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Kev Coley's thought 4 the day- DEAD STRICT

2008-06-14T05:56:42Z

There would have been a lot of corpses under arrest if Guy Fawkes had succeeded in blowing up the Commons. The reason is that it’s against the law to die in the Houses of Parliament. I don’t think it’s an absurd law. It’s a class law related to snobbishness and royal arrogance. The coroner of the queen’s house hold still has to hold the inquest into the death of anyone whose body is lying 'within the limits of any of the Queen's palaces; or within the limits of any other house where Her Majesty is then residing'. As parliament is still classed as a royal palace, any death of an MP would in theory require members of the royal household to sit as the coroner's jury. And this raises all sorts of questions of parliamentary privilege. The queen is not subject to any legal action, at least on civil grounds. Well if someone should die in her majesty’s house I do hope it doesn’t inconvenience her too much. Hopefully under the circumstances her majesty would accept an apology if such a terrible thing did befall her. After all we can’t just go and die where we want you know. There are laws against this kind of thing. Who do you think you are? The same goes for our burial too. Eunice Fitch’s family have lost their campaign to get permission to have her buried in Christ Church, Gentleshaw.They were refused permission because she lived just outside the parish boundary by about 500 yards. Her family appealed to the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury to make an exception for the 65-year-old. Huh as if they’d show compassion on a nice kind fundraiser who raised thousands of pounds for charity saving government money and improving lives. Apparently there wasn’t enough space to bury this stalwart of the community in Christ Church. I could take this as an insult, but I won’t. Eunice had a big heart and that’s what I will focus on. Not the little community pettiness and small-mindedness of conceited office holders. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family, as Eunice’s funeral is set to take place on June 24, with the service at St Luke’s Church, Cannock and her burial at Stile Cop Cemetery in Rugeley.

Kev Coley's thought 4 the Day -RUNNING ON EMPTY

2008-06-13T11:49:10Z

Truckers have planned a go slow on the M6 Saturday. The action will most likely cause grid-lock on the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere overseas, the Presidential Palace in the Philippians has been besieged, fishermen in Thailand burn their boats and Spanish supermarket shelves are empty. A policeman was battered by a crowd in Almeria. A burnt out coach slumbers on a road in Portugal and a dead man is carried in a coffin in Granada. We have seen public disruptions like this before. Say at football matches; anti-war campaigns and civil rights marches. Violent scenes like this are quiet normal in our crazy world. But all these recent disturbances have one thing in common. They erupted because of people protesting about the rising cost of fuel. Next thing you know we’ll be going to war for a barrel of oil. But what can we do about this latest global fuel crisis?

First don’t panic. Hopefully the government’s emergency plans for keeping the petrol pumps in business will work and disruptions will be kept to a minimum. (I say this unsure grimacing with gritted teeth)

Secondly this global fuel crisis should motivate us to invest more into finding alternative fuel energies. Funding for this should come from the government’s purse. If they can find money to fund an unplanned war in Iraq they can also find cash for some important deliberate research. But money for this project should also come from the billions of pounds profit which rich oil companies make each year.

Thirdly there should be a sense of urgency about the development of Bio-liquid fuels, solar power systems, and any other potential fuel substitutes. We should not underestimate the race against the clock regarding this matter.

Fourthly, no stone should be left unturned. Everything that can be done must be done to find alternative fuels for the future. Otherwise the future turmoil will be much worse than the present recent disturbances.

Kev Coley's thought 4 the day- SPOIL SPORTS,DUDLEY MOSQUE

2008-06-12T11:23:40Z

If the Dudley Mosque was built on the derelict ground in Hall Street, it would rob the town of prime building land. After all there’s only 27 acres of development space left in the borough. However, if the Mosque was built it would generate jobs as well as providing training and development opportunities for the whole community. This is what we are told about the public inquiry taking place over the Dudley mosque. But the town is not being true to itself with this debate. Do we really think that angry words are being exchanged in the public gallery and twenty police officers and extra security are present because everyone’s falling out over a few jobs and a bit of land? I don’t think so. Much of the public unrest involves a faith issue. Not a race issue. But there is definitely a religious concern. A mosque is a place of public worship. But we are debating the whole thing in a secular sense as though planners propose to build an air field or a supermarket on the site. Personally I wish Donald Trump would come to Dudley and build his £1 billion golf course. Not to forget the one thousand holiday homes and five hundred private houses he’s planning to go around the 1,400 acre site. Dudley would become a golfer’s paradise and reap £100 million a year. But it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for Donald to build his golf course here in the West Midlands. In fact, Donald can’t even get his plans through a small committee. Scottish councillors have rejected his flamboyant proposal to keep their unspoilt coastline. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it? We don’t like people spoiling things for us. According to the Muslim Association the mosque is ‘an ideal employment site’. They don’t want anyone to stand in the way and spoil this great service and vision for the community. On the other hand it’s been argued that a huge mosque would be out of character with the town of Dudley and spoil its skyline. I think it would also spoil some people’s Christian views. Unlike the Muslims Christians believe Jesus is more than just a prophet. They believe Christ is the unique Son of God. That’s why some people are opposed to the building of the Mosque. But I can’t say this, can I? Otherwise I might spoil the wonderful image of religious tolerance we have in our nation.

KEV COLEY'S THOUGHT 4 THE DAY- A SLIP OF THE TONGUE

2008-06-11T10:49:33Z

"I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric" said President George Bush. The US leader is regretting the choice of words he used to deal with Osoma Bin Laden and the Iraq situation. Perhaps he could have spoken differently when challenging Iran over the issue of its uranium enrichment. ‘Bring them on’, ‘dead or alive’, 'all options are on the table' are just some of the phrases fired in the important global debate about the Middle East problems. George is not the only leader to speak imprudently either. The newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coined a phrase that he might regret. "Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad.” This was misunderstood as ‘Israel must be wiped off the map’. But apparently it means ‘this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time". Either way it sounds as though Mahmoud is looking for a final solution to a problem in Jerusalem. Whoops did I say ‘final solution’? Sorry that phrase sends tingles down my spine. It reminds me of another politician who wanted to permanently deal with Jews. His name was Hitler. He was adamant that the European Jewish community vanish from the pages of time. Consequently people were brought alive on trains to concentration camps. And there an unimaginable number of men women and children ended up dead. Of course George Bush didn’t really mean bring them on dead or alive. The USA has been misunderstood that’s all. And Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wouldn’t dream of wiping Israel off the map. Iran’s nuclear ambitions are only for domestic purposes. We believe them; don’t we?

KEV COLEY'S THOUGHT 4 THE DAY-FOOTPRINTS

2008-06-10T09:36:26Z

I've been informed that there is an argument over the inspirational poem footprints. CNN reports that ‘the three claimants are the estate of Mary Stevenson, who died in 1999 at age 76 and said she wrote a version of the poem in 1936 in Chester, Pa. Margaret Fishback Powers, a poet and co-founder of a children's ministry in Canada, who says she composed "Footprints" in 1964; and Carolyn Carty, a New Jersey woman and self-described "child prodigy" who says she wrote her version in 1963 when she was 6. Each author copyrighted her version (they differ in small details, most significantly in Carty's use of the third person over the first person of the other two), and each has a different tale of the story's genesis. Stevenson told her biographer she was a 14-year-old Philadelphia showgirl during the Depression when she was locked out of her house on a wintry night and was inspired by the sight of a cat leaving paw prints in the snow.’
I feel this legal case is similar to Mike Batt’s bizarre copyright battle over a piece of recorded silence or the crazy view that the traditional happy birthday song is genuinely under copyright. But there is one significant difference. The authors of the recorded silence and the happy birthday song do not pontificate like our great Footprints gurus. The so called official Mary Steven’s website claims that Footprints is an ‘immortal work’. Zondervan hale Margaret Fishback Powers as the author of the ‘World Famous poem’. The Carolyn Carty version is humbler but more ethical in its stance as ‘Original Faith Poetry’. So there you are our three great legal battling authors have produced an immortal, world-famous, original poem. Wow if these three had teamed up together in the earlier days they would have been a formidable force. Anyway, if I was a judge presiding over the Footprints case I would allow all three claimants separate copyrights and permit them to trade on the poem as they saw fit. I would also fine each claimant and make them pay court costs. Then I would have a Footprints amnesty day where all Christians will be given one chance to hand their Footprints trinkets and poems into their church leaders for disposal, either by paper shredder or burning. In my opinion this would be appropriate because the three versions of Footprints poems are nothing but sentimental twaddle. The poems don’t have the lasting value of the Bible, the freshness of today’s bloggers or the classic brilliance of any great historical authors. Using a Footprints mug or hanging a Footprints poem on your wall is as boring as eating three beans on toast meals every single day, for the rest of your life. In my opinion the three versions of Footprints are corny, well worn and dry bread. They are not worth copyrighting, unless of course you want to make money.

KEV COLEY'S THOUGHT 4 THE DAY- UP ON THE ROOF

2008-06-09T06:12:19Z

Britain’s Labour Party deputy leader Harriet Harman has packed her bags and left home. Why? Is it because she’s fallen out with her husband? No, she hasn’t. Is it because she can’t pay her Council Tax? No it’s not. Is it because she’s been evicted for not paying the mortgage? No. Harriet left home because two fathers for justice campaigners have climbed up on the roof of her house to make a protest. The two costumed men are demanding that divorced fathers be given better access to their children. Isn’t it amazing, the F4J organisation is so resourceful they can get access everywhere? In 2006 they got into the House of Commons and pelted Tony Blair with condoms full of purple flower. On other occasions they have scaled a crane at Tower Bridge, visited the Queen’s Balcony at Buckingham Palace and climbed the roof of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. F4J makes a mockery of our national security. They will cunningly find a way in to any place. However, divorced fathers don’t seem to be able to get appropriate access to their own loved ones. Perhaps it’s because the fathers wear tights and look stupid? But more than likely it’s because there has been a family break down. The fathers are hurting. Their partners are hurting. Their kids are hurting. I think Harriet Harman missed this point when she commented on the F4J protest taking place on her roof. "I don't think it is fair to the police resources to be tied up outside my house because of this demonstration when they could be doing other important policing work,”. She failed to acknowledge the serious role of fatherhood and address the problem of divorce in a compassionate way. She could only focus on the importance of police resources. Ah, but when it came to the police pay rise there was a betrayal. The police do a great job. But according to the government they were not special enough to earn their 2.5% pay rise. The Bobby’s pay was effectively reduced to 1.9%. That’s how important policing work is to this present government.

KEV COLEY'S THOUGHT 4 THE DAY-THIS BRITAIN

2008-06-03T06:46:40Z

This Britain

Sir Alan Sugar recently expressed his feelings about Broken Britain. ‘It’s gone bloody mad out there’ he told a Sun news reporter. So how can we stop Britain falling apart?

I would suggest that we could fix Britain by,

Setting clear guidelines

Establishing what is and isn’t acceptable in society helps everyone. But unfortunately we don’t always know the perimeters in which to live.

I might use the subject of drugs for an example. In January 2004 Cannabis was reclassified from a class B to a class C drug. But by May 2008 Jacqui Smith confirmed that cannabis in the UK would be reclassified from class C to B again. It’s not such a big issue as to whether cannabis is a class B or C drug. Cannabis and its increasing strains have been illegally circulated for years. What matters here is to state the bottom line about the drug in a straight forward unambiguous way. Then enforce the law if it’s broken.

Our leaders need to concentrate on establishing very clear boundaries on the many issues that affect our country. Otherwise the situation will become more absurd. Like the North London council which illegally painted two yellow junction boxes either side of the road and ticketed drivers in Tottenham. No matter what side of the road the people were on, they were wrong. They couldn’t fail to be wrong. Not because they were incompetent drivers. Rather because the council had not established proper guidelines for the road users. And so it is with all our practical, moral, and social matters. Clearer guidelines will help straighten out some of the mess which the UK is presently in.

There are of course a lot of grey areas in a democracy like Britain. But equally there are many things that could be put in plain words so everyone can understand. Review policies; adapt principles, advance technology and change laws according to the times in which we live. But don’t keep moving the goal posts otherwise we don’t know what to aim for. I appreciate that there must be consultation. But consultation shouldn’t be confused with never ending debates or meaningless talk. A democracy has to know what it stands for and what it does not stand for. Otherwise we’ll fall for anything. Our leaders must simplify our lives. We’ve become such a special nation that we have to rely on specialists to deal with everything. We need specialists for financial issues, data protection issues, human rights issues, scientific research, health and safety, and we have leaflets to explain all events. We have NVQ’s for everything, personal trainers for everyone and life coaches to inspire us to fulfil our potential. Why is it with all of these professionals our nation is still in such a mess? Of course we need trained and skilled people to do a proper job. But I think we’ve specialised to the point of overkill. Most of us are just plebs; give us stuff that works in every day life.

But even then I wouldn’t be fooled into thinking that people will automatically follow crystal clear guidelines. Take alcohol for example. As a parent I do welcome the government guide book on how to teach our kids to drink alcohol. But good guidance doesn’t guarantee good conduct. Education about binge drinking may not change people’s attitude towards binge drinking. What starts out as a happy drinking session can end up in drunken chaos no matter what the guide book on drinking states. People fail to do what’s right even though they know what’s right to do. We know it’s illegal to speed on the highway but how many of us have done so? A person will only do what he or she wants to. Therefore it will take more than clear guidelines to fix Broken Britain. We must also determine to make a difference as individuals.

Doing what you can

It’s recorded that ten percent of school children have committed burglary. A quarter of 15-16 year olds admit to carrying a weapon. A report states that 382,000 incidents of mugging occurred in 2005/6. We can’t instantly change these statistics or pretend that crime never happens in our nation. The challenge is huge. We are like an ant wrestling with an elephant. But as individuals we can influence a tiny part of the big picture.

Carol Saldinack's sons Luke Newman, 27, and Oliver Clark, 24 recently attacked a man and blinded him in one eye. But their mother did not let them get away with the crime. She reported them to the police and they were sentenced to two years in prison. By doing this Carol has not solved the problem of crime in the UK. But she did fix a little part of Britain which she had control over. And so it is with all of us. If Britain is a broken nation its citizens must be personally responsible for rebuilding its character. We must have the courage to do what’s right, not what’s easy. We must not give in to a corrupt status quo but work hard towards a common goal of civility. There is no safe Britain and at times it may be wrought with danger like a jungle. But we can deal with the issues that arise by focusing on the job in hand. Sir Morton Stanley was asked if he'd been frightened of the incredible horrifying jungle that had daunted previous explorers. He said 'I did not see the whole. I only saw this rock ahead of me. I only saw this poisonous snake which I had to kill in order to take the next step. I only saw the problem directly in front of me. If I had seen the whole thing I would have been too overwhelmed to have attempted this'.

Harnessing the power of optimism

One of the absolute resources needed for fixing this nation is the spirit of optimism. We can enjoy some of Britain right now. A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.

A counsellor named Rich Bayer has written about the importance of optimism on his website. He explains that during ‘the 1988, Olympic Games, swimmer Matt Biondi was favoured to win all seven events he had entered. Preparing for his first event, the 200-meter freestyle, he shook himself a little to get loose and set his mind on winning. At the gun, he hit the water and gave it his all but when the waves had settled at the end of the race, he had finished a disappointing third. In his second event, the 100-meter butterfly, he led the field until the last two meters where he was caught and he finished second. The commentators speculated that this was such a crushing blow to him that it would break his concentration in the coming events and detract from his performance. Biondi however went on to win gold in all five of his remaining events. How did Biondi do it? Aside from being an outstanding swimmer, he was also an exceptional optimist. He had reassured himself, after the first two losses that he would do better in his upcoming events’.

And so it is with the challenge set before us in Broken Britain. No matter what losses have been inflicted on our nation we can do better in the future. The up and coming months and approaching years will bring with them some great opportunities. Alan Sugar should not despair too much. If a dung beetle can get healthy nutrients out of faeces then we can get something good out of Britain. Now is not the time to give up on our nation. Think positive! Besides, a genuine anticipation of a better future will improve our stress management. It will increase productivity and provide better health. Development in these areas alone will do us all the world of good and help get this nation back on its feet. But if we fail don’t worry too much. Broken Britain is not going to be your problem for ever.

Having a Reality check

You might look like him, think like him, talk like him and feel like him. But you’re still not God; you’re only human. No one person, organisation or government has the ability to make Britain a perfect nation; it will always have its faults because human nature itself is faulty. Some times it’s down right sinful. A leader by the name of Hitler tried to establish a great earthly kingdom that would reign for a thousand years. He convinced some of his people that Germany was a cut above the rest. He ruined his nation within a decade. Modern leaders are still prone to failure or wrong doing, no matter country they regulate.

Technology too has its restrictions. Great inventors or inventions will not be enough to fix our nation. Science is good enough to get man to the moon and land a spacecraft on Mars. But it’s never made a single planet which fills our universe. No matter how hip technology becomes it will always be limited. So too will our leaders in the UK. Politicians walk among us but they don’t walk on water. Parliament makes legislation but it doesn’t have the monopoly on truth. And all the money in the world can’t buy eternal life. So we need to live in this land humbly before God, with a conscience, and be good stewards of our nation. Perhaps it’s worth stating the obvious here. We will all reach a point when the values of Britain won’t bother us anymore. Crime, the rising cost of living, the work in the community and UK ideals will all become obsolete when we’re dead. So, whoever gets into Downing Street next, I wouldn’t try too hard to fix up our nation. Like those gone before you, sooner or later you too will make a ‘balls up’ of things. Our ultimate destiny lies beyond this tiny Island of ours.

Kev Coley's Thought 4 The Day- IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN

2008-05-31T09:12:34Z

If I Only Had a Brain

Chris Parry, the new chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said that Matrix-style technology will render traditional class room lessons obsolete. He predicts that our kids will learn by downloading information directly into their brains within 30 years. For example in the future our kids could download the French language, or the history of China or they could study medicine etc without being lectured. So 30 years from now learning will become a thing of the past’ he said. It is advisable therefore not to pursue the vocation of a traditional teacher. The teaching profession as we know it will become archaic. Teachers will no longer be required to prepare us for society or groom us for intellectual adulthood. This is good news for all. It means no more teachers strikes, OFSTEAD inspections or kid truants.

The new world order will only require pupils to have a chip in their brain. (You will be pleased to know that a chip has been inserted into the brain of a rat and it has proved that it can control the movement of a computer). The NHS will insert this chip for us of course, probably at the age of five. The government will save a fortune on student grants. They will also stop investing money into school and college premises. These antiquated buildings can soon be demolished and have houses constructed in their place. The information for the kids could easily be downloaded at home or by using wireless broadband at places like McDonalds while eating a burger. Of course there will be no health problems like a drugged screwed up brain or mental neurological side affects, copy write issues or technological hitches. No by this time the world will be a much more sophisticated place.

‘ Airplanes will be too afraid to crash, yoghurts will wish you good morning before being eaten and human consciousness will be stored on supercomputers, promising immortality for all’. These are the earnest predictions of Ian Pearson; head of the futurology unit at BT. He informs us that ‘PlayStation is already 1 per cent as powerful as a human brain. ‘It is into supercomputer status compared to 10 years ago. PlayStation 5 will probably be as powerful as the human brain’. He goes on to explain that ‘the world's fastest computer, IBM's BlueGene, can perform 70.72 trillion calculations per second (teraflops) and is accelerating all the time’. And guess what? 'We're already looking at how you might structure a computer that could possibly become conscious’. If so, the supercomputer wouldn’t just follow instructions. Rather it would have emotions and be able to think, learn and make decisions on its own. But alas, what a poor soul this computer would be.

I mean it couldn’t run about on a football pitch like Frank Lampard. When did you last see a lap top kick a ball and score a great goal in a Wembley cup final? Neither could the supercomputer sup a glass of wine whilst eating a scrumptious meal in top class restaurant. Neither could it smell freshly cut grass or the scent of the Honeysuckle flowers whilst strolling down a country lane on a summer’s day. Machine software imposters will never replace the real human thing. What would you rather do? Smooch a PC screen or kiss a woman? Hold hands with your kids or pick up a plug? Robots will always be under the human thumb. That’s why some are sent to Mars by their human masters, while other robots serve as toys or vacuum cleaners in human households.

KEV COLEY'S THOUGHT 4 THE DAY- INNOCENT ERROR DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES?

2008-05-30T10:26:06Z

Maddy McCann was just three years old when she went missing on 3rd May 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her parents are not suspected of any official crime yet. But the Spanish police are apparently investigating the McCanns for "exposure, abandonment and concealment of a corpse". Under the circumstances it’s proper that all these possibilities are investigated thoroughly. Only then could the police be considered to be doing their job correctly. Depending on what they find of course, they could also eliminate Kate and Gerry McCann from their inquiry.
There have been some arguments as to the way the Maddy investigation is being carried out. One of the latest issues to arise is the McCann’s anger over claims that Gerry had received a string of mystery texts the day before Maddy vanished. I can appreciate these slurs are annoying for the family. But I don’t understand why providing the mobile phone information has become an issue. A source close to the McCanns said: "They have had their phone records available for inspection for months. But the police never asked for them and now that they have formally asked, they have been refused. Maybe it’s just me. If I was innocent I would want the phone records to be handed to the Spanish police ASAP. The sooner this is done Gerry can be exonerated and everyone can concentrate on other unsolved puzzles related to this abduction. Or is it murder? Or is it accidental death? Or is it the concealment of a corpse? Or is it neglect? I don’t know but the very least we can say is that Maddy was left alone while her parents were out dinning with friends. This is a cruel twist of fate considering Maddy was just fifty yards away from her parents. But distance and safety depends on context. If a three year old was walking on the edge of a busy road and her parents were one yard away but they were not holding her hand or observing the child to prevent it from stepping out into on coming traffic, they would be negligent. If you lived in a semi-detached house would you feel comfortable to go and visit the neighbour’s adjoining house and have a coffee and a chat with your friends for half hour as you left your three year old daughter sleeping in a cot between two younger children? Some parents would. Others would never dream of it. Leaving a three year old kid alone for half an hour might not be negligence. But it’s not always the best supervision either. There doesn’t have to be a fire in the house. No burglar has to sneak in through a window? No fiend has to enter the house and take your child. But something should be in place in the unlikely event of these things happening. With regards to Maddy no person was close enough to hear the forcing open of the shutters. If a baby sitter had been present the abductor could not have entered the window, or easily have hidden in the house or walked out of the front door with Maddy in his arms, unless the he was invisible and the baby sitter was blind.

Gerry and Kate checked on their kids every 30 minutes. This shows that they were responsible parents, as a friend said ‘the McCanns are a superb mother and father’ and ‘they are a very loving family’. But in hindsight we see that superb and loving parents can make slight errors of judgment. And when they do those slight errors of judgment can sometimes have devastating consequences. If you think you have seen Maddy or think you have some information regarding her abduction call the investigation line +44 845 838 4699

KEV'S THOUGHT 4 TODAY- EXCUSES ARE LIKE ARMPITS EVERYBODY'S GOT A COUPLE AND THEY STINK

2008-05-24T11:40:07Z

According to a spokesman the attacker is just a vulnerable bloke that’s been radicalised and taken advantage of by Muslim extremists. The would-be bomber naively transported some explosive device to the Giraffe café in Exeter England. The viable nail bomb was designed to explode, maim and kill innocent men, women and children. But it’s the assailant who is apparently weak and vulnerable. The suspect is described as being brain washed and having a low I Q. If he’s so pathetic why didn’t they send in a social worker or counsellor to raid an adress associated with the bomber? Why did they use a bunch of armed police officers to do the search? Just because you have a low IQ or can be taken advantage of does not make you innocent. Nobody these days takes the blame for the things they do wrong. Ask the young teenagers why they carry knives. It’s not to kill anyone it’s only to protect themselves. It’s the other gang’s fault. And whatever you do don’t upset the youf. Police officers should not stop and search any young suspects for these deadly weapons. You might antagonise them. Then they’ll have another excuse to riot against the establishment. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a goody two shoes or a golden angel. I’ve done my fair share of misdeeds. But I do believe in good old fashioned confession. Its God’s way of making us be honest about our sin.