August Editorial

Ray examines the happenings of the month

Hello again,

It is impossible to start this editorial without some reference to the London bombing. But for most of you, this subject has been so widely reported, both in the Press and on Television, that there is little I can add which can add to our national feeling of shock and horror. As one reporter said "These terrorist attacks take on a whole new meaning when they occur in your own back yard."

It now seems certain that the atrocities were committed by a group of radical young Muslims who had, either a real or, a perceived hatred of our English way of life. Having lived among Muslims for much of my life I know that these views are confined to a small band of extremists whose hatred has been inflamed by the preaching of Muslim radicals. The majority of our British Muslim community are law abiding, decent citizens whose belief in the Koran defines such acts of carnage as a crime against Islam. I have no doubt that, with the help of the Muslim community, such radical views will be discouraged and the young advocates of terror will be dissuaded from further abuse of what is now their mother country.

Meantime, all members of the Village Pump team express their heartfelt condolences to all who have lost loved ones and to those who will spend the rest of their lives trying to recover from the injuries sustained in these multiple bombings.

On a more pleasant note, what a wonderful July in terms of weather? For many consecutive days "Sun Block" became a must as we sweltered in temperatures hovering around 80 degreesF in old money. What a delightful change from the cold and storms we experienced in June? Suddenly my hanging baskets became desperate for a drink rather than having to withstand the near gale force winds of their early planting. I suspect the same was true for us mere mortals if the consumption of cold beers and lagers by my various guests was anything to go by!

On a personal note, I would like to use this piece to express my sincere thanks to Monika Goetz our Publisher for all her work on behalf of the Village Pump over the past few years. There is no doubt that her publishing skills have done a tremendous amount to improve the structure and presentation of our community magazine. Monika has advised the committee that she is unable to continue the publishing task after the December 2005 edition. It is with much regret that her decision has been honoured by the committee and we all wish her the very best of luck in her future endeavours. Monika and her skills will be greatly missed, especially by The Editor.

Still on the subject of the Village Pump, at their recent meeting the committee agreed unanimously that we need to appoint an Advertising Manager. For the past few years this role has been shared among existing members but it is now felt that the task requires one person to assume overall responsibility for the sale of advertising space to our ever increasing clients. We believe anyone taking on this role must have access to, and be very familiar with the use of, a computer. If you feel you could provide such a vital service to our magazine, do please contract the Editor on 500274.

Ray Thompson