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Britain Takes a Step Towards Real Fascism with Patel's Concentration Camp for Migrants
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/01/2021 - 10:10pm	in
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Nearly a week ago, on 27th December 2020, Mike put up a piece reporting that smirking, treacherous and bullying Home Secretary Priti Patel was planning to open what has been described as a 'concentration camp' for migrants by New Year's Day at Barton Stacey, Hampshire. The camp will have no drainage, sewage or mains water. Even the local Tory MP, Caroline Nokes, was appalled at these conditions. He quotes her as saying
"It will be like a prison camp and conditions will be appalling. There are no plans to provide healthcare services on site, which will add to the strain on local GPs. I am shocked anyone could think this is a good idea."
See: Patel plans concentration camp for 300 refugees with no mains water | Vox Political (voxpoliticalonline.com)
Mike followed this up with a description of the terrible conditions at the Pennally migrant camp in Wales. The food there is an inadequate and poorly cooked, the only showers that worked are shared and toilet facilities are also inadequate. Social distancing is difficult. Face masks are only available on request, the wearing of which is only enforced in the dining area. Hand sanitisers and soap dispensers are either empty or not working.
See: If you think conditions in Priti Patel's planned concentration camp are bad, you should see them in the ones she already has | Vox Political (voxpoliticalonline.com)
It's good that Mike has put this up, because there have been a series of videos by right-wingers on YouTube about the camp and about migrants generally. The channel 'We Got A Problem' views Black and Asian migrants as a real threat to the British public. It concentrates on crimes committed by migrants and asylum seekers, as well as Pakistani grooming gangs with a specific focus on the dangers of rape, child abuse and violence from what the gravel voiced man behind the vlog describes as 'imported Labour voters'. He also abuses them as 'scumbuckets' and other terms too vile to be used in a family blog. He, Belfield and Farage have seized on the fact that many of these migrants have now had to be accommodated in four star hotels to present the image that violent, sexually dangerous migrants are living in luxury at the expense of the British taxpayer. When one of the inmates of these hotels went berserk a while ago and attacked five people, it was presented as a result of this person's greed – he was upset at the food and lack of internet connections – rather than any wider problems with conditions at the hotel.
I don't doubt that if Patel does start building concentration camps for migrants, it will be popular with a certain section of the British public. People like 'We Got A Problem', Farage and Belfield. Belfield put up a video a few days ago praising the government for passing legislation preventing illegal immigrants, or as Belfield calls them, 'dinghy day-trippers', from receiving benefits for five years.
This should set off warning bells for everyone else. Not only is it unjust as it is, but whatever the government do to migrants, they ultimately do to the British public. Food banks were first set up to support asylum seekers after Tony Blair passed legislation preventing them from claiming state benefits. Then the Tories pushed their wretched and abhorrent welfare reforms, which have stopped a large section of the poor and needy from receiving state support, so that now very many people are forced to rely on them. Real poverty and starvation is growing, but Tory MPs like Jacob Rees-Mogg think it's wonderful food banks are there for them. I'm impressed with the generosity of the British public, the people who volunteer at these banks too. But the point is, there should be no need for them. The disabled and unemployed should be given support by the state at a level when they can afford to buy food, pay the rent and clothe themselves and their children. And it should begin immediately. They shouldn't have to wait over a month. But Belfield thinks the British public are a bunch of scroungers anyway. He's put up a number of videos baldly stating it. The Tories would like to dismantle the welfare state. It's what Thatcher and her coterie discussed in the 1980s, though they were prevented from actually going through with it. But I've no doubt that if the Tories get away with banning migrants from receiving benefits for five years, they'll try to extend the time ordinary Brits will be unable to claim benefits.
And if they can build concentration camps for migrants too, how long will it be before they build the same for ordinary Brits as well. They'll be used first to house criminals as a quick solution to the problem of prison overcrowding. And then we might see the unemployed being sent there, both as a form of support and to teach them the value of hard work. Like the Nazis did with the 'asocial'. And then perhaps it would be expanded to include people, whose political views are a threat to the establishment. Like all these 'cultural Marxists' the Tories and their supporters claim are running the country.
Patel's concentration camps are a dangerous symptom of a real Fascist tendency in the Tory party. A tendency that will start with migrants but could end up with the British version of Dachau.
Will Johnson Quit or Be Forced Out, Once He Has Wrecked the Country For Brexit?
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 16/12/2020 - 6:05am	in
Africa, america, banks, Canada, China, Economics, Education, European Union, industry, ireland, Literature, medicine, Politics, Radio, Saudi Arabia, scotland, socialism, Television, the press, Wales, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Labour Party, Lobbying, Margaret Thatcher, Media, privatisation, Racism, tax havens, working class, World War II
Also in Lobster 80 for Winter 2020 is a very interesting piece by Simon Matthews, whose observations about Johnson's real motives for running for PM and supporting Brexit I discussed in my previous blog post. Matthews has a piece, 'Time for the Pavilion (or: there are 365 Conservative MPs)' pondering whether Johnson will either retire as PM or be forced out by angry members of his own party, once he has successfully ruined the country with a hard Brexit.
And Matthews makes some very interesting observations. Johnson's majority looks impressive, but is actually very fragile. 50 Tory MPs, for example, voted against the imposition of the second national lockdown at the beginning of November. And many of the 80 new MPs forming the Tories' parliamentary majority actually have very small majorities in their own constituencies. He writes
Secondly, and less remarked upon, Johnson's majority of 80 is actually quite fragile. No fewer than 78 Conservative MPs have a majority of 5,000 or less, and of these 34 have a majority of 2,000 or less. Indeed,
all the fabled 'red wall' seats that Johnson gained are in this category. Any MP in this situation would be aware that it really wouldn't take much of an electoral swing to oust them.
Also, although the background of the typical Tory MP is privately educated, with a background in the financial sector, think tanks and policy groups, and is strongly anti-EU, there are still 102 Tory MPs who support the European Union.
Finally, and a puzzling anomaly, there are still 102 Conservative MP's who were pro-EU in 2016. Admittedly, some of these may have been so at that time because it was party policy (i.e. now party policy has changed,
their views will have changed, too); and there will be others who were 'pro-EU' on the basis of Cameron's re-negotiation of 2015-2016. But, nevertheless, amongst those 102 there must be some (40? 50?) who would much rather the UK stayed as close to the EU as possible, including membership of the Single Market, Customs Union and the EEA rather than exit everything, in its entirety.
BoJob's position is very precarious. If things get very desperate, and the Tory party does decide it wants to form a 'government of national unity' in a coalition with Labour and the Lib Dems, it would only take 45 Tory MPs to oust him.
The article then goes to discuss the problems Johnson faces from Brexit, and particularly the challenge it poses to the integrity of the UK, and opposition from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the EU and the Americans, and members of both chambers of parliament. He's also got severe problems with the Covid crisis, and the havoc this and the consequent lockdown has played with the economy. The sacking of Dominic Cummings could be seen as a warning shot to Johnson from Brady and the party's donors out in the tax havens, who feel they are being ignored by the PM. But he notes that the donors and corporate backers really don't seem to have an idea of the massive damage that Brexit will inflict on the UK economy. It will destroy 60-65 per cent of UK manufacturing, and although stockpiling of food and other goods has been going on since 2017, these supplies can only last for so long. So that Britain will return to the food queues of the '60s and '70s at the borders.
He makes the point here that the majority of British ports are foreign owned. In footnote 7 he writes
The owners of the UK's main trading ports are Associated British Ports (owned in Canada, Singapore and Kuwait), Forth Ports (Canada), Hutchison Port Holdings (Singapore), Peel Group (the Isle of Man and Saudi Arabia), PD Ports (Canada) and Peninsular and Oriental Group (complex, but seemingly Dubai, China and Hong Kong). The latter group include P&O Dover Holdings Ltd, which operates most of the ferry services out of Dover, and is owned by the Peoples Republic of China. (The other ferry services at Dover, DFDS, are owned in Denmark). The intention post-Brexit of declaring many UK ports 'free ports', when so many can be connected back to tax havens anyway, is striking, and one wonders to what extent the owners of these ports have lobbied for that outcome.
Matthews concludes that Boris is on such shaky grounds that he may well decide to jump before he's pushed.
The truth is that Johnson can now be ambushed by so many different groupings for so many different reasons, that the chances of him remaining PM after he has delivered the hard Brexit his backers require
must be doubtful. And why would he anyway? He looks bored most of the time and wants money. Leaving Downing Street – and the cleaning up – to others, gives him time to spend with his many different families, time to write his memoirs for a hefty advance, the chance of a US TV show and time to kick on, as all ex-UK PMs do, with earning serious money on the US after-dinner speaking circuit. The possibility that some formula will be devised to facilitate his exit, possibly a supposed medical retirement, looks likely.
After all, he's been sacked from every job he's ever had. Why would he wait until he is sacked from this one?
See: Time For the Pavilion (Winter 2020) (lobster-magazine.co.uk)
I found this interesting in that it showed that there is grounds for optimism amongst the gloom. The Tories have a huge majority, but it's fragile. Very fragile. If Starmer actually got his act together and started behaving like a leader of real opposition party, he could start cutting it down significantly. But he doesn't, perhaps because, as a Blairite, the only policy he has is stealing the Tories' and winning the support of their voters, and backers in big business and the Tory media. Hence his silence and his determination to persecute the socialists in the Labour party.
It also shows just how much damage the 'No Deal' Brexit Johnson seems determined to deliver will do to Britain. It's going to wipe out nearly 2/3 of our manufacturing industry. This won't matter for the Tories or Blairite Labour. Blair took the view that British manufacturing was in decline, and that it could be successfully replaced by the financial sector. This hasn't happened. Ha-Joon Chang's 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism argues very clearly that the British and other economies still depend very much on the manufacturing sector. The fact that it appears comparatively small to other sectors of the economy merely means that it hasn't grown as much as they have. It does not mean that it is irrelevant.
And it also shows once again how this chaos and poverty is being driven by a desire to protect the Tories' backers in the financial sector, and the foreign companies owning our utilities, as well as the British rich squirreling their money away in tax havens. Shaw pointed this all out in once of his books written nearly a century ago, condemning the way the idle rich preferred to spend their money on their vapid pleasures on the continent, while the city preferred to invest in the colonies exploiting Black Africans instead of on domestic industry. He stated that while the Tories always postured as the party of British patriotism, the opposite was the truth: it was the Labour party that was genuinely patriotic, supporting British industry and the people that actually worked in it.
Shaw was right then, and he's right now, no matter how the Tories seek to appeal to popular nationalistic sentiment through images of the Second World War and jingoistic xenophobia about asylum seekers. The Tories haven't backed British industry since Thatcher and Major sold it all off. The only way to build Britain back up is to get rid of her legacy.
Which means getting rid of Johnson, the Tories and Starmer.
Is the BBC Really Trying to Change the Name of the Anglo-Saxon Period Because They Think It's Racist?
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 13/12/2020 - 1:36am	in
Africa, archaeology, England, fascism, Germany, history, ireland, Islam, Judaism, Literature, Nazis, Netherlands, Politics, Rome, scotland, slavery, Television, the press, Wales, BBC, Jews, Racism, whites, World War II
Simon Webb posted this video on his 'History Debunked' channel nearly three weeks ago, on the 23 November 2020. In it he discusses the BBC's decision to stop calling the period between the departure of the Romans in 410 AD and the Norman Conquest of 1066 the 'Anglo-Saxon period' because the term is apparently perceived as racist. A BBC programme he was listening to on the radio referred to it as 'the early medieval period' and there is, or was, apparently, an article in the Corporation's BBC History Magazine stating that there are moves to change it, as it deters Black people studying it because they associate 'Anglo-Saxon' with White supremacy. And in America there are moves to stop using the term altogether and simply refer to it as the early middle ages.
Webb takes this view that this is an attempt by the Beeb to rewrite the past so that it resembles the multicultural present. But he points out that his was the period when what had been Roman Britain was settled by Angles, Saxons and Jutes. 'English' comes from the word 'Anglish', for Angles, who also supplied the country's name, England, from Engla Land, 'Land of the Angles'. He states that this process of settlement is described in the last chapter of his book, Life in Roman London, published by the History Press, which is one of the few popular treatments of this subject. As for the term's racial connotations, well, the Anglo-Saxons were White. Webb shakes his head in amazement at this attempt to rewrite history in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, and wonders where it will end.
The BBC wish to replace longstanding historical expressions – YouTube
I'm not sure what's actually going on here. Historians have referred to the period between the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Norman Conquest for a long time as the early Middle Ages. It used to be referred to as the Dark Ages. Some older readers of this blog will no doubt remember Michael Wood's great series, In Search of the Dark Ages, broadcast by the Beeb in the '70s/'80s. However, historians and archaeologists have largely stopped calling the period that as more has been found out about it, and the period has increasingly seemed to be less dark. I think it might still be used for the couple of centuries after the departure of the Romans from Britain and the emergence of Anglo-Saxon England. Other terms used for those centuries are 'Post-Roman' and 'Sub-Roman'. And the term 'early Middle Ages' of course makes perfect sense for the rest of Europe, which weren't settled by the Anglo-Saxons, although northern Germany, the Netherlands and Jutland in Denmark were their ancestral homelands from which they migrated to Britain. The term also makes good sense for Ireland and the Celtic parts of modern Britain, Wales and Scotland. But in the context of English history, the period absolutely should be called the Anglo-Saxon period. That's what the people, who founded and created England have been called following King Alfred himself. There were Black people seen in the British Isles and Ireland during this period. Round about the 8th-9th century or so the Vikings of Dublin brought in a shipload of 'blamenn' – blue, or Black men. I think the historian David Olusoga has also talked about the arrival of another shipload of Black people in Cumbria round about the same period. Medieval people certainly knew that Black people existed. They describe them as living in Africa and believed they had acquired their Black complexion through being burnt by the sun. But Black people in Europe at the time would have been very, very rare and the vast majority of the population would have been White. That's not racism, but a simple statement of historical fact.
I'm afraid that racism has cast a very long shadow over this period ever since the Nazis. For many years I was a member of a Dark Age re-enactment society, Regia Anglorum. This tried to recreate the history of the British Isles round about 1066. While re-enactment in Britain is largely acceptable, except for World War II, or at least, the idiots who want to dress up as the SS, in Germany it's regarded very much with loathing and contempt. This is because of the appropriation of the history and archaeology of the Teutonic tribes and the Vikings by the Nazis. The overtly Fascist fringe has done the same over here, harking back to the Celts and especially the Anglo-Saxons. As a result, some perfectly historical symbols were banned for very obvious reasons. Some of the pottery from migration period Anglo-Saxon graves is decorated with the Swastika, and you can find it on rock carvings in Scandinavia. But obviously no self-respecting re-enactor for the early middle ages is going to use it on their clothing or equipment because of the connections with Nazism. I can't talk about re-enactment as a whole, as it's a very large milieu and there were are large number of different groups, but the organisation I joined was very definitely non-racist and certainly had members from different ethnic groups. A number of the people in Regia when I was there, including some of its leading members, were Jewish. And their religion made absolutely no difference to anyone, whatsoever.
From what I can make out, there was little racism in Europe until after the Middle Ages. There was conflict between ethnic groups, states and nations, but little in the way of racism based on colour. From what I've read I think that modern racism really emerged through transatlantic slavery, although I think that the wars with darker skinned people, such as the Arabs and Moors during the Crusades and the Muslim conquest of the Balkans also played a part. The term 'Anglo-Saxon' in 'Anglo-Saxon' history, simply refers to a period. It has, or shouldn't have, any connotations of racism or White supremacism.
This needs to be got across, assuming that some people genuinely feel that it is somehow racist and that this isn't a misperception or exaggerated reaction by whoever makes these judgements after Black Lives Matter. But to stop calling that period of English history 'Anglo-Saxon' is in itself a falsification of history. It should go on being called the Anglo-Saxon period, but also made clear, if necessary, that it is an historical term, not one from any racial or racist ideology.
Book for Learning Arabic in Three Months
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 28/11/2020 - 3:09am	in
Education, Ethiopia, france, Germany, Hebrew, Iraq, Islam, Libya, Literature, medicine, Politics, Syria, Terrorism, Wales, 9/11, coups, french, German, Jordan, tourism
Mohammad Asfour, Arabic in Three Months: Simplified Language Course (Woodbridge: hugo 1990).
I bought this nearly thirty years ago when I was briefly trying to do a postgraduate degree on Islam in Britain. Hugo are a publisher specialising in languages. According to the blurb and the introduction, this book is written for people, who want to speak the language but don't want to be able to read or write it. There are a number of different dialects spoken in different countries, but the book states that the standard, written language isn't used in ordinary verbal communication and it's very unusual for foreigners to use it. The author is a professor at the University of Jordan, and so the form used is the Jordanian dialect, which will allow the student to converse in 'almost any Arabic speaking country'.
Along with the chapters taking the reader through the language, there's also sample conversations and an Arabic-English mini-dictionary in the back. Like many other language books, this also includes written exercises, whose answers are also in the back of the book.
I bought it because I wanted to get an idea of what the language was like before learning the script. That's almost certainly a mistake, if the spoken and written forms of the language are so different. You almost certainly need to learn the standard language if you also wish to be able read and write it. No language is easy, but some are definitely more difficult than others. Arabic is a Semitic language like Hebrew, Syriac and some of the languages spoken in Ethiopia. They're very different from the Indo-European languages, like French, German, Welsh, Polish and so on spoken in Europe, and so Arabic is particularly difficult. So much so that I eventually gave up.
I think the book was partly written for tourists to the Middle East, as well as possibly people from the English-speaking world working out there, but not in jobs which require the literary language. I remember one of the words in the vocabulary is 'funduq', which I think means 'hotel'. It's also a sad reflection of the politics of the region that another word that crops up is 'inqilab', which means 'coup' or 'uprising'.
Unfortunately since the attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing chaos of the War on Terror, the invasion of Iraq, the Syrian and Libyan uprisings and the rise of Islamic State, much of the region is in turmoil and far too dangerous for western tourists, quite apart from the international lockdown everywhere due to the Coronavirus. Still, hopefully peace will return to this fascinating, ancient and historic part of the world, and Europeans will once again to be able to visit it and meet its peoples in peace and friendship.
A 17th Century Anglican Plea for Religious Toleration
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 21/11/2020 - 11:27pm	in
atheism, Comics, communism, Democracy, Education, England, france, history, ireland, Islam, Judaism, Law, Literature, Nazis, Pakistan, Politics, Radio, Saudi Arabia, Television, Terrorism, the press, Wales, Freedom of speech, Holocaust, immigration, Jews, murder, Quakers, universities
Jeremy Taylor was the chaplain of King Charles I and the rector of Uppingham. After the royalists were defeated in the British Civil War, he fled to Carmarthenshire in Wales, where he wrote his book arguing for religious freedom, The Liberty of Prophesying. After the Restoration he was appointed bishop of Down and Connor. He was also the author of a number of devotional works and sermons, but it's his defence of religious freedom that I find particularly interesting. He said 'they were excellent words which St. Ambrose said in attestation of this great truth, that the civil authority has no right to interdict the liberty of speaking, nor the sacerdotal to prevent speaking what you think.'
See the article on him in John Bowker, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford: OUP 1997) 958.
I'm very much aware that throughout Christian history there has been very little freedom of religion and conscience, and that the Anglican church's toleration of Dissenters was very limited until the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts in the 19th century. Until then Protestant nonconformists were excluded from the grammar schools, universities and government, and could only hold their services five miles away from towns. Atheism and Roman Catholicism were illegal again until the 19th century. But it was clergymen like Taylor and his fellows in the Nonconformist churches, like the Quaker William Penn and a number of Presbyterian ministers, who laid the foundations for the British and American tradition of religious tolerance. The most famous of the works calling for religious freedom from this period is Milton's Areopagitica.
Despite the passage of the centuries, their message is still acutely relevant. Many countries still don't have freedom of conscious or religious liberty in the 20th century. The Communists attempted to destroy religious and viciously persecuted people of faith, while the Nazis, apart from trying to exterminate the Jews, also sent their other religious opponents, especially Jehovah's Witnesses, to the concentration camps.
We have recently seen a French teacher murdered for showing schoolchildren the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of Mohammed in a class about free speech, and mass demonstrations against France for permitting the cartoons in Muslim countries. To many people, their calls for legislation against such disrespect seem like demands for Muslim blasphemy laws. Christians and members of other religious minorities, such as Shia and Ahmadiyya Muslims have been murdered in Pakistan as well as orthodox Sunni Muslims because of supposed blasphemy. This is banned in Pakistan and punishable with the death penalty. The only permitted religion in Saudi Arabia is Wahhabi Islam, and a few years ago the Saudis declared that atheism was terrorism. This was just atheist unbelief itself, regardless of any act of genuine terror, such as killing people or destroying property.
I'm sympathetic to Muslims regarding the Charlie Hebdo cartoons. I don't like the way Christianity and Christ are mocked by certain sections of the media and the entertainment business either. I've also heard the argument that Charlie Hebdo is a nasty rag. It's not left-wing, but right, apparently, and its targets also include Roman Catholicism and immigrants.
But there's a greater principle of free speech and the sanctity of human life here. All religions and ideologies, including atheism, should be up for debate, with people free to choose as they will. They're fundamental human rights, the violation of which either leads or is part of tyranny.
'I' Article on Revelations about Police Unit Set Up to Infiltrate Protest Groups
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/11/2020 - 11:27pm	in
america, anarchism, communism, Crime, Democracy, England, fascism, france, Germany, ireland, Politics, Television, Terrorism, the press, Wales, bombings, Children, Civil Rights, Democracy Initiative, IRA, Police, Protests, Theresa May, Vietnam War, Women
Tuesday's I, for 3rd November 2020, also carried a story by Margaret Davis, 'Secretive police unit 'infiltrated a range of groups', about information about the Special Demonstration Squad and its activities that has come out in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The article runs
A shadowy and controversial Metropolitan Police unit was originally set up amid protests over the Vietnam War in the late 60s, a public inquiry has been told.
The Undercover Policing Inquiry, which has cost £30m so far, began hearing evidence yesterday about undercover policing in England and Wales between 1968 and 2008.
The counsel to the inquiry, David Barr QC, said that the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was set up because there were official concerns that public anger over the conflict and unrest in Europe, particularly in Paris, signalled that far-left groups in England and Wales were planning disorder in the UK.
It has emerged that for decades undercover police officers infiltrated a significant number of political and other activist groups, in deployments which typically lasted for years.
"The information reported by these undercover police officers was extensive. It covered the activities of the groups and their members. It also extended to the groups and individuals with whom they came into contact, including elected representatives.
"Groups mainly on the far left but also the far right of the political spectrum were infiltrated, as well as groups campaigning for social, environmental or other change."
The-then home secretary, Theresa May, set up the inquiry in 2015 after widespread condemnation of the tactics used by secret units. "The inquiry will be seeking out the truth," Mr Barr said. "Publicly wherever that is possible, so the full facts become known and appropriate recommendations can be made for the future conduct of undercover policing."
Some of the methods employed included using names of dead children as undercover identities without their families' consent.
A number of women, including at least one who had a child with an undercover officer, were deceived into sexual relationships.
Initially the SDS, also known as the Special Operations Squad and nicknamed "the Hairies" because of undercover officers' hippie appearance, targeted only far-left groups and those associated with Irish civil rights campaigns.
Now it was quite right for the state to set up groups to infiltrate some of these groups. The late 60s were the time when the Weathermen were blowing up things across America and in Europe there were radical, 'Maoist' Marxist organisations also committing terrorist outrages. I still remember the Bader-Meinhof Gang in the 1970s in Germany. Over here, apart from the IRA and other Northern Irish terrorist groups, there were other, smaller groups that were taking up violence. One of these was the Angry Brigade, who blew the door off the house of a Tory MP with a bomb. Although no-one was fortunately killed, they were arrested before they could go further. The One Show a few years ago had an item on them and their bombing campaign, and in the opinion of one of the cops interviewed on the programme, they would have gone on to kill people.
The problem isn't that the cops infiltrated and disrupted genuinely extremist, violent groups but that they also infiltrated other, mainstream left-wing organisations in order to destroy them and smear their members. And as the scandal over the wretched Institute for Statecraft and the Democracy Initiative shows, the British state is still determined to smear the left, and recent Tory legislation trying to define what is a subversive group includes even some of the most innocuous organisations.
The SDS and similar organisations are out of control and a real threat to democratic left-wing politics and organisations, and they've been seeking to disrupt and undermine them for a very long time. It will be very interesting to see what else comes out about this branch of Met during this inquiry.
A government which is obviously out of its depth
brexit, Corruption, Democracy, Economics, Food, Politics, UK, Wales
The overdue imposition of a lockdown announced yesterday evening by Johnson's government seems only to prove that idea that some people see the writing on the wall only when they have their backs to it… The government has, within just two months, gone all the way from spending (and forgoing revenue) of half a billion... Read more
'I' Newspaper: Wales Getting Ready to Nationalise Railways
Published by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 23/10/2020 - 9:12pm	in
Education, gas, industry, medicine, Politics, poverty, the press, Wales, Water, New Labour, NHS, schools
Today's I for 23rd October 2020 has an article by Adam Hale, 'Railways set to be nationalised', reporting that the Welsh government is about to nationalise the railways in the principality because of falling passenger numbers due to the Coronavirus crisis. The article runs
The Welsh Government has decided to nationalise its railways following a significant drop in passenger numbers because of coronavirus.
The country's transport minister Ken Skates said bringing day-to-day rail services for its Wales and Borders franchise under public control would help secure the future of passenger services and protect jobs.
Private firm KeolisAmey has run the franchise in Wales for just two years after taking it over from Arriva Trains Wales.
Mr Skates added that: "The Welsh Government has had to step in with significant support to stabilise the network and keep it running."
It's excellent that this is being done. The railways should never have been nationalised. Indeed, in Britain, sections of the rail network have had to be handed back to the state to manage almost as regularly as clockwork. Unfortunately, they've always then been given to another private operator because of the dogma that private enterprise is always better and more efficient than the state. Even when it glaringly isn't, as the past four decades of dismal failure by the privatised utilities companies has abundantly shown.
There is a very strong movement for the railways across Britain to be renationalised, as shown by previous press reports about criticisms of private railway companies and the franchising system. So far, however, many of the recommendations for the system's reform simply demand alterations to the franchising system. It' high time this was all stopped, and the rail companies renationalised across Britain.
I've no doubt that the Welsh renationalisation will be successful, but it will be uncomfortable for the Tories and New Labour because of their insistence on the absolute primacy of private enterprise. If it is successful, then you can expect articles by some Tories across the border here in England recommending their nationalisation. I think Lady Olga Maitland wrote one for the Tory papers the other year. But there will also be attempts by the Tories to rubbish it, and the Welsh ministers responsible in order to put the voting public off it over here.
Because if the railways are successfully nationalised, who knows where it would stop! The state could start taking over electricity, water, gas and even healthcare. Shocking!
They also might consider it better to feed hungry schoolchildren rather than send them to school starving while wasting money on fat contracts for firms run by Tory ministers and their friends.
What is the future for England?
ireland, Politics, scotland, UK, Wales
The following paragraphs were written as tweets. Each was, then, constrained to 280 characters. And as they were posted separately, and not as a thread, each has to stand in its own right. They are, nonetheless very obviously related so I offer them here in that way, with this necessary explanation as to their style:
I wish I did not gave such an apocalyptic world view right now. It's no fun realising we're heading for a crisis that our government has helped develop, wants, and has no desire to ameliorate.
There is no such thing as manageable creative destruction from which a guaranteed upside will emerge, except maybe in the head of Dominic Cummings. But, no sane person would want to go there.
Destruction can only be a political tool for the unaccountable. That's what the Johnson team believe that they are. So far the Opposition has humoured their belief. If Parliament has not done enough to hold them to account it's Labour's fault.
Labour sat out Brexit, believing they could rely on Napoleon's maxim that you should never interfere with your enemy whilst they're destroying themselves. The trouble is, they were tearing us apart as well. Labour cannot forget that this time and make the same mistake again.
The Opposition (Labour, SNP, PC, Greens) can't sit out this crisis. It's going to be too painful to do that. They must have plans they can promote to deal with the immediate issues. But they have to also remember Beveridge: the best time to promote fundamental change will be soon
Whatever was normal will have gone by the time this crisis is over. Whatever replaces it is not yet known. It could be fascism. And it could be something so much better. But the better route requires a willingness to imagine it. I only see that willingness in Scotland right now.
Because Scotland has a vision of what it's future might be I have little doubt it will get it. That's because unlike the rest of the UK it will have a plan as the chaos of this crisis will continue to unfold.
Survival always requires a will to do so. I don't think the UK, as a union of four nations, has that will any more. It's why I see independence for Scotland soon, Irish reunification thereafter, and then Wales also thinking there might be a better alternative to rule from London.
The collapse of the UK will come because without having a role as an exploiter - whether by old fashioned land grab, or by financial capture of other country's economies by the City of London and it's tax havens - those ruling from London have no idea what role England has.
It's easy to see the basis on which vision for Scotland and Wales can be created. They are, in a way most in England who have never been there can't comprehend, other countries. With care a united Ireland could also achieve that. But England? What is it? That is the hard question
A post-colonial, post-financialised, non-exploitative vision of England as a separate country that can survive on its own rather than by extracting value from others is what is required if it is to make it through the long existential crisis that coronavirus is presenting it with.
The politicians who can imagine an England that has its own role in the world, as a separate nation state, not dependent on the support of the other countries that have sustained it for centuries, are what are required to guide it now. And I can't see them, as yet.
I have to live in hope. That hope includes a belief that England can find a future in which exploitation plays no part. That hope has limited foundations. But when the alternative is offered by the far right it is something I have to believe possible.
Disgusted at Tory Simon Hoare Abstaining on Internal Markets Bill and Threat to Peace in Ulster
america, England, European Union, industry, ireland, Law, Politics, scotland, Terrorism, the press, Wales, Armed Forces, atrocities, bombings, Boris Johnson, brexit, Daily Mail, David Cameron, IRA, Jesus, Labour Party, paramilitaries, trade, Twitter, War Crimes
I've got no new information to add to this. Mike and the peeps on Twitter have said it all very eloquently and cogently. But I felt I had to add my voice to theirs condemning Simon Hoare, the Tory chairman of the Northern Ireland Select Committee and his disgusting announcement that he is going to abstain on the government's Internal Market Bill. This is the piece of legislation that will break international law by contradicting our treaties and agreements with the EU. And it's a real threat to peace in Northern Ireland because it imposes a hard border between the Six Counties and the Republic. But it was an essential part of the Good Friday Agreement that the border would remain open.
The Americans have already warned the Tories that if th20 years e Bill gets passed, any future agreement with Britain is gone. That means that all Johnson's rubbish and guff about getting a good deal with America is just null and void, bluff, bluster, propaganda and lies.
But the real harm could be to the people of Ulster. Those of us of a certain age can remember the horrors of the twenty years or so of terrorism in Northern Ireland and the IRA's bombing campaign on the mainland. I don't know how many people were killed, maimed and injured. I do remember the day the IRA bombed Magg's department store in Bristol. Fortunately no-one was hurt. It wasn't just the IRA – Loyalist paramilitaries also carried out their atrocities, and there is more than ample evidence that British armed forces, which were originally sent into Ulster to keep the peace impartially, actively colluded with them, as well as the infamous Bloody Sunday Massacre.
The Daily Heil has been fiercely critical of the NI peace agreement, claiming that contrary to all the publicity the paramilitaries are still active. Well, I think one of its editors, David English, was a member of the Loyal Orange Order. Their anti-Catholic activities resulted in a concerned British government launching an investigation into them in the late 19th century, as I found out while working in the archives of the former Empire and Commonwealth Museum. I dare say they are. But the violence seems to be very, very much less than I remember and there does seem to be, or at least was, a real atmosphere of positivity and optimism. The great people of Ulster really did seem at last able to live in peace with the hope that tomorrow would be better. Ordinary, innocent people didn't have to live in the fear that they were going to be shot or bombed in their homes, pubs or work.
Too many people from both the Nationalist and Loyalist communities and politicians of goodwill from Britain, Ulster and Eire and worked too hard and risked and sacrificed too much for this fragile peace to be put in jeopardy. I know personally people from both communities in Northern Ireland, who hate the bigotry and violence.
No-one should die or live in fear simply because Boris and the Brexiteers – surely the name of a really grotty pop band – want to stick two fingers up to the European Union. Abstention isn't an option: this is just Pilate washing his hands at Christ's crucifixion again. Hoare might have eased his conscience, but it's a weak gesture simply so that he hangs on to his job.
You can't abstain. Not when people's lives and the political stability of an entire province hangs in the balance. He should do the decent thing and vote against.
Just as Starmer had no business ordering the Labour Party to abstain but not to vote against more Tory legislation granting British forces immunity from prosecution for war crimes.
This could all blow back in Tories' faces. A majority of Ulster Protestants also want to keep the border open. The province voted to remain in the EU, and some political commenters have argued that this leaves the way open for Eire winning them over and so creating a united Ireland. I think this is far too optimistic, but who knows? If all the people of Ulster want to join Eire rather than have their trade and personal contacts disrupted by a harder border, than there honestly can be no argument. Not if it was the result of a genuinely democratic campaign free of intimidation from the men of violence.
There'd be a united Ireland, and Cameron and Boris would have succeeded in breaking the Union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. And when Blair made peace in partnership with Eire and the Americans, some people claimed that he had betrayed his people.
No: he and his partners gave them peace. A peace that Boris is set to destroy and Hoare is doing nothing to preserve.
The Tories are a disgrace. A murderous disgrace. The people of Ireland and Britain deserve better. And the Tories deserve nothing but our hatred and contempt for their willingness to risk more violence.
As I said, disgusted.
See: https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2020/09/29/tory-hoare-branded-a-coward-for-plan-to-abstain-on-bill-that-threatens-peace-in-northern-ireland/


text:
Home Europe Bulgaria Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria and Humanity First collaborate in charity event
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria and Humanity First collaborate in charity event
Zubair Khalil Khan
Director Projects in South East Europe
Humanity First Germany
Ahmadiyya Youngsters who have come all the way from the UK, France and Germany to study medicine in Bulgaria were lined up for a great cause to donate their blood for the people of Bulgaria. The following day, the same youth participated in organising a charity walk and football matches by Humanity First in collaboration with the municipality of Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria.
It was a great festive ceremony in the main Plovdiv Stadium. Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat missionary, Mr JawwadUddin Affan – currently stationed in Bulgaria – initially contacted the Social Welfare Department of the municipality of Plovidv, and on behalf of Humanity First, offered to donate medical equipment required by a school taking care of children with special needs.
Director of social welfare in the municipality, Ms Vaselina Boteva, along with head of the school Ms Bateba, the mayor and the deputy mayor of Plovdiv, appreciated the humanitarian gesture and wholeheartedly welcomed the idea.
13 April was agreed for the festive ceremony for handing over the donated equipment. Along with the donation, additional activities were also planned, which included two charity runs (800-metre and 200-metre) by male and female adults as well as children.
An exhibition football match was also scheduled between students and professors. Ms Boteva, the director of social welfare of Plovdiv, remained the true spirit behind the success of this humanitarian event.
Weather forecasts in Bulgaria indicated heavy rain on 13 April, which created apprehensions for the success of the event. An urgent fax requesting the special prayers of Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa was sent to the UK. After two nights of heavy rainfall, on the morning prior to the start of Humanity First event, Allah showed His mercy and Kindness and clouds began to disperse. Throughout the entire programme, the sun continued to shine on us.
Amir Jamaat Germany Mr Abdullah Wagishauser, Director Marketing Humanity First Germany Mr Stefan Haerter and Director Projects for South East Europe Mr Zubair Khan travelled from Germany to be part of this festive event.
Almost 35 Ahmadi Students currently undergoing medical studies were the most visible group to donate blood and to facilitate organisation of this event under the leadership of Mr Haseeb, recently appointed as Qaid Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria.
In addition to Humanity First, many other humanitarian organisations including Red Cross also sponsored the event. Almost half a dozen stalls were erected to house the activities of different organisations.
Children with special needs were very happy to have received the equipment and one could see tears of joy and gratitude in their eyes. It was an historical event, the first of its kind in Bulgaria by Humanity First. Local officials expressed appreciation and recognition certificates were given to Humanity First with the hope that such activities continued in the future.
Humanity First
Serving Humanity
First Charity Challenge in Bulgaria
Initiation of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Bulgaria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Maddie Zeidenberg
By Michael Booth
Maddie Zeidenberg is a 4th year student at York University, majoring in jazz voice. She has been performing in the Toronto-area for 2 years at venues including the Royal York Hotel's Epic Lounge and Restaurant. She has performed with guitarist Mike Cado, and singer Sherie Marshall. Maddie has also worked as a background vocalist on studio recordings.
Maddie has been singing in choirs since she was five years old. At York University, she has been a member of the Gospel choir, led by Karen Burke, and has also been in the jazz choir, led by Mim Adams. She's currently in the York University R&B ensemble. Maddie also takes voice instruction from Sherie Marshall at York, and with private teacher Chris Chinchilla, a Toronto area singer. Maddie is the Jazz Representative of the Music Students' Association at York.
Maddie currently sings every Sunday night at the Bellafornia Restaurant & Bar in Thornhill, where she is accompanied by pianist Tony DeDenato.
Maddie's Jazzology Playlist:
"At Last" – Maddie Zeidenberg (2018)
"Cry Me A River" – Julie London (1955)
"Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" – Joao Gilberto & Astrid Gilberto (1965)
"You Know I'm No Good" – Amy Winehouse (2007)
"Black Coffee" – Ella Fitzgerald (1960)
"I Got Rhythm" – Nikki Yanofsky (2010)
"Midnight Sun" – Ella Fitzegerald (1964)
"Stardust" – Michael Buble (2009)
Jazzology with Heather Bambrick can be heard Wednesdays at 9 pm.
Ronnie Scott's — Oct 26, 2018
Daily Playlist for Saturday, October 27, 2018


This story is part of Indianapolis Monthly's 2016 Indiana Bicentennial coverage, which includes our list of 200 Hoosier Hall of Fame picks. For more on this celebration of the state's first two centuries, click here.
Look for more diversity—today's Hispanic and Asian communities in particular are surging—and the trend of migration to larger cities will continue, especially to metro Indianapolis. Also, demographer Matt Kinghorn of the Indiana Business Research Center at IU's Kelley School of Business guesses the state's population will grow from 6.6 million to 8 or 9 million. Good thing the Corn Belt has room to spare—at least for the time being.
More women and people from a wider range of races and ethnicities will become political leaders, predicts Brian Howey, longtime political journalist and publisher of the news site Howey Politics Indiana. He also thinks we're within a half-century of an "epic political convulsion," a shift in attitudes significant enough to transform the landscape of society and/or government—the kind of upheaval this country has historically experienced about every 80 years. Possible catalysts? Climate change, perhaps, or falling wages.
Good news: Despite rising water levels worldwide, Lake Michigan won't be merging with the canal. Bad news: On average, the thermometer will read 2 to 6 degrees warmer in the next century, leading to more dramatic fluctuations in precipitation and air temperature. "What is our extreme right now would become the norm 100 years from now," says state climatologist Dev Niyogi. He anticipates we'll become adept at customizing our climate, from urban design and cloud seeding to new technologies. So put on your thinking caps, kids.


text:
Wheelchair tennis at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan took place at the Ariake Tennis Park from 27 August to 4 September 2021.

The 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They kept the 2020 name and were held from 24 August to 5 September 2021.

Patrick Selepe became the first disabled umpire to officiate in a wheelchair Paralympic event.

Qualification
 There are 56 male (singles and doubles), 32 female (singles and doubles) and 16 quad (singles and doubles).
 The qualification slots are awarded to the individual athletes, not to the NPCs and they should not exceed the maximum total quota allocation of 11 qualification slots.
 A maximum of eight qualification slots (4 male, 4 female) can be allocated to men's and women's singles events respectively.
 A maximum of three in the quads' class.
 A maximum of two men's or women's teams to represent the doubles' events.
 One team, of mixed gender, is eligible to compete in the quads doubles.
 An athlete has to have an official ranking on the Wheelchair Tennis Singles World Ranking List dated 7 June 2021.
 An athlete would be eligible to qualify if they have been in a final nominated team and was present in the World Team Cup events including qualifying and Junior World Team Cup for a minimum of two years between 2017 and 2020.
 An athlete would have to fulfill the minimum requirements in the ITF's Tokyo 2020 Wheelchair Tennis Regulations which will be published in late 2021.
 The ITF and the IPC have to consider on bipartite commission invitation athletes who don't have an official ranking but as long as they have competed in one ITF Wheelchair Tennis competition between 1 January 2018 to 6 June 2021, they will be eligible to compete.

Schedule

Medal table

Medalists

See also
Tennis at the 2020 Summer Olympics

References

External links
Results book

2020 Summer Paralympics events
2020
Paralympics
Tennis tournaments in Japan
2021 in Japanese tennis
Wheelchair tennis at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


See Blocked Instagram: There is no central blocking list on Instagram. Rather, in order to see whether you've Blocked a specific account, you have to see its Instagram profile page and also use the food selection supplied there. You can additionally utilize this food selection to block or unblock somebody. When you block someone, they are protected against from watching your images, videos and also profile. Individuals are not informed when they are Blocked.
Action 1: Situate the user whose profile you intend to see. Touch the Search icon, get in the name of the account you're searching for in the field at the top of the screen then tap the account on the list of search results page. Alternatively, if you comply with the user, touch the Profile symbol in the bottom-right edge of the display, open up the list of accounts you comply with and also touch the account name there.
Action 2: Touch the Menu icon in the top-right edge of the account's profile web page.
Step 3: Check out the provided menu. If Unblock Customer is presented, then you've Blocked this account. Touch Unblock User to get rid of blocking for the account.
When you block a person, his remarks and likes remain on your pictures as well as videos. You should erase the customer manually.
Customers you have actually Blocked can still state you in their messages, and also you will certainly get notices concerning these posts via your account. To stop these notifications, tap the Food selection icon on the individual's account and also pick Disregard Messages From This User. You could also report abusive blog posts to Instagram by tapping the Menu icon and also choosing Record Inappropriate.
When an account is readied to private, you are Blocked from viewing its images as well as videos. You should ask for gain access to from the proprietor in order to watch this material. Visit the individual's profile and also touch the Follow button to send out a follow request to the owner. As soon as you have actually been authorized as a fan, you are no more Blocked from checking out the account's material.
When you enroll in Instagram, your account is public by default, which implies that all users can see your photos as well as videos. Set your account to exclusive in order to block everybody from seeing your web content. Individuals must after that send a comply with demand to you in order to see your pictures and also video clips.


Where in the Isle of Wight would be the ideal place to hear your last album 'Gilded Cage' played out loud?
"The former testing site for the Black Arrow rocket, which is near The Needles and looks out to the sea. I've started writing an instrumental EP inspired by the area's history. It was once significant for its contribution to the space race and is now really barren, cracked and eerie, which has become something of an unintentional trademark in my songs. I'd also like to contact an artist called Katayoun Dowlatshahi whose exhibition 'Orbit' I only recently found out about and perhaps explore the idea of making some short films around the subject."


Many people have made the mistake of getting a tattoo in the heat of the moment, a decision they regret soon afterwards. At other times, the tattoo is just placed wrongly, or done badly. To most people, little can be done about this unfortunate situation. But the truth is that using tattoo removal creams can help erase or tone down such a tattoo and help you grow more confident in our appearance.
Obviously, some tattoo removal creams are better at making unwanted go away than others. Below are of the best tattoo removal creams you can use at the moment. With these products, you can finally say goodbye to poorly-done, silly, or childish tattoos without having to take the expensive and often risky route that is laser surgery.
Described by its manufacturer as a fast working cream, Inked Up is hands down one of the best tattoo removal options you can use at the moment. This cream also promises to deliver results that are so good that you won't need to consider something as drastic as laser surgery.
There is clinical evidence behind its abilities too. It gets absorbed into the skin fast and does not block the pores on the skin. More importantly, it is also very safe as it is made using harmless natural compounds.
The cream is made using safe and natural compounds that make it friendly to the skin. The product is also extensively tested to ensure it meets various safety standards. This cream is designed to remove only the ink and other cosmetic markings on the skin. With some creams, the goal is to fade the skin and in the process, the tattoo ink as well. This can result in some undesired side effects.
Although this is a safe and great tattoo removal cream, it might not deliver the expected results for some users.
This tattoo removal cream requires the user to follow three steps to achieve the expected results. Nevertheless, it is still one of the best options you can use at the moment because it promises to provide permanent results.
This is also one of the few tattoo removal creams that will work on both colored and black tattoos. Users of this cream will also be lucky to have made this particular purchase because the cream is not irritating or abrasive to the skin.
This cream is easy on the skin – it does not cause irritation or abrasion that typically comes with using some tattoo removal creams. The product will be a permanent solution to to all kinds of tattoos, which makes it a great alternative to the more expensive option of laser tattoo removal.
The tattoo removal ability of this cream can be a little underwhelming for some users, which can force you to seek other tattoo removal options.
Many people have had a chance to use this tattoo removal cream, which speaks to its potential when it comes to ridding your skin of an unwanted tattoo. It comes with an applicator, as well as branding butter concealer among other extras.
One of the benefits of this tattoo cream is that it can deliver fast results by promoting the skin's natural fading process. It will also work on many parts of the body, including the stomach, hands, ankles and back.
This product can remove tattoos on most body parts, which is a big plus because some options will work on just a few areas of the body. The product comes with several extras, including a branding butter to provide instant tattoo coverage so that you don't have to wait for months before you can finally go out with the confidence of knowing your bad tattoo is not being exposed to the world.
The product has been observed to cause some skin irritation to some users, which can make it a little risky for areas such as the face.
Tattoo-Off is one of the few good options people in need of good tattoo removal creams have. It can penetrate the skin and remove the ink without affecting skin pigmentation. The cream is easy to use and it delivers very convincing results when used as directed.
Additionally, it will work on any body part, which is an added convenience for people who are afraid that using the cream on some body tattoos might not work as expected, or that the cream might interfere with the skin color.
This cream can be used on various body parts. With some creams, this is not an option because they can cause scars or skin decoration that can make their use in exposed skin areas less than ideal. Another benefit to using this cream is that it is quite convenient to use, which makes sticking to its usage recommendations quite convenient.
Although quite affordable when compared to tattoo removal options like surgery, this tattoo cream is a little expensive when compared to similar products.
In a period of between 3 and 9 months, your embarrassing tattoo could become a distant memory. That is what this Profade tattoo removal cream can do. Even so, this tattoo cream is mild and gentle on the skin, and it is also quite affordable; and definitely a steal when compared to something like laser surgery.
With this tattoo removal option, you also don't have to worry about suffering any adverse side effects since it is made using natural ingredients that are very safe.
The products used to make this tattoo removal cream are very safe, which means you don't have to worry about being left with skin markings or other side effects after using it. The cream is not difficult to use, which is a huge plus for people who want to avoid a tattoo removal option that demands too much work.
In all honesty, although this cream works, it is not as effective as some other options in the market at the moment.
Using lasers to get rid of tattoos can cost a fortune, and most people are left with nothing else to do but to try to live with the constant reminder of the one tattoo mistake they made.
But the Tab B Gone tattoo removal system is a cream that can fade away tattoo ink permanently, and without costing too much. So, anyone looking for an affordable and effective way to lose bad tattoos or other permanent cosmetic markings has a lot to gain from what Tab B Gone has to offer.
This product does not cause any irritation to the skin, which is a huge plus because some tattoo removal options are not as comfortable to use. This cream is cheap yet effective at removing tattoos, which makes it a great option for those who want to avoid the hassles that come with undergoing laser tattoo removal. Tab B Gone is also very easy to use, unlike some tattoo cream options that involve the use of complex multi-stage application procedures.
The one notable downside to using this tattoo cream is that it takes much longer to deliver results. For more impatient users, it might even seem like the cream does not work at all.
Let's face facts, tattoo removal cream is somewhat of a controversial subject these days. Some people claim that they're safe to use and will gently fade tattoo ink over time and other people feel there are better methods of removing tattoos, like having laser surgery for example.
We're not here to make a judgment either way, we're only here to provide you with the best information possible so you can make an informed decision for yourself. As is the case with just about any cosmetic product, we advise you to do your research and use your best judgment when making a decision. Having said that, let's talk a few minutes about what these creams can and can't do.
Before we can delve into how tattoo removal creams are supposed to work, we first need to discuss what a tattoo is. Basically, tattoos are made of ink particles that have become lodged in the dermis of the wearer's skin. These particles of ink are too large for the bodies natural defenses to break down and dispose of, so they just sit there in the skin.
And they will sit there forever until they're removed either by using laser tattoo removal or by fading them out over time using a removal cream. The quicker method to remove these particles is laser removal, but it's also quite expensive. Creams take longer to fade out the tattoos but they are the most inexpensive option.
While it's beyond the scope of this guide to list all of the major ingredients listed in tattoo removal products, we do know of two ingredients that are present in some of the more effective formulations. The first ingredient is TCA, or Trichloroacetic Acid, works by burning off and peeling layers of the epidermis to try to remove some of the ink particles that may be lodged in the dermis.
It's currently unknown how effective this ingredient is reducing the tattoo. If it's effective, then it will take time for it to work. However, it should be noted that if the product is used incorrectly, it can cause scarring. And that's why more and more creams are shying away from the use of this ingredient.
Another ingredient that's commonly used is Hydroquinone. It's an ingredient that's used in more and more removal creams, but it's still unknown how effective this product actually is when used according to directions.
Outside of tattoo removal, this product is usually used to treat a pigmentation disorder known as epidermal melasma, but there haven't been a whole lot of studies done on how well it will reduce the appearance of a tattoo on a person's skin. One thing that is known is that it's unlikely to cause burning or scarring of the dermis, but there is a suggestion that long-term use may cause eczema.
If there's one thing that needs to be mentioned, it's this: Don't expect a miracle out of any removal product. Even creams that have been found to successfully fade tattoos out some of the time don't always work on everyone. And even when they work they take a considerable amount of time to cause any sort of lightening of the tattoo.
As we said, it's best to do your research and use your best judgment before buying one of the creams. When you do buy the product, it's always important to follow the instructions found on the label, and not try to push the product into doing things it's not designed to do. If you keep these points in mind, you'll be much happier with your results in the end.
If you're reading this article, then most likely you know that there are a bunch of tattoo removal alternatives that don't work. Many people try the following removal methods only to become disillusioned or disappointed in the whole process. It's recommended that you never try any of the following removal methods because they are not only ineffective but many of them are actually unsafe.
Salt: Some people have tried to use an exfoliator to remove the outer layer of their dermis and then place salt into it. Not only is this method highly ineffective, with little to no results, it can also cause rashes to develop. In some instances, it has even been known to cause skin scarring.
Lemon Juice: If anything, this ingredient may cause temporary lightening of the skin, but it can never penetrate into the dermis, so it can never cause tattoo fading.
Hydrogen Peroxide: There are reports that this may lighten tattoos, slightly, but there is no evidence it does anything more than that.
Glycolic Acid: The most this ingredient will do is to exfoliate the top layers of the skin. The tattoo won't be affected.
Salicylic Acid: This ingredient is often used in acne control products and does have some lightening effect on tattoos, but it's minor and won't fade the tattoo.
Aloe Vera & Vaseline: The myth that Aloe Vera or Vaseline is capable of pulling ink out of the skin is just that, a myth. There is no basis in scientific fact that these ingredients do anything more than soften your skin.
Okay, now that we've covered tattoo removal ingredients that don't work, it's time to turn out attention to the two proven methods of dealing with a tattoo you don't like. The first one we've already discussed and that's laser tattoo removal. This method can remove a tattoo effective and only leaves a little bit of a scar in its place.
Of course, it can be expensive, but it does work. The second thing that works well is to have the tattoo covered over with another tattoo. While this won't solve your problem if you don't want any tattoo on your skin, it will cover a poorly done tattoo on all, but the blackest of black tattoos.
The purpose of this guide isn't to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with a tattoo, but instead is a guide that gives you some options when dealing with an unwanted tattoo.
We hope that we've not only enlightened you but have given you some options for moving forward with removing your tattoo.


Adam had already installed the twist throttle I mailed him earlier since I can't race on a thumb throttle. We watched Adam and his dad as they finished prepping his national quad and fully assembled his 10 hour Heartland challenge machine. They work great as a team and it was fun watching them work and learning some of the tricks the GNCC guys use.
Adam's mom Clara made lasagna for dinner with homemade tea and homemade dessert. This homemade food would be a running theme through the weekend that rivaled the racing in terms of satisfaction. Adam gave us a tour of his tiny hometown where he went to high school. He tried to overplay how small things were but little did he know that I also hail from a tiny hometown with a tiny high school. I walked away a winner in the smallest graduating class competition.
Friday we headed to the race in the RV with Adams family while Adam headed to a nearby town to hang out with the kids at a children's hospital. The winding road with giant over hanging GREEN trees was very fun for me. The roads in Arizona have almost no curves and of course we don't have many trees in Phoenix. The giant grassy hills and pit area at the race site where amazing to me.
Everything was green and thankfully things were drying out so it was not too muddy. It sounds silly, but it was about this time I realized I had never raced on grass before. I had no idea what kind of traction you get on grass. If you tried racing on grass in Arizona the owner of whatever golf course you are on would call the cops.
Adam from LoneStar and I walked the course while it lightly rained. I was taking pictures like an Asian tourist. There were so many interesting things to see: giant logs we'd be racing over, sections that had no trail at all just tall green stuff, mossy logs, mushrooms, a mud hole or two, and more. As we walked the course my brain was telling me there is no way an ATV can fit in that gap between those trees. My brain always pictures a 50 or 51" wide desert/mx setup. The GNCC guys run 46-48", those few inches go a long way on this tree lined course.
The McGill family cooks some mean homemade meals at home and at the track!
For lunch we had one of the best ham sandwiches I've ever tasted thanks to the homemade mustard. Homemade mustard!? I've never even heard of it and now I wish I had stolen that jar and took it home with me. There were also homemade dill pickles. We had hamburgers and homemade pasta salad at dinner with ordinary "from the can" baked beans. Adam's dad Mark had to rub it in by telling us the beans are usually homemade too.
Micah from Custom Axis shocks came by to hang out and make sure Adam was all set. The pro pit area where we were at was a beehive of activity. At the GNCC races all of the pros pit in a big row in order of the points standings from the previous year. It was cool seeing all the pros together, it would be awesome if WORCS could do this too. Adam from LoneStar was over with the LoneStar sponsored Yamaha team checking in with Walker Fowler and his dad.
Chris Borich was riding his bike around with his dog aptly named Champ. Chris Bithell and Johnny Gallagher were prepping. All the girlfriends and wives were hanging out together and having a good time. It appeared to be a close knit group like a family. Many of the pros had tables setup where they signed autographs for kids and adults alike. It was awesome to see ATV racers getting the rock star treatment.


text:
#pragma once

namespace apollo {
namespace perception {
namespace lidar {

enum class LidarPointLabel {
  UNKNOWN = 0,
  ROI = 1,
  GROUND = 2,
  OBJECT = 3,
  MAX_LABEL,
};  // enum class LidarPointLabel

}  // namespace lidar
}  // namespace perception
}  // namespace apollo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


It's about time, as they say. It's Allison and Stark's Wedding Day and Monkey (I mean Jack) is supposed to walk Allison down the aisle. Hello, Allison, what were you thinking? In this curiously Arthurian triangle, Lancelot, er, I mean Carter, hasn't actually slept with Guinevere/Allison, but the analogy holds.
This entry was posted in Eureka, FanaticSpace.com, Fandoms, Opinion, Other, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Uncategorized, Video and tagged atomic clock, Einstein, Eureka, Eva Thorne, Henry Deacon, Jack Carter, Nathan Stark, Quantum Physics, Sci Fi Channel, Sci-Fi, Sheriff Carter, Time Travel, TV on August 23, 2008 by Shiny1.
With the success of Battlestar Galactica, and a darn good try from the Bionic Woman, I began to think that there were other TV shows that deserved a second chance. Some because they were good the first time around and would still be awesome. Some because they can now be fixed. We have the technology.
This entry was posted in Fandoms, TV, Video and tagged Battlestar Galactica, Bionic Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Charles in Charge, Fandoms, Humor, Logan's Run, Monsters, Space 1999, The Greatest American Hero, The Prisoner, The Time Tunnel, TV, V, Wonder Woman on May 14, 2008 by 2xKnight.
I'll get right to the point. This movie rocks. It was done right, with respect for the original TV show. I was worried about this version of Knight Rider since I heard about it, but if Battlestar Galactica has taught me anything it's that new versions of old favorites can be great. So I held off from expressing my opinions until I saw it.
Biting my tongue was difficult. The little bit of news and rumors I heard weren't giving me much hope. Will Arnett cast as K.I.T.T.? That surprised me. I kept picturing K.I.T.T.(Knight Industries Three Thousand) making it's debut with Europe's "The Final Countdown" playing in the background. As time passed I grew hopeful. He does have a nice voice. He could have done a great job, just watch the clip for a very brief sound bite.
Unfortunately due to a contract conflict, he had to leave the show just a couple of weeks before it was scheduled to air. He does voiceover work for GMC. Ford is backing this project, and K.I.T.T. is a Mustang now. Val Kilmer slipped behind the wheel and took over the part. He did a damn fine job too.
If you watched the clip you might have noticed that actor Justin Bruening, who plays Mike Traceur, said this is a continuation of the original series. It is, and that's the best part. That leaves the door open for characters from the original show to come back. David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff made a short appearance in the movie as Michael Knight.
Maybe Will Arnett isn't completely out of the picture. If this project moves forward and becomes a TV show Will Arnett might have another shot. He didn't get to play K.I.T.T., but he would make a freakin' awesome K.A.R.R. (Knight Automated Roving Robot). He'd be better as K.A.R.R.. He almost sounds evil when he plays K.I.T.T. anyway. Since K.A.R.R. is kinda like K.I.T.T.'s evil twin I could even accept his first appearance to be accompanied by "The Final Countdown". In fact, I would love it.
Think K.A.R.R. could make an appearance as a tricked out GMC?
This entry was posted in Fandoms, TV, Video on February 20, 2008 by 2xKnight.
I'm not a sports fan. That's why I didn't bother to watch the Super Bowl. I knew that I could see the cool commercials today. I kinda wish I'd watched it after seeing a couple of 'em. Here are the ones I liked.
I'm starting to change my mind about the Iron Man movie. I looks like it might actually be good. If he spends more time in the suit than he does as Tony Stark it could be great.
Looks like George Clooney is finally getting back to what he does best, comedy. Not just that, but period comedy like the best movie he ever made O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Adam Sandler! Woooo! Goofy characters with weird accents. This could be the character he was born to play, or it could be crap. You can never tell with an Adam Sandler movie.
Looks like they took Nightcrawler, from the X-Men, and made him less blue and fuzzy. Probably a lot less interesting too.
If you want to see the rest of the commercials, including a couple more movies that look kinda crappy, then head over to the 2008 Commercial Bowl powered by Spike and iFilm.
This entry was posted in Comics, Fandoms, Humor, Movies, Video on February 4, 2008 by 2xKnight.
This could be bad news, but even bad news is great when it's reported by Stephen Colbert.
This entry was posted in Humor, Video on October 20, 2007 by 2xKnight.
Send me an Angel AMV and $100 giveaway.
This is a pretty darn good AMV. I found this one when I was looking for a different one. I'm posting it here because it doesn't quite fit with the ones I'm planning to post on AnimeFansOnline, but I wanted to share it anyway.
I was going to post this later, but since I'm talking about Angels I'll post it here.
This entry was posted in Anime, Blogging, Fandoms, Internet, Video on September 19, 2007 by 2xKnight.


"Always two, there are. No more, no less. Master ... and apprentice," as a wise Jedi master once said. With this cross stitch tutorial, you will learn how to stitch up a sampler with a classic sci-fi theme. Don't be scared. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. In a few easy steps, you'll go from cross stitch Padawan to Jedi Knight.
1 skein white embroidery thread (Anchor shade 001).
14 ct black aida 25cm x 25cm.
Firstly, I'm going to just put this out there - we're going to the Dark Side. Black aida can be tricky to work with, but a light-coloured thread, like the white we're using here, really makes your stitches pop. Think of this project like making the Death Star Trench Run - trust the force and I'll guide you to your place in the Jedi Archives.
To prepare your fabric for stitching, locate the centre. Take your fabric, fold it in half and then in half again. Lightly crease it and then unfold. You'll see the faint lines which intersect in the centre of the fabric.
If you're using an embroidery hoop, place the fabric in the hoop with the centre of the fabric in the centre of the hoop (I used a 5″ embroidery hoop for this project).
You can either start stitching in the centre or count squares from the centre to an outer edge and start there. To find the centre of your chart, simply count the number of stitches in the widest row and divide by two. Repeat for the widest column and then cross-match the two to find the centre stitch and hey presto - Owen's your uncle!
Once you've decided where to start stitching, take your embroidery thread, unwrap the skein and cut a length approximately 30cm long. Separate out two threads and thread your needle.
Bring your lightsaber, uh, I mean, needle up from the underside of the fabric in the bottom left-hand hole of the square you want to stitch in. Draw the thread through slowly, taking care to keep the thread running smoothly, so it does not knot or get snarled up. If you pull too hard, the thread will come all the way through, you'll get frozen in carbonite, and you'll have to start again.
Once the thread has been drawn through, leaving a tail of approximately 3cm, insert the needle into the top right-hand corner of the same square from the top side of the fabric and pull the thread through.
Now repeat this to form the second leg of the cross – from the underside, insert the needle of the top left hand corner of the same square and pull the thread through, with the cross being completed by entering the bottom right hand corner from the top side.
Now you have one complete cross stitch - I bet you feel as proud as Darth Vader did of Luke Skywalker. You know. After he tried to kill him and stuff. Now you need to secure the end of your thread so it doesn't unravel.
As you carry on with your stitches, flatten the tail of your thread along the underside of your fabric and stitch over it as you go, catching the thread under your stitches. This will keep the thread from unraveling without making your work bumpy or bulky.
I recommend stitching each letter at a time for this pattern, rather than stitching in rows. Take care to make sure your needle is going through the dead centre of the holes - it can be difficult to see that on black aida, so to make it easier, make sure you are stitching in good light.
A top tip for stitching on dark-coloured fabric - hold your work over a piece of white paper, or even wear light-coloured clothing whilst you stitch - it makes the holes much easier to see. Try it! Stitching on black aida can be more annoying than Jar-Jar Binks, so make it easy on yourself.
When you've completed your first letter and you're ready to move on to the next, or when you have run out of thread, you need to finish your stitching off. On the underside of the fabric, weave your needle in and out of the back of your stitches a few times and draw the thread through, taking care not to go through to the front side. This will secure the end of your thread and stop any stitches coming undone.
It's a good idea to finish off each letter, as white thread can show through the black fabric pretty easily, a bit like when you accidentally wear your black undies below your fancy white ceremonial Jedi robes.
Take care to keep your threads neat and tidy – try to keep your stitches all going in the same direction and make sure you check your chart carefully at regular intervals to ensure you don't go wrong. You may find it useful to cross off the stitches you've done with a pen as you go.
Remove the fabric from the hoop if you're using one and flatten it out. Take a warm (but not hot) iron and place a clean tea towel over the stitches. Spritz a fine mist of water over the towel, and lightly press the fabric, taking care to iron out the creases you added at the start. Don't iron directly onto the aida, as the heat can discolour the fabric slightly.
Now to frame your sampler, so you can hang it up in your X-Wing and be the envy of all your Padawan mates. If you're feeling fancy, you can use mounting board and block your work, but come to the Light Side and take the easy route.
Simply take the frame you want to use and remove the glass or perspex. Use this as a guide by laying it over your stitching, ensuring the design is in the centre of the frame. Cut around the glass and the fabric will fit perfectly in the frame – easy!
In this tutorial you learnt how to cross-stitch a "May the Force Be With You" sampler, fit to brighten up any wretched hive of scum and villainy, and become a cross stitch Jedi. Tell us your thoughts on our Star Wars cross-stitch tutorial. Have you got another quote from the series you'd like to stitch up? We'd love to hear from you. Oh, and Happy May the Fourth!


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Your little boy will look super stylish wearing these blue jeans from U.S. Polo Assn. These 100% cotton jeans will ensure him a comfortable fit. Team these regular-fit jeans with a printed T-shirt and canvas sneakers.


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You are here: Home / Featured / Bangladesh Police Charge 41 With Murder Over Rana Plaza Collapse
Bangladesh Police Charge 41 With Murder Over Rana Plaza Collapse
June 1, 2015 By Ellen Smith
DHAKA, Bangladesh –€" The police in Bangladesh filed formal murder charges on Monday against 41 people accused of involvement in the 2013 collapse of a building that housed several clothing factories, leaving more than 1,100 people dead in the worst disaster in garment industry history.
Among those charged were Sohel Rana, the building's owner, his parents, the owners of several factories in the building, and at least a dozen government officials, according to a state prosecutor, Anwarul Kabir, who is part of the legal team that will pursue the case.
The collapse of Rana Plaza led to an international outcry, and to a commitment by Western retailers to widespread inspections of Bangladesh's thousands of apparel factories.
Mr. Kabir said that the investigating officer for the police also submitted charges to a Dhaka court against 18 people for building code violations. Of those 18 people, 17 were among those charged with murder on Monday, including Mr. Rana and his parents.
A high-level state report that was released in 2013 found that the building was constructed with substandard materials in violation of building codes, and recommended bringing formal charges against the owner, Mr. Rana, as well as against the owners of five factories in the building.
The report stated that owners of the factories urged workers to return to work even after an engineer inspected the building the day before the collapse and deemed it unsafe. The upper stories of the building were illegally constructed, and heavy generators installed there caused the building to shake, it said.
Bangladesh has more than 5,000 garment factories, handling orders for nearly all of the world's top brands and retailers, and is second in garment manufacturing output only to China. It has the lowest wages for garment workers in the world, and the collapse at Rana Plaza drew attention to unsafe practices in the industry.
The formal charges are a significant step toward the prosecution of garment factory owners, who often enjoy impunity in the country because of the economic heft and power of the industry.
Mr. Rana was arrested days after the disaster, apparently while hiding near the Indian border. He was a powerful businessman in the country, and some landowners in the Savar municipality, where Rana Plaza was located, said that he bullied them into giving up their land to build the structure.
A hearing for the case is scheduled for June 28 in a court in the capital, Dhaka, Mr. Kabir said.
Source: Free News Headlines World Bangladesh Police Charge 41 With Murder Over Rana Plaza Collapse
Filed Under: Featured, World


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EdmontonpediaEverything Edmonton and more
Keith Gerein: Oshry hopes multi-year tax freeze will ice out competitors in the mayor's race
edmontonpedia
Keith Gerein
Michael Oshry. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia, file
Before he served as a city councillor, local entrepreneur Michael Oshry was probably best known as the co-founder of Firma, a company that specializes in commercial currency exchange.
These days Oshry is still focused on trading, though the currency that interests him now is political capital. Specifically, he is hoping a pledge of extended restraint on city taxes can be exchanged for votes that will propel him into the mayor's office.
"I'm not a fiscal hawk. I care about spending money appropriately. It's time to tighten our belts a little because that's where the world is at," Oshry told me in a recent exclusive interview.
Tightening the belts, according to his proposal, would mean a property tax freeze in 2022, followed by a minimum one per cent tax cut in 2023. There would then be further tax freezes at that lower rate in years three and four of the plan, but only if the provincial and federal governments start stepping up their funding.
"I am going to spend a lot of time on those relationships which I think have been soured over the last few years to make sure they are paying for what they need to pay for," Oshry said, expressing more optimism than I have about this prospect.
The math here is eyecatching. Given that the city has already instituted tax freezes last year and this year in response to the pandemic, Oshry's plan going ahead could mean six straight years without any increase.
When I heard the proposal, I couldn't help but recall the last series of tax freezes instituted by the city, back in the 1990s. Though politically palatable at the time, the freezes were later blamed for the city falling behind on infrastructure and services.
Oshry insists that pattern won't repeat itself, largely because he believes the city of 2021 is a much more bloated institution that has a lot of unnecessary spending tied up in non-core areas.
Specifics on that will be revealed later, he said, though it's no secret there has been grumbling about the municipality's involvement in areas like land development, certain social services and other initiatives.
"The city is chasing rainbows all over the place."
But if Oshry wants to shrink municipal government business, what effect could that have on the critical need to grow Edmonton business?
On this front, again, less is more, in that the city's role should be focused on "unleashing" the private sector, he said.
As an example, he shared with me another platform pledge: fast-tracking the development of Rossdale. And by fast-tracking, he really means finally making something happen after years of inertia.
Oshry said he isn't talking about condos, but rather types of businesses that would bring people to the riverfront and the old power plant building, whether that be restaurants, markets or a tech innovation hub — all guided by an unleashed private sector.
To pay for the necessary public development, he said, the city might use profits from the sale of suburban land, or a community revitalization levy.
There's a sense out there that Edmonton may have more need right now for an economic recovery mayor than a social policy mayor, and these two proposals will certainly get Oshry cast in that category.
But the 54-year-old entrepreneur is sensitive to the idea that he would neglect social issues. His family history includes Jewish grandparents fleeing the Nazis in the 1930s and his parents leaving apartheid South Africa when he was eight.
As such, he says issues like racism, poverty, and climate change are important to him. He just feels the city has spent too much time on talk and study instead of action.
Of course, as mayor, Oshry would need buy-in from council colleagues. That brings up the question of his leadership style and his potential to get aggravated with the trappings of government.
By his own admission, he grew frustrated during his four years on council to the point that he decided not to seek re-election — a decision that cost him valuable name recognition — so why does he think it would be different this time?
To this, he said: "It's important the mayor gets everything they can out of members of council and that people's previous experiences are an asset. When I was there … it just wasn't an atmosphere where the talents of the whole team were being used."
Make of that what you will.
One person who is sold on Oshry is Coun. Michael Walters, who was considered a potential mayoral contender at one point himself but has decided not to come back to council. He is serving as one of the coordinators of Oshry's campaign.
"I think we need an authentically business-friendly, progressive mayor," Walters said. "Michael is the epitome of the right leader for now. Successful, experienced and humble. More action than big talk."
I think Oshry's fiscal plan will be popular with property owners (who are pretty consistent voters), though I do worry about it potentially starting a race to the bottom in which several of the mayoral contenders try to outdo each other in tax and spending cuts.
I also think he may be expressing dodgy optimism on a few fronts, particularly in his belief of avoiding fights with the province and unions, and in getting around the complexity of certain social issues.
Spending cuts, though probably inevitable, are still going to be painful. Only time will tell if Oshry's vision is the kind of exchange voters are willing to make.
kgerein@postmedia.com
twitter.com/keithgerein
edmontonpediahttps://www.edmontonpedia.com/
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