I will be ...................... BECOMING.

I will be naked more

I will memorise clouds

There is no law that says you shall not study a sunset

Beyond heavy woolens, 

beyond the Nightly News, 

beyond the reach 

of what hurts you, 

beyond politics 

(national, local, sexual),

beyond beyond

(From Goodby Silverstein's advertising campaign for the Norwegian Cruise Line)

All I really Need to Know I Learned at Kindergarten

All I really Need to Know I Learned at Kindergarten,by Robert Fulghum.

This book is an old Mike Yaconalli favourite. Robert Fulghum takes ordinary situations and uses them to illustrate just how amazing, precious and extraordinary life really is.

By joining him on literary journeys that will take you from the Solomon Islands to Angola, the British Museum to his own front room, you can't help but unite with him as he laughs and cries with the rest of humanity.

From hilariously funny to touchingly poignant, this book of anecdotes is a must for everyone. No on can fail to be moved or affected by it. You will want to pick it up again and again.

YMCA REFLECTIONS, 'found' on my Mac today.

Stepping into the YMCA Restaurant at the evening dinner time is always an experience. 

The tables are scattered around the room, seating 6 or 4 maximum. 

Friends gather together. 

Noise in one corner, loud laughter in another, over-loud talking a lone person on one or two tables. 

You clock the new ones. 

There are always new people in a hostel of 150. 

Others, once new, are observed integrating into existing groups.

As you turn from the servery with your laden meal tray there is a decision to be made. 

For new people this is the peak of anxiety. 

Where to sit? How to follow the social norms? 

For 'people workers' there is a different anxiety. 

Do you dive in sit amongst a group who you don't know? 

The most disruptive? 

Or with those you feel at ease or with staff? 

All have their time and place.

I have just been in the YMCA restaurant, and afterwards retreated to my office to record this as an experience. I sat down talking to three residents, two young men, one young woman. 

After the initial greetings and exchanges I said 

"Tell me one thing which is on your mind at the moment?". 

Two out of the three of them, said "Money" and the other one said "Work" 

I often find myself asking questions.

Trevor was thinking about work. Has got worries about his employment and his working hours because he works night shift all the time. I asked him gently how much he has in his pocket at the end of one week? If he was debt free? I knew he was struggling with debt having listened a number of times to his stresses. I asked him "Having paid your rent at the YMCA, what do you have left in your pocket?" His answer was "£160". The others on the table expressed astonishment he had so much money to play with. The fact is he is in debt with his rent at the YMCA, has also got a bank loan, and struggles to pay any of them.

Mick is unemployed. His only income is from benefits. He said that to live for two weeks, having paid YMCA rent - he has £14 in his pocket. He quickly added that he had to pay for toiletries and everything! Kerry said "Do you know what I've got to live on for two weeks after rent and other things? I have to live on £6 a fortnight out of my giro, that means £3 a week".

Friendly abuse was then exchanged across the table, one accusing another of why don't you get out to work and earn some money and stop moaning. I joined in on the conversation and said I understood totally how somebody can't work if they are emotionally drained, battered by life and not coping with other things. Steve said if you have got no confidence and motivation it is very difficult to be able to handle going out and earning - when you are feeling so bad about yourself. We went on to discuss how many other people in the dining room had similar problems. Maybe 90% or more of the people would be able to say the number one thing on their mind is money!

The names were changed but then changed again to their real names. 

They have read this and agreed for me to share it.

Pip Wilson

30th January 2001

IN or NEAR Scotland - visit SOLAS

Get involved, sing, dance, beatbox! Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Get Stuck In There’s more than ever for you to join in with at this year’sSolas Festival. Sign up for the National Theatre of Scotland’s 99…100interactive show, Blast Off in a rocket workshop with Emily Dodd, or learn to beatbox, sing, or dance!  Days To Go Whether you want to dress as a pirateand dance the night away with Love Boat Big Band on the Sunday, rock out to the Jetpackson the Saturday, or sing along withKarine on the Sunday, we have all kinds of tickets so you can get the most out of the festival. Visit the Larder There’s a new corner of Solas Festival wheresomething very exciting is happening this year, in The Larderyou can taste Scotland’s best food, meetScotland’s best chef’s and discuss how what we eataffects us and the world around us.  Up For Discussion What do the Chief Inspector of Prisons, the National Poet, a folk star, an MSP, and a professor have in common? They’re all appearing onpanels at Solas Festival, discussing issues ranging fromart and identity, to violence, independence, justice, faith, and sexuality  Sunday Night at Solas The Sunday night party at Solas Festival is better than ever this year, with the Love Boat Big Band sailing onto the main stage for a huge show of classic tunes, big band grooves, and nautical madness with prizes for the best dressed pirates and sailors. Before that the wonderful weirdness of The Music Tapes will take you on a journey through time and space using banjos, saws and strange noises. And if all that wasn't enough the folk-pop perfection of Beerjacket will be on the bill too. So, dust off your cutlass and dance a hornpipe with us.

U2 rooftop SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY

U2 post rooftop performance online to raise poverty awareness 

5

WENN.COM

FIRST POSTED: SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2013 11:05 AM EDT | UPDATED: SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2013 11:19 AM EDT

U2 have posted a clip from a recent acoustic performance of their iconic protest song Sunday Bloody Sunday online to raise awareness about the One Campaign's agit8 anti-poverty initiative.

The rockers filmed the low-key footage on a New York rooftop earlier this month, according to RollingStone.com while recording new material.

During the short clip, frontman Bono breaks off to talk about the power of protest songs in his life, recalling the moment he heard classic tunes from John Lennon and Bob Marley, which suggested the world was "more malleable than you think, that things could be changed... Things did not have to be as things were."

Officials at the One Campaign, which was co-founded by Bono and seeks to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases around the globe, also released a new acoustic performance of Bruce Springsteen's The Promised Land, along with clips of Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons singing Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Helping Young People at the risk of being Homeless

Accessing homelessness prevention services, support and housing

Homeless prevention services can be aimed not only at 16 and 17 year olds and other young people to whom a statutory duty is owed, but also to other young people aged 18 to 25 facing homelessness from settled accommodation or unable to access appropriate accommodation.

Access to support and housing: what are the issues?

Young people in housing crisis may need varying levels of support, and access to appropriate accommodation.

Application, referral and duties for 16 and 17 year olds

A young person in housing crisis may not know the correct local authority department to approach, and may ask for help from any department.

Duties, applications and access: 18 to 25 year olds

Local authorities do not have the same duties to provide accommodation and support to homeless young people aged 18 and older as they do for 16 and 17 year olds, care leavers and young people who are vulnerable and in priority need.

LATEST YMCA ENGLAND NATIONWIDE VACANCIES

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PASS THEM ALONG

GREAT NEEDS 

OUT THERE

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• Head of Asset Management, YMCA England
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• Myplace Catering Delivery Driver, YMCA White Rose
• Cleaners, Sussex Central YMCA
• Mobile Night Support Worker, Sussex Central YMCA
• Lead Occupant, Sussex Central YMCA
• Right Here Young Men's Health Champions Coordinator, Sussex Central YMCA
• Lead Administrative Officer, Nottinghamshire YMCA
• Bid Writer, West London YMCA
• Youth and Community Development Worker, Reading YMCA

Acid Rain by Chance the Rapper.

I am fascinated how rappers / hip hop writers have some great lyrics.

They say a lot about the society they/we live in.

This has a faith element mixed in with all the things of urban living.

View the lyrics as you hear the track.

Acid Rain
by
Chance the Rapper.

ACID RAIN LYRICS

by Chance The Rapper

Kicked off my shoes, tripped acid in the rain

Wore my jacket as a cape, and my umbrella as a cane

The richest man rocks the snatch-less necklace

Spineless bitches and backless dresses

Wore my feelings on my sleeveless

My weed seedless, my trees leafless

I miss my diagonal grilled cheeses

And back when Michael Jackson was still Jesus

Before, I believed in not believing in

Yeah, I inhaled, who believed in me not breathing in?

Cigarette stained smile all covered in sin

My big homie died young; just turned older than him

I seen it happen, I seen it happen, I see it always

He still be screaming, I see his demons in empty hallways

I trip to make the fall shorter

Fall quarter was just a tall order

And I’m hungry, I’m just not that thirsty

As of late, my verses seem not so verse-y

And all my words just mean controversy

Took the team up off my back like “that’s not your jersey?”

Stressin’, pullin’ my hair out, hoping I don’t get picked

All this medicine in me hoping I don’t get sick

Making all this money hoping I don’t get rich

Cause niggas still getting bodied for phones

Sometimes the truth don’t rhyme

Sometime the lies get millions of views

Funerals for little girls, is that appealing to you?

From your cubicle desktop, what a beautiful view

I think love is beautiful, too

Building forts from broken dams, what a hoover could do

For future hoopers dead from Rugers shooting through that empty alley

Could’ve threw him an alley-oop, helping him do good in school

Damn that acid it burn when it clean ya

I still miss being a senior

And performing at all those open mic events

High schools, eyes closed seeing arenas

And I still get jealous of Vic

And Vic still jealous of me

But if you touch my brother, all that anti-violence shit goes out the window along with you

And the rest of your team

Smoking cigarettes to look cooler

I only stop by to look through ya

And I’m only getting greedier

And I’m still Mr. YouMedia?

And I still can’t find Talent

And I’m still choosing classmates that wouldn’t fuck

Mom still thinks I should go back to school

And Justin still thinks I’m good enough

And Mama Jan still don’t take her meds

And I still be asking God to show his face

(And I still be asking God to show his face)

I am a new man, I am sanctified, oh I am holy, I have been baptized

I have been born again, I am the White Light

Rain…rain don’t go away

.from my dearest friends in Palestine

......from my dearest friends in Palestine .......... A feeling of good friendship and a good day fresh in our minds and conversations but then thrown back into the reality of occupation and visited two homes that had been rebuilt.  

To hear a mother recall the terror and story and have her teenage son stood beside here, clearly moved by the grief of his mother. 

What can we say. 

Today feels like nothing changes. 

However we consider she has had her house rebuilt and looks to a future. 

But it's so uncertain, 

the fact again it might be knocked down and yet she looks to the future. 

You must see this - have your music hot for him/her