Are you sleeping comfortably?

I came a cross a really interesting article that I thought I would share with you.

How often do we moan about sleeping? I often see many Facebook status' saying that people haven't slept well or that they just are not sleeping. Don't get me wrong I am just as bad, and will often do the same.

So what is our obsession with sleeping well?

I use to think it was down to the commitment that we have, commitment to be a parent; you're up all day running around after your children, is tiring, you need to sleep well to manage it the next day. Or take work as an example, working 10-12 hours a day and then again knowing that you have to do the same tomorrow on limited sleep is a nightmare!

What if then you work part-time and you're a parent and a husband/wife and you have other duties on top. Well, I am sure we can at some point relate to that.

So, is sleeping well a modern thing?

It must be, we all go out and make sure we buy comfy mattresses, which usually suit our life style, be it hard mattresses, soft, body shaping or even the latest spring memory foamed. With all this modern advances we must be counter reacting to the normal life style that we are creating for ourselves, could even say living comfortably to our means and lifestyle.

Realistically, thousands of years ago, people weren't sleeping on mattresses before they went out and worked on the field or cared for their family!

Or so we would have thought!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111208-oldest-mattress-africa-archaeology-science/

According to this article a 77,000 year old Mattress has been discovered, showing that they cleverly worked out specific layers of plants and materials to for a 12 inch (30 cm) mattress to sleep on and to top it off, they were also concerned about bedbugs!! As it appears the top layers were specific plants that kept away Ants, flies and mosquitoes  (and I would assume other bugs)

It really isn't a surprise though when you think about how many animals build nests, even some closer related species like chimps and gorillas who build nests for sleeping comforts. But still, reading the article still impressed me.

It really got me thinking how in some ways our long lost ancestors must have dreamt of a good night sleep just as much as we do! And they survived to hunt and fish another day, then so shall we!!

Now stop hogging my Mammoth blanket and let me get some sleep!

Christmas and Children

Christmas is such a lovely time of year.

It is probably one of the busier times of years for churches, I am aware of more people going to church at this time of year, which in some ways is brilliant because the people who are going try to set something aside for God.

I was wondering if this has anything to do with our childhood memories?

Most of us remember the Christmas rush at school, there would be the Christmas school play, the Nativity and usually the Carols that we would sing in Assemblies (usually very loudly!!) We all grow up with the feeling that these are things that help us get into the Christmas spirit. My Sister-in-law for example, posted on facebook, "Christmas songs playing in the car and it is snowing, now feeling all Christmassy" 

So, for a Christian, although I could argue that Once a year church isn't really Church, i think we should use this opportunity to present ourselves, God, Jesus the best that we can, allow our churches to capture the hearts of everyone who comes.

I know, though that this is difficult to do, so for the time being I will smile at seeing everyone new coming into church for the special events.

My target event this year is the Nativity service. I am keen on seeing if I can get as many people, as possible, hopefully people with children, to this service this year. I mentioned this service and it has happily spread like wild fire. Fantastic!!
And to this date we have organised at least 4 people coming with their families to enjoy the service. My target number is 10?! 10 people and their families.

So, if you live in the Twydall/Gillingham area, i would ask you to help me get to my number! Holy Trinity Church (the pointy one) is holding the Nativity service at 5pm Christmas Eve, dress your children up as nativity characters as well and let them have fun. Fulfil your childhood memories of this time of year and let your children have these memories too. Sing carols, dress up, have fun and remember why we have Christmas in the first place.

If you are interested. Message me and i will give you more information. Help me reach my target!!

Black Mirror - The National Anthem

I sat and watched a new series to Channel 4 called Black Mirror and straight away thought that I needed to write a review of it.

The series was advertised as being a dark programme pushing the boundaries of social understanding.

Having just and only watched the first episode the above statement is spot on.

The story is set in a similar reality to our own (the only differences really being is names of people and companies)

The episode opens up on the Prime Minister waking up to get an emergency phone call from his office and that he needed to report to them straight away.

What then seems to unravel is that he is presented with a film footage of a ransom order from a kidnapped Princess. ( I would assume that this Princess is meant to represent the Princess Katherine) The Princess begs for her release, as I would expect to see in any ransom video. The officials stop the tape and warns the prime minister that what happens next in the bargaining ransom is unprecedented. The kidnapped princess will only be released if he has sexual intercourse with a pig by 4 o'clock that day.

What would you do?

The story unfolds that the Government make attempts to deceive the terrorist by trying to set up a "fake film" only for the terrorist to know and stop them by sending in a cut finger with the princesses wedding ring on.

Now, as you would suspect it portrays the Government as one of secrecy and cover up. However, there seems to be a very quick down fall in their scheme. The internet. The original video that was released was done via youtube. by the point that it was ready to be taken of 40,000 people had viewed it. From that they estimated that 5 to 6 copies were appearing to everyone that they deleted from the site. The video was then trending on Facebook and Twitter, Yet with the news under a Government agreement of silence the world is waiting "knowing" of the event without any real clarity.

I am sure we are all aware of the great way that things spread over the social media networks.

With the severed finger now in the possession and the news teams breaking the silence that they had promised and are now publishing the Prime minister gets a phone call from the Queen, from which the only thing we know is that she has asked him to do all that is in his power?!

With the country in 89% support of the prime minister going a head with the act of which they are standing by their TV screens waiting for the 4 o'clock broadcast. The with his Government officials meeting half hour before the deadline, they have informed him that all parties have agreed that he goes a head with it and that if he didn't they couldn't guarantee the life of him or his family. He gets in the car and heads into the TV studio.

I have to admit I was cringing at this point. He was put into a position where he had no other option, the option not to do it would have put him, his family and the Princess in danger. I asked it before, but what would you do?

The scene unfolds and he has sex with the Pig whilst the nation sickeningly sits and watches via their televisions. The act last an hour before the Princess is found. Could you sit and watch the act? Could you for an hour?

We then find that it was an elaborate prank by a dying artist, trying to make the greatest artistic work of the 21st century. He takes his own life by hanging. Therefore making him free and a dead artist.

It is a sick concept really and towards the end I was really cringing at the show (even with the obvious presentation that you didn't actually witness any bestiality, you just were implied the concept)

A few things stood out though.

How quickly things spread via the internet and social media sites, so much that a pressure built of 1.3 Billion people had wanted this man, this father this husband to perform this sickening act.

Would you really watch him go through with the act? I would like to think and say no I wouldn't, but my thoughts went back to studies regarding how far people get pushed into events through peer pressure and group/mob mentality of pushing for an undesirable outcome (Look at the context of some of the rioters in London this past Summer)

The last thought (thoughts) is a disturbing one. What would you do when put under so much pressure? What would you do to save another persons life? What would you do to save your wife and children?

The Wright Stuff - Liam Aitchison

Now, I tend to clear away from news articles that could cause arguements. But this recent story has been brought to my attention and if i am completely honest I really don't know how I feel about it.

The Wright Stuff is a Tv and news programme, based on a panel discussing points of interesting from the news, this being Tv or tabloid papers. Matthew Wright is the presenter of the Channel 5 show.

There has recently been a tradgic murder in Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis.The horrific murder of the teenage boy Liam Aitchison in teh Stornoway area, was the first murder in 40 years for the Island. This murder was mentioned in the tabloids and then reported back to the panel in the Wright Stuff earlier this week.

Now, this is where, sadly, my moral compass is off and I don't know how I feel about what unfolds next. In the presentation of the story, it is mentioned there has been a murder in Scotland, at this point the Tv host Matthew Wright puts on a Scottish Accent and say "murrrdderr" in the way that Comedians and the general public, including myself, have done following the popular Scottish Murder and Crime series Taggart. The presenter and the panelist then talk about the area of Stornoway and fishing. The clip is below:


I have watched this clip too many times to mention now, each time it seems to me, very clearly, that Matthew Wright is NOT meaningfully making fun of the victim or the poor boys family and that there is no meaning of malice behind his comment, so part of me feels sorry for the backlash that he is getting, which seems to be a current craze of the nation to blow up any body from celebratity form into a front page headline, catching them out at every chance. Start up a capagin against this and Ofcom that.

However, this is a tv panel show about the news shouldn't this then mean that we should hold a more direct and serious approach to the presentation of the show?

But then I don't watch it for that, I actually watch it to follow up the current news with someone who is as oppinionated as I am and with that a bit of tongue in cheek behaviour.

That being said they were reporting on a murder. A murder of a young teenage boy. This is also the first murder that the Stornoway community has seen in a generation. This boys family, friends and community are clearly going to be shocked and disgusted at this news not being taken seriously.

So, where do you draw the line?

Should a panel show like this tighten up on its presenters and make it a strict news presenting show?

Should the producers, directors and teams have a bit more control about the news stories that are presented, so no offence is taken?

Should Matthew Wright be fired from the show and Channel 5?

Or Should we expect nothing less from a show, that you purposefully watch for the comedy that surrounds the news?

I will be honest, these questions above is where my thoughts are, and I can not seem to pick a question to answer and run with. It WAS wrong of them, yet Matthew Wright has apologised. It is in bad taste, but very rarely have I seen a murder story even mentioned on the show, does that mean the format needs to change.

I'll leave you to comment and tell me.

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I would like you to take this as my views over the news scandal of Matthew Wright and his presenting, not on the horrific murder of Liam Aitchison. This is a horrible crime and my prayer and condolences are with this poor boys friends, family and community.