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On 18th August refuse workers in the City of Edinburgh walked out in a dispute over pay. At a stroke all the rubbish being produced by 140,000 households across the city had nowhere to go and quickly started to accumulate on the streets. Suddenly that which is normally hidden is there for everyone to see. It’s […] The post Waste Disposal appeared first on Turn the Page.

Born amidst the horror of the 18th century slave trade Joseph Bologne’s life chances were not promising. Destined for a life of servitude on a plantation in Guadaloupe he instead grew up to become one of France’s most celebrated musicians and composers. Handsome, charismatic and intelligent he was skilled at fencing and mixed in the highest […] The post Freedom from Slavery appeared first on Turn the Page.

It has always been my opinion that the words ‘camping’ and ‘holiday’ don’t belong together in the same sentence. It was for this reason that many years ago when we did decide to buy a tent for our small family, we bought one that claimed to be able to accommodate 12 people. Now those of […] The post My Father’s house appeared first on Turn the Page.

Since 1969 millions of passengers on London’s underground have heard the regular announcement that they should ‘mind the gap between the platform and the train.’ But for Margaret McCollum, this announcement held special meaning because the voice in the recording was her husband’s. After he died, she continued to visit their local tube station to […] The post Mind the Gap appeared first on Turn the Page.

It’s often said that football is like a religion and if we know anything about religion it’s that it stirs deep and passionate emotions. So, imagine the dismay that was felt in 1921 when the Football Association deemed the game ‘unsuitable for females’ and banned any associated ground from hosting their matches. At the time […] The post Bringing it home appeared first on Turn the Page.

Queen Elizabeth once said this about the parable of the Good Samaritan: ‘The implication is clear. Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour. The need to look after a fellow human being is far more important than any cultural or religious differences’. So, it seems just a little awkward that while […] The post Loving our neighbours appeared first on Turn the Page.

The idea of Queen Elizabeth having tea with a cartoon bear might have been considered rather frivolous. Was it really appropriate for the nation’s sovereign to be seen pulling a marmalade sandwich from her handbag and tapping out the opening bars of a rock anthem on a teacup and saucer? But perhaps we shouldn’t have […] The post Being a fool for Christ appeared first on Turn the Page.

This weekend the nation will gather to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. While the world has changed out of all recognition, she has remained steadfast and consistent. A devoted servant from the start she has sacrificed her life for the benefit of others. As Prince Charles expressed it on the anniversary of […] The post Our servant queen appeared first on Turn the Page.

Regime change from the outside in doesn’t seem to have much to commend it. Western attempts to force such change in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya led to long drawn-out conflicts costing many thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Clearly Putin wasn’t paying attention. He thought he could buck the trend with a swift toppling […] The post Regime change appeared first on Turn the Page.

For those of us who pray the Eurovision Song Contest is a lesson in perseverance. Since the beginning of the century the UK have begun each year with high hopes only to see them repeatedly dashed. The temptation to give up has been very real. When Engelbert Humperdinck finished 25th in 2012 with only 12 points […] The post Don’t give up appeared first on Turn the Page.

For decades Russia’s biggest annual parade was the November 7th celebration of the October Revolution. In 1935 one of the invited guests was a 71-year-old textile worker. Sadly, she was too short-sighted to see Stalin and called out, ‘I’m going to die soon – am I really not going to be able to see him?’ Suddenly […] The post Seeing salvation appeared first on Turn the Page.

The British film Operation Mincemeat tells the incredible true story of perhaps the greatest deception of the Second World War. In 1943 the Allies were planning to invade Sicily but in order to minimise resistance, needed to convince Hitler they were going to come ashore in Greece instead. The deception involved planting false papers on […] The post Making a difference appeared first on Turn the Page.

Drowning in debt and too proud to declare bankruptcy John Darwin decided there was only one thing left to do. He faked his own death and had his wife claim on his life insurance. But when he later tried to ‘rise from the dead’ by claiming amnesia his story quickly fell apart. Interviewed after his […] The post Rising from the dead appeared first on Turn the Page.

Once again, the Oscars ceremony in 2022 will be remembered for something that shouldn’t have happened. Presenter Chris Rock made a joke at the expense of actor Will Smith’s wife. Smith saw red and responded by walking onto stage and slapping Rock hard across the face. As the audience sat stunned, Smith returned to his […] The post A slap in the face appeared first on Turn the Page.

One of the most distressing aspects of the war in Ukraine is the apparent blessing being given to it by some in the Russian Orthodox Church. When our religious beliefs become so warped that the taking of innocent life is considered acceptable before God, something has gone seriously wrong.  Speaking in a different time and […] The post To save life or destroy it appeared first on Turn the Page.

My first mobile phone was a Phillips Savvy. It had an aerial poking out of the top, a tiny screen and could store up to ten text messages. These days I would be embarrassed to be seen with it – it’s a relic from the past. But this week the Royal Mint has reminded me […] The post Something precious appeared first on Turn the Page.

If suffering is seen as the Achilles’ heel of Christianity, then justice poses a similar problem for atheism. Let me explain. Human beings have an innate sense of justice and believe that the guilty should be punished and the wicked held to account. The problem with a godless universe is that very often this just […] The post Being held to account appeared first on Turn the Page.

In his first response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Pope tweeted, ‘War is a failure of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil’. This failure of humanity is nothing new of course and the very first such failure is recorded early in the Bible in the book of […] The post A failure of humanity appeared first on Turn the Page.

As Vladimir Putin’s intentions towards Ukraine become ever clearer Russia has   been accused of false flag attacks. These are when an aggressor stages an attack on its own soil which it then blames on its enemy as a pretext for launching a full-scale invasion. The method is tried and tested and was notably used by the […] The post False flags appeared first on Turn the Page.

Jesus once explained that while “foxes have holes and birds have nests” he didn’t have a bed to sleep in. Well foxes still have holes, but human interference means that lots of birds no longer have nests. Take swifts for example. The loss of their nesting sites in the UK has led to a collapse […] The post Birds have nests appeared first on Turn the Page.