Sunday 15 November 2015

SUNDAY 15th DECEMBER 2015 11:00 GMT

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

15th November 1688
William of Orange lands at Brixham, Torbay, starting the Glorious Revolution 

King James II of England (VII of Scotland) had introduced policies of religious tolerance after 1685 that met with increasing opposition by members of leading political circles, who were troubled by the king's Catholicism and his close ties with France. The crisis came to a head in 1688 with the birth of the king's son, James Francis Edward Stuart, on 10 June. This changed the existing line of succession by displacing the heir presumptive, his daughter Mary, a Protestant, and the wife of William of Orange, with young James as heir apparent. The establishment of a Roman Catholic dynasty in the kingdoms now seemed likely. Some of the most influential leaders of the Tories united with members of the opposition Whigs and set out to resolve the crisis by offering the throne to the Dutch prince William of Orange.

After consolidating political and financial support, William crossed the North Sea and English Channel with a large invasion fleet in November 1688, landing at Brixham Torbay on November 15. Though there was not an immediate rush to welcome William, it was also clear that James no longer had any significant support. There were anti-Catholic riots in several towns, and over the proceeding weeks, as William's army marched slowly towards London, increasing numbers of towns and nobles declared their allegiance for William, including his own daughter Anne on 26th November.

There were only two small military clashes during William's advance - at Wincanton, Somerset, a scout party of William's army was defeated by a detachment of James's troops, who then retreated before William's large army arrived. Then on 9th December, an advance guard of James's army posted in Reading were decisively defeated by William's troops aided by sympathetic townsfolk. James and his wife then fled London that night, but James was encouraged to return to London, which he did on 16th December under William's protection. However negotiations were fruitless and the guarantee of safety in London was withdrawn. James went under William's protection to Rochester, Kent on the 18th December. James finally decided to flee France on 23 December unimpeded by William, who did not wish to make him a Catholic martyr. 

By threatening to withdraw his troops, William in February 1689 convinced a newly chosen Convention Parliament to make him and his wife joint monarchs, and the revolution was secured.

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The Milk Run
Lunch
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 2,039 (up 1)
Non-followed eliminated = 0

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Unfollowers eliminated = 1

@TheGlobalLove
New Followers followed back = 2
@SiriouslySusan, @JennyLeigh1980
Spammers not followed back = 0
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3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
I continue to sleep longer, which I consider to be no bad thing - an 07:35 wakeup yesterday and 06:40 today. However, it's no panacea for all ills. It's still a full-time job managing myself when I'm awake! Keeping the mind empty in the face of distractions is the current front-line of self-development. 

An empty mind, i.e. free of random thought is not just a nice thing to achieve, it is essential to my personal wellbeing. My chain of thought wanders off into very dark places if I don't keep it on a tight lead of mindfulness, and I can function much better in the mode of intuitive awareness. It's proving hard work to maintain the very high levels of concentration required to stay in this mode when interacting in the world, though I'm getting quite good on my own, where there are fewer distractions.

However I'm not lacking in the ability - I have the techniques, it's simply a case of slog - continually practicing them until they become second nature. I know what I want to achieve and I know how to do it, it now only remains to relentlessly persist.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you doing what you need to do in order to develop?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Wet and windy all morning, albeit mild.
There will be a window of dry weather beginning in the late afternoon, but the rain will return in the later evening
Max Temp = 14 degC at noon
Min Temp = 12 degC at midnight
Sunrise at 07:33
Sunset at 16:09
Moon: 

Weathertrack: A depression north of Britain will drive multiple weather fronts across the country today
Air Pressure: 1001 millibars and rising slightly

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
The pizza place asked if there were special instructions. I said yes, I was lonely so I wanted the delivery man to watch the movie with me :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

8. TRIVIA
Some sharks can bite hard enough to cut through a thick piece of steel. Like lions and other predators, sharks usually kill only when they are hungry, which isn’t very often. Some sharks can live a year without eating, living off the oil they stored in their bodies.

9. ZEN WISDOM
To run from challenges only leads to suffering

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