Contributor Leaderboard

It is always difficult to lose a good friend, even more so when he is some thousands of miles away. But there is something that I promised to do several years ago, and it is now time to honour that promise. Allan Laws, better known to many as Sw@lnalla, died Saturday, September 12th in Bedlington. He is survived by my second last friend in Bedlington, his wife, Maria Laws, formerly of Ontario, Canada, but resident in Bedlington for several years now. Allan had been fighting Cancer for several years, but he simply could not fight any longer. Allan and I met when we both lived in Ontario, he lived in Barrie, and I lived in Oakville, but I enjoyed the attitudes and obvious intelligence of the man I debated with, and occasionally disagreed with, on the Bedlington forum. One day a few years ago, I learned that he lived a mere 200km from me, and decided that I had to put a face to this man from my home town, who could raise my interest, (and sometimes Ire), with a few well thought out comments on any one of several subjects. I called, I visited, and I was not disappointed in what I found. He was as intelligent,outspoken, and thoughtful as I had come to believe that he would be. Like myself, he did not suffer fools gladly, nor did he hold lack of formal education to be any bar to native intelligence. Allan was younger than myself, but we both shared the same wide range of interests, so that our visits were always too brief, and too infrequent, but always memorable. The one person who brought balance, and contentment to his life, hard as it was, was always his wife Maria. If she ever wondered why two grown men would be so near-obsessed with the history, and daily interests of a run down town like Bedlington,her sense of decorum never let express anything but the most supportive opinions. She left us to it, and I will always be grateful to her for her courtesey and discretion. In 2005, a family problem concerning my youngest daughter, led my wife and I to leave Ontario, and relocate to Calgary, Alberta. Contact between Allan and I was made somewhat more difficult by the move, but we did manage the occasional email. I knew about his cancer, and the ailment which made it very difficult for him to follow his profession. But the mutual, or should I say tripartite respect that we shared. lasted unshaken. Allan's death is not an end to my respect and friendship with Allan, nor does it end my deep regard for his wife Maria. I have had a few good friends in my life, and there is no doubt that these two, are among the most treasured. Take care Maria, and remember my name. And forgive me Allan, but my wishes for you are as follows: Agnus Dei, Qui tolis peccata Mundi, Dona Nobis Pacem! Three things I have never forgotten, Being Irish, Being Catholic, and being born in Bedlington! Go with God!

try going at peak time usually between 9 - 11 on a weekday morning its like resident evil only with grannies!

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear, or are about to repeat, a rumour. In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said: "Socrates, Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?" "Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test." "Triple filter?" said the acquaintance. "That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student, let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say". "The first Filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "Well No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and....." "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the Filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?" "No, on the contrary....." "So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him,even though you're not certain it's true?" The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the Filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me or make me happy?" "Well No, not really....." "Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True, nor Good, nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?" The man was defeated, ashamed and walked away. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem - it also explains why he never found out Plato was shagging his wife.