"When I was in Singapore" Mr Loyns Remembers and Mr Lee builds

English: Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, being escorted by United States Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld through an honour cordon and into the Pentagon. They met to discuss bilateral security issues including the war on terrorism: see DefenseLINK news photos. US Department of Defense (). Retrieved on . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was finishing my last year of primary school at Cwrt Yr Ala Juniors in Caerau, Cardiff my teacher was a Mr. Loyns ( was the schools Deputy Head), Mr. Loyns spent some of the time reminiscing about his past (for example he was in the scouts when Baden Powell was still alive and had visited his troop). However his favourite topic was his life in Singapore, which we assumed was before WWII. This was the Singapore of the colonial period when English ladies would take tea and Tiffin, before the Japanese hauled them off to “Tenko”. I think he spent more time talking about Singapore than teaching us Math’s etc.

Why should I speak about this, I think after reading this article by former Bridgend Council leader Jeff Jones on Wales competing in the World   It made me think especially about their success which seems to be the achievement of one man    Lee Kuan Yew  who has led the country since the 1950s.

The question is why Wales can’t follow the example of Singapore and it's inspiring leader?

Personally speaking the Welsh would have to change its religion to become a little dragon like Singapore ect, from Sports, shopping and the telly to Confucianism with it's veneration for family, community, and just damn hard work, to be honest  I am pessimistic.

Test

The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion in Wales

I first had planned to comment on a article I had read on Click on Wales  on anti abortion demonstrations in St Mary's Street, Cardiff outside of the abortion clinic there. the article itself focused itself on the evangelical group where demonstrating  there "Forty Days for life"  making opposition to abortion as a purely religious matter (a bunch of crazes fundies imposing their religious beliefs on a rational majority).

However this phenomenon is quite common in the US (where the Planned Parent clinic at 20th and Vine in Denver has been "picketed" since 1967 when abortion was legalized in Colorado, The Cardiff pro choice group should count themselves lucky). Its true that these groups consists of Roman Catholics and conservative Evangelicals however not all. The leader of the Denver pro life movement who was involved in those particular pickets (Terry Sullivan) was   himself was involved in the Civil Rights and anti war movements  in the 1960s, and though a Catholic opposed abortion because he saw it as an extension of the Civil Rights movement (as did Michael Harrington the author of "the Other America" the defining work on poverty in the 1960s).

It should be noted that in the Roe V Wade decision that one of the dissenting justices was Byron White a Kennedy liberal and Episcopalian hardly your example of a crazed fundamentalist. In his dissent his objection he opposed it because he saw no reason for a abortion for reasons of convenience.

Hannah Austin's article claims that women do not make their choice lightly yet an article in the Telegraph said that 1 in 5 abortion clinics break the law on abortions giving them for conveniences sakes ( sex of child etc), which almost invalidates her claim.

I would say that 40 days are doing a duty and they have a right to protest/

finally my last point some years ago I attended a dinner with David Steel in a restaurant in St Mary's st by some strange coincidence, he authored the Bill which legalized abortion in the UK (which was for health grounds) however he also as a Liberal would believe that 40 Days had a right to free speech and so should the pro choice group.



























One in five abortion clinics breaks law - Telegraph

Cardinal Sean O' Malley new Pope?

Cardinal Seán's Blog

Pope Patrick: The First Irish Pope

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It could Happen! Imagine!

Another Cardiff Church Bites the Dust

Another church from my home is slated to close. Ely United Reform Church (formerly Ely Congregational Church) will close this Easter with its total of 14 people. This church has served Ely, Cardiff for over 80 years, and now it will join the ever growing community of defunct churches in the area
1. Parish Church of St Mary, Caerau
2. Carmel Baptist Church, Caerau,
3. Saintwell URC, Caerau
4. The Parish Church of St Michael's. Michaelston

Any I have forgotten? my apologies. What has happened? do we have a nation of non believers? Not it seems according to the census a majority (yes a diminishing one) still profess to be Christian, yet most of them will never set a foot inside a church?

Often as not people will say "well you don't have to go to church to be a Christian!". Well the truth is if you don't attend a place of worship then you cant be a Christian as Jesus said "whenever 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I will be among them" sounds pretty clear to me. However I don't blame those nominal Christians for not knowing that, when those who do, make no attempt to bring those in, or   whose own lack of charity puts those off.

In my opinion, the more successful churches are the ones that have an active "outreach" in the community, and that does not mean self serving. Here is the US there are churches that provide services to the community.

Churches are not there for themselves, they are there to be Christ to the community by serving and meeting the needs of the poor and oppressed.

That cannot be done with a couple of old people with good intentions.




























Church to deliver final service after congregation falls - Cardiff news - CardiffOnline - WalesOnline