MILLENISM

Now until the End

Page 9 of 11

Book List 2019

December 31, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Below is a list of the books I have read throughout the calendar year 2019.

1.  Unai Emery El Maestro – Romain Molina
2.  Autobiography Of A Yogi – Paramahansa Yogananada
3.  Walking To Jerusalem – Justin Butcher
4.  The Truth Vibrations – David Icke
5   Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
6   Escape Routes – Johann Christoph Arnold
7.  Unbeatable Mind – Maya Yoshida
8.  Hippie – Paulo Coelho
9.  Zero To Hero The Gareth Southgate Story – Rob Mason
10.  Arabia – Levison Wood
11.  The Richest Man In Babylon – George S. Clason
12.  A Life In Football – Ian Wright
13.  Invincible – Amy Lawrence
14.  American War – Omar El Akkad
15.  Miracles At Work – Emily Bennington
16.  How To Be A Footbaĺler – Peter Crouch
17.  Blood Sweat & McAteer – Jason McAteer
18.  How To Be A Great Dad – Ian Bruce
19.  The World Is As You Dream It – John Perkins
20.  Eastern Horizons – Levison Wood
21.  Stillness & Speed – Dennis Bergkamp
22.  A Different Corner – Richard Brentnall
23.  Get Prepared Now! – Michael Snyder & Barbara Fix
24.  The Roswell Conspiracy – Boyd Morrison
25.  The Enlightened Gardener – Sydney Banks
26.  The Life Plan – Erica Sosna
27.  Paradise & Beyond – Chris Sutton
28.  Self Leadership & The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard
29.  Refugee Tales – Edited by David Herd & Anna Pincus
30.  The Beckham Experiment – Grant Wahl
31.  The One Minute Manager Balances Work & Life – Ken Blanchard
32.  The One Minute Father – Spencer Johnson
33.  The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey – Ken Blanchard
34.  The Silent Guides – Steve Peters
35.  Next – Michael Crichton
36.  Allez Allez Allez – Simon Hughes
37.  He Who Dares…My Genuine Autobiography – Derek Del Boy Trotter
38.  Lights In The Distance – Daniel Trilling
39.  World Peace & How To Make It Happen – Monish Dhawan
40.  Leadership & The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard
41.  Hate Me To Know Me – Iggy Mizuh
42.  Playing to Win – A.G. Lafrey & Roger L. Martin
43.  Education & Peace – Maria Montessori
44.  We Can Work It Out – Marshall Rosenberg
45.  Peace Is Possible – Prem Rawat
46.  The Mayan Resurrection – Steve Alten
47.  Walking The Americas – Levison Wood
48.  Even Heskey Scored – Emile Heskey
49.  20 Years Of talkSPORT – Ian Cruise
50.  The Law Of Divine Intervention – Marianne Williamson
51.  After Tomorrow – Gillian Cross
52.  A Shore Thing – Scotty T
53.  The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life – Laurence Shorter
54.  Gazza In Italy – Daniel Storey
55.  The 80 Minute MBA – Richard Reeves & John Knell
56.  Zero K – Don Delillo
57.  The Barcelona Legacy – Jonathan Wilson
58.  One Minute For Yourself – Spencer Johnson

To me the most profound book from the list is ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananada, a book I should return to in order ro grasp its key insights.

Nearly a quarter of the books I have read this year are about football, five from the One Minute Manager series and three on Levison Wood’s travel experiences.  I find that I am frequently reading different books simultaneously because some are easier to read at work or simpler and more relaxing.

I have a list of books I plan to read and will see how my literary year for 2020 goes.

I wish everyone a good year and if you have read any of the books and would like to comment please take the opportunity.

Until next time…

Prince Albert The End

December 11, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Earlier this year I wrote about my experience playing for Prince Albert, a team in the Ashford & District Sunday Football League.

My last update had brought me to a crossroads; facing a fight for my place in the starting line up, with increased absences caused by a new job and the responsibility of being a father leading me to consider my options.

I played on, starting and finishing all the remaining games which I was available for including the 2-1 home victory over Mersham Sports which confirmed our place in the District’s top division.  Yet not all was well behind the scenes and in the lead up to the last game two key players departed the club.

In August the manager asked me about my availability for the pre-season friendlies and I informed him not to count on me for the foreseeable future although I wasn’t going to sign for any other team. I would come along to watch a game, get involved and play when I could.

Unfortunately the pre-season games did not go well.  Despite hopes for a squad of sixteen players, only nine players made it for the first game and a similar amount the next.  The following week the manager posted in the group chat that he felt there was no choice but to withdraw the team from the league because it was unable to meet its obligations.  One of the players posted it was a shame but ‘inevitable’.

So after close to 50 years of existence, Prince Albert Football Club was gone and subsequently the decision about what I should do on Sunday mornings had been made for me.  For now at least, my footballing tale had been brought to a halt, gone not with a bang but a whimper.

Refugee Tales 2019 Part 2

November 21, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Monday 8th July 2019

Alfriston – Eastbourne (by foot) – Ashford (by train)

Three pints of IPA following the event the night before had encouraged my decision to sleep outside under the stars.  It was peaceful and liberating but waking up cold was not ideal and it wasn’t the wisest thing because I lay close to the River Cuckmere  – so the mist at dawnbreak was felt by my lungs and subsequently my throat and voice.  It improved during the morning yet I was hoarse again by the afternoon.

After an enjoyable breakfast of granola, yogurt, milk and two coffees we headed off alongside the river.  I spoke to one of the Trustees of Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWP) about the funding they had received to support this project, the great volunteer support (70+ people assisting along the way) and how the idea had flourished from a book, to a walk to live literary and music events.

As we walked on, across undulating fields past sheep and through woodland I spoke to a volunteer about their experience visiting detainees at Bridge House, a detention centre near Gatwick Airport.  One of the key expectations GDWG has of its volunteers is that they turn up for every appointment they make without fail, as the detainees have often been let down so much throughout their lives.  The volunteer explained to me how he visited a detainee once a week for one hour and they were now participating in the walk.  For the detainees his visits raised morale, helping them to remember that they hadn’t been forgotten and there was someone there for them.

After lunch where I rested and relaxed in the sunshine we walked up onto the South Downs Way with magnificent views of the emerald English Channel.  I spoke with a French academic who had lived in the UK for twenty years and recently applied for a British passport due to her worry about Brexit.  As we walked and talked I learnt how she felt the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU) was like a marriage, the UK had signed up to the rules and couldn’t now just leave expecting that the last 30 years did not count.  Her view was that the British contingent involved in the negotiations had been extremely naive and unaware of how entwined EU and UK law was.  She also suggested an answer to why people chose the UK as their country of destination – colonialism, a historic connection similarly to how a person from the Congo may choose France.  This combined with other family members or friends indicated to me why the UK would be some asylum seekers preferred location.  I also learnt about Theresa May’s Guardian interview in 2012 about making the UK a hostile environment for illegal migrants.  As a Brit I associated the government with encouraging diplomatic relations with people of all nations so found this quite surprising.

We also discussed how psychologically when you make a decision about something, in particular when you have voted for something you gain a strong attachment to it being right.  This helps explain people’s staunch views on the subject of Brexit.  Of course, hopefully all people can be wise and rise above any conflicting views leading to civil unrest.

Refugee Tales walkers along the South Downs Way

As we walked past Beachy Head I learnt how one of the hopeful refugees had acted as a father figure to another young man from his country whilst they awaited the British system to make a decision on his immigration status.  Throughout the weekend I had seen the great connection between the group travelling with us.   I continued to converse with interesting people before having to divert towards the train station to head home.  The rest of the party would continue on to Hastings in two days time. 

As my train left Eastbourne I reflected on what had been a fantastic experience.  Undoubtedly the movement was a powerful demonstration of support for the call to an end to indefinite detention and there was a real feeling of community between the organisers, refugees/asylum seekers, walkers and volunteers.  Walking and talking together side by side was an effective way of communicating with each other and was something I had thoroughly enjoyed; I plan to attend again next year. 

Refugee Tales 2019 A Diary

November 15, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Saturday 6th July 2019
Ashford – Lewes (by train)

Catching the 19.24 train by the skin of my teeth, I headed on my way to Lewes to stay with a group of walkers (who have walked from Brighton today) made up of ‘everyday’ people and refugees.

For the next two days I will be walking with this group of (I estimate) 100 people in a project by the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWP) called ‘Refugee Tales’ – walking in solidarity calling for an end to indefinite detention.  The issue of detention is a difficult subject as it leaves people in a state of purgatory; waiting to find out if their application to become a refugee/asylum seeker has been successful and this process has left people waiting im some cases for years – unable to travel outside of a particular area, to not be given actual money (given an Aspen debit card) and in the worst case being sent back to their country of origin where persecution awaits them.  The project aims to raise awareness of these people’s plight, bring an end to indefinite detention and improve the situation for people in the future.

The railway journey split through the sheep fields of Appledore and along the shimmering shore of Cooden Beach arriving in Lewes close to 9pm.  Upon arrival at the accommodation I found no space left to lay my sleeping bag in the dormitory though fortunately a refugee helped me and I found a space in the attic, it was a fine place for me.

Sunday 7th July 2019
Lewes – Alfriston (by foot)

After a good night’s sleep we set off through the streets of Lewes and along the river.  Speaking with a teacher, I learnt how school staff had fought legal cases to protect asylum seekers about to turn 18 years old from being taken from the school directly for deportation.  As we walked I spoke with a charity fundraiser and a 6th form English teacher.  Each person I spoke to had different views on a range of subjects and particularly on Brexit.

Enjoying a tasty lunch we walked on to Charleston, home of the Bloomsbury Group in Sussex where we were welcomed with tasty refreshments.  We later arrived in sunny Alfriston where a vegan curry and a packed house awaited us for the evening’s event.

Refugee Tales walkers arriving in the village of Alfriston.

At the event one of the refugees gave a heartfelt story about his experiences in Sudan, Libya and into Europe.  It was clear that this young man feared going home to his village and had experienced great tragedies trying to find a better life.  His tale included living under a railway bridge in Paris and hiding under a lorry to reach the United Kingdom; yet, why he had not applied for asylum in Italy or France (both countries he had spent time in) was unclear.

He was given a standing ovation, receiving pats on the back and hugs all round.  The situations he had experienced had required great bravery and his fortitude was admirable.  Yet I found it a strange occurrence that someone could be praised for doing something illegal (entering through clandestine means) because they had suffered hardship in the past.

There is a strong call for humanity and I think many people can agree and will support the call for an end to indefinite detention; however supporting people who have committed illegal acts is a more debateable topic.

This account will continue in my next post Refugee Tales 2019 Part 2.

Brexit Flextended

October 31, 2019 / / 0 Comments

So today was the day that the United Kingdom (UK) was set to leave the European Union.  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK would be leaving with or without a deal and he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than agree a Brexit extension.  Yet a (fl)extension has been granted for the UK to leave on or before 31st January 2020.

I had written previously that I was sure there would be plenty of twists and turns ahead and there have been many.  The prorogation of parliament, it’s subsequent appeal and reinstatement, the passing of the Benn Act making it illegal for the UK to leave without a deal, a new deal being agreed with the EU, Parliament passing an amendment witholding support until full legislation of the withdrawal agreement has been scrutinised and now the announcement that a general election will take place on December 12th.  Much debate has been held, emotions fraught and column inches written and the forthcoming General Election is now a potential roadblock to prevent Brexit from ever taking place.

There have even been difficulties in agreeing the General Election date, with some politicians unhappy about a winter election.  What is clear is that there are many politicians who are trying to stop Brexit (486 politicians want to remain opposed to 160 to leave was a meme I saw recently) and so far they have succeeded,  twice.

Thus overall, since my last post on the subject in August I feel that the likelihood of Brexit taking place has decreased.  Although it is difficult to predict, my view remains that by the beginning of February a true Brexit will not have taken place and for now, the saga continues.

The International Day of Peace

September 21, 2019 / / 0 Comments

In the summer of 2013 I took part in the Shift Network’s Peace Ambassador Training hosted by James O’Dea and Phillip Helmich.  The course included recordings  and insightful discussions with figures such as Marianne Williamson, Aqueela Sherrills, Azim Khamisa, Andrew Harvey, Velcrow Ripper, Dot Maver, Louise Diamond, David Korten, Michael Nagler, William Ury, Arun Gandhi, Beverley Rubik, Rita Marie Johnson & Don Beck.  Following the completion of the course I was invited to write about my experience for their ‘Catalyst’ newsletter and was posted on March 22, 2014.

“I would like to start by commenting that undoubtedly my enrollment in the 2013 Peace Ambassador Training program changed my life. It is only after a period of reflection that one can look back and see how much something has influenced you and I feel very much a different person for being part of it. Being connected to other peace ambassadors on a three month journey of self discovery was truly inspiring and motivating and I would recommend it to anyone who is considering taking part in it.

As part of the Summer of Peace I set up a website to host an online campaign to raise awareness of the International Day of Peace on September 21st and as part of the journey I connected with people from all over the world and even through Skype with people in America, South Africa and Australia as part of my project. My goal was that if the planet could be united for one moment in time we would realise and awaken as one consciousness for the first time ever. The aim was to do this by creating a trend on Twitter raising awareness of the day and letting people know about the Universal moment of World Peace at midnight GMT.

Although the campaign did not reach as many people as I had hoped, a social reach of 44,280 people was achieved and many of my friends & I spent the evening watching the live coverage that was available courtesy of Peace One Day. This helped to break down some of my personal walls of fear that had existed in front of my friends who were new to the subject; I am grateful they are now aware of the day and are supportive of it. I hope to again call on their support to promote awareness of Peace Day this year.

Overall the opportunity to connect with fellow ambassadors through the course and to use the forum to share ideas was extremely inspiring; although it was the quality of the dialogues James O’Dea had with other global peace leaders which I enjoyed the most. Overall I can strongly say that the course has given me the encouragement and support to be the change I wish to see in the world as well as the skills to apply it.

Since completing the course I have trained as a volunteer mediator and have already enjoyed success in helping neighbours and families to resolve their different conflicts, this has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I am also a regular contributor to the online peace campaign #hour4peace every Thursday at 4pm and a Social Media volunteer with Unify. Anyone interested in learning more can check out www.millen316.com or through my updates on Twitter @millen316

Further to this I would strongly recommend to all ambassadors to check out the potential of a world unified in synchronised moments of peace http://unify.org/ and the inspiring work of Peace One Day www.peaceoneday.org

With best wishes in peace to all”.

Happy Peace Day everyone.

Standing next to the Peace Pole in Finisterre, Spain, 2011.

Seeking Perfection

September 3, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I have been thinking that sometimes things don’t have to be perfect,
sometimes they can’t be.
Sometimes, however hard you try
there are other things which get in the way.

There are times when your energy is low
so all you can do is your best and hope that it will be enough.
So do your best and do it,
even if it isn’t perfect you can feel proud
that your seeking of perfection has not held you back.

So I will try to not let the goal of perfection hold me back
although it might not be perfect there is hope
and it is better to live with hope than none.

Brexit Update

August 10, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I haven’t written in a while so thought it was time to update following some developments regarding Brexit.

First, a comment made by by Noel Gallagher, singer, songwriter & musician from the band Oasis to the Manchester Evening News:

“There’s only one f***ing thing worse than a fool who voted for Brexit.  That’s the rise of the c*** trying to get the vote overturned”.

Certainly, the subject of Brexit is a very emotive and divisive topic.

Moving on, I predicted in May 2019 that pressure would increase on British PM Theresa May so much so that a second referendum or “People’s vote” would be called.   Although pressure increased on Theresa May, events have occured differently and instead she felt the need to resign.  Following a leadership vote within the Conservative Party the United Kingdom now has a new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson who says he will deliver Brexit on October 31st 2019.

Johnson speaks defiantly that a ‘no deal’ scenario is the government’s default position and Brexit will be achieved, yet, regrettably, so many politicians do not fulfil the promises they make when coming to power.  If Brexit does happen we also do not know yet whether it will be ‘hard’ (changes to Immigration Rules and leaving the Customs Union) or ‘soft’ (with superficial changes made only).  My opinion remains that a soft Brexit will take place regardless of whether a deal is made or not.

If a deal is made I expect to see Boris Johnson praised whilst if a ‘no deal’ does happen then I expect any negative consequences to be used to influence public opinion for a deal to be made.  if this occurs I expect Boris Johnson to be lauded as a saviour for turning things around.

Personally, there seems too much at stake for the financial centre in the City of London for the politicians to risk a ‘no deal’ scenario which is why I still believe a solution will be found; however I have been wrong before (like so many I never saw the 2016 Referendum result coming).

What I’m sure of is there will be more twists, turns and possible roadblocks before we reach  31st October 2019 (Halloween); which could finally be the culmination of this nightmare saga.

What do you think will happen? Will Brexit take place? If so, what type of Brexit?  Please leave any comments below.

Meeting God

June 17, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Last month I travelled to the Westgate Hall in Canterbury for an evening with Robbie Fowler; the former Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester City, Blackburn, Cardiff and England striker.

As a Liverpool fan, Robbie was my favourite player growing up and he provided many happy memories scoring 120 goals before being sold to Leeds United in 2002.  Such was his talent, he was given the nickname ‘God’ by his teammates and the Anfield crowd.  Resultedly,  his return to the club in January 2006 was seen as a ‘second coming’.

Upon arriving at the Westgate Hall, a modern, refurbished venue I joined a long queue of people lining up to meet him.  Whilst I waited, I deliberated about what to say during the 30 second interaction I would have with him.  I had brought a copy of his autobiography (or as my mate had called it, the Bible) with me to sign and this is how the encounter went:

Me:  Alright Robbie
I don’t know what to call you, is it okay to call you God?
Fowler:  “Ive been called worse”, he smiled.
Me:  Thanks for the memories.  Could you sign my Bible please?
Fowler:  Yes of course.
Me:  Thank you.  Are you going to be a future Liverpool manager?
Fowler:  Yeah
Me:  We’re going to win the league and CL with you.  Good luck in Australia.

I was awestruck to meet one of my childhood heroes – now Robbie looks younger than me!

And that was it;  I’m sure that Robbie has dozens of these types of events each year and meets hundreds of fans each night yet for me it was a nice moment which i won’t forget.

The evening continued with a question and answer session with former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason McAteer which was entertaining and a pleasant surprise as McAteer had not been advertised.

Learning about Robbie’s desire to test himself and prove himself as a manager was interesting as I had never considered him to be a candidate for the Liverpool manager’s position until then.

I left feeling grateful to have met a childhood hero and with a feeling of excitement that Robbie Fowler’s best Liverpool moments may be yet to come.

No Brexit

May 6, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I wrote last December that I was very skeptical that a true Brexit would take place on 31st March 2019.

So now more than a month after the original leaving date I am not surprised that the United Kingdom (UK)’s exit from the European Union (EU) has been postponed until 31st October.  After nearly three years of planning, contingency expenses and political debate, Brexit seems to have lost speed and impetus.

The reason for this postponement has generally been because of the concern about leaving the EU without a deal.  Leaving without a deal will mean the UK reverts to rules and tariffs agreed by the World Trade Organisation; however countries have a right to set lower tariffs or agree free trade agreements.  As former Australian High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer explained in The Spectator in May 2018, the UK could declare that it will not impose any tariffs on goods from the EU and eliminate the need for additional border controls.  The EU may object to this but world trade rules exist to cap any retaliatory action.

From uncertainty stems fear and concerns have been promoted that vital medicines will become unavailable and mortgages and food prices will rise.   Yet less promoted is that leaving the EU will result in the abolition of import taxes reducing prices from the rest of the world that aren’t in the EU.  Added to this is the fear of potential gridlock and queues at the borders.  This view fails to account the percentage of incoming freight deriving from EU nations (which could be permitted entry without tariff) or the eight percent increase in border staff in preparation of Brexit.

Immediately following the shock  referendum result in 2016, stock prices plummeted and the value of the pound fell; however prices soon rose to reach their previous levels.  In the event of a no deal Brexit this may happen again, yet because this is expected it may not be so severe.  Even if it is, is this risk sufficient to overrule the result of the largest public vote in UK political history?  As Robert Tombs wrote in The Telegraph on November 17, 2018 “The purpose of democracy is not to find the right answer to technical problems, as judged by “experts”, but is to maintain an acceptable political community based on consent”.

So what do I think will happen next?  My opinion is that pressure will increase on the UK Prime Minister Theresa May to reach an agreement with the opposition parties resulting in a second referendum (people’s vote) or a general election.  I suggest the fear of an economic crash will then result in the ‘remainers’ winning the vote, the United Kingdom staying in the EU and Brexit failing to take place.

It remains to be seen what twists and turns will take place between now and 31st October yet with Brexit postponed and momentum seemingly grinding to a halt, the best chances of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union may have already passed.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Categories

Tweets by @millen316

© 2026 MILLENISM

Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑