ride. They need our help. They're poor or ill or oppressed or locked up without reason. They lack some of the fundamental things that you and I have. Sure, we have our own pretty decent problems too from time to time. Granted. But you know what I'm saying.

So live well but don't live selfishly. Besides, the more you give, the more you get.

And you'll certainly enjoy the ride for however long you're on it.

[Watch this clip. It's under 2 minutes long and will be the best 2 minutes you spend today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZkhR8suCF4]

Take very good care, especially when you're behind the wheel,
Adrian Zupp
PS: On another note, this month has seen me set my own personal record for blogging. I'm kinda proud of that. My own little ride. [IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, you might also like A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE FABULOUS BILL HICKS!]

Kill the Drill!

Greenpeace advises us that BP oil company is skirting dangerously around the moratorium on offshore drilling in the arctic waters off Alaska by actually building a gravel drilling island a few miles off away from Alaska's north shore and that "the only thing standing between BP and its next big drilling disaster is the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.  BP calls Liberty one of its “biggest challenges to date,” and if it moves forward, the company will push the limits of drilling in Alaska’s Arctic, just as it pushed the limits of deepwater drilling in the Gulf with the Deepwater Horizon."

The fact that BP is knowingly planning a more dangerous drill than the one that caused the current spill  is unthinkable.  If you would like to join me in signing the petition to Secretary Salazar, Click Here!

A QUICK QUESTION

This kind of follows on from my previous blog entry.

Do you spend more time pursuing nice things than you do creating good situations?

I think it's worth considering.

Oh, and I added an extra paragraph, in italics, to my last entry. Makes the point a little pointier.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

Tag Flava Graffiti Alphabet

GRAFFITI GRAPHIC DESIGNTAG FLAVA GRAFFITI ALPHABET A - ZGraffiti Alphabet : Letters A-Z on T-ShirtGraffiti Art is a work that can be enjoyed by many people. Graffiti on the wall there is usually a city street. But graffiti can be more than that, graffiti can be a business that can be land that is making money. With so many people who like and want to learn to make graffiti, in this case in

Orek Graffiti

OREK Graffiti

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: Behind the Scenes at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure Celebration 

at The Library of Congress 

National Book Festival 2010 

On the Mall in Washington DC

The dramatic, wild, and wacky final episode of the year long  

Exquisite Corpse Adventure was finally revealed at the 

Library of Congress' National Book Festival this past Saturday!

An enthusiastic crowd of kids, moms and dads, grandparents, teachers , librarians, and children's book enthusiasts  filled the 350 seats in the Children's Pavilion, and hundred or so more fans stood two and three deep in the back of the tent. All were eager to hear and see a "Readers' Theater" performance of "Episode 27: Over Easy," written and directed by National Children's Book Ambassador Katherine Paterson. 

Aiding Ms. Paterson in this hilarious production, were Exquisite Corpse Adventure contributors, award-wining authors and illustrators M.T. Anderson, Timothy Basil Ering, Linda Sue Park,  James Ransome, and Mary Brigid Barrett. All gave stellar performances, playing multiple characters. 

 

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure 

audience perusing

the scene . . . .

while the performers get themselves organized!

Preparations for the Exquisite Corpse Adventure presentation began on Friday with the one and only rehearsal scheduled for the afternoon. Director Katherine Paterson guided everyone through the script. James Ransome, Tim Ering, and Mary Brigid Barrett had never performed in such a production, but luckily, Linda Sue Park and Tobin Anderson were experienced performers and gave the novices great advice!

The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance was thrilled to announce that The Exquisite Corpse Adventure will be published in a traditional book format in Fall of 2011 by Candlewick Press! And with that announcement, Dr. John Cole, the director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, shared with the crowd that, YES!, there will then be one more wonderful wacky Exquisite Corpse Adventure presentation next year at the festival!  

The NCBLA Board has dedicated all proceeds from the sale of upcoming Exquisite Corpse Adventure book to future joint NCBLA/Center for the Book projects and events that promote young people's literacy and literature!

 

The NCBLA was also thrilled that Candlewick Press provided 20 copies of the new paperback edition of the NCBLA's award-winning book, Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, to award as door prizes at the Exquisite Corpse Adventure presentation. Our White House features a new, moving poem by Nikki Grimes that articulates her own personal experience journeying to our nation's Capitol to witness the historical inauguration of President Barack Obama. This new updated edition is available in local bookstores and online at a family and classroom friendly price!

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure 

will be available online, 

all episodes, at READ.gov throughout the school year.

Read all the great Exquisite Corpse Adventure episodes at:

http://www.read.gov/exquisite-corpse/Book/#page/2/mode/2up

Play the Exquisite Corpse Adventure game at:

http://www.read.gov/exquisite-corpse/brain-game/game.html

Parents, Teachers, Librarians-- Discover all the great Exquisite Corpse Adventure educational support materials (annotated bibliographies, discussion questions, writing activities and art appreciation information and activities) at: 

http://www.thencbla.org/Exquisite_Corpse/exquisite_home.html

The Honorable Hilda L. Solis Returns to Rally!

Organizing for America (OFA) invites you to a Vote 2010 Rally:

What: Moving America Forward Rally with
The Honorable Hilda L. Solis

Where: Golden Eagle Ballroom, 3rd Floor
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032

When: Tuesday, September 28th
3:00 p.m.

Directions:

	Parking on Campus includes only certain lots. You know if you can park in a lot if there is an easily visible kiosk where you can pay for a parking permit. Cost: $1=1hr and 15min $2=2hr and 30min $3=4hr
	Associated Groups:

Associated GroupsCalifornia 32nd Congressional District

Ms. Solis is our current U. S. Secretary of Labor.  Known as a champion of labor issues and the environment, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives five times. She is a California native, born of immigrant parents from Mexico and Nicaragua.  Solis is the first Latina to serve in the U. S. Cabinet.

The event is free and open to the public, but if you would like to let OFA know you are coming or would like to support the event, Click Here!

Graffiti Letters Alphabet (Letras de Graffitis)

Graffiti Letters Alphabet (Letras de Graffitis)Graffiti Alphabet is the type of graffiti is the best and much in demand by many fans of graffiti. Most of them wanted to make a graffiti with their names. But not all who love the graffiti know or can make graffiti. Some of them feel confused determine the design of letters to be used. For that we here will try to help give some examples of graffiti

MIGEL Graffiti

MIGEL Graffiti

REMEMBERING SIMPLER TIMES

I don't have television, but I like to do a little "time traveling" on YouTube. (All things in moderation.)

Sometimes I'll sit for an hour and look up clips of bands from the 70s, including those I grew up with in Australia. Or old rugby league games. Or the great comedians of my lifetime. It always leaves me feeling good, if not a little wistful.

I'm not one to say that the good old days were always so good. But what I do miss is the simplicity that's lacking in today's world. Everything now is so fast, flashy, extreme-high-tech, replaceable, impersonal. Life has never been easier, nor harder.

I need to use computers and cell phones to some extent but I wouldn't be heartbroken if they all disappeared tomorrow. I preferred typing my work onto paper and having the luxury of being unreachable.

I miss the old ways. And my deceased heroes: Marc Bolan, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, George Best... it's a long list. They had character, creativity. There are still such people today but they are not as valued. The trash floats to the top: it's cheaper to churn out, after all.

I miss substance. Ball games over video games. Talking over texting. Great rock bands over phony computer-programmed pop. I liked holding an album cover in my hands (I refuse to get an iPod). And now with these damn Kindle things they're trying to do the same thing with books. Books! Look, let's just get those data chips implanted in our brains now and get the whole rancid process of reductionism over with.

What of art? What of interpersonal interaction? What of doing things in "real time"?

Even TV, which has become the monster mindf*** of our age, used to have some innocence. It used to be, well, fun.

Not only has virtually everything in life become a commodity, we have become a commodity. We are not so much individual human beings anymore. We're mass audiences being sold to advertisers. We're demographics for the latest idiot TV vomit. We're test groups for the new hot product that nobody really actually needs. We're lemmings lining up to buy the same stuff everyone else is buying so we won't feel left out or "different." Sure, we still pay lip service to individualism but very few have the courage to live it.

I remember childhood summers of cricket in the nearby cul-de-sac, riding my bike all over creation, and "hunting" lizards. I remember mighty football fantasies in the backyard where I was the hero of the big game. Teenagers walking around with transistor radios held up near their ear. Riding the old "red rattler" trains into the heart of Sydney to see the latest movie starring Burt Reynolds or Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman. Or taking the train just a few suburbs over to the pool hall to shoot a few games.

There were no marathon cyber escapes or hours of video games. No "reality" TV obsessions or endless "celebrity" scandals filling the news shows and magazine racks.

There was just the world, and my mates and I couldn't wait to be out in it every day. It wasn't a world of air-conditioned everything and disposable this and that. It was a precious, flesh and blood thing.

So what's the moral here? Well, I truly believe that, despite what the technology gurus and corporate ratbags would tell us, we've lost more than we've gained. And that is especially sad for our kids -- which means we have to work harder to bring real substance and humanity to their daily lives.

The Who once sang "I hope I die before I get old." Well, I value life, but I hope I die before this whole anti-culture, mass acceleration thing goes much further. I have seen better days and they live in my memory.

Here are some clips I love that you might also enjoy:

Famous rugby league rivalry of the 70s;

The greatest rock band Australia has produced (in my opinion, the best anyone has produced);

Long before Borat or the stooge reporters of The Daily Show, there was Norman Gunston;

You've heard of AC/DC, well these blokes were just as good. But scarier.

The boys who run the show can keep their uber technology and their digital leisure. Their consumption addictions and gotta-have-it products. Their computerized cars and junk food and personalized plates and plastic surgeries and irrational fears and obsessive-compulsive lives.

I'll just keep my memories.

Take care and be careful what you value,
Adrian Zupp

Stop the Alaskan Gray Wolf Massacre!

Defenders of Wildlife is spreading the word that "Alaska's majestic gray wolves are in grave danger. The state has issued permits to aerial gunners and pilots to chase the wolves, run them to exhaustion and shoot them from the air with high-powered rifles or land and shoot them at point-blank range. More than 1,000 wolves have already been killed, and even though former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is gone, her hand-picked Board of Game is continuing her brutal slaughter"  

I sent a personalized letter asking President Obama to end this brutal, aerial attack on wolves simply by enforcing the Federal Airborne Hunting Act already in place.  If you would like to send a letter through Defenders of Wildlife, Click Here!

Bekonscot Model Village and Railway

This is an ordinary everyday tale of a wealthy accountant living in Buckinghamshire who was slightly obsessed with trains and whose wife gave him an ultimatum to declutter the house! In 1927, Mr Roland Callingham, a London accountant, instructed gardeners to dig a swimming pool at his home in Beaconsfield. The pool and tennis courts were used for garden parties, attended by the high society of London. Politicians, minor royals, aristocrats and the movers and shakers of the era would come out for a breath of country air. In 1928, Mrs Callingham made a short but moving speech which suggested that either the indoor model railway went, or she did. The model railway moved outdoors.


Entrance


General Vista of Bekonscot Village

Bekonscot was first created by Beaconsfield resident, accountant Roland Callingham (1881–1961), in the 1920s. Roland developed the master plan for his miniature empire as an addition to his large back garden, drawing in help from his staff: the gardener, cook, maid and chauffeur. Together they developed the model landscape portraying rural England at the time. The swimming pool became the first "sea" and the undulating rockeries were built up as hills. Bassett-Lowke, the well-known large-scale model railway manufacturers, were commissioned to build an extensive Gauge 1 railway network, which exists to this day. Callingham named the village 'Bekonscot' after Beaconsfield and Ascot where he previously lived.




Roland Callingham in Bekonscot, c. 1930






Maryloo Signal Cabin

Bekonscot is the oldest model village in the world. Portraying rural England in the 1930's, time has stood still in this wonderland of make-believe, which is 81 years old. Visitors meander through six villages, each with their miniature population going about their daily routines. There are many moving models including a fine Gauge 1 model railway which runs throughout the 1.5 acre site. There is also a sit-on railway running weekends and school holidays (small extra charge). Bekonscot has been run by the Church Army since 1978 and donates large amounts of money to charity. It has raised the equivalent of almost £5,000,000 so far and has been visited by more than 14,000,000 visitors.


Cricket on the green


Zoo


Village Market


Coal Mine


Castle

These days Bekonscot is a popular visitor attraction in Buckinghamshire and if you go by car you park in the grounds of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church opposite which has a memorial window to a Catholic convert, the writer G K Chesterton

.

Interestingly there is a model of the church in the model village which was actually completed before the real thing! Chesterton had come to Beaconsfield in 1909, and he lived here until his death on June 14 1936. Some of his best-know books, therefore, were written from there. His coming to the town had been the result of chance. He took a ticket at Paddington Station for the next train that would be leaving. It went to Slough, a strange place even for a train to go to, he remarked. From there, accompanied by his wife, he walked to Beaconsfield. They both decided that that was the place where they would like to live. His gravestone by the sculptor Eric Gill, being damaged by the weather, was replaced by a replica and the original is embedded in the side wall of St. Theresa’s.


G K Chesterton memorial


Gypsy Camp


Clark College


Bekonberry Castle

It was not conceived as a commercial visitor attraction but as a plaything to entertain Roland and his guests. It was only after 1930 that its existence became widely known, catching the imagination of the press and public alike. Frequent newsreels such as Pathe, international and national newspaper coverage ensure a steady stream of visitors, all of whom were invited to make a donation to the Railway Benevolent Institution. Early visitors were neighbours from nearby Windsor, Queen Mary and her granddaughters the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose.


Bekonscot c. 1930


Queen Mary and her granddaughter the Princess Elizabeth visiting the village

Bekonscot is acknowledged to be the inspiration for many other model villages and miniature parks across the world, including Babbacombe, Southport, Tucktonia, Madurodam, Bourton-on-the-Water, Wimborne, Great Yarmouth, Clonakilty and Mini-Europe. As such, it is regarded as the "grandfather" of the model village and miniature park movement.


Coal Mine




Pier and Pavillion

The village expanded in size throughout the first half of the 20th Century. Callingham sold off much of the land surrounding the model village, all of which is now a housing estate. The village is now entirely surrounded by urban development so further expansion is impossible. Bekonscot popularised the miniature park movement, put Beaconsfield on the map and has a continuing financial legacy in donations to charitable organisations both national and local.


Cable Car




Bekonscot Station - One of 7 stations on the model railway


Funfair


Bekonscot Minster

Names of shops and other features include humorous puns, such as Lee Key Plumbers' Merchants ('Lee Key' = 'leaky'), Sam and Ella's Butchers ('salmonella') and the Mark Owney Wireless and Gramophone stores ('Marconi'). Other model villages have run with the playful nature of the miniature business names and it has become something of a model tradition. My own personal favourite infamous puns were the Greengrocer “Chris P. Lettis (Crispy lettuce), the delivery van from the grocers U.R.A. Peach and the painter Juan Coat (one coat). Upun my word!


U.R.A. Peach


Juan Coat - The Decorator


Chris P. Lettis


Bringing home the harvest

Bekonscot is famed for its complex outdoor model railway (in Gauge 1), possibly the largest public garden railway in the UK, at ten scale miles. A custom-built PC-based interface controls the block signalling system, directing up to 12 trains at any one time on prototypical routes. In addition there are two manual lever frames, one ex-BR and the other from London Underground. The British Rail lever frame is still in use as a manual override for the trains. Some original Bassett-Lowke stock from the 1930s is still in daily use, albeit with new running gear.



Many of these trains have significant historical value. Some have been running for over 50 years, each covering about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) per year.


Canal




Nuns tending the convent kitchen garden


Morris Dancers - looking more life-like than the real thing!

It is really a folk park in miniature, a part of Buckinghamshire in the 1930’s preserved by the inspired folly of a slightly eccentric gentleman. It almost didn’t survive. It took a three year court battle with local planners ending in 1952 before the judges decided the village should remain open. The famous children’s author Enid Blyton was one of the village’s greatest fans and was a friend of Roland Callingham.



She lived in Beaconsfield in a house called Green Hedges, named by Blyton's readers following a competition in "Sunny Stories", from 1938 until shortly before her death in 1968. Her book the Enchanted Village is illustrated with pictures of children towering over the tiny models. Her house Green Hedges was demolished after her death (the site became Blyton Close) but is reproduced in the village with Noddy in his car in the driveway and a figure of Enid Blyton typing on an old fashioned typewriter in the garden. Her books have enjoyed popular success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies. Enid Blyton is the fifth most translated author worldwide: over 3544 translations of her books were available in 2007 according to UNESCO's Index Translationum; she overtook Vladimir Lenin to get the fifth place behind Shakespeare.




Enid Blyton's house Green Hedges


Cafe area


Swimming pool of the hotel


Racecourse

Today on entering the village you are greeted by a Mark I railway carriage which serves as the ticket office and also a souvenir shop as you leave. There is also a “station” for BLR (Bekonscot Light Railway) which is a sit on train on a 7 ¼ inch narrow gauge track which kids can ride on for 90p. In its 1 ½ acres it has the equivalent of 10 miles of railway with 7 stations, a tramway and cable car and 6 distinct “villages” with a racecourse, farmyard, coal mine, castle, windmill, archaeology site and so much more.


Sydney Harbour Bridge


Fishing Harbour

At the back there is a play and picnic area and refreshment kiosk and sheltered seating. The train track can have up to 12 trains in service all controlled from the full size Maryloo Signal Box. All this set in a 1:12 fairyland which is a little piece of England frozen in time. This isn’t just preserving England’s heritage bit after 81 years and 14m visitors it is part of England’s heritage. It is open from mid-February to the end of October and every kid, young and old, should go and discover the magic of Bekonscot for themselves.


Hanton Aerodrome


1930's poster

Admission; adults £8.50
Child (2-15) £5.00
Under 2 FREE


The White Horse of Bekonscot


Village Green

By Car:

Jnct 2 - M40 (jnct 16 M25) A40 & A355 Follow signs Model Village.

By Bus:

Several routes from surrounding areas - Traveline +44 (0)8706 082 608

Chiltern Railway:

London Marylebone - High Wycombe Beaconsfield -Banbury - Birmingham.
Information: +44 (0)8705 165 165

Bekonscot Model Village Postcode for Satnav: HP9 2PL

Website; www.bekonscot.co.uk