Thursday, 31 December 2009
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
answer to comment
Response to Dave Evans comment on my blog:
This is an interesting thought and I am inclined to agree I often find that their own fraternity of scientist are often embarrassed by their evangelical fervour, and fundamental attitudes, however I have had emails from very highly qualified scientist saying that they would like me silenced forever. I also listened to a radio 4 science programme, where one scientist was asked if a scientist believed in God, what did he as an atheist scientist think, his reply was that he could not be a real scientist?
This is an interesting thought and I am inclined to agree I often find that their own fraternity of scientist are often embarrassed by their evangelical fervour, and fundamental attitudes, however I have had emails from very highly qualified scientist saying that they would like me silenced forever. I also listened to a radio 4 science programme, where one scientist was asked if a scientist believed in God, what did he as an atheist scientist think, his reply was that he could not be a real scientist?
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Friday, 18 December 2009
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Sri Lanka Netball and CRICKET
Netball Tournament
Paalam International School also held a Netball tournament for the girls aged 7 years plus. This ran hand in hand with the boys Cricket tournament. And it also aimed to encourage unity and team building amongst the girls by teaching them a new sport which that had never played before.
The qualifying games for Netball Tournament were held at New Living Flame Church Grounds on the 3rd of December, with many parents coming to support their children, and their children’s teams. The girls across the school were divided into 4 teams; Holy Stars, Debora, Rachel and Hannah, each team playing 3 matches in a hope to make it to the finals. The Finals were held alongside the finals for the Cricket Tournament on the 4th of December, at Nayakakanda Church Grounds.
Similarly to the Cricket, the Netball girls, were also able to compete to win individual awards such as ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Tournament’ and the teams competed to win the final.
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Cricket Tournament in our Sri Lanka School
Cricket Tournament
After seeing the success of the children’s Sports Day, Paalam International School decided to further the children’s sporting opportunities outside of their Physical Education lessons, by creating a Cricket Tournament for the boys aged 7 years plus to take part in. Through this the staff aimed to encourage unity amongst the children, teambuilding and to identify new non academic talents which the school could encourage.
This Year Paalam International School’s First Cricket Tournament was held on the 4th of December, at Nayakakanda Church Grounds. With the senior boys across the school split into 5 teams; J Stars, Helmet of Salvation, Team of Victory, Warriors of Heaven and Soldiers of Michael. Each team played 4 matches in a hope to make it to the finals.
At the start of the day, the Junior children performed a drill, to show their support to the boys. This was enjoyed by all the staff, children and parents. The Cricket Tournament was enjoyed by all who supported it, with a large number of parents attending to encourage their children and their children’s team which created an encouraging atmosphere for the children to play in, and strengthened Paalam International School’s sense of Community.
To round up the day, an award ceremony was held to congratulate the teams who had made it through to the final, and of course, the winning team. Special awards were also given to ‘Man of the Match’ and ‘Man of the Tournament’.
The Winning team
Man of the Match
The runners up team captain
Sunday, 6 December 2009
THINKING!
THINKING...
Introduction:
When I first started a Christian school some 30 years ago I was part of a denomination. Having got the operation of the ground and very quickly some 160 children being educated with us, I was naive enough to believe that if I could do this, lots of other would too. My thinking was that me who only has a Road Safety colouring certificate can do this what could others who are clever than me do.
Picture my horror when I discovered that my biggest critics where my ‘supposed Christian friends’ and colleges.
One national Christian leader said to me “how foolish to THINK that you can have Christian Maths or Christian grammar in English”
The problem for me was that I had a foster child who had moved from our Christian school at 16 to do English Grammar at a local college, she showed me her homework one night, innocuous enough, she had to punctuate and put capital letters in some sentences, The first sentence read, “on arriving home I was disappointed to find that my boy friend was in bed with another girl – correct the sentence Never, never underestimate that hidden curriculum!
HOW WISE ARE WE THAT CALL OURSELVES CHRISTIANS?
Luke 16:8
"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light!”
•
I continue to hear the comment that I am sure many of you that run Christian schools hear:
•
You are brain washing them – and everyone else is of course ‘A’ moral, and has no agenda!
•
You are not making them aware of the real world – which is just the same as the Genesis statement “you will know good and evil”
•
Your children should be salt and light in school – just like you were when you were young?
•
You will produce hot house children – and of course we should allow our 3 year olds to cross the road by themselves?
And other such nonsense phrases that I hear, actually more from Christians than those who do not follow Jesus.
Rhodesia Zimbabwe
What we fail to understand is where the battle is joined.
Some love to sing those songs of victory, like ‘onward Christian soldiers’, but where are we going to fight?
What is it that God uses, and asks us to use to make us different
He tells us how to change whenever I ask this people say all sorts of things like, love, repent, read the Bible, and go to meetings regularly. Well they might help but that is not what Scripture tells us to do:
It says, put on the mind of Christ, Renew your thinking, whatsoever things are good, honest of a good report, and think on these things. In other words THE BATTLE IS IN THE MIND FOR THE MIND.
Those who sort the overthrow of what was formally Rhodesia understood that well, they attacked what in that country, where did they take the fight, I know I lost a friend who was clubbed to death, I very rarely get a correct answer to this when I ask people. Actually they attacked the schools, they took the children across the border into what was called the front line states for as they said ‘re- education’ they understood that to win a generation, and change the future, you have to change the minds of the current generation, you have to have them thinking. I want to put good thinking into the minds of the children that I can influence.
The Battle is for the Mind, and I want people to be in their Right mind!
Adrian Hawkes
24th October 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Asylum
What Value Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
It is amazing how much we misunderstand the process of refugees and asylum seekers.
I work for a company called Phoenix Community Care, this is a not for profit company that works with people in need. So we work with young people age 16 and 17 years old who are in the UK but have no parents or guardians here. They actually come under the care system as looked after children, as you are considered by UK law as a child until you reach the age of 18 years, the problem for the care system was that in real terms most local authority agencies for foster care where overstretched before the wars in so many areas started supping refugees out all over the world. Places like Afghanistan, Kosovo, Darfur, Somalia, and Iraqi. On top of that there are localised wars like in Congo. Then on top of that there are internal wars in Sri Lanka. Add to those problems the problem of persecution which still excises in countries like Vietnam, and Cambodia.
If your life was threatened would you run away, would you try and protect your family and loved ones?
As a company we are housing young people from most of the above countries, we then have young people from China and Iran, why Iran, no war there, well no, but if you are a Christian or a Jehovah witness, then life is almost impossible. Then there are those from Ethiopia, why do they come, many say to me well my father speaks Amharic but my mother is from Eritrea and no one want you then.
I am sure there are bad apples, some few I have met, but most of the stories I hear would make you wonder why they are not mad, and some because of the extreme pressure actually are and need good psychiatric care.
Sadly I often hear from people, it is not fair, they are steeling our houses and jobs and being paid large amounts of money. I work in the sector and what I see does not fit those newspaper nonsense headlines, I see youngster’s just about surviving, roof, small amount of food money and some help with language. Many of these people are ambitious and keen to work and contribute to the country that has given them refuge; often the law doesn’t allow them to do that.
We are only a small Island, other countries should help!
Where do asylum seekers in Europe come from?
The four main countries of origin of asylum seekers in Europe in 2002 were Iraq with 50,058 applications, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with 32,656 applications, Turkey with 28,455 applications and Afghanistan with 25,470 applications UNHCR Asylum Applications Lodged in Industrialised Countries: Levels and Trends, 2000-2002).
And who does help, well of course the UK does and many think we are doing more than anyone else, but look at these statistics which is based on the population for the country, per 1,000 and who in Europe does take the most refugees per head of population, have a look:
Which European countries have the highest number of asylum applications?
When the number of asylum applications are compared with the total population of the state in which the applications are made (i.e. applications per 1000 inhabitants), in 2002, out of 25 European countries, Austria was the European country with the highest ratio of applications to population with 4.6 applications per 1000, followed by Norway (3.9), Sweden (3.7), Switzerland (3.7), Ireland (3.1) and Liechtenstein (2.8). Germany had 0.9 applications per 1000 inhabitants and the UK 1.9. (Source: Table 1 UNHCR Asylum Applications Lodged in Industrialised Countries: Levels and Trends, 2000-2002)
The thing is that the UK can use asylum seekers to the benefit of the country as well as help very needy people. The UK has ageing population, many who have paid into pensions, never mind the national pension. Pension funds rely on the working population paying into the fund, which then pays out to those who no longer are in work. Of course if the amount of people working falls to a smaller and smaller amount the ability to continue to pay those who are no longer in work becomes more difficult, hence in the UK the moves to increase the statutory retirement age.
The state pension age is set to increase to 68 by 2050 with anyone aged less than 47 facing a longer working life, the work and pension’s secretary, John Hutton, said.
Only those born before 1959 will be unaffected by plans to phase in a higher retirement age over three decades, outlined in the government's white paper on pension reforms.
The interesting thing is that most refugees / asylum seekers coming to the UK are of working age. Maybe they will help your pension!
Asylum seekers and refugees will often when given the opportunity create jobs for others, become entrepreneur’s that will benefit the economy and indirectly benefit all of the current population. We need to open our eyes to the benefits as well as the perceived problems; Benefits in our hospitals, in our transport system and in our building programmes.
My view, well some of these young people with tragic stories and terrible life experience can be of great blessing to all of us, we need to see it and help them to do it.
It is amazing how much we misunderstand the process of refugees and asylum seekers.
I work for a company called Phoenix Community Care, this is a not for profit company that works with people in need. So we work with young people age 16 and 17 years old who are in the UK but have no parents or guardians here. They actually come under the care system as looked after children, as you are considered by UK law as a child until you reach the age of 18 years, the problem for the care system was that in real terms most local authority agencies for foster care where overstretched before the wars in so many areas started supping refugees out all over the world. Places like Afghanistan, Kosovo, Darfur, Somalia, and Iraqi. On top of that there are localised wars like in Congo. Then on top of that there are internal wars in Sri Lanka. Add to those problems the problem of persecution which still excises in countries like Vietnam, and Cambodia.
If your life was threatened would you run away, would you try and protect your family and loved ones?
As a company we are housing young people from most of the above countries, we then have young people from China and Iran, why Iran, no war there, well no, but if you are a Christian or a Jehovah witness, then life is almost impossible. Then there are those from Ethiopia, why do they come, many say to me well my father speaks Amharic but my mother is from Eritrea and no one want you then.
I am sure there are bad apples, some few I have met, but most of the stories I hear would make you wonder why they are not mad, and some because of the extreme pressure actually are and need good psychiatric care.
Sadly I often hear from people, it is not fair, they are steeling our houses and jobs and being paid large amounts of money. I work in the sector and what I see does not fit those newspaper nonsense headlines, I see youngster’s just about surviving, roof, small amount of food money and some help with language. Many of these people are ambitious and keen to work and contribute to the country that has given them refuge; often the law doesn’t allow them to do that.
We are only a small Island, other countries should help!
Where do asylum seekers in Europe come from?
The four main countries of origin of asylum seekers in Europe in 2002 were Iraq with 50,058 applications, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with 32,656 applications, Turkey with 28,455 applications and Afghanistan with 25,470 applications UNHCR Asylum Applications Lodged in Industrialised Countries: Levels and Trends, 2000-2002).
And who does help, well of course the UK does and many think we are doing more than anyone else, but look at these statistics which is based on the population for the country, per 1,000 and who in Europe does take the most refugees per head of population, have a look:
Which European countries have the highest number of asylum applications?
When the number of asylum applications are compared with the total population of the state in which the applications are made (i.e. applications per 1000 inhabitants), in 2002, out of 25 European countries, Austria was the European country with the highest ratio of applications to population with 4.6 applications per 1000, followed by Norway (3.9), Sweden (3.7), Switzerland (3.7), Ireland (3.1) and Liechtenstein (2.8). Germany had 0.9 applications per 1000 inhabitants and the UK 1.9. (Source: Table 1 UNHCR Asylum Applications Lodged in Industrialised Countries: Levels and Trends, 2000-2002)
The thing is that the UK can use asylum seekers to the benefit of the country as well as help very needy people. The UK has ageing population, many who have paid into pensions, never mind the national pension. Pension funds rely on the working population paying into the fund, which then pays out to those who no longer are in work. Of course if the amount of people working falls to a smaller and smaller amount the ability to continue to pay those who are no longer in work becomes more difficult, hence in the UK the moves to increase the statutory retirement age.
The state pension age is set to increase to 68 by 2050 with anyone aged less than 47 facing a longer working life, the work and pension’s secretary, John Hutton, said.
Only those born before 1959 will be unaffected by plans to phase in a higher retirement age over three decades, outlined in the government's white paper on pension reforms.
The interesting thing is that most refugees / asylum seekers coming to the UK are of working age. Maybe they will help your pension!
Asylum seekers and refugees will often when given the opportunity create jobs for others, become entrepreneur’s that will benefit the economy and indirectly benefit all of the current population. We need to open our eyes to the benefits as well as the perceived problems; Benefits in our hospitals, in our transport system and in our building programmes.
My view, well some of these young people with tragic stories and terrible life experience can be of great blessing to all of us, we need to see it and help them to do it.
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