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Right about now James Howells must be wishing he could buy Newport Council’s landfill site. In 2009 he bought some bitcoins and stored them on his laptop’s hard drive. The coins quickly forgotten and in time he threw the hard drive away. But then the value of bitcoins surged and by 2017 he realised the […] The post Buried Treasure appeared first on Turn the Page.

As Covid infections in the UK start to show a slight fall, government scientists have warned that deaths will continue to rise as they are already ‘baked in’. The coming weeks will see us pay the price for our social-mixing over Christmas, as infection turns to disease. The deaths are ‘baked in’ and there’s nothing […] The post ‘Baked in’ appeared first on Turn the Page.

Like many others I’m enjoying David Attenborough’s new series ‘Perfect Planet’. Once again, I’m in wonder at the natural world and how finely balanced are the conditions that allow life on earth to exist at all. How these conditions came to be, of course, is a question of debate – was it by chance or […] The post Perfect Planet appeared first on Turn the Page.

According to the ancient Greek myth, a curious Pandora opened a box letting out turmoil, strife, hatred and other evils. Too late she realises that there’s no way to put them back in, but then discovers hope lying at the bottom of the box. In 2016 Donald Trump opened a Pandora’s box in order to […] The post Pandora’s Box appeared first on Turn the Page.

Together with pandemic, lockdown and unprecedented, ‘you’re on mute’ is one of many words and phrases with which we’re now all too familiar. A year ago most of us had never heard of Zoom. Now we regularly stare at a screen trying to lip-read, hoping that whoever’s speaking will realise we can’t hear them before […] The post You’re on mute! appeared first on Turn the Page.

In 2014 George Clooney wanted to give a gift to 14 of his closest friends who had supported him over the years. So he decided to invite them to dinner and surprise them each with a suitcase stuffed with $1 million in $20 bills. But where on earth could he find that amount of cash […] The post A Very Generous Gift appeared first on Turn the Page.

Unlike his predecessors Donald Trump is finding it rather difficult to concede defeat. On election night itself he declared himself the victor when that was still far from certain and in the days following has insisted the election has been stolen. It just goes to show how hard it can be giving up positions of […] The post Handing Over Power appeared first on Turn the Page.

In the spring of 1994 Teresa Salvato took her violin to the music store to have it tuned. The violin had been given to her by her husband whose aunt had given it to him when he was a child. She’d found it lying in the street in 1967 and not being a violin player, […] The post You are priceless appeared first on Turn the Page.

As the number of first-hand witnesses grows smaller with each passing year, we do well to remember the words of the poet Steve Turner: History repeats itself. Has to. No one listens. When the guns fell silent on the Western Front in 1918 it was thought to be the ‘war to end all wars.’ It […] The post We will remember them appeared first on Turn the Page.

In a move that will come as a huge relief to many the UK government has relented on its decision to ban the sale of take-away alcohol during lockdown. A relieved chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale said that he was ‘delighted’ at the change of heart that would avoid pubs having to pour […] The post My Favourite Take-Away appeared first on Turn the Page.

Once again France is reeling from terrorist attacks and the tragic loss of yet more lives. And once again President Macron has asserted that the values of the Republic, including the right to free speech will never be surrendered. He’s a fierce proponent of the idea that religions should be allowed to co-exist under the […] The post Cart with no horse appeared first on Turn the Page.

It’s easy to think that being a follower of Jesus is a serious business. I well remember as a child my mum warning me that the new vicar might ask for my name when I went up for a blessing during communion. From her Strict Baptist upbringing this was clearly outrageous informality and she advised […] The post Rock on Tommy! appeared first on Turn the Page.

Researching your family history can be a fascinating, if sometimes unsettling, experience. We love to discover where we’ve come from, hence the success of the TV series ‘Who do you think you are?’. In a recent episode Jodie Whitaker was rather embarrassed to discover that her Yorkshire forebears had been mine owners who kept their […] The post Who do you think you are? appeared first on Turn the Page.

Running a marathon is gruelling enough at the best of times. So, spare a thought for Sally Orange who ran one 1000 feet below ground in a North Yorkshire mine. She ran in order to raise awareness of World Mental Health Day, and the run was called ‘Beneath the Surface’ because with mental health you […] The post Beneath the Surface appeared first on Turn the Page.

As a second wave of Covid19 sweeps across the UK despair and frustration for many is growing. It can feel as if the very foundations on which we’ve built our security and identity are being stripped away. Sometimes in our desperation we reach out to things that we think might help, only to find that […] The post Who will help? appeared first on Turn the Page.

I am praying for Donald Trump. Politics aside he is a precious human being made in the image of God. He has family and friends who love him dearly and who would be grief-stricken if his life were to come to an end. But his somewhat cavalier attitude toward Covid19 serves as a reminder that […] The post It’s a deadly disease appeared first on Turn the Page.

With the US Presidential election nearly upon us, Donald Trump’s tax returns have finally seen the light of day. On the surface it would appear that he hasn’t paid quite as much tax as would have been expected from one so wealthy. But I’m no accountant so I hesitate to pass judgement. It does, however, […] The post Paying what we owe appeared first on Turn the Page.

Being a university student in 2020 isn’t turning out to be much fun. With thousands already in lockdown and the spectre of not being able to return home for Christmas, many must be wishing they had stayed at home. This isn’t the exciting start to a new life of freedom that they envisaged when they […] The post Being a student appeared first on Turn the Page.

According to St Paul Jesus once said that ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’. Without doubt they are words taken to heart by philanthropist Chuck Feeney. This may be because he heard them during his school days at St Mary of the Assumption High School in New Jersey where he grew up. […] The post More blessed to give appeared first on Turn the Page.

In the last week my two youngest kids have moved away from home. So, I’m feeling again the pain and loss that comes with being separated from those we love. Thousands of parents across the country are experiencing similar feelings as children leave home for the first time to go to university. But imagine how […] The post Leaving home appeared first on Turn the Page.