Ballymoney pipped by Coleraine !

A freezing cold but bright day saw the derby match between Ballymoney and Coleraine rugby clubs end in defeat for the hosts, Ballymoney. A spirited first half when they led 13-3 at the interval ended up a 13-25 defeat, much to the delight of the travelling supporters. A very noisy contingent, positioned close to entrance to the bar, entertained the considerable crowd with what they saw as pertinent advice to the referee! These earthy suggestions were interspersed with renditions of well known tunes; remarkably well sung and in tune given the bitter cold. The on board liquid heating obviously helped.

So, bragging rights have gone back to Coleraine and we will just have to wait until next season (and turn up for the second half!) to give them a good stuffing.

http://www.ballymoneyrfc.com/home.php

Victor Meldrew reporting.....

The recent installation of a walk/cycle path around Ballymoney as part of the sustainable transport initiative http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ has been in my humble opinion, a great success. It is now possible to circumnavigate Ballymoney on safe and attractive paths. This has been particularly handy during the recent freezing weather, allowing the dog to be walked in safe and mud free conditions.

However, as with all new initiatives, not all the natives seem to understand how it works, either now or for the future. As for the ‘now’ the amount of broken glass and dog pooh, especially on the path up towards the leisure centre, is appalling. Damage done to the stripwood fencing is also annoying. Given that the glass appears to be the remains of alcopop bottles, I blame that subset of our youth population who hang around swigging cheap booze. They seem incapable of showing any initiative when it comes to doing something constructive. Having said that, the dog walkers form a more mature population and as such set a very poor example to the kids by not picking the stuff up.

On a more profound level, considering the future development of the walkway, the destruction of quite a number of the young trees lining the walkway is dispiriting. The youngsters who have destroyed these trees seem to have no appreciation that it is THEIR environment they are ruining. I wonder if in fifteen or twenty years as they walk their own kids along the pathways, will they even remember that the gaps in the trees were caused by their vandalism?

Well that’s it off my chest…….

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

I remember as a Psychology student, years ago, reading about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and wondering how long it would take to climb the ‘ladder’. Now all that seems a long time ago and strangely enough despite everything that has happened in the last few years, I seem to be able to tick off quite a few of the items.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-actualization
personal growth and fulfilment

Esteem needs
achievement, status, responsibility, reputation
Belongingness and Love needs
family, affection, relationships, work group, etc.
Safety needs
protection, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
Biological and Physiological needs
basic life needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

As preparation for this ‘new years resolutions’ I intend to review the hierarchy of needs to see what I need to focus on this year…. (Yes, work is a bit slow at the moment!)

It’s could be difficult to be honest about these as we all like to paint ourselves and achievements in as good a light as possible. Anyway, as I approach a significant birthday next year, let’s do a bit of self-actualizing …..

Self-actualizing characteristics

• keen sense of reality - aware of real situations - objective judgement, rather than subjective


• see problems in terms of challenges and situations requiring solutions, rather than see problems as personal complaints or excuses


• need for privacy and comfortable being alone


• reliant on own experiences and judgement - independent - not reliant on culture and environment to form opinions and views


• not susceptible to social pressures - non-conformist


• democratic, fair and non-discriminating - embracing and enjoying all cultures, races and individual styles


• socially compassionate - possessing humanity


• accepting others as they are and not trying to change people


• comfortable with oneself - despite any unconventional tendencies


• a few close intimate friends rather than many surface relationships


• sense of humour directed at oneself or the human condition, rather than at the expense of others


• spontaneous and natural - true to oneself, rather than being how others want


• excited and interested in everything, even ordinary things


• creative, inventive and original


• seek peak experiences that leave a lasting impression

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

We went to see the film ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ at the weekend. It is a well made movie (adapted from the book by John Boyne) and showed how the innocents can be caught up in nightmare scenarios such as the holocaust. The intimate personal nature of the film enthralled the audience in a way that a big noisy blockbuster can not. The effect was most pronounced at the end when, along with the rest of the audience, my expectation as to how the movie would end was proved wrong. The stark simplicity of the ending had a profound effect on the audience. Quite a lot of the credits had rolled before the first person stood up. It seemed almost disrespectful to move given the ending and total silence pervaded the theatre. I don’t think even Schindler’s List had the same effect despite being a much ‘bigger’ film.

http://www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/boy/