Christian Blogging Redux

Some time ago, I read an entry on a blog that debated the merits of whether all Christians should blog... or just those who are proficient in theology and/or debating skills.

The conclusion that was reached favoured the latter view.

At the time, I remained silent but it has always niggled me because this is the very antithesis of my position.

I do not believe in elitism. I accept that there are risks with every Tom, Dick and Harry writing about their faith... there are bound to be errors of judgement in theology and composition, because we are all on a journey.

I can't accept or sanction the idea that evangelism and spiritual encouragement are only the remit of a select few (many as the people within that "few" are). The apostle Paul encountered many charlatans, heretics and people who were preaching the Gospel for a mixture of motives. Whilst he fought diligently against deliberate heresy, when his enemies preached the Gospel, he did not oppose them... in fact, he actually recorded his attitude towards such people in his letter to the Philippians:

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Philippians 1:15-18

Essentially, Paul didn't care who preached the Gospel... so long as it was preached. In more recent generations, someone coined a famous saying:

"We are not all called to be evangelists, but we are all called to evangelise."

So while many may not be educated strongly in theology or even well rehearsed in scripture, if they have even a basic relationship with God through Christ, they have the knowledge of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection... and why it was necessary for the salvation of mankind. This is central to the gospel message.

Furthermore, Paul (greatly informed apologist that he was), did not regard eloquence and intellect to be of the utmost importance when it came to his own message:

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Some of the greatest preachers and apologists the Christian faith ever had... began their journeys hearing the words of some obscure man or woman of faith and being inspired by them. I think we would be fools to limit the field. People connect on all sorts of levels. A man of great wisdom and intellect... even a spiritual man, might totally miss the mark where gentle words of innocence might succeed. Every one of us is unique, we each bear a personal testimony that is not shared by another... who knows what part of our own individual stories might be used by the power of God, in order to inspire the lives of others. Or have you not read the Parable of the Mustard Seed?

I think people are being way too analytical and are injecting human management styles into what is essentially God's work. We are called to sow... we cannot know where the seed falls in the hearts of the people we speak to, we can only be faithful in sharing what we have. Evangelism is merely one beggar telling another beggar where he may find bread... and living bread at that.

To try and control who speaks for God on the Internet, is to put human rules and regulation in the way of the Gospel. My own personal attitude is to fling wide the gates... let all who know Jesus speak of him... and if I do come across anything that is at odds with the Gospel message in my own meanderings on the web... to gently point this out where necessary.

So for those who have been encouraged to abandon their keyboard, I equally encourage you to take it back up again. Your walk with Jesus is unique to you, and you do not know whose heart you may set on fire, simply by sharing it.

Widget... Widget.... A Widget I Have Got.

Just a brief pause in the proceedings to tell you about a new networking widget I've attached to my blog.

I stumbled upon SezWho purely by accident... although, I actually wander who stumbled upon who... because I honestly don't recall requesting a sign up email.

I think what really impresses me about the SezWho tool, is that it enables you - the discerning reader, to go through all my posts and rate them. It also allows everyone - reader and author alike, to rate comments. So even people who haven't signed up... gradually get rated for their contributions on the web.

It looks like the intention is to allow people who blog on multiple sites... or who have a multi-faceted online presence with profiles on a wide selection of social media, to gradually have their entire input on the Internet evaluated by everyone in their web communities.

I'd certainly like to see this expand to include things like Flixster and Last.fm, if it does not already do so.

So take a gander at the stars at the bottom of my posts and if you like them (or loathe them for that matter), let me know by rating me. As I'm all set up now, you can rate people who have left me comments as well.

I really encourage you to get the widget, It's a really good thing to be able to support/encourage one another's input...and this is one excellent way which it is possible.

Downtime

No I haven't abandoned you.

Curiously I keep thinking of things to blog about... but they always seem to get to about 75% in my brain and then just go off the boil.

I'm going to push for the extra 25% as soon as I can... but for now I thought I ought to mention that I am alive and very well.

I think my night time energy levels may be dropping off as I have lowered my caffeine intake to just cups of tea at work; when I'm at home I stick to Twinings Wellbeing stuff at the moment.

Anyway I'll sign off for now.

God bless

N

Flirting With Your Fortress

When I started blogging back in 2005 on my (now pretty much deserted) MSN Space, I originally called the blog "Nick's Sanctuary and Fortress of Solitude". It wasn't long before I realised this was actually a bit of a mouthful and dropped the "Fortress of Solitude".

However, that didn't change the original reason I created my blogs - neither this one, nor it's predecessor. They were intended to be a place where I could explore my beliefs in my on head. It's there right before you in the blog description - "A safe haven for sharing my thoughts about my faith, my life and the universe in general". It's still very much a fortress... but I think I need to actually come to terms with what a fortress... a stronghold is actually for.

It occurs to me that maybe sometimes I've sat here and thrown witty remarks or missiles out at my targets from the battlements... but that's little better than the French in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It doesn't deal with the wolf outside the door, it doesn't claim territory for your king... it's just a snug, cosy way of dealing with things. That is not what a sanctuary - a fortress is for... and something I read recently challenged me with regard to this.

Eugene Peterson referred to what he believed a sanctuary exists for... when referring to the time the Old Testament hero David, was a fugitive running from the maniacal King Saul (David went up to a sanctuary in a town called Nob to take refuge, you can read about it here). Peterson writes that:

"A sanctuary is... where I, like David, get bread and a sword, strength for the day and weapons for the fight."

I agree with him. If we stay holed up where it's safe, we make little headway. Every historical stronghold I can think of has at some point fallen to an attacking force... you can only hold out so long. In Lord of the Rings, King Theoden is trapped within his stronghold of Helm's Deep... it is about to fall... when he heeds the advice to gear up and take the battle to the enemy. This seemingly futile gesture is rewarded when Gandalf and the Rohirrim come charging into the fray, ploughing through the orc hordes and smiting all before them:

I'm not saying that we should never remain within the safety of the city walls... clearly in scripture there is wisdom in this also - Hezekiah was commanded by God not to leave Jerusalem... and an angel struck down the armies of the Assyrian king Sennacherib.

What I am saying is that although sanctuaries are places to protect what you value, they are also places to nourish yourself from hidden reserves, equip yourself for battle and muster your forces. They are also a place where you train for combat. The other day I referenced Smallville and it's been established in the series that Clark will have to go to the stronghold built specifically for him - the Fortress of Solitude, in order to complete his training as a superhero and the transition into Superman - the Man of Steel. In the clip below, we see him get a brief taste of this training:

My hope is that as I have continued to voice my concerns and beliefs on this site, that I have also learned to hone the skills and powers I'm going to need for what God calls me to. That is what this blog is for now. It's not just a place for protection... it's a launchpad.

A Sanctuary Century

My blog passed another milestone the other day.

If you look down below at the myriad of gadgets and lists down the right hand side, you will see I have become a multi-national stopping off point. I have finally managed to break into three figures with regard to the number of countries/regions that visit.

I just want to thank everyone who has come here whether that be as a result of regular visiting, random stumbling, or Governmental investigation.

To misquote Elwood Blues:

"I'm so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight. And I would especially like to welcome all the representatives of the world's law enforcement community who have chosen to join me here in Nick's Sanctuary at this time. I do sincerely hope you all enjoy the show, and please remember people that no matter who you are and what you do to live, thrive and survive there are still some things that make us all the same. Me, you, them, everybody, everybody!"

So now this place is truly global... I'm going to have to hold an ambassador's reception and break out the Ferrero Rocher... complete with cheesy audio dubbing! :-)

To Quote Mark Twain:

"The reports of my death, have been greatly exaggerated".

I'm sure that must be a cliche amongst bloggers, especially when used in the context of having been away from your blog for a while. However I wanted people to be sure I wasn't disappearing quietly into the night... I would say reassure, but I would guess that most people who end up reading my blog, do so by accident and regard it as a navigational hazard.

I can only hope there are some that regard stumbling onto this site as a "happy accident".

Recently I read another person's blog that suggested that it is this time of year when blogs tend to die off. I don't know if that is statistically true... but I have to agree, you do get that impression. It's a time of year when people go away on holiday, or have other things to do with the better weather. Things become quiet and the temptation to just forget about writing and just move on is strong indeed.

Watching these things happen is a bit like standing at the end of the universe and watching the stars slowly go out one by one:

Or to take an example from popular culture, I guess I feel a little bit like Frodo and Samwise as they chance upon some Wood Elves leaving Middle Earth.

Sam comments that seeing them leave is "kind of sad" but he doesn't know why. I think it is because he knows deep down, a little bit of the magic is leaving his world.

That is how I feel when I read a dormant blog. It is like walking into a derelict or abandoned church; or maybe it is like looking upon a tombstone, monolith... or a monument commemorating something or someone that has been lost forever to memory and time.

I don't wish for that to ever happen to my blog (unless I pull the plug on it like at MSN Spaces), I feel so strongly about this that I'm considering handing the keys over to this place should anything befall me. Maybe it would be a bit freaky if it still bore my name and picture... but the reason for this blog's existence is more important to me than any sense of it being branded in my image.

So serious about this am I, that I even have a shortlist of potential "heirs", people who I would feel honoured to take the helm in my absence (short term or permanent).

That is enough blogging about blogging. I have things to say about politics in the next few days, so expect business as usual very shortly.

God bless

N

Footprints

I've been thinking a lot about my "online footprint" in recent days.

A proportion of the British press have expressed concern over Google's future plans, most significantly the Independent, which carried this worrying story on it's front page this week. When I think of all the different sites that I am registered with, all the online groups that I am part of... even under a plethora of pseudonyms, I realise that I have a fairly significant presence. I'd argue that among the people I know closely... none of them is as established on the Internet as myself. I'm not boasting... it is not about any delusions of "celebrity", it's just that I have been much more thorough in exploring the cyber neighbourhood than they have. That is the trouble with being an extrovert trapped in an introvert's body.... you grow rather fond of armchair expeditions.

An example of how worryingly accurate Google's algorithms can be arrived in my statistics page this week. Half a world away from Nick's Sanctuary, I regularly visit a bulletin board under a pseudonym of one of the knights of the round table - Galahad. Now another description of a sanctuary can be "safe haven". The other day, Google directed somebody to my blog simply on the search term "Galahad's safe haven". I performed a search on Technorati and a cached Google advanced search, specific to the url for Nick's Sanctuary. Guess what? I don't refer to Galahad at all... Google knows me well enough by association... the same is true of other handles I travel under - scary.

Google's chief executive has revealed the following corporate vision:

"The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as 'What shall I do tomorrow?' and 'What job shall I take?'."

It is bad enough having a "nanny state" without having to worry about a "nanny site". The Independent has also pointed out that Google has bought up a genetic research firm - 23andMe and is also bidding for DoubleClick - a cookie web tracking software company. It does all sound rather worrying.

However I didn't just want to look at potential corporate Orwellian threats... I wanted to make people think seriously about their blog content, particularly fellow Christians.

Footprints are funny things... you can walk along a shoreline and leave a set of hundreds of personal impressions in the sand, knowing that when the tide comes in... they will all be long gone. Yet there are places on this planet, where footprints endure long beyond the time they were created - in the form of fossils.

The question I wanted to ask is this: when you leave your marks on the web, which ones will remain? Which articles are going to be the ones that people remember and actually have an effect on others... and which ones will simply wash away with time and tide?

You may never know. So I encourage you all to write from the heart, the things that really matter... the more important things you write down... the better chance that your better qualities will be preserved - set in stone.

For Christians this idea carries extra depth. I spoke about former US president Jimmy Carter the other day... in my research I stumbled upon a question that had been a key motivator in his early development:

"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

It has become a cliche... but the truth behind it remains all the same.

Now I want you to think about the famous poem "Footprints" - the story of a man walking with Jesus along the beach who at times of hardship and stress, discovers that one set disappears. Jesus points out at the end of the journey, that in those times... he carried the man on his shoulders.

The question I want to challenge myself and any other Christian reading is... of all the experiences I/we write about... do people see two sets of footprints (those of Jesus as well as our own), in our blogs? Also, do we have the conviction to write about the hard times in such a manner that people can see Jesus carrying us through our difficulties?

I'm not talking necessarily about content here... but attitude. There are many Godcentric blogs that make me wretch - one or two even have the bare faced cheek to claim to be speaking as Jesus in the first person in terms of spirituality and also political endorsement. They seriously need a reality check.... they come across like the "super apostles" who Paul had a problem with.

When I visit a blog, especially a Christian blog... I am less worried about the subject matter and more interested in seeing how the personality of the author comes across - and where applicable, how their relationship with God is conveyed in their style of writing.

When I write, I want people to know I'm totally on the record..., yes I want them to see God... but I also want them to know I'm a genuine human being too... I want to relate to others. I want to walk among them not upon them.

Isn't that what you want?

Blog Snobbery

I've been noting with interest the rise, fall and apparent demise of the experiment that was 2000 Bloggers.

The short story version of it was that a bloke called Tino decided to take a snapshot of the blogosphere, a sort of first come, first serve scrapbook. The fundamental idea of his project was to showcase 2,000 blogs - warts and all. The more established great and the good, alongside the humble offerings of novices... the interesting eye catching blogs, alongside the mundane everyday ones.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, this began to throw the link valuing system into a little bit of chaos, causing less established blogs to gain ground on the big guns.

I can understand how this can sometimes be a bad thing, the people who would be most likely to look for these sort of projects and exploit them, would be entrepreneurs, viral marketeers and corporate bloggers... and we all know how tedious and annoying those blogs often are (when I use traffic exchange programmes I always filter out business and marketing blogs).

However, I've noticed in the comments of some of the detractors, an air of snobbery and ego. They fear that an increase in ranking terms for the lowest common denominator will damage their readership and will dilute the purity of the blogosphere. In effect what they are saying is "You can't come up here! You aren't good enough, aren't professional enough, aren't intelligent, humorous or insightful enough to join us in the ranks of the elite!"

It's hokum. Worse than that it's a form of electronic fascism. This is not the Roman Empire, we are not divided into patricians and plebeians. We are together, an online example of global diversity.

Don't misunderstand me, there are some wonderful blogs out there... important ones too. Blogs that expose the political machinations of corrupt governments, blogs that seek to expand human understanding between different cultures... and many of these are wonderfully researched.

When it comes to my blog, I have no delusions of global takeover. My hope is that over time, people will be touched by the things that I write about. I don't care if I'm of the moment or on message with the topics of the day, that's nice... but it's just a bonus. What really matters to me is if somebody finds my blog on a search engine in a decade and is touched by something I wrote say... last year, then as far as I'm concerned I've done my job. All I seek to do is pass on what I have learned, or share joy and pain in equal measure... in the hope that future readers may know that they are not alone.

I believe that blogs should be allowed to stand and fall by the quality of their content and not by their reputation or press. If that means that a new kid on the block starts making inroads into the readership of the heavy hitters, simply because they get lucky with a few links and establish themselves, so be it. This happens all the time in nature, the dominant male of many species community groups eventually gets toppled by some upstart, it is the way of things. Similarly how can the saplings in a rain forest grow, if the big trees don't fall down every now and then, leaving a gap in the canopy?

I'm not completely against protectionism with regard to the blogosphere, I just feel it should be like the Galapagos Islands. We protect it from the outside interference of those who are intent on changing it's nature... but when it comes to the natural development of what people blog about and who sets the agenda, let the people decide. If they see something of note, then they will comment on it, link to it and spread the word.

Have faith in the fellowship of bloggers.

On the Subject of Technology...

...I thought I'd point out a few things about the current template design, as well as outline a few of my eventual intentions for the design of this place.

Some people might think I'm a bit of an egotist, because the i in Nick's Sanctuary is the only letter with a colour... this is intentional but not for narcissistic reasons. You will also notice that the other letters in title are block capital - NiCK'S SANCTUARY. What I am trying to evoke, is the need to to retain your individuality amongst the multitude of other people around... whilst not forgetting the importance of humility. I just wanted to clear that up.

Now, I'm a fan of purples and deep blues... but I don't know if they work well here. Is the sight OK for you to read? I can read it alright... but fat lot of good that is, if I have you lot all squinting with bleary eyes... you as the weary pilgrims who wander in here, matter to me. If this place can be better I'd like you to spill the beans.

As you may have gathered I'm not the brightest spark in the fire when it comes to HTML and CSS style sheets. when I visit other blogs, I am in awe of the loving craftsmanship put into some of the designs. It's like walking into people's personal cathedrals. I especially love seeing artistic designs in title bars... and if forced to be honest, I'm envious. I will get round to making this place look a bit pictorial if I can... if you are willing and able to offer a hand, I'd be grateful.

Blessings

N

Kicking up a Sentimental Storm

I just wanted to apologise if you have come to my blog in a strange manner.

Article I am tagging are appearing all over the shop in places like Technorati yet they don't appear to be fresh.

What is going on?

Well relax, it's not some technological faux pas... it's me causing trouble as is customary.

Payne by name, pain by nature!

I am gradually going through my old blog at MSN Spaces and migrating my old blogs. You may consider this a waste of time, but I didn't want this place to be a fresh start, I wanted it to be a repository for all my thoughts from when I first started blogging. My MSN Space is pretty useless, by the time the front page loads... any interested party has given up and gone home a long time ago.

I hope the blogger experience will prove faster, more efficient, more fruitful and more importantly... I hope it gives off more of a personal feel. I'm not good at Template design but I steered clear of existing templates because I don't want this place to be something that looks like it's come off a conveyer belt.

So I'm sorry for all the old blogs that are coming in, but while you are here you may as well take a look at them or just browse through my various meanderings.. They chronicle a two year journey of faith and relationships, I've done my best to eliminate dross and have only brought across choice cuts. I felt it was important to give people an opportunity to see what I was like back in time, in order that they may understand who and where I am today.

Have fun poking about the place and normal service will resume shortly.

God bless

N

A Cautious Launch

Welcome to Nick's Sanctuary.

I've launched this page as an experiment based on my frustrations with using the MSN Spaces Network. The space I have there (accessible from the sidebar), takes forever to load and I'm annoyed at the difficulty people have in posting replies or comments.

So here I am on blogger... lets see how it goes.

This blog doesn't have half the fancy images and widgets that other blogs do... I lack the expertise in that field to do anything flash (pun not intended).

However, I hope you find something of value here... as I gradually introduce you to my style of blogging (if you've visited Nick's Sanctuary already, you know what you are in for).

I guess if I could define this blog, it would be a lot like the Millennium Falcon, which in the words of Han Solo "may not look like much but she's got it where it counts."

So hold on tight this flight may be a bit rough!

Infernal Advertisers

Author's Note 07/01/07, this blog has been migrated from MSN Spaces... as I am intending to deactivate that account (it takes ages to load, there are comment restrictions and recently I've noticed some of my older posts have been "disappeared").

It's highly ironic that one day after writing about blog etiquette, and a month since I blogged about advertisers spamming blogs... it has happened to me.

I must apologise to anyone reading my blog who has clicked on a trackback recently. There are adverts for pharmaceutical agencies crawling all over my space. I'm not sure who is responsible... but I'm having to delete all dodgy trackbacks manually... this may take some doing as it appears to be... every entry!

I advise all of you reading this to check your own registers... you might have been spammed as well.

I sincerely hope you haven't

In the meantime, this has been reported to MSN.

Update:

After something crazy like 30 deletions, I managed to remove all the advertising. You can read more on my opinions about this in both the post below and the one on viral marketeers that I made last month.

Blog Etiquette

I decided to write a few rules and guidelines for people wanting to comment on my space. I've modified a November 2005 blog entry on blog etiquette so that you have the rules in brief, followed by a brief summary of my personal blogging code of ethics:

• Speak you mind, be funny or serious... disagree with me if you like, I want to hear from you.
• Show respect. No swearing or abuse of other comments please.
• Do not advertise a commercial product in my comments or trackbacks without my permission.

I've recently been involved in a couple of incidents regarding blog behaviour... and I thought I'd clarify my position.

Firstly I believe we need to respect one another's spaces. I've seen people jumping onto other people's sites and coldly advertising their own space, or opinion on a totally off-topic subject. I don't believe it is right to behave in this manner. Blogs are unique in the sense that they are personal diaries/forums on a public domain; a visitor might argue that they can say what the heck they like... free speech and all that. Similarly a blogger might say they can delete indiscriminately any comments they don't agree with.

I would say that we have freedoms... but each of those freedoms carries a responsibility. If you are going to comment on someone else's space, you have to recognise and respect it as their territory; on the other hand if you are going to open up a subject on your space that will be open to the public domain, you have to recognise people's right to publicly disagree, otherwise what's the point?

My advice when we are visitors would be to (where sensible) keep comments relevant to the topic at hand, or just introduce yourself/chat generally. You should never really start a new debate on someone else's space, it's rude... especially if your topic is not related to the general theme of the space you are commenting on. I'd also say that it is of absolute importance to not use offensive language or insults when visiting someone's space. Again, you are on their turf... so you should treat them peaceably. You don't walk into a strangers house and start mouthing off!

My advice to bloggers managing their own sites is to allow/encourage sensible conversation and debate. If you have put your handiwork up for public scrutiny, you should expect it. If you don't agree with a comment made on your space... it is equally bad manners to delete it. If it is personally insulting or offensive... or it has abusive language... then fine, delete it; but for pities sake, don't just delete someones opinion just because it's not in line with your own... if you are going to do that, select PRIVATE or PERSONAL on your blog settings... because frankly you waste everyone else's time if you dictate your opinion without giving a chance for democratic response.

I hope everyone visiting here and reading this believes I live by this simple code. My hope is that it might give you food for thought as you visit other blogs, as well as policing your own.

Viral Marketeers on Blogs

I recently found this article on the BBC website: Blog Advertising

In my time blogging, I have browsed many sites... not least because I'm affiliated with blog trafficking sites that increase your readership if you view other member blogs. Very often now, I get annoyed because of the amount of business or marketing blogs that are out there... to me it isn't what blogging is about. It is like bumping into one of those tacky business magazine periodicals that are routinely mocked as "guest publications" on BBC's Have I Got News For You.

I'm not interested in learning about the specifications and tensile strength of vulcanised rubber or anything like that. When I blog I'm just interested to know what interests the author, what makes them tick as a person... and what they think/believe about what is going on in the world around them... whether it be serious or jovial.

When it was just about blog types, I could choose to ignore or dismiss the business or marketing sites (which believe me I take great pleasure in doing). However... according to the BBC article, the advertisers have gone on the offensive. They are using the comment fields to insert adverts and trackbacks to their own website. I agree with the Beeb on this, I find it highly disrespectful. As it is, I'm not entirely comfortable with the view that you can go on to someone else's blog and advertise your own blog out of context. I think you should leave comments and trust that your opinion and manner of approach to the blog's author should be enough to encourage a return visit from them. I think stuff like a comment I received the other day (blatantly advertising your blog while showing no interest in what the author has to say) is a bit rude.

However, I have been lucky so far. I have not had any detergent manufacturers or salesman abuse my web site. Have you had visits of this nature yet? I pray they don't become more commonplace. Rest assured all you sales and marketing people... ANY product placement on this blog will be treated with the disdain it deserves and will be summarily deleted on sight... just try me and see.

MSN, China & Christian Bloggers

Found this news item on the Beeb a few hours ago:

MSN & China story.

I find this very disturbing. I just hope this doesn't result in persecution for the people I know who blog over there. Especially Calven and Pett'ho. According to Open Doors, China is among the top ten countries for persecution of Christians. It's not as bad as it was before. Now it is legal to be one, but you have to register as one... which leaves you open to monitoring and intimidation.

I had heard rumours that factions within China's Government were more open to the idea of freedom of religious expression, because they could see certain economic benefits in being more relaxed about it. I just hope these people win out in the end. I am certain God is at work, in either case.

If you are in China, and this story disturbs you... let me know how you feel. Tell me what we can do to help.

Since writing this article, I was appalled to see on News at 10 last night, news footage that appeared to show clashes in China over rural land. China has one of the most powerful economies in the world (it recently overtook the UK). Despite this, the difference between the rich industrial areas and the very poor rural areas is massive. It now appears that industrialists wish to encroach upon unprofitable rural land and convert it to suit their purposes, despite the protests of farmers and their families.

Back to computers, and I then got to wondering... does my Government crawl my site, I'm sure they must to some degree, I mean they probably snoop on everyone, and lets face it I'm subversive enough to probably qualify for some attention (by that I mean I don't just assume the Government has my best interests, or that of the general public at heart)... just how thick is my MI5 dossier getting these days?