Tag: Community

Saturday Sound-off7 Comments

Why do we Celebrate Stupidity?

franklparker

This past week an 83 year-old woman from Barnsley has made the rounds of the TV studios after she said she had no intention of following the latest set of Covid restrictions.I saw her in one inerview where she protested her concern for all the other people who are dying from other conditions. How stupid can you get? Does she, and people like her, not realise that every Covid patient in hospital is taking a resource that would otherwise be used by a patient on the waiting list for an operation or diagnostic procedure. At the time of writing there … Continue reading Why do we Celebrate Stupidity?

Monday Memories6 Comments

Monday Memories – Decisions and Consequences #5: Confessions of a Hypocrite

franklparker

The truth is that I have worked in industries each of which is at odds with my belief in the importance of protecting the planet for future generations. You may choose to call me a hypocrite. I do it myself all the time. Continue reading Monday Memories – Decisions and Consequences #5: Confessions of a Hypocrite

World Affairs7 Comments

A Welcome in the Hillside #WATWB

franklparker

The shabby treatment meted out by the UK government to migrants who came from the Carribean and elsewhere in the years following World War II and worked for decades has dropped out of the headlines. I recently came across another example of a group of people who, despite having dedicated their lives to serving the UK government were, nevertheless, denied the right of permanent residence in the country for which they were prepared to risk their lives. In this case, the policy was changed thanks to the intervention of a well known and loved actor. What has this to do … Continue reading A Welcome in the Hillside #WATWB

General posts, Irish History 1845-511 Comment

Community vs Individualism

franklparker

The post from Felicity Sidnel about cohousing that I re-blogged recently reminded me of something I read whilst researching the Irish famine of 1845-51. Prior to this traumatic event there existed in parts of the North West of the island a system of communal land occupation and cultivation known as rundale. It had remained unchanged for many centuries¹. It continued even though legal ownership of the land might be vested in a landlord with ties to the British mainland. The people resided in a cluster of homes called a clachan. The adjacent land radiated out from the cluster and was … Continue reading Community vs Individualism

General posts1 Comment

Co-Housing and Community – Guest Post…

franklparker

Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
In this age of immediate connections though the ubiquitous i-phone, Facebook and other media, many people still long for “real community”. A documentary on the radio today investigated co-housing, an experiment in community living. There are hundreds of projects currently up and running in North America. The particular subject of this programme, was the Harbourside Co-housing for Seniors, in Sooke British Columbia. Denmark first developed this concept in the 1960’s, but now there are many projects of different longevities, and more currently in development, in Europe, the UK, New Zealand,… Continue reading Co-Housing and Community – Guest Post…

General posts7 Comments

Volunteering in Later Life: #atozchallenge

franklparker

Many people who have retired from full time employment find renewed fulfillment by volunteering their time and skills to organisations working to improve their local communities. Everything from running a “meals on wheels” service to maintaining flower beds in your local shopping centre can be done by volunteers. Retirement Worries Are you approaching retirement and wondering how to fill your time? Or maybe you are retired already and starting to suffer from “cabin fever”. Have you considered volunteering? There are lots of organisations that involve people like you providing services for others. Some of them are near you. What do … Continue reading Volunteering in Later Life: #atozchallenge