WELCOME TO LINK                   AUTUMN 2007               contact - phone/fax     01132 268904, 07802 741346,                 07818 445678            info@newsviewslink.co.uk        or  by form on our website          www.newsviewslink.co.uk    Editor/Co-ordinator-John Broadhead     Music Link - Ann Marie: Emmanuel  -Ezugwu: Franco Mosca                 Readers - Dorrette M, Ann Marie    Articles - Evans Gallo: Chris Nriapia:      Poems, Humour - Jeanefle Morris:            Owen Turner: Stan Fish     PLEASE NOTE   The opinions   expressed are not necessarily those    of   the editorial team . ;                          LINK works for the community   as a   wholly charitable oganisation   and on a  non profit basis

Wellbeing; seek your own truth. Current trends in society were recently summed up by Ian Johnson, superintendent of the Police. He says standards are slipping in the police service, education, family relationships, and in media and entertainment; and that much that the police did was limited by Whitehall targets which wasted time and left the police busy with paperwork and unable to deal with the real needs of local societies. He also noted that media tended to glorify failures and play down or forget when people are successful - this he felt were symptoms of society that needed lots of help.                          The other day I took the bus to Leeds. I don't often use buses but ‘needs must’ and I needed new 'specs' and can't afford to pay the parking meters. It was good to see many people chatting busily and apparently unconcerned about the news and blues washing over them. As to bad behaviour there was none, but one young man showed perhaps unusual behaviour: he actually stood up to allow an old lady to sit down! I began to wonder just how widespread were the ‘slipping standards’ in our society Mr Johnson spoke of.                                                            Perhaps much depends on our personal viewpoints, how we see things as individuals, on our realities and expectations Balance reporting is vital and the idea 'good news is no news' seems to be the main lesson applied in most reporters training. How widely do these sinister trends apply? One is usually left with the impression that e.g. 'All youngsters now carry knives'. Nothing could be further from the truth!                                                      Certainly problems exist for everyone but most people just get on with life and manage to get by and even do some good deeds. Speaking too often on these matters without giving boundaries of their occurrence only injects negative thought patterns and makes matters worse. We must seek our own truth and cling strongly to our individual realities and expectations. If you still feel depressed you may need to get away from the virtual world, the screen; a trip on the bus may help.

 Useless bear-baiting         programmes for lazy?                          asks evans gallo                                                                                                                    

Literally letting a man get away with the serious charge of assault and causing bodily harm, a judge had this to say about the Jeremy Kyle show. "It seems to me that the whole purpose of the show is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people who are in some kind of turmoil. It is for no more and no less than titillating members of the public who have nothing better to do with their mornings than sit and watch this show, which is a human form of bear-baiting under the guise of entertainment."                          I couldn't agree with him more! I even dare say that he was quite conservative in his choice of words.    When I came to this country four years ago, one of my expectations was to watch high quality TV programmes as per the high esteem in which I was brought up to hold British culture. What I found instead was nothing short of base and meaningless entertainment.                                                                I was shocked to realise that most of what the many channels have to offer are cheap and decadent American productions or their British imitations. Today, I am yet to understand what viewers gain from watching badly behaved men and women locked up in a house for days on end (Big Brother), or Jeremy Kyle literally bear-baiting members of dysfunctional families to tear into each other in front of TV cameras.             The timing also leaves me baffled. Is it accidental the programme is aired when most of the viewers are those who stay indoors during the most productive times of the day! No wonder statistics have it that most of the unemployed have no intentions of ever getting employed.

WELLBEING - THE BIGGER PICTURE         A SPECIAL APPROACH encourages a new warmth and presence in life. It involves looking out for our others and this theme runs through all our work.         It's more than just 'one good turn will bring one in return' - it's an amazing system that builds up rewards in storage until you really need some help. Then help will come back to you and you will begin to feel personal assurance and comforting presence. The feedback you receive brings wellbeing and the bigger picture. Is this a sort of spirit thing? I would say not - because this way is solid and reliable. With words it is difficult to express and you have to discover it by a sort of DIY process. Put your whole self into this process of looking out for others and it may well become your personal strength and reserve. That way your own energy will build and life will become much easier and more enjoyable. REMEMBER we endevour to print relevant articles, receive and share ideas. Why is it working together to find the best way seems so difficult? Please overcome the issue and send your contribution to info@newsviewslink.co.uk, or as indicated on our WELCOME BOARD, top this file   John B

*** LINK’S remit is much wider than any narrow religion or ritual. As we move forward with the body, mind, spirit ‘plan’ we seek the truth. The Bigger Picture 'unfolds and enfolds' and brings personal assurance and wellbeing. We attempt to see and use the Energy of the Creator, Father and Friend.    TOP

Single mother blues                         ©Karen Jeanefle Morris                                                 Sitting here alone, quietly reflecting on life                                    I am now a young mother, to date not a wife                        Have two lovely children, a girl and a boy                            God's special blessings, my pride and my joy                    Always had hopes, to have children one day                   Together with a man, whose life I would share                       Give them the best, a sound family home with two loving parents, who'd together grow old It wasn’t too long, before the cracks start to show Despite a new child, the man I let go                  

Put down to experience, had made the wrong choice Did not pay heed, to my own inner voice Became a new mother, whilst still in my teens A daunting experience, this child was for keeps Took my role serious, did the best that I could No point in dwelling, on what could've have been, should My best foot placed forwards, tried to make right out of wrong.

Yet I still missed the lesson, the cycle went on Caught up again; same scene, different man Two baby fathers, was not part of the plan Mother and Father, condensed in one role An experience from which, I would benefit and grow I made my mistakes, yet respect I have earned                         

For mistakes can be blessings, when the lesson is learnt No, life did not turn out, as originally thought But I have no regrets, for the lessons were taught Learnt to have faith, trust in my own inner self And will continue to grow and add to my strength Single Mother’s Blues;

A previous version I wrote Written when sad, and riddled with hurt Now looking back, I see the blessings received Single Mother blue? Most definite, not me! Sitting here alone, reflecting on life I am now a young mother, to date not a wife Single Mother, yes, I cannot deny But l'm me, flrst and foremost And I hold my head high    TOP

Fish & Chips with Humour                              If You want fish and chips, kebabs and drinks                        VISIT Stan's Fisheries in Harehillls Road                                  Stan will soon have you laughing or at least                           amazed as he cracks his jokes and involves                                 his customers in the fun! Angela listens quietly                       smiling- she’s used to the ‘goings on’. It goes something like this:----- 'What do you give a man who has a chip on his shoulder? 'Salt and Vinegar' What do you call a man with two heads? Two faced Two Flies were playing football in a saucer - suddenly one said to the other 'we've got to play better than this - we're in the cup next week!' What sort of car did Moses drive? He came down from the mountain in a triumph

A little humour? ‘A Taste of Third World in Leeds!’                                                                              The joke in Kenya is that you have seen a drunk driver if you notice a car that maintains a straight line on a straight road! Drivers cannot drive in straight lines in order to avoid the many potholes on the roads in most developing countries such as Kenya. As a matter of fact a driver worth that name must develop special manoeuvring skills to enable him/her avoid the potholes without ramming into oncoming traffic. This is a skill drivers on many of Leeds' roads quickly alsohave to develop, thanks to Leeds City Council which does not always seem to have its priorities right. Remember the tram project? I wonder whether the DVLA have plans of testing this special skill in the practical driving test! Evans Gallo

Early Morning                                                     The break of day. Dawn rises slowly out of the east. The first rays of the sun light the steeple - and the factory chimney. Already people are about. The milk floats are passing on the road Early workers wait at bus stops, Or else march off in the direction of town. There is a stillness in the air Not yet broken by the sound of traffic And the hubbub of everyday life. The time is magical and cleansing Even though I'm heading for bed - At times like this it's good to be alive The morning shift is taking over. Owen Turner

She's the Caribbean's most prolific Soca artist -------' Emmanuel 'Boywonder' Ezugwu meets          Alison Hinds           Escorted by a make-up artist, photographer and stylist, Alison Hinds, resplendent in a beautiful golden sari, walks gracefully down the lobby of a plush West end hotel displaying the composed and modest decorum of royalty. This is no mean feat, considering temperatures have recently dropped, yet the Bajan singer seems unfazed. Plus, her arrival has not gone unnoticed as the receptionist politely enquires if she is getting married? "No, I'm already married! I was just doing a shoot for my album" Alison smiles before heading back to her room so as to slip in to something a little more casual. '--- we reconvene across the road, at a quiet but ruthlessly well-kept cafe, Hinds, now dressed in a simple black top, figure hugging jeans and delicately embroidered sandals looks more like a composed, thirty something lady than a long established Soca Queen --- Her warm and measured accent discloses years spent in London, Barbados and most recently America, where she has been recording the bulk of her first, mainstream album release, Soca Queen. With some two decades worth of service to the industry, she has been behind some of the biggest tunes around from Aye, Aye, Aye, Togetherness and the ludicrously infectious Caribbean No 1, Faluma. She explains --- her big break with Square One - the band she fronted for nearly two decades - almost never happened. "Just as I was leaving secondary school, I met Anderson Armstrong who was a well known Calypsolian." She says, smiling fondly. "I sang to him over the phone and he entered me into a local talent competition. I didn't want to perform as I was too scared but he told me 'Alison you have such a good voice why not give it a go?' He helped me to pick my song and I ended up coming in third place." It was then that Armstrong asked her to join the band, Square One, an offer she gladly accepted. She later explains that even her monarchic rise into the deliciously uplifting and melodic world of Soca was unplanned: "We started out as a hotel band so I would perform ballads. It was when we entered the club circuit that I started singing Reggae and alternative tracks, chanting, rapping, and then Soca. It was just a natural progression." Some ten years after joining Square One, the group appeared and went onto win 'Road March of the Year' with Raggamuffin at Barbados's annual Crop Over festival. They repeated their success the following year, by winning the 'Party Monarch' where the nation jumped up, horned and whistled to her track Twister. By also winning this accolade, Alison became the first woman to win both titles --------- THIS FEATURE completes next issue For more information on the Soca Queen album go to myspace.com/alisonhinds

 

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VIEW FROM BULGARIA ‘a little piece of heaven in danger’There is an old legend that says 'God summoned all the peoples on earth to give each a piece of nature's beauty. Every people had its share of God's creation. It happened that the Bulgarians turned up late and there was no earthly beauty left for God to give them. So God presented them with a piece of Heaven .....' In central Bulgaria, just under the Stara Plena Mountains, is the pretty little town of Kazanlac and just below this and to the southwest lies Yulievo, the village where we stayed last autumn. In common with other parts of Southern Europe, temperatures have been so high that a lot of wooded areas and grassland have caught fire and been destroyed. The latest news from an acquaintance is ' Fire came to outskirts and burnt fields and the old farm buildings on the turn off from the Yagoda - Shanovo road but fire did not come into village. It rained yesterday heavily and all fires now out. Things fine in village now ---' This was August 02 - we visit again soon and will see the results of the fire. God certainly made Bulgaria a beautiful little country, even 'a little piece of heaven' - but our greed for the good life with the excessive use of central heating, industrial goods, cars and planes is disturbing the atmosphere and causing climate disasters and the beauty is in danger of being destroyed for ever. Of course this is not only in Bulgaria: here in England we have floods; Greece, Portugal, Spain are troubled with fires, Australia, with drought and many more problems are all around the world. Some will say the effect is normal and 'cyclic' over time. However it seems much more likely that, especially in the 'first world countries', we are responsible and have very little time left, if any, to take actions to stop this climate chaos escalating.

  ‘Very Sad, Very Silly’                 SPOILT EDUCATION, SPOILT SOCIETY      

Very sad To see many children leaving school with a substandard education: to see teachers filled with harrowing experiences as they struggle to keep order in classrooms. Very silly that a centralised system of education prescribes a 'softly softly approach’ without any real discipline. This 'arms length' approach wastes millions of pounds and children's chances. We have somehow come to a sort of 'locked in' state where the good sense of previous days is there, but forced into the background and we are too afraid to get it out and use it - we have become so dumbed down we are paralysed and not able to do what is right.                                                                                           Do we listen to our politicians and 'believe' they will get it right. For so long they have kicked their political football and made no progress. This is no game! Let us call time once and for all and try independent or ‘unorthodox’ methods. Let us use a little good sense, even be a little 'maverick'.   For 'when the good man does nothing then evil will prosper'.   Furthermore society not prosper. It is so sad, so silly. I cannot work out why this inaction exists routed into our present thinking.    I talked to a friend who is head of a school. He said, to paraphrase, 'I think in inner city area schools you get a lot of bad behaviour. It is not the same in many schools in other areas. In any case we only get them 9 till 4, that's 30 hours a week, the parents have them much longer, the onus is on them, not us to alter them'   Maybe things are not bad in all areas but the rot spreads, and is spreading especially amongst teenagers and may become gang violence.         Many Parents are busy working and others are out of the house and have little time for their children. Sound schooling is therefore vital and in the 30 hours a week schools have children they have an invaluable opportunity to give children not only the '3 RS' but also many of the moral values that may be missing from their lives.             So LINK calls on government educationalists to give to teachers, parents, school governors and others who care, the chance to work together on a local basis to meet the local needs of children in their area. Perhaps opening schools on some nights to parents and pupils will help. Let disciplined and enjoyable education begin and let us then see the huge beneficial effects this change of policy will have on our society. TOP

At the right speed--I often think                             about   of our mad dash into New York and                                 the busy, complex, sometimes very inter                                    esting life we had time for just a glimpse                                    of as we passed through. It reminds me                                     of an article I found in a Leeds Wine Bar.                                 It's called TRYING TO HAVE IT ALL                                  and it warns of the problems that come up as we work harder and harder to get that elusive perfect life. I quote:-”Today the possibilities for happiness have been infinitely extended, never before in the history of humanity have so many people been able to make a realistic go of personal and professional fulfillment. But because there are such bountiful opportunities to enjoy life, it can seem there is something rather wrong with anyone who can't manage to do so.

TRYING TO HAVE IT ALL creates a distinctly modern and senseless malaise.

SOCA GROOVES Many of you have experienced the sound of the Soca at one time or another at some point in your lives. If you haven't I'd advise you to do so pretty soon!!!! Don't miss out!!!! One of the greatest Latin American grooves, the Soca, can change your mood or state of mind in a matter of minutes when you listen to it. And, most of all, it will really lift your spirit if you go and are brave enough to dance to it!!!! But, where does it come from?? Well, most Soca and other Latin- American percussion players, including myself, agree that Soca is either a mix of the Calypso (another great Latin-American groove) and Indian Music or a hybrid groove combining elements of Calypso and Black Soul music. SOUL CALYPSO ( SO-CA ) . Get it !? Either way ----I say Soca is great!!!! And enjoy playing Soca influenced grooves when ever I get the chance. SO GO FOR IT                                                               Franco Mosca - Drummer - Percussionist and Drum Teacher    TOP