All posts tagged: Spoke

Iconic seaside towns where people I spoke to all seem to agree on 1 thing | Politics | News

Iconic seaside towns where people I spoke to all seem to agree on 1 thing | Politics | News

Sharon Morgan was among those who spoke ahead of this week’s elections (Image: Lewis Smith) It’s a glorious day along the south Wales coastline as hundreds of locals, shoppers and day-trippers make the most of the fine weather in the iconic seaside towns of Barry and Porthcawl. Both areas have long been regarded as amongst the most well-known tourist destinations in this part of Wales during the summer months, drawing visitors from across the country with their stunning beaches and seasonal attractions. Of course, Barry also has UK-wide fame thanks to Gavin and Stacey. Yet venture away from the seafront and conversations with residents take on a rather different tone, with many voicing concerns over the rising cost of living, mounting pressures on local services and whether long-term regeneration plans are truly heading in the right direction. Both towns will fall within the newly created Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg seat for the 2026 Senedd elections on May 7, which will be formed from the two existing Westminster constituencies of Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan. This …

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Changing your mindset can be a powerful thing and not just for you. I was recently staring at a pile of broken glass in the street, thinking somebody should clear that up before it hurts a person or animal, when I realized that I am that somebody. Instead of deciding it wasn’t my problem, or getting upset and feeling helpless, I got a broom and swept it up. It was a small action, but I still felt empowered for the rest of the day and beyond—I took a bag out with me while walking my dog the next day to pick up some litter. Article continues below You may like Again, my sense of satisfaction soared. Plus, my community was left a little cleaner and the local pigeons had fewer pieces of loose plastic to mistake for food. I was curious about the warm fuzzy feeling I experienced and decided to find out more. In a 2023 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology, participants reported improvements in symptoms of depression and anxiety after participating …

5-year-old who spoke to Ms. Rachel from ICE detention is released with family

5-year-old who spoke to Ms. Rachel from ICE detention is released with family

A 5-year-old nonverbal boy whose plight in a South Texas immigration detention center drew national attention after a video call with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel has been released with his family, their attorney said Tuesday. Gael, who has significant developmental delays and other medical challenges, had been held for three weeks at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center — a remote, prisonlike facility that has become a flash point in the debate over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. His parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia who asked to be identified only by their first names for fear of retaliation, said their son’s physical and emotional health deteriorated at Dilley. He struggled to eat, often gagging on food, and went more than a week without a bowel movement, leaving his stomach visibly swollen and causing him pain, they said. As his condition worsened, Gael grew increasingly distressed and began hitting himself, according to the family’s lawyer, Elora Mukherjee. The terms of the family’s release weren’t immediately clear, Mukherjee said. She said they plan to return to their home in …

I fell for a man who spoke my love language: dinner

I fell for a man who spoke my love language: dinner

My father spent the 1970s selling hunger to America: soda, waffles, chips, anything that promised satisfaction in 30 seconds flat. He also weighed 450 pounds and was always on a new diet with me as his little diet coach. All his best material came from our kitchen table: “L’eggo my Eggo,” “Once You Pop, You Can’t Stop,” “Coke Is It” — the lines he’d toss out between bites. My grandma Beauty did the opposite. She fed me comfort, one recipe at a time, until I believed emotions had a flavor. My dad could sell the American consumer comfort, but he couldn’t quite give that same safety to the girl sitting across from him. Between my dad, who treated cravings like a religion, and my grandmother, who treated food like therapy, I grew up thinking connection was something you could taste before you could name it. So when I met my Bumble date years later after my divorce, it wasn’t fireworks. It was something quieter. A sense memory. A familiar click in the body before the …

Trump said he spoke to a former president about bombing Iran. Four denials suggest otherwise.

Trump said he spoke to a former president about bombing Iran. Four denials suggest otherwise.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that one of his predecessors told him he wished he had been the one to bomb Iran. It appears he did not speak to any of the four former presidents. An aide for George W. Bush told NBC News that “they haven’t been in touch,” while an aide to Bill Clinton told NBC News that whoever Trump was referring to was not Clinton. An Obama aide said “no recent conversations” have taken place between Barack Obama and Trump, and a source familiar with the matter said the former president Trump was referring to was not Joe Biden. President Donald Trump indicated he didn’t speak to George W. Bush but suggested he talked with a Democratic president.Alex Wong / Getty Images The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the denials Monday night. Earlier in the day, Trump claimed twice to have spoken to a former president about Iran. “I’ve spoken to a certain president — who I like, actually. A past president, …

A Dictator Was Seized. The Pope Spoke. Everyone Else Paused.

A Dictator Was Seized. The Pope Spoke. Everyone Else Paused.

What religious silence reveals when power moves faster than conscience (RNS) — Religious leaders stayed quiet after the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him to New York to face drug charges — a dramatic move that scrambled political instincts and left many faith leaders unsure how to respond. As details emerged, the silence was striking. American evangelical leaders hesitated. Mainline churches paused. And then, from Rome, Pope Leo broke the quiet — calling for respect for Venezuela’s constitution, the rule of law and the dignity of its people. It was language that sounded less like pastoral concern and more like diplomacy. In this episode of Complexified, Amanda Henderson talks with Religion News Service Editor-in-Chief Paul O’Donnell about how the story unfolded in real time, why so many religious leaders waited and what made the pope’s response feel different — not just morally, but legally and politically. It’s a conversation about power exercised faster than moral consensus, about what silence signals when institutions don’t yet know the stakes and about how religion …

How the Holy Spirit Spoke to Bodie About Going into Christian Music – OpentheWord.org

How the Holy Spirit Spoke to Bodie About Going into Christian Music – OpentheWord.org

Bodie Kuljian and wife Royale being interviewed by CBNCredit: CBN YouTube Capture When the Holy Spirit spoke to Bodie Kuljian, who goes by the stage name of Bodie, to move from secular music to Christian, it reminded me a bit about the story of Jonah. Bodie was the former worship leader at Oceans Church in Irvine, California, before competing in The Voice in 2022. He reached the final coming in second behind Bryce Leatherwood. Now to be fair, Bodie, did not run off to Tarshish, like Jonah did when God called His prophet to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and tell it to repent. But as Bodie was wrestling with this decision, the Holy Spirit spoke to him during a time of prayer: “You don’t choose who you reach. I choose that.” In an interview with the Christian Post, Bodie said that though he loved Jesus, he was fearful of switching to Christian music. “I didn’t want to lose the audience of people who hated Jesus and hated the Church,” Brodie said. “I …