Saints – Heed your Pope!

Who am I?

Who am I to judge?”posed Pope Francis in 2015 when asked about gay people.

No-one should be surprised that “full marriage equality” was not achieved straightaway on St Helena.  It has been a struggle everywhere else in the world. (For non-St Helenians, please read Lermarc's all-too familiar story below and the grand finale.)

More to peering than appears?

For the Beer Garden and Karaoke Hostesses the shift starts early 4.00pm and never ends?

“You won’t get a word out of her!”  That was the familiar rebuke directed at the teenager as she peered in to her telephone.  Unabashed the girl remained transfixed, oblivious to all around her. “Let her be, it’s just her age.” calmed Grand-Ma.

Just a few hours later and half-way around the world, the girl’s exact peers, girls of her age, even younger, were doing much the same.  Thousands were still on duty at midnight.

Legacy; Legitimacy and Loi!

Photo source not known. A single plank is the norm.

Legacy; Legitimacy and Loi!

A tribute.

Are we all like Salmon?  Does nature dictate that we should end our days where we were born?  The truth is most of use have a yearning to do so.  But then there are exceptions and none more so in “pioneering” countries like Cambodia, where the cause of humanity has been challenged in ways that few of us would have expected.

Denwick, Northumberland, River Aln Salmon Leap

Casey Nelson “Barang in the land of Khmers” is the latest exception to the rule.

Rocking All Over the World

“Here we are and here we go” rocked Status Quo “Rocking all over the world”.

Yet the tiny rock island of Saint Helena seems to crop up all over the world. My elderly Aunt died recently and my Cambodian wife took a liking to one of her knick-knacks pictured above.

It led me to a another journey of discovery and coincidences fuelled of course by Google Search.

Northumberland and Saint Helena have pride of place in my blog as the two best places to live in, not that I am biased. It is a totally objective opinion based on well-established liveability criteria such as the quality of the local bars and fish-cakes.

Railway Superbreaks Cambodia-style

From Alnmouth, it’s possible to take a rail superbreak, transport and hotel all-in, anywhere in the UK.  We’ve been to Whitehaven in Cumberland and to Aberdeen where my Cambodian wife took a liking to the free Buck’s Fizz served at breakfast.  Oddly, the cost of these packages can be less than booking the fare-only.

So once Cambodia’s rail system was restored, I couldn’t resist the temptation. A trip to Kampot or Sihanoukville is a bit long for me, but Takeo just an hour and a half from Phnom Penh, was just the ticket.

Governing well, or not so well?

William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong CB FRS (26 November 1810 – 27 December 1900) is one of Northumberland’s most famous sons, and whose home Cragside, pictured above, remains one of the county’s most attractive venues for visitors.  Not many people know that despite his brilliance he was an early victim of poor governance.

“When in Rome do as the Romans do” may be sensible advice generally, but it should not lend itself to human rights and governance.  We are all supposed to share universal and inviolable rights, aren’t we?

Now this blog is going to be quite unusual in that it is not a grumble about Cambodia, but it does suggest that countries like the UK do allow Cambodian ways of doing things to creep in, for lots of reasons, such as expediency.

Careless Talk Costs Lives

Dark Skies at Kielder Water Northumberland, United Kingdom

As dark as possible helps astronomy but not politics!

(Kielder Water exemplifies where modern development, environmental issues, and local people’s interests work together to benefit all.  You can read more on this other blog)

Why did a Cambodian Civil Society Analyst die?

Probably we will never know the real motive, but what he said and stood for must have upset someone.