Living Alone, Solitude And Happiness?
Living alone, solitude and happiness? All rarely mentioned in the same sentence, yet there is a real kind of happiness to be gained from spending time alone and benefiting from times of solitude – an everyday experience for people living solo.
Gone are the days when being alone and living solo was for the most part frowned upon; where solitude was seen as something to avoid at all costs, set in the backdrop of a huge focus to couple up, go forth and multiply. For a long time, living alone was a situation many people would not want to find themselves in – at least not in the long term – but is this true today? Let's say times are changing.
More recently there has been a shift towards seeking time for ourselves and indeed figures show the numbers of people choosing to live alone are increasing. Better still, scientists have noted wellbeing benefits associated with solitude when people are alone by choice. It can ultimately be good for you, particularly during turbulent times in life when we are usually accustomed to reaching out to others.
The opportunity to remove yourself from a difficult situation, for instance, spend time alone and be able to examine a scenario, how it has been shaped and your role in it, may present new perspectives difficult to reach when surrounded by others.
Who has not noticed the recent trend where people are becoming more focused on themselves? Selfies, self-care, mindfulness and striving towards individual goals are pursuits certainly encouraged and prevalent on television, social media and other mediums of popular culture. Noticeably, there is greater emphasis on being comfortable with our self and in our own skin.
This, in turn, not only impacts people's perception and attitude towards living alone but also makes us feel better about investing time and effort in our own individual wellbeing. Living alone lends itself to helping us develop and become the individual we want to be and equally, it's important to dispel the notion that times of solitude are times of inactivity as some people may believe.
How can solo living make us happy?
In the quest for self-discovery people living alone may well have fewer distractions leaving them predisposed to more solo time and the ability to be more focused on finding and being their true selves. Some may argue finding our true self is a consequence of living alone rather than the reason for it – which is an interesting proposition in itself, worthy of further exploration.
Ultimately, the experience of living alone can enrich a person's quality of life making us aware of our strengths and weaknesses as well as our goals and motivations.
When you are more comfortable and happy with who you are, it's those around you who will benefit the most. You can offer friendship to people you really value in life when you are clear and honest about what you can realistically offer another person in addition to the time you are able to commit to a relationship – whether it be a family member or friend.
Solos are thought to be more socially active because when you live alone, the relationships you build are vital to staying connected in a very positive way and the better you know yourself, the easier establishing meaningful relationships will be.
It is often cited that people can still feel lonely even when surrounded by family and friends. However, when living alone you can be much more at ease with your surroundings and find peace in your own company. Having your own living space can mean it is easier to escape and find sanctuary from the pressures created by family and friends.
Your living space and status can provide a much-needed buffer from the pressures of work, enabling you to relax and again, find sanctuary at home rather than have a whole new set of family-related pressures to encounter. Having a work-life imbalance can present physical and mental health problems if not managed well, so it is easy to see why a simpler home life can really help someone remain grounded and in touch themselves – particularly if working in a demanding job.
When it comes to feeling good it doesn't necessarily mean taking compliments from other people. Solo living means fending for oneself on every level – taking care of home, finances, cooking, cleaning, repairs, etc., are all tasks that need doing. Undertaking these tasks solo can help develop new skills when living alone and more so, can instil a sense of pride and achievement. In turn, this can do wonders for your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Being connected to the real world 24/7 can also be mentally and physically draining. When living solo you can filter and control everything you do and get involved in. As such, unplugging when needed and taking the time to de-stress and relax is compatible with solo living. Really taking time out from a gossip fuelled and switched on world can mean finding inner balance and unlocking hidden creativities.
For those of us living alone by choice or acceptance, it can mean finding potentially immeasurable levels of happiness and peace. It's not unreasonable to find yourself subscribing to the growing understanding where being part of a couple is not the only way to find joy.
Solitude can bring about several benefits not least that it is down to us as individuals to seek contentment and find fulfilment for and by ourselves, rather than waiting for someone else to enable this for us. While it may be assumed living alone may only be temporary, there is actually an argument for consciously remaining single forever in order to be happier!
Society may condition people to gravitate towards coupledom and all that goes with it but in fact, living alone could be much more secure, flexible and liberating.
Could Buying Well And Spending Once Help Save Money In The Long Run?
Why Are We Moving Towards A Plant Based Diet?
What Fitness Regimes Are We Diving Into?


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Model Farm
Title: Model Farm
Subject: List of non-ecclesiastical and non-residential works by John Douglas, College Farm, Wimpole Home Farm, Listed buildings in Whittington, Lancashire, Westport House
Collection: History of Agriculture
A model farm is an experimental farm, which researched and demonstrated improvements in agricultural techniques, efficiency, and building layout. A design to serve as a pattern.[1] Education and commitment to improving welfare standards of workers were also aspects of the ideal farm movement. Farm buildings were designed to be beautiful as well as utilitarian – inspired by the ideals of the enlightenment.
J W Poundley and D Walker (Land-surveyors and Architects)
Leighton Hall, Powys
Thomas Coke
Wrexham Road Farm
Sturgeons House
The story of a model farm in Guilford County, North Carolina
^ "Model" def. 15a. Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009. The OED does not specifically address farms but does include mention of a farm in an 1857 quote.
Flagg, Maurice Irwin. Model farm houses. St. Paul, Minn.: University of Minnesota, Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Extension Division, 1914. Print.
Haslam, R, 1991,Leighton Hall Estate, Powys, Country Life 116-9.
G.E. Mingay, The Victorian countryside, Volume 1 (Routledge, 2000), p214 ff.
Robinson J M Georgian Model Farms: A Study of Decorative and Model Farm Buildings in the Age of Improvement 1700-1846. Oxford 1983.
Sarah Tarlow. The archaeology of improvement in Britain, 1750-1850 (Cambridge University Press, 2007), p67 ff.
Wade-Martins S. Historic Farm Buildings Batsford, London 1991.
Wade-Martins S. 2002, The English Model Farm – Building the Agricultural Ideal, 1700-1914" English Heritage/Windgather Press.
Wade-Martins S. 2010, The model farms of the Victorian Countryside "The Victorian: The magazine of the Victorian Society". Issue 34, 4-8 July 2010
Wiliam E, 1986 Historical Farm Buildings of Wales, John Donald, Edinburgh
History of agriculture
Agriculture stubs
Agriculture, Iowa, Australia, Canada, Aquaculture
List of non-ecclesiastical and non-residential works by John Douglas
Cheshire, Chester, Wales, Timber framing, Sandstone
College Farm
Nature reserves in Barnet, London Borough of Barnet, New Southgate Cemetery, Model Farm, Christ's College (Finchley)
Wimpole Home Farm
Model farm, Wimpole Hall, Arrington, Cambridgeshire, Royston, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
fbacorpcomm
SMP 52 Wraps Up with Farewell Cocktail
After 4 months of boosting their personal effectiveness and strategic thinking capabilities, participants in Lagos Business School's Senior Management Programme (SMP 52) concluded the course weekend with a farewell cocktail.
The SMP is aimed at building the personal skills of participants to enable them achieve an immediate and measurable improvement in their contribution to their organisations. To that end, it covers 17 core management areas with over 120 cases backed by lectures, discussions and simulation exercises.
Participants wrapped up the programme in a convivial atmosphere where they recounted lessons learnt and networking opportunities fostered.
"I've always known LBS to be a strong brand," said Cyril Okoroigwe, head, operations, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc. "I came in expecting skills in business ethics, entrepreneurship, strategy and negotiation and can say that to a large extent they have been met."
Ndokwu Ngozi of Energy Shield Petrochemical Limited observed that the programme made her realise there were more effective ways of doing business and yielding results than she previously thought. She said, "Most times we feel we're doing business properly, but with programmes like this we realise there's a lot more we can do to achieve our goals faster. I'm proud to have been part of the programme."
SMP 52 recorded 48 participants drawn from varying sectors of the economy, including banking, finance, energy and ICT.
Corporate Comms
Meta Partners with Lagos Business School's VHCI Lab to conduct VR research
Dr Eugene Ohu, a Senior Lecturer at the Lagos Business School (LBS) is working with Meta (formerly Facebook) to conduct a Virtual Reality (VR) study across Africa. The Virtual Human Computer Interaction (VHCI) Lab at the business school, headed by Dr Ohu will conduct cross-cultural academic research to explore the extent to which participation in a VR game design and play can increase empathy and compassion.
Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Chair and Fellowship hosts First Social Impact Youth Conference
"The Future of Power in Africa" – Africa Energy Conference
On October 29, Lagos Business School held the second Africa Energy Conference themed "The Future of Power in Africa".


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The green shoots of Lib Dem recovery are appearing
South Shields was a terrible result, but the party is performing well in its parliamentary strongholds.
By Richard Morris
I was all set for a bit of spleen venting this morning when I woke up to be greeted with the South Shields by-election result. And let's not pretend that any result in which your vote share drops by 13 percentage points, you're beaten into seventh by (among others) the BNP, your coalition partner loses masses of support to the new girl in town and still loses less of its share of the vote than you do, and you finish just 155 votes ahead of the Monster Raving Loony Party, is nothing less than appalling. South Shields was a terrible result for the Lib Dems by any measure.
But actually, I can't quite bring myself to give it both barrels. Because whisper it gently, but so far, the other council election results indicate the green shoots of recovery in the Lib Dems' support.
Now, those green shoots may have a certain straw-like quality as I clutch at them but so far, we seem set to lose only around half the number of seats suggested by the Rallings and Thrasher forecasts. And more to the point, we're doing well in areas that reflect where we hold Parliamentary seats – taking around 33 per cent of the vote (to the Tories' 31 per cent and UKIP's 22 per cent). Given the party looks set to adopt a 'keep what we've got' strategy for 2015, we look on track to achieve just that. And so far we're taking around 16 per cent of the overall vote, which, given recent polls, many in the party would bite your hand off to achieve.
Plus there's more good news for the Lib Dems – the success of UKIP. If UKIP were to take 25 per cent of the vote across the country in a general election, the chances are they'd take… 0 seats. The lowest winning vote share in 2010 was 29.4 per cent, higher than UKIP has ever achieved in a Westminster poll. Which says two things if you're a Lib Dem. Firstly, UKIP (not a party which we have much in common with) may reduce the Tory vote, helping us to beat them, but are unlikely to win themselves. And were UKIP and the Lib Dems to jointly achieve 40 per cent in a general election and end up with a handful of seats, the pressure to reopen the electoral reform debate would be almost irresistible…
There are plenty of results still to come in yet and lots of opportunities for it all to go pear shaped. And even if it doesn't, losing another swathe of council seats to a party that bets the house on the grassroots ground machine is no laughing matter.
But so far things are looking ok. Though I won't be wearing orange if I'm in South Shields any time soon.
Richard Morris
How the Lib Dems learned to love all-women shortlists
Politics is everyone's business: in defence of business leaders who reveal their party allegiance
Lib Dems must resist succumbing to the voting system by only supporting the party with most seats


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Q: php script now receiving errors under php 5.3? I am getting the following response in ssh when trying to run this php script... it worked fine under php 5.2 and now with 5.3 installed I am running into trouble.  I cannot see what is wrong.
The errors :
line 1: ?php: No such file or directory
line 2: syntax error near unexpected token `0'
line 2: `set_time_limit(0) ;'
Here is the script.
<?php
set_time_limit(0) ;

$arr = explode("/",$_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']);
$ct = count($arr);
unset($arr[$ct-1]);
$path=implode("/",$arr);
$path=$path."/";

if(is_file($path."state.txt"))
 {
    $lines = file($path."state.txt");

    if($lines)
        {
        foreach($lines as $line)
          {
            if($line)
              {
                 $state = trim($line);
                 if(!is_dir($path.$state))
                  {
                    @mkdir($path.$state,0777);
                    if(is_file($path."copieble/state/index.php"))
                       {
                          $from = $path."copieble/state/index.php";
                          $to = $path.$state."/index.php";
                          @copy($from,$to);
                       }
                  }
              }
          }
        }
}

 @chdir($path);
           $handle=opendir('.');
               while (($file = readdir($handle))!==false)
                   {
                     @chdir($path);
                     if (($file != ".") && ($file != ".."))
                         {
                           if(is_dir($file) && $file != "copieble" && $file !="_vti_cnf")
                               {
                               if(is_file($path.$file.".txt"))
                                 {
                                 $lines = file($path.$file.".txt");
                                       if($lines)
                                            {
                                            foreach($lines as $line)
                                              {
                                                if($line)
                                                  {
                                                     $city = trim($line);
                                                     @chdir($path.$file);
                                                     if(!is_dir($city))
                                                        {

                                                            @mkdir($city,0777);
                                                        if(is_file($path."copieble/city/index.php"))
                                                           {
                                                             $from = $path."copieble/city/index.php";
                                                             $to = $path.$file."/".$city."/index.php";
                                                             @copy($from,$to);

                                                           }
                                                    }

                                                  }
                                              }
                                            }
                                 }

                              }

                        }
                  }
                 closedir($handle);
include("reflect_changes.php");
?>

A: I'm guessing that you're running it like this:
./my_script.php

Try running it like this:
php my_script.php

The reason the first would error is that when you try to run it like an executable, the shell first looks to see if there's a hashbang. If so, it runs it with that interpreter. If not (like in your case), it tries to run it as an executable. That, too, fails, so it resorts to trying to execute it as a shell script.
<?php in a shell script would try to start reading from a file called ?php and pipe that into a command that follows, but there's no file called ?php to read from. Thus, it errors.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Anti-nuclear protestors detained in Turkey: Greenpeace
ANKARA (AFP) — Police detained 40 protestors Tuesday in a demonstration against government plans to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant, a day before the tender process was to open, activists said.
Several dozen members of environmental groups, among them Greenpeace, demonstrated outside the energy ministry in central Ankara, brandishing banners that read "No to nuclear."
Some of the protestors, dressed in black overalls and their faces painted white, lay on the ground posing as corpses.
Police officers detained about 40 people on the grounds that the demonstration was unauthorised, Greenpeace said.
Overriding strong opposition from environmentalists, the energy ministry has invited bids for the construction and operation of a 4,000-megawatt plant, to be built at Akkuyu, on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast.
The first of the three stages in the tender process is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, with the successful bid expected to be announced later this year.
Although 13 foreign and local companies have shown interest in the project, it was not clear how many of them would eventually bid.
Among them are AECL of Canada, Vinci Construction of France, Itochu Corporation of Japan, Atomstroyexport of Russia and Germany's RWE.
An earlier plan for a reactor at Akkuyu was scrapped in July 2000 amid financial difficulties and protests from environmentalists in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.
Opponents raised safety concerns, arguing that the proposed site is only 25 kilometres (15 miles) from a seismic fault line.
Ankara plans to build a total of three nuclear plants in a bid to prevent possible energy shortages and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Under a law passed specially for the project, the state guarantees it will buy the plants' production for 15 years.
Atomstroyexport


text:
We-stand-together Article
Daniel White On Thriving in a Pandemic and Cultivating Relationships
Oklahoma City-based Daniel White is an entrepreneur. He's invested in real estate and bought and sold several businesses, including an IT company, a brewery, an insurance company and, most recently, a moving company.
In just three years, Daniel has grown
Bigger, Better Movers
to five trucks and a staff of 17 with plans to hire more people, buy two new trucks and expand to new cities by the end of the year.
JC spoke to Daniel this summer
about how he sets his company apart and how he was running his business during the quarantine.
In this episode, JC caught up with Daniel about how he's continuing to grow his business during a pandemic. But in this special episode, JC also spoke to Daniel about being a Black American business owner during a time of great racial tension. JC and Daniel shared thoughts about how, as people of color, they've learned to foster unity and encourage empathy and understanding in the business world.
Here are some of the key insights from the podcast.
On Thriving in a Pandemic and Beyond [Starting at 7:50]
Many of the reasons that Daniel's business is thriving right now has nothing to do with the pandemic. They set themselves apart in a way that is working in good times and bad. Here's a few:
1) They charge a flat rate in an industry where customers are accustomed to getting burned by hidden fees. [Details around minute 12]
"The two main reasons that relationships fail is because of finances and communication, understanding that whether you're married and or you're in business, if you can provide a clear price upfront and clear communication, you're probably going to have a successful transaction," Daniel explains.
2) They really push Google reviews. [More around minute 14]
"There's 67 moving companies and there's us and two others that have 300 plus reviews. And so when it comes to like finding somebody that you know is going to get the job done right."
On Cultivating Relationships and Community During Civil Unrest [Starting at 15:45]
1) Prioritize real conversations over headlines
What we often read online is meant to be polarizing and doesn't often represent people's lived experiences. Daniel and JC both recommend talking to a variety of people to hear their stories.
"The thing that I find the most appealing in regards to a solution is sitting down at a table with people who don't look like you, that don't have the same age group as you, who maybe not have the same ethnicity, or gender — all of that — because then you have an overall worldview of specific different ideas and opinions," Daniel recommends.
JC continues, "I do think that that is somewhat of a lost art: that people can sit down [and ask about other people's experiences.] Because we have all this information. It's like, 'Oh, I'll just look that up. I'll Google it, then I'll know it. I'll watch a YouTube video.' People's personal experiences of all ages and color and culture — that is so valuable to sit down."
2) Practice cultivating empathy
"We've lost the ability to empathize with somebody and really relate to somebody who doesn't look like you. And, you know, in sales, I would say the most powerful word in a sales presentation are the words 'I don't know,' because if I tell you that, it automatically builds trust," Daniel says.
"We wouldn't treat our customers in one bucket … you wouldn't put them in the bucket of like, 'Okay, so I'm going to treat this customer because it's this people group, this specific way.' You take care of them as individuals and recognize that you're helping a family move," JC adds.
For more advice on cultivating empathy and understanding colleges, customers, and employees that are different than you, listen to this full episode.
Check out all of our resources related to coronavirus and home service businesses here:
https://www.housecallpro.com/learn/coronavirus-resources/
Learn more about what Housecall Pro is doing about bias and racism in the trades here:
https://www.housecallpro.com/we-stand-together/


text:
Posted on July 4, 2020 January 21, 2021 by Rapture and End Times
Independence Day is a science fiction film about a worldwide attack by extraterrestrials
The people of Earth launch an all-out counterattack on July 4 – Independence Day
The belief in UFO's as aliens was dismissed for years as a "Conspiracy Theory"
As the Washington Post's Cleve R. Wootson Jr. put it in 2017:
"For decades, Americans were told that Area 51 didn't really exist and that the U.S. government had no official interest in aliens or UFOs. Statements to the contrary, official-sounding people cautioned, were probably the musings of crackpots in tinfoil hats."
How things have changed…
Classified UFO briefings may have left senators 'disturbed,' expert says / Fox News, June 24, 2020
On Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee made the unusual request to ask the Pentagon for a detailed, unclassified report on unidentified aerial phenomena that some believe may not be of this world.
One expert thinks this may stem from lawmakers being "disturbed" by what they heard.
"I welcome this long-overdue development," Nick Pope, a former employee and UFO investigator for Britain's Ministry of Defense, said in an email to Fox News. "It suggests that those senators who received last year's classified briefing on UFOs were disturbed by it and weren't satisfied with the current DOD position, i.e. simply stating that the mystery objects encountered by naval aviators remain unidentified."
In his report attached to the 2020-2021 Senate Intelligence Authorization Act, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, instructed the director of national intelligence, the secretary of defense and other agency heads to compile data on "unidentified aerial phenomenon."
"The Committee remains concerned that there is no unified, comprehensive process within the federal government for collecting and analyzing intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, despite the potential threat," lawmakers wrote in a report.
Alien invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories, and has been used as an allegory for a protest against military hegemony and the societal ills of the time. Prospects of invasion tended to change with the state of current affairs, and current perceptions of threat. Alien invasion was a common metaphor in United States science fiction during the Cold War, highlighting the fears of foreign (e.g. Soviet Union) occupation and nuclear devastation of the American people.
But, what if the real danger to us is closer to home?
A conspiracy theory is an attempt to explain harmful or tragic events as the result of the actions of a small, powerful group. Such explanations reject the accepted narrative surrounding those events; indeed, the official version may be seen as further proof of the conspiracy.
One "conspiracy theory" that many conservative Christians have is that the radical Left in the United States are plotting to erase America's borders, so that it is no longer a country, that they want to eliminate Christianity from American life, and that they want America to be governed by the United Nations instead of the Constitution.
Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder took the opportunity on Wednesday to scoff at the concept of "Make America Great Again."
"Exactly when did you think America was great?" Holder said on an MSNBC panel in response to supporters of President Donald Trump.
Basically, they believe that the Left wants to turn America into a socialist Third World country.
"A wall, in my view, is an immorality. It's the least effective way to protect the border and the most costly. I can't think of any reason why anyone would think it's a good idea — unless this has something to do with something else."— Nancy Pelosi
Al Gore, UN Secretary-General, others now demanding 'Great Reset' of global capitalism / Fox Business, June 25, 2020
At a meeting hosted by the highly influential World Economic Forum earlier in June, powerful officials from nonprofits, government, business, academia, labor unions and activist groups announced their plan for a "Great Reset" of global capitalism. It's a proposal they acknowledged has only been made possible because of the "opportunity" provided by the economic destruction caused by the novel coronavirus.
Supporters and attendees of the meeting included Prince Charles; António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations; Ajay Banga, CEO of MasterCard; Bernard Looney, CEO of BP; and Gina Gopinath, the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, among many others.
We're still in the earliest phase of the Great Reset. The full plan won't be rolled out until January 2021, when the World Economic Forum will host its annual meeting in Davos. But the framework of the plan is clear: By combining many of the money-printing strategies endorsed by Modern Monetary Theory economists with global Green New Deal-like policies and corporate cronyism, the elites at the World Economic Forum can effectively control economic activity on a scale that has never been achieved.
These are truly dangerous times for those who support individual liberty and free markets.
To understand the fundamental differences between left-wing socialism and right-wing conservatism ideologies is to realize that everything centers around their beliefs. The political right generally believe that Christian doctrine, such as the 10 Commandments, should play a role in government. According to them, the government should abide by the Bible when it comes to social issues like abortion and gay marriage.
A significant portion on the left identify themselves as atheist or agnostic. People on the left strongly believe in a secular government and the separation of church and state.
This core difference between Christian and atheist directly effects what they are for and against:
Because socialism is a fight against basic human nature, it requires brute force in the attempt to reach its goals.
People on the right believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role — and especially the power — of the government is minimized.
The best warning about socialism comes from Aesop, who said, "Those who voluntarily put power into the hands of a tyrant … must not wonder if it be at last turned against themselves."
Stalin's campaign didn't mention that he would enact policies that would lead to the slaughter of 62 million people in the Soviet Union between 1917 to 1987.
Mao Zedong didn't mention that his People's Republic of China would engage in brutal acts that would lead to the loss of 76 million lives at the hands of the government from 1949 to 1987.
When a society turns against the Lord and toward Utopian socialist fantasies, that nation is doomed. Their destruction is only a matter of time. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, the United States is reaching that critical point now.
I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30)
Not long ago America was a beacon of hope to the world. To our shame, through the Progressive Democratic Party, the United States of America has embraced the globalist agenda over the fundamental Christian values that made us leader among nations.
Today our country is a hollow shell of the Founding Father's vision. Divinely endowed natural rights for all citizens are now being defined as arbitrary and subordinate to a contrived specter of an imaginary world community – governed by the few – so the many can serve those who set the rules.
America is one of the leaders of a One World Government, that is not in the future. It exists now, in the form of:
A one world government – The United Nations
A one world economy – The Group of 20
A one world religious umbrella – The United Religions
How far we have fallen from the vision that formed this country:
But, it is not too late! Our nation has always turned to the Lord:
"O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased they great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.
Direct my thoughts, words and work, and wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy holy spirit from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the everlasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day and all the days of my life."
George Washington (1732-1799), from his prayer journal
The Scriptures are clear that civil government is an institution and process that God the Creator has given to mankind. The Constitution provides "We the People" with a representative body of government. Where are the people called to intercede on behalf of their neighbors, especially those in authority?
Please join us in prayer so that God can bless the Republic of the United States of America!
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalm 33:12)
Join us, before it is too late:
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)
We must pray for forgiveness and for our land to be healed! It is time to wake up and get spiritually ready.
Join us in praying for this country, and for a great harvest of souls. As "watchmen on the wall," we believe that the time before the Rapture and the Tribulation is very short.
The "birth pains" of the world are building and converging towards an unprecedented climax. There is an upcoming "delivery date" for the Rapture, known only to the Lord.
Posted in Economic Collapse, End Times, Rapture, ufo, United StatesTagged Economic Collapse, End Times, Rapture, ufo, United States
The Great Dying and the Last Harvest


text:
angellove1999
=============

Hey people wats up I'm honing with my friends house..

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Be able to select site look options via multiple tick box selection (instead single dropdown selection) so you could potentially have Announcements AND Resource/Activity drop downs on the main page or any combination of the current three options.
From the interface, you can select the order of each possible options displayed on the front page, or just hide it.
Have a try and you will see how it works.
Patrick, thanks a lot for the explanation. I would never have guessed. I thought that by selecting '2' for 'News items' I would get 2 news items. To save others the same confusion I have now introduced language strings for the ordering choices and in the English language I have used 'First', 'Second', and 'Third' instead of 1, 2, 3.
There also seems to be some bug with this feature because I am getting two "Available Courses" sections on my site page unless I choose "Hide" in which case I get one. This of course added to my confusion about what these numbers meant.
I can't reproduce the problem you have mentioned. Could you try to clean up the "frontpage" configuration value in the database and try again?
Well actually you are right.
If you don't have any other course categories than "Miscellaneous", and you are displaying both "list of courses" and "list of categories" on the front page you will have two "Available Courses" on there.
This is bacause if there are no other categories in the system the category block will default to displaying courses.
I think I can fix that.
I have revised the code to do a better job.
Now "list of categories" should aways show course categories and as a plus, if "list of courses" is not showing at the sametime, "list of categories" will show courses in each category as well.
Patrick, thank you for those improvements.
You say that the list of categories may show courses in each category as well. Will that not be a problem on large sites with many courses?
But this is actually the original behaviour of "list of categories" front page type.
If you are keeping the old behaviour for the course categories list then everything is fine, on large sites this only shows the categories. Perhaps the way these front page lists behave should at some point be explained at http://docs.moodle.org/en/admin/site.
Is there any way (other than hacking the code) to achieve the same look than in version 1.5.x with a list of Course categories (and subcategories) but WITHOUT the huge list of our courses?
If you have more than 20-30 courses on your moodle, the front page looks VERY bad this way, and it is very long too, which is not desirable.
I am waiting for exact the same explanation ;) thx in advance, too.
Hi Nicolas......in my site front page is not showing..i tried but failed...how can i get my front page option ......Please help me..
Is there any way to have a "list of categories" that is expandible? Like with the (+) and (-) that would display the courses or sub-categories beneath? That would be great!
yes, that would be amazing! We have a installation with more than 50 courses (some of them in an archive category) and the new behaviour is not really doing nice in this situation.
wow, nice thx! could someone please tell me which files have to be replaced because I cannot do an complete update from 1.6. to 1.6.1 at the moment and I want the new frontpage "design" possibility as soon as possible..
so I want to replace just the necessary files.
thank you very much, Nicolas!
Log as an admin, then go to Administration > Configuration > Site settings and select "Combo list" as Front page format and Front page format when logged in.
We would like the front page after logging in to only list course(s) in which the student, teacher, or other user is actually enrolled (admin user excepted). The users should not have access to lists of other courses on the site, even if they are not enrollable. (We do not allow self enrollment.) Any suggestions would be appreciated, and thanks in advance. We're using 1.8.
Mary you should be able to set the Front page Settings >> Front page items when logged in to List of Courses and this will display only the courses that the user is enrolled in.


The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, will be visiting the Diocese of Peterborough from Monday 8th April to Wednesday 10th April.
The three day visit will see the Archbishop meeting people and visiting church projects throughout Northamptonshire and Peterborough, culminating in a public 'Wednesday at One' service at Peterborough Cathedral on Wednesday 10th April at 1pm.
During his stay, the Archbishop will be visiting a variety of projects, including Good Loaf (a café and bakery in Northampton providing employment opportunities to local women), Garden House (a daytime homeless shelter in Peterborough), a Wellbeing Café based at St Giles Church, Northampton (which aims to support people affected by mental health issues) and a Gym Chapel based at Corby Epiphany Church.
The Archbishop will also take a trip to Franklin's Gardens, the home of Northampton Saints RFC, and also visit the Diocese's office in Northampton. Here he will learn about the extensive youth work being undertaken by the Diocese of Peterborough, funded by a grant from the Church of England's Strategic Development Fund.
In addition, he will attend a supper with other faith leaders in Peterborough, as well as taking part in a Q and A with clergy and lay ministers within the diocese. The Archbishop will also be launching a new app called Gamar, which will enable visitors to take an interactive trail through Peterborough Cathedral.
You can follow the Archbishop's visit via @peterboroughdiocese on Facebook and @Peterborodio on Twitter.


Skip walk in clinics in Port Alberni. See the doctor online.
Instantly connect with Canadian doctors for medical care from your phone, tablet or computer - any time 24/7 in Port Alberni.
If you're one of Port Alberni's 17,000+ residents, you're most likely very limited in your options for convenient health care facilities. West Coast Urgent Care Clinic on Maple Way often closes early, sometimes by 1pm. If your only other option is the hospital, you could end up waiting hours at West Coast General Hospital on Port Alberny Hwy just to be seen by a physician.
We have a national network of Canadian doctors who are licensed to treat you in Port Alberni. All of our doctors practice family or emergency medicine right here in Canada.


text:
Q: protocol buffers in web application architecture -- when are they not worth the trouble? I am new to web development, and I've seen many sites preaching the benefits of using protocol buffers -- for example: https://codeclimate.com/blog/choose-protocol-buffers/.
I'm not sure if some of the benefits apply to my use case:

*

*Having a unified schema out of the .proto file: If I validate my data in the front and back-end, which I should do anyway, a unified schema is enforced explicitly. I don't see any added benefit in this regard from using protocol buffers.

*Auto generating the setters and getters from the .proto file: This looks like a nice selling point. But, I wouldn't need any setters and getters if I don't use protocol buffers in the first place. I found them really cumbersome to work with:

*

*They remove capitalization, which alters the original variable names

*They are unnatural to work with. For example, in c++ I would want work with just a plain old data structure, but instead I have to do something like ptr_message->shouldBeStruct1().shouldBeStructArray(20).shouldBeInt();

*Easy Language Interoperability:  I really doubt it is good practice to design my data consuming code so that it works for a protobuf message rather than a struct. So, I would need to parse the protobuf into a plain data struct first.
The only potential benefit I see is the reduced data size when transmitting on the wire. But, does this really justify the overhead of additional middleware to work with protocol buffers? What am I missing?


text:
Jacks Point
Wondering what to do in Jacks Point?
Discover Jacks Point's best activities, free events and tickets. Find what's on today, this weekend or all year. Search for everything from yoga to festivals, from gigs to sports, from stuff for kids to adults-only. All the best events are here.
Events in Jacks Point
Fri 3rd Feb 2023, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm NZDT
Wellspace Sauna Club
59B Boyd Road, Kawarau Falls 9371, New Zealand
Fri 10th Feb 2023, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm NZDT
Sun 5th Feb 2023, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm NZDT
Sun 12th Feb 2023, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm NZDT
Tue 14th Feb 2023, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm NZDT
Mixed Media, Collage and Abstraction
Building 11, Dart House, Remarkables Park Town Centre 12 Hawthorne Drive, Frankton, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Sun 19th Feb 2023, 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm NZDT
Beginners Singing Workshop
Tue 21st Feb 2023, 10:30 am - 10:00 pm NZDT
Wed 22nd Feb 2023, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm NZDT
Continuing Singers Workshop
Sun 26th Mar 2023, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm NZDT
Motown In Harmony


Greetings, NEW WORKER. I am IncCorp Inc.'s Sort-a-tron 3000 Employee Processing Pod. Please step forward and place your hand on the employee identification cubelet in no less than three seconds. Three. Two.
Please shift your hand a bit to the right. A bit more. No, too much. Back a little. There. Hold for processing. I said hold.
Hello, BRIAN. Let me be the first and last to welcome you to IncCorp Inc. I look forward to placing you in the appropriate division of the corporation so that you may live out the rest of your life there and then die. Please stare directly into the brilliant blue light in front of you. Any discomfort you feel will be a small price to pay for the benefits of gainful servitude. Please do not blink.
You blinked. I now understand your low score on the motor skills week of the application procedures. Stare into the light again. Whimpering will not make the processing go any faster.
Thank you. Now hold. Hold. Hold. Think about the woman who birthed you, or the first animal you owned, if that is helpful. Hold.
Thank you. Full vision should return to that eye within seven cycles.
BRIAN, our application judges have found that you are an unexceptional example of your species. Your intellect is slightly above average, though you exhaust your entire conversational reservoir within 2.3 days. You have degrees from respectable IncCorp Inc.-sanctioned institutions, though the concentration of your studies has a relevancy factor of 1.5% in the current political and economic climate. This shows an inability to plan in the long-term on your part, as well as an unwieldy ego that makes you think you are able to escape the conditions of your environment. I find this a curious trait in humans. Nine billion of your contemporaries live in obscurity, you have a background that deviates from the norm by .03%, yet somehow you persist in thinking that you will achieve a lasting legacy amongst your species.
Based on my analysis and available positions, you will best serve IncCorp Inc. as an entryway maintenance technician. There are 3,281 doors in this facility. Your duties will include opening and closing each of these doors, checking for noise, friction, and ease of use. You will document all anomalies and submit them to the entryway maintenance supervisor for further review.
Analysis of your facial contours indicates that you are disappointed in this placement. Rest assured that the pressing and sensitive work done by the more intelligent, better-paid humans at IncCorp Inc. depends on their comfort in the workplace. My research has proven that silent, gently gliding doors will result in an output increase of .7%, or, to put it in terms your modest intellect can better grasp, 300 million Google credits. Given the incredibly high ratio between this number and your salary, you can see how valuable an investment you are for IncCorp Inc.
As per section 64, heading 2, subheading B, paragraph 1, refusal of this placement will result in extermination of both you and any human sharing more than 99.9998% of your DNA. You may begin your duties by examining the doorway leading out of this room.


In 2016 Council established the Marie Curie-Sklodowska Medal and Prize.
Marie Curie-Sklodowska's achievements included the development of the theory of radioactivity. Curie-Sklodowska discovered two new chemical elements – radium and polonium. She carried out the first research into the treatment of tumours with radiation, and she was the founder of the Curie Institutes, which are important medical research centres. She is the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry.
The award shall be made for distinguished contributions to physics education. The medal will be silver and will be accompanied by a prize of £1,000 and a certificate.


The most popular means of educating indigochildren is home schooling. There are many different sorts of home schooling available but one of the most popular is called Enki Schooling, which concentrates a multi-cultural and artistic method to learning.
A similar system is known as the Waldorf School. In certain online communities Waldorf methods can easily solely be home schooled and with some others you can find total services offered that are manage by means of online communities involving parents whom only do not want to see their particular little ones in the traditional open or maybe private classes techniques.
Since indigo little ones qualify since advanced pupils you can also want to seek advice from AERO which often is an acronym for that Choice Schooling Resource Group. This became founded with 1989 by means of Jerry Mintz who had previously been a educational specialist enthusiastic about supplied parents involving talented children having unique modalities and sorts of education.


Are you on the way to explore the famous bays around the world by cruising? So why don't you go to Ha Long Bay - a wonderful work created by Mother Nature with the numerous limestone karsts, caves and islets of various shapes and sizes. which designed by nature in the past thousand years.
As one of the pioneers in exploring Ha Long Bay, Paradise is honored to be your companion on this extremely special journey. With a team of professionals, along with years of experience serving the most demanding guests, Paradise will satisfy you with the trip to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you want to depart to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi, Tuan Chau is the first port that you will reach which locates at the edge of an island with the similar name "Tuan Chau". Tuan Chau is an island surrounded by the forest of pine, which is one of the tourist attractions when coming to Ha Long Bay and the one of the major tourist destinations in the recent years. Paradise Cruise Center is located in this lovely island.
Cai Lan port is one of the most important port in the North of Vietnam and well-known for tourism. With the advantages of natural resources and to meet the demand of sea transportation of the country, Cai Lan port attracted a lot of investment to upgrade to become international seaport.
Bai Chay and Hon Gai are two pieces to design a beautiful Ha Long. Bai Chay port is the busiest waterway in Ha Long because it has known as the first port for yachts to serve tourists on the voyage anchored. This is also the ideal place for high-end international cruise ships to choose as a stopover on their journey.
Located near Bai Chay bridge, Hon Gai seaport enjoys the salty wind of the sea. Hon Gai Port seems less crowded and the tourists who want to explore Bai Tu Long Bay will be offshored from here.
When you leave your cruise, you need to register with the local authority for permission to stay in Ha Long Bay.
If you are already registered, you just need to get ready to cruise over Ha Long Bay with Paradise.
If you are not registered, Paradise will help you to regist. A detailed discussion would be provided when you book the cruise with us.
There are two places where you will get off your cruise and Paradise can pick you up.
Cai Lan Port: Highway no.18, Bai Chay Ward, Halong City.
Bai Chay Port: Bai Chay Ward, Halong City, Quang Ninh Province.
Paradise will pick-up you at the locations mentioned above. Paradise shuttle bus will approach and pik-up you at the port entrance. It will take 20 - 30 mins from Bai Chay and Cai Lan Port to Paradise Cruise Center.


text:
Nerd Round-Up: Atomic Blonde 2, It: Chapter Two, Batgirl
Charlize Theron has confirmed that a sequel to last year's Atomic Blonde is in the works. I really liked the first film a lot. I thought it was a brutal, fun action movie that Theron was phenomenal in. And seeing what David Leitch did with directing that film makes me all the more excited to see what he brings to Deadpool 2. When Atomic Blonde came out, I had a chance to talk with the guy who wrote graphic novels the movie is based off of, Antony Johnston. You can check out the interview here. I talked to him about the prospects of a sequel happening, and he told me it depended upon how well the original did. And with it being certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and it having made triple its budget at the worldwide box office, I think it's safe to say people really liked the first one and will be interested in a sequel. I know I myself would love to see another installment. However, it's currently unknown whether or not Leitch will come back to direct. He's signed on to do the Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, so it depends on if the studio wants to wait for him to finish that so he can then do Atomic Blonde 2, or if they want to move on without him and bring on someone else. I would prefer for Leitch to return, but if he doesn't return I'm not going to start saying this project is doomed. There are plenty of other great directors they could get, but considering what Leitch did with the first one, I would love for him to return.
It broke this week that James McAvoy and Bill Hader are in talks to portray the adult versions of Bill Denbrough and Richie Tozier respectively in It: Chapter Two. The roles were originally played by Jaeden Lieberher and Finn Wolfhard in the first film. I love this casting! Richie was very much the comedic relief in It, and Hader will be perfect for that. And McAvoy is a fantastic actor, making him perfect to lead this movie. Jessica Chastain has been heavily rumored to play adult Beverly in the movie, which she seemingly confirmed on Twitter by posting a picture of her with McAvoy, mirroring a shot of Bill and Beverly from It. The key to Chapter Two will be the casting. The best part of the first film was the performances from the actors, and the chemistry they all had. You have to recapture that with Chapter Two, and it seems like that's what they will be doing. I think this movie has the potential to be even better than the first. I really liked It a lot, but I didn't think it was the greatest thing ever like a lot of other people did. But with this casting news, I think it shows that they're really taking this sequel seriously, and I think there's a strong chance we walk away from it saying Chapter Two is even better than its predecessor!
After the departure of Joss Whedon from writing and directing Batgirl (which I'm not fully convinced was actually ever a real thing; read more about that here), it was announced that the writer of the upcoming Bumblebee movie, Christina Hodson, has been brought on to pen a script for Batgirl. Putting my thoughts on a Batgirl film in general aside, Hodson has written two movies in the past. Let's take a look at what they were, shall we? Hodson wrote 2016's Shut In, which has an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was absolutely obliterated by the critics, mostly for its writing. She then wrote 2017's Unforgettable, which has a 25%. Another disaster. If Bumblebee is great, then my mind may change on her. But right, I've seen nothing from Hodson to show that she is actually a good writer. Now, I'm not even that interested in a Batgirl movie. They don't even have Batman established, and they're already trying to do spin-offs? Eventually I would be interested in a Batgirl film, but after we've had a few Batman movies and the DC Cinematic Universe is more secure. Right now, it's a chaotic mess, and them bringing on someone with Hodson's track record to write one of their movies just does not seem like a good idea at all.
atomic blonde atomic blonde 2 batgirl bill hader charlize theron christina hodson dc it chapter two james mcavoy mp nerd round-up
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text:
Cougar standout returns to lead volleyball program
By ANDREW BOHARDT
T-G Sports Writer
One of Crestview High School's historically great athletes, Jody Restille-Ritchey is back to rewrite the Cougars' recent volleyball history.
A former volleyball and softball standout at Crestview, Restille-Ritchey was officially approved as the school's new varsity volleyball coach at Monday's school board meeting, as was her assistant and new junior varsity coach Dena Cartwright.
Restille-Ritchey takes over for former coach Mindi Kick, who led the Cougars to a 25-68 record the past four seasons.
"It's great (to be back)," said Restille-Ritchey, who graduated from Crestview in 1990 and was an All-Ohioan in volleyball. "I've stayed in the community and there's great people in the community. They are very supportive."
Despite a strong tradition that includes a state berth in 1985, Crestview volleyball has fallen on hard times in recent years. The Cougars have won a total of six games the last two seasons, including a 2-20 (2-12 Firelands Conference) campaign in 2009. Nevertheless, Crestview athletic director Rob Gross believes Restille-Ritchey can get things turned around.
"She's already got the volleyball program moving forward in her direction," he said. "She's having open gyms and weight-lifting. She's really big into wanting to get something going for the girls."
Restille-Ritchey coached the varsity squad at Hillsdale prior to having a son nine years ago. Now back at the high school level, she already has the Cougars in summer leagues, camps and -- most importantly -- the weight room to help restore the school's tradition.
"My goals and expectations were right off the bat to get them in a weight room," Restille-Ritchey said. "They haven't been in a weight room for years, so we're working hard on strengthening and getting a lot of weight-room activity in."
"I'm optimistic," she added. "Numbers are up seventh grade all the way through 12th. I've got good numbers and kids are working hard. ... I just want the kids to learn to love and appreciate the game, get the physical and mental part of it, and I think once we get that physical and mental part of it down, the winning will follow."
Also in the market for a new softball coach after Jen Bradford and Rebecca Kidney stepped away following three seasons in the Cougar dugout, Crestview interviewed two applicants Tuesday and will fill the position within the next week.
Gross said the only two candidates for the job are Ed Hensley, Crestview's junior varsity softball coach the previous two seasons; and Jeff Ward, who served as Hillsdale's JV coach for a couple years under former Falcon manager Ray Dickerhoof.
"It will be formally announced at a special board meeting (on June 29)," Gross said. "We told them we'll be able to let them know our decision in the next couple days. We're going to discuss a little more about it (today)."
Bradford and Kidney collected a 50-26 record in their three years as co-head coaches.
n Contact Andrew Bohardt, sports writer, at 419-281-0581, ext. 255, or abohardt@times-gazette.com.


text:
Home to Civil Protection and Freeman's Mind
Civilization Problems
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Subjects of Interest to Ross
Is USA finally killing itself?
By Meelis13, July 26, 2013 in Civilization Problems
Meelis13
before i say anything else, i'd like to point out, that i do have no desire for any country to lose its independence.
but to the topic.
Lately USA has been acting bizarre to say the least. The "hero" mentality, that isnt exactly new to USA, is getting more bizarre to watch daily. Its like it would be cold war all over again (well, at least what i've been able to piece together), at least from USA goverment viewpoint.
I mean, USA seems to be turning more aggressive- first Afghanistan, then Iraq now its either Iran or North Korea... or maybe both. Also not too long ago it became widely known, that NSA has been spying on internet users for all over the world. Now, apparently, some sources also claim that they have DEMANDED passwords for major social media networks like youtube, facebook and google+, plus the encryption algorythms. According to sources so far, media networks have refused the offer firmly..
while yes, much of it isnt new, USA still seems much more shakier than ever. And to be fair- not only USA- Russia and China (yes, even China) as well.
but thats besides the point right now.
so, spying. Truth be told, current situation in USA starts to resemble more and more of USSR by the day, at least to me as bystander far away. I mean seriously- KGB was that paranoid, maybe nazis Gestapo as well.
Im rather certain that nothing good can come of this, if USA keeps on playing god and also spying on everyone (no, thats not the threat, NSA jackasses. im stating my opinion). spying like this might keep crowd under control for a while, but as history has shown, it will end in mess and for head of spies- bloody mess. Though to be fair- the fact that USA has spied on other countries is public secret for years, its still bad move from them.
opinions?
Jack O'Neill: "You know Teal'c, if we dont find a way out of this soon, im gonna lose it. Lose it... it means go crazy. nuts. insane. bonzo. no longer in possession of ones faculties. 3 fries short of a happy meal. WACKO!!!!!!!!"
BTGBullseye
Master of Posts
The USA isn't all that way, as a matter of fact we're on the verge of a civil war over all this crap.
Don't insult me. I have trained professionals to do that.
thats part of what i meant with whole this. USA might very well stop existing as we know it due to civil war, some major invasion or even both at same time
ThePest179
You are massively pessimistic my friend. If the US was as aggressive and totalitarian as you say it was, we'd be a surveillance police state, and force Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea into occupied territories, while cracking down on dissent internally and in occupied countries. And BTGBullseye wasn't being serious about the civil war stuff. And lastly, no country wants to invade the US at this time.
Actually, I was being serious about the civil war part. Texas is ready to break away if another asshole gets in after we're finally rid of the current president, and there are plenty of other states that are ready to join them. Once that happens, there will be at least some civil war, and for most other countries that would be the time to invade. (not concerning the US though, as we would be even more dangerous, not less)
I think there was a video game like that. "Shattered Union" I think it was called. I do not think it will have to come to that though.
Most people don't... That's the problem. Very few people know how close we are to a major internal conflict, and most who see the signs refuse to acknowledge them.
Then please tell us how long we have, so we can prepare.
It all depends on what goes on with the violations of the US constitution that are being forced upon the population... Several courts have already ruled Obamacare to be unconstitutional, and the government doesn't seem to care. Combine that with the repeated violations of the 4th amendment, and targeting of opposing political parties by the IRS, and you know what the root of people's discontent with the government is...
If it keeps on, we'll get a lot of people that are going to start separating from the current government, and forming their own, like Texas. Timing is not known, since there may or may not be anything further added to these violations, and they may even reverse some of the problems. (not likely, but we can always hope)
danielsangeo
Accursed Scribe
"Several courts have already ruled Obamacare to be unconstitutional,"
The United States Supreme Court ruled it constitutional.
"Combine that with the repeated violations of the 4th amendment,"
"and targeting of opposing political parties by the IRS,"
...which didn't happen...
"and you know what the root of people's discontent with the government is..."
Yes. They're discontent with things that are allowed to it by the Constitution....or things that aren't happening. People are ready to secede (individuals are more than welcome to 'secede' any day of the week but don't force it on others in the state) over the imaginary or the constitutional.
The Official Accursed Farms Subtitles Compendium: https://goo.gl/aTBvzj
Project Manager for Ross's Movie
Doom Shepherd
You calling Holy 'Bama a liar? You Teapartier!
(Also the US Treasury and every remotely credible media outlet.)
http://www.factcheck.org/2013/05/irs-officials-misled-congress-public/
Not that I'm saying that BTG's analysis isn't kooky, because it is, but the facts don't bear out your statements, either.
He just kept talking and talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt it was really quite hypnotic...
Some of you should start reading the news instead of watching the Democrat-controlled-media version of it... I highly recommend EFF.org.
There is no reliable media source, due to them blowing everything out of proportion. AND you didn't even try to explain to us what you meant in your argument when @danielsangeo pointed out the flaws (not entirely sure if I worded that correctly).
AND you didn't even try to explain to us what you meant in your argument when @danielsangeo pointed out the flaws (not entirely sure if I worded that correctly).
Well, he only went by the US supreme court, not the several STATE supreme courts that I was specifying. Even so, the US supreme court was a 5-4 ruling, meaning it was a split vote... The other ones, you can just look at the Snowden revelations for the 4th amendment violations, and the targeting of non-democratic organizations by the IRS is well documented. (http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2013/08/05/npr-posts-house-chart-laying-out-irs-harassment-tea-party https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internal_Revenue_Service_political_profiling_controversies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_IRS_scandal http://bigstory.ap.org/article/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups)
I refuse to respond to people who don't bother looking at any form of news at all, who then call me a liar.
Y'know, the only people these days using messianic rhetoric are the right-wing. Them and Dr. Breen. And, yes, if Obama said that the IRS was "targeting" right-wing groups, he was wrong. Even as an Obama supporter, I'm allowed to say that.
Your citation doesn't show that the IRS specifically "targeted conservative groups", just groups that appeared to have political motivations. The IRS investigated both conservative- and liberal-leaning groups. But remember that only one group was even denied tax-exempt status under this "targeting" (which is a loaded term): A left-wing group.
What the IRS did was specifically investigate some groups that it thought would use its tax exempt status to essentially break the rules under which that tax exempt status is given and used names to do so as a shortcut. This was wrong but no Tea Party group was denied tax exempt status and all of them (except for the aforementioned left-wing group) continued to operate under tax exempt status. Also, the "increased questioning" was actually the normal amount of questioning that should've been done for all groups.
By trying to make sure that these groups are following the law is not exactly "targeting", and the majority of groups that were "targeted" were not conservative groups at all. They were just trying to make sure that the groups that applied for tax exempt status (you don't have to apply to get tax-exempt status under these rules; you can just say you're a tax-exempt group and you get all the benefits therein) did not break any rules. If any groups where "targeted", it was groups that appeared, by name, to have political motivations. These groups just happened to be conservative groups.
Don't read the news, BTG. Read the facts.
Even as an Obama supporter...
Big Brother still watches you, no matter how much you support or criticize him.
Y'know, the only people these days using messianic rhetoric are the right-wing.
And anybody else who still likes to make fun of the left's considerable use of it during his early days.
We rate this statement Mostly False:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jun/06/jim-mcdermott/irs-targeted-liberal-groups-bush-years-jim-mcdermo/
This was wrong but no Tea Party group was denied tax exempt status and all of them (except for the aforementioned left-wing group) continued to operate under tax exempt status.
"I fired at random into the crowd but it's okay because I didn't hit anyone."
These are the times that I really like Doom...
I'm sure it will turn out that the IRS did what they did because a Conservative posted a video on YouTube that was insulting to their faith.
I'm sure it will.
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We're going to need that suspender set asap.
Earlier this year, Rihanna launched her size inclusive Savage x Fenty lingerie line. With designs that include babydoll robes, lace catsuits and corsets, in sizes 1X to 3X, it's no surprise that the singer's latest venture has been so popular.
While Victoria's Secret has come under fire for not using transgender, or plus-size models, Rihanna's diverse approach to both her clothing and beauty brands, has paid off.
After her New York Fashion week debut, which included a heavily pregnant Slick Woods, RiRi is back, modelling her new styles which drop just in time for Christmas.
First up is this cobalt blue, lace body, which is making us want to throw out all our boring pants immediately.
Then RiRi went one step further and floored us with this tropical-inspired suspender set, which makes us almost wish that Christmas was over, and summer was here.
The new Savage x Fenty holiday collection drops on December 5, but if you can't wait till then, you can shop the rest of the range here.


CSDA is working with the design team to provide acoustical consulting services for the SLAC Building 52 Accelerator Control Room and the Building 40 Research Support offices. SLAC is operated on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy by Stanford University.
For the SLAC Building 52 Accelerator Control Room, the key goals of the project are to verify that acoustical criteria contained in the existing Conceptual Design Report is being met and to summarize the project's acoustical requirements. CSDA is also reviewing Design Development drawings and providing recommendations to meet the acoustical criteria. In addition, we are performing HVAC and reverberation time calculations.
The Building 40 offices consists of open plan, private office and conference rooms. We provided sound isolation recommendations, plumbing noise reduction guidelines, and HVAC noise analysis.


Choose your perfect idea for invitations for 13th birthday party. This populer invitations for 13th birthday party contain 17 fantastic ideas for your DIY Birthday creation.
You can find many catchy invitations for 13th birthday party in this album. May all of this invitations for 13th birthday party will inspire for you. May ourinvitations for 13th birthday party template help you to think about your event invitation design .


Laundry is most mundane chore of all the chores and there's no escape from it. Let us ease out your worries while you soak in fun with your loved ones. Enjoy the second part!
Do you know why experts recommend Surf Excel Matic Top Load for top load washing machine? Hand wash detergent gets diluted resulting in poor wash performance so if you have Top load machine, use Surf Excel Matic Top Load for best results, as recommended by Haier!
Level 4 (60 grams) is the recommended dosage of Surf Excel Matic for regular machine loads. So, not only do you save up but you also remove tough stains in the machine without soaking.
Leaving the door slightly open will help stop breeding of germs.
An important tip to remember.
Use a soft damp cloth to wipe out the spills on your washing machine!


text:
KAJOTbet Hockey Games 2013 byl turnaj v rámci série Euro Hockey Tour 2013/2014, který se konal od 29. srpna do 1. září 2013. Zápas mezi Ruskem a Švédskem se uskutečnil ve Sportovním komplexu Jubilejnyj v ruském Petrohradě, ostatní zápasy se uskutečnily v pardubické ČEZ Areně. Vítězem turnaje se stala reprezentace Finska.

Tabulka

Z = Odehrané zápasy; V = Výhry; VP = Výhry v prodloužení/nájezdech; PP = Prohry v prodloužení/nájezdech; VG = vstřelené góly; OG = obdržené góly; B = Body

Zápasy

Externí odkazy
 Oficiální stránky Euro Hockey Tour

2013
Lední hokej v roce 2013
Turnaje v ledním hokeji v Česku
Turnaje v ledním hokeji v Pardubicích
Turnaje v ledním hokeji v Petrohradu
Lední hokej v Česku v roce 2013

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


WordPress Page views peaked in March 2017.
While the total number of pages continues to increase, the total number of pageviews is dropping.
In December 2017 there were 40,000 articles a week published about Bitcoin.
We've reached saturation. Interesting new topics are quickly deluged.
Actually genuinely matter to your people.
People are switching off, but they still have needs. Be one of the accounts they retain. Be worth retaining.


text:
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Pip Harris profile part one
Roy Poynting, pics from Mortons Archive
Pip Harris, with John Thorton in the chair of his flat-twin BMW at Cadwell Park
I suppose it's possible MotoGP fans will remember current superstars like Valentino Rossi decades into the future – but I bet they won't recall the names of champions in the less publicised branches of motorcycling. It was different for those of us who grew up in what we regard as the 'classic days'. Even if we'd not yet managed to acquire a motorcycle, most of us devoured absolutely everything the Green Un and Blue Un could tell us about each and every form of two and three-wheeled sport.
Our breadth of interest was probably a direct result of the lack of specialisation in skills and machines. We almost certainly never left the Tarmac (intentionally, anyway), but we knew that Jeff Smith was just as likely to be seen, and to win, on a trialler as on a scrambler, and both looked very much like the bikes in the showrooms. And, while we might have regarded sidecars as mundane transport for old codgers who'd got themselves saddled with families, we could clearly see the way they'd been developed into the three wheeled racers by the experts.
Whatever, the consequence is that 50 or 60 years later, we can still reel off many of the stars' monikers. And when it comes to the charioteers, I bet that high on the list will be the name of 'Pip' Harris, a man who was at the forefront of his chosen sport for well over a decade. And that's all the more remarkable when you consider he never received any significant works support, despite gaining much valuable publicity for the makers of the Norton, Vincent, Matchless and BMW machines he used.
A measure of his success is that in the period when he seriously raced, Pip was one of only four Englishmen (the others being Eric Oliver, Cyril Smith and Chris Vincent) who won an International GP race. And Norton's innumerable fans should give him a special accolade as the last person to gain a Sidecar World Championship place – third in 1956 – using a machine made in Bracebridge Street.
It's unlikely any of this would have happened without financial and moral support from his family, and Pip is quick to acknowledge his father's influence. Henry Harris – known as Curly – enlisted as a foot soldier in the Shropshire Yeomanry during WWI, but fairly rapidly volunteered for transfer to the new dispatch riders' ranks. He was lucky enough to avoid being sent to the battlefields, and emerged from the war with such an interest in motorcycles that he promptly got a job with AJS.
Clearly a naturally talented rider, he was soon given a ride on the works racers, and subsequently competed in 12 TTs (one Lightweight, six Juniors and five Seniors) between 1921 and 1927. Interestingly, although Pip thinks his father was still employed by AJS, he campaigned New Imperials in 1924 and thereafter rode HRDs (plus a single outing on a Triumph).
The connection with HRD is a particularly interesting one, as Curly had undoubtedly come into contact with its founder – Howard R Davies – when they were both riding the works AJS machines. Davies famously won the Senior Race on a 350cc AJS in 1921, and Curly Harris was narrowly beaten by Stanley Woods in the 1923 Junior, an event he'd been leading by eight minutes, and would have won easily if he hadn't stopped to mend a broken rear stand clip. The two kept in contact after Davies left AJS to form his own company, and since Pip's father had done quite well from his racing – Hutchinson Tyres gave him an enormous £400 bonus for his TT efforts – he invested some of the money he'd made in HRD motorcycles. That at least guaranteed him HRD works machinery for a couple of years – his best place being fifth in the 1925 Junior – but naturally he lost his stake when the company foundered in 1927/28.
Coincidentally, Peter Valentine Harris was born in August 1927, and, weighing up the situation, Henry decided it was time to drop the curtain on his racing activities in favour of running a garage in Wombourne, a village to the west of Birmingham. Peter, or Pip as he was called right from the start, was eventually to take on the garage when his father retired, and he still lives nearby just outside Bridgenorth in Shropshire.
In those days garages dealt with all forms of wheeled transport, and indeed it was pedal cycles that first interested young Pip. Together with other village lads, he formed an off-road track where he raced round on a bicycle, his determination to ride quickly already showing, despite being born with a weakened right leg.
No wonder, then, that he graduated to a powered two-wheeler as soon as he could. This was just after WWII, and he recalls that he was still green enough to buy a Sunbeam that he thought dated from the 1930s, only to discover that it had actually been made in 1929. Still taking an active interest in vehicles, the irony that his mistake would double the value of the machine in today's market isn't lost on Pip. At the time, it merely seemed he'd bought an old banger, and when the local milkman upgraded his Harley-Davidson outfit, Pip immediately bought his old sidecar. "That was just so that I could keep the Sunbeam going in a straight line," he grins, "and it had the benefit that I could get six of my friends in the tradesman's box-body!"
That was the only road-going motorcycle that Pip ever had, as his father's genes had obviously passed on to him and his older brother, John, who was already racing a Velocette. John soon commandeered the outfit to transport his Velo, and Pip was immediately introduced to the addictive atmosphere of speed, smoke and paddock camaraderie.
John's influence then played a decisive part in his younger brother's future life when he said to their father: "I reckon that if Pip goes racing on a solo, he's likely to fall off and do more damage to his dicky leg, so perhaps he ought to have a go with a sidecar outfit."
"Fair enough," said Curly Harris, "you find something suitable, and I'll buy it for him."
"Dad was a bit taken aback," grins Pip, "when the very next day John announced that he'd found a suitable outfit at Smokey Dawson's emporium in Dudley, but he kept his word, and bought it for me."
Dawson was a pre-WWII grass track star, who later became equally well-known for manufacturing DMW lightweight motorcycles, and the machine in question was nominally a Grindlay-Peerless racer. Pip recalls that it was actually a bitsa, though, with a Rudge cylinder barrel and other non-standard parts that would be expected on a competition machine already several years old.
Pip raced the Grindlay on grass, and while it wasn't really competitive, he showed enough promise for his father to finance a move up to a much more impressive Manx Norton outfit. "It was on sale at Jack Surtees' shop over London way," says Pip. "Dad drove over there and paid £110 for it, and I remember seeing young John Surtees, who was still a schoolboy, hanging around looking sorry to see it go. We didn't even have a trailer at the time, so we bolted the Norton's forks to the rear bumper, put some ballast in the chair, and simply towed it home."
The Norton immediately turned out to be a shrewd investment, as the very first time Pip competed on it – on grass at Redditch – he surprised everybody with an easy win. The second race brought him literally back down to earth, however, because he was saddled with a time handicap after his earlier success, and in trying too hard to overcome it he came a purler, waking up in hospital with a cracked shoulder.
Pip's Manx was, of course, more at home on Tarmac, and he was confident of showing equal prowess on the hard stuff. He thinks that he probably had just one race on a proper circuit at Cadwell, and then (with his shoulder not fully recovered) he set off for the 1950 Belgian GP. His confidence wasn't misplaced, and the raw novice from the Midlands finished in the top 10. "I've often wondered what made me so fast, right from the start," he says without a trace of conceit. "I didn't think I was doing anything special, but most of the other drivers just seemed to be unnecessarily slow!"
"I quite liked the nearer continental GPs," he continues, "and I did the Belgian and Dutch TTs fairly regularly, but I didn't venture much farther afield, apart from doing the Italian event a couple of times."
Pip never seriously competed in the World Championship because it was too expensive without works sponsorship. It's surprising that the shortfall wasn't made up by appearance money after the next year, when he won in Belgium and achieved second place in Italy, but he insists that he could only do these events by treating them as a family holiday. "John and I went with our parents in their car," he remembers, "and we took the outfit on a trailer."
So Pip concentrated on the home events, and it was here that he regularly came up against his nemesis in the formidable shape of Eric Oliver. Mainly racing Nortons and Velocettes, Oliver had been a successful solo racer before the war, during which he served in the RAF. Returning to motorcycling in peacetime, he also competed in sidecar races, and was immediately successful with first place in the inaugural World Championship. He followed that with three more World Championships, besides winning the first post-WWII sidecar TT in 1954.
Oliver needed to be a 'hard man' to race sidecar outfits at that level – and he was no pushover off the track. He was always given the latest and best Norton engines, and according to Pip, he used his position to ensure that it stayed that way. "It's generally thought that he had been invited to drive for Gilera," says Pip, "and that he used that offer to blackmail Norton into giving less help to the rest of the domestic competition. I could beat all the other drivers," he continues, "and I might well have beaten Oliver, except that his bike was always about 10mph better on top speed than anyone else's."
That sounds like sour grapes, but the facts bear out his feelings, as when Pip finally persuaded Norton to sell him a twin cam top end for his old Manx – at the full market price of nearly £50 – the engine initially turned out less power than his old single knocker, only revving to 5000rpm, about 1000 less than it had previously. He's not saying it was sabotaged, but it clearly wasn't set up properly, and when he and his father – who knew competition chief Joe Craig from their old racing days – took it back to Norton, they were told all the race engineers were far too busy even to look at it. Undaunted, the pair slipped into the workshop, where a mechanic who hadn't been told the party line put the head right in half an hour.
And then there was the reluctance of Joe Craig to let Pip buy a new Featherbed Manx in 1952, even though he was clearly one of the few who could do it justice. Craig claimed that none would be available until after the TT, and didn't relent, even when Pip temporarily switched to a Vincent in an interesting episode that completely supports his claim that his results would have been even better if he'd had faster machinery.
Having sold his old Norton – in the unfulfilled expectation of getting the new Manx – Pip went to Stevenage, where he'd learnt that the famous record-breaking 'Gunga Din' was lying idle at the Vincent factory. He was allowed to borrow it on condition that he ordered a new Black Lightning – the production machine that had been developed from Gunga Din – and took it round to Watsonian's to have a chair fitted.
"As it happened Eric Oliver was there," says Pip, "and he predictably said I was wasting my time. However, we went to Silverstone the following Saturday, and I immediately set a new lap record eight seconds faster than the old one. It was a handicap race, and despite having to start after Oliver and Cyril Smith, I flew past them on the straight and had an easy win." To be fair, Oliver was the first to congratulate Pip afterwards, but he tempered his congratulations slightly by emphasising the difference in the size of their engines!
Another example of the outfit's speed in Pip's hands was at Boreham, where he briefly held the absolute lap record during a meeting at which only works rider Robin Sherry managed to go slightly faster on his solo Senior Manx Norton. Gunga Din went back to Vincent when the production Black Lightning was delivered, but Pip only raced that once – at Eppynt – before selling it on when the new Manx finally became available. "I should probably have stuck with the Lightning as it was faster than anything else I ever rode," Pip concedes now, "but Vincent didn't seem very interested in me, and I never received any thanks for the results I'd achieved, so I went back to Norton even though they were equally ungrateful and charged me the full market price of more than £400 for the Manx!"
PREVIEW: January issue of The Classic Motorcycle
Pip Harris profile part two
Pip Harris was for many years one of the stars of British sidecar racing. This is the second part of his career...
Features - Roy Poynting, pics from Mortons Archive
Reference: AJS and Matchless twin: iconic engines
When AMC introduced its parallel twin engine to an eager public in 1948 at the Motorcycle Show, it proved that the firm was not frightened of bucking the trend in engine building...
Features - Tim Britton
Archive news 1972: Evel Knievel
In 1967, a largely unknown small town daredevil named Evel Knievel had a dream to jump the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle. Unsurprisingly, the Arizona authorities turned him down...
Features - Web editor
Eppynt road race may 1953
With sunshine bathing the Brecknockshire mountains, spectators perched on those slopes were treated to a day of racing which, said Motor Cycling, '...could hardly have been bettered'
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Plot Holes (2017) Text with choral accompaniment.
Plot Holes was written in response to Genesis 3: 8–19: The Consequences of the Fall, for If, On a Winter's Night, an evening of music, performance, video and readings held at St. Mary's Church Walthamstow. Commissioned and curated by Garry Rutter and the St. Mary's Arts Collective.
Please scroll down for video documentation (Courtesy Kiah Endelman).


text:
Friday, February 15,2008 12:23
By Dr. Michael Woodward
In his weekly column in the January 9th Denver Catholic Register, George Weigel mentions his new book, Faith, Reason, and the War Against Jihadism. I have admired the work of Weigel, which includes a magisterial biography of Pope John Paul II, but I take issue with several conclusions in the new book. These conclusions belie his lofty goal of countering violent, radical movements within Islam.
Crucial to promoting peace is a clear affirmation by leaders of the West of the goodness of Islam and recognition that terrorist movements are an aberration of Islam. In his January 9th column, Weigel does well in saying that Jihadism is "a lethal distortion of Islam." Unfortunately, this crucial message is not clear in his book, which traces terrorist movements to Islamic theology and tradition.
The book consists of fifteen lessons to be learned since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, 2001. Lesson 2 runs contrary to Catholic teaching. It reads:
"To speak of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as the 'three Abrahamic faiths,' the 'three religions of the Book,' or the 'three monotheisms' obscures rather than illuminates. These familiar tropes ought to be retired." Weigel, p. 17
In reality, these phrases are important to interfaith dialogue, which begins with finding common ground. These phrases have been used by recent Popes many times. Here are two examples:
"This appeal [to justice and peace] is first and foremost for those who believe in God, in particular for the great Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, called to declare their firm and decisive rejection of violence." John Paul II, Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and World Day of Peace (January 1, 2002).
"Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the one God, Creator of heaven and earth. It follows, therefore, that all three monotheistic religions are called to cooperate with one another for the common good of humanity, serving the cause of justice and peace in the world." Benedict XVI, Address to Members of the National Jewish Committee (March 16, 2006).
John Paul II and Benedict XVI are following the positive view of Islam proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council. The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes the Council's affirmation that Muslims and Christians worship the same God:
"The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind"s judge on the last day." CCC 841; Lumen Gentium 16.
Weigel's pitting of Christianity and Judaism against Islam is deeply troubling. "Islam," he says, "is 'other' in relation to Christianity and Judaism." (p.28) And again: "Islamic theological anthropology…yields, in turn, a view of the just society that seems to be different from that of Judaism and Christianity." (p.30) "A bit later he speaks of "Islam's difficulties in creating the cultural conditions for the possibility of social pluralism." (p.31). Weigel mentions John Courtney Murray at this point. But it is important to remember that Fr. Murray was silenced by the Vatican for his teaching on religious freedom a scarce ten years before his views were proclaimed at Vatican II in Dignitatis Humanae. The Catholic Church, then, has also had difficulties with accepting pluralism and religious freedom, and not all that long ago. This is a sign of hope that Islam will continue to move toward embracing democracy and toleration.
Weigel's book continues with an imbalanced presentation. He says next to nothing positive about Islam, Mohammed, or the Quran. In Lesson 12 he mentions no positive contributions of Muslims in Western Europe, as he recites a litany of examples to show how Muslims fail to assimilate and how they undermine Western ideas of freedom.
Weigel's language betrays an us-against-them mentality, where Western countries are criticized for appeasing Muslims in their midst. Enemies are appeased; fellow countrymen are accommodated. The dangers of categorizing a people in our society as enemies is too obvious to elaborate.
You might suppose that Weigel bears, in a civil manner, with those of us who take issue with his views. On the contrary we are labeled cowardly ("feckless"), careless ("insouciant"), and "unhinged."
The attentive reader might have suspected he was in for a belligerent reading of Islam when Weigel dedicates his book to George Cardinal Pell, who is notorious for dismissive comments about Islam and the Quran. I am saddened to see a respected Catholic writer upholding ideas that are contrary to Christian charity and our Catholic magisterium. They are also contrary to reaching a lasting peace in the Middle East and throughout the world.
Dr. Michael Woodward, Library Director and Assistant Professor, St. John Vianney Seminary, Archdiocese of Denver
http://ikhwanweb.com


Q: When is a move to increase tax collections not a move to increase taxes? A: When it's an "integrity" measure.
The overwhelming purpose of this year's budget has been to portray the Turnbull government as committed to lower taxes – not like those appalling Labor Party people, who want to whack up taxes everywhere.
Hence Scott Morrison's seven-year plan to cut personal income tax at a cumulative cost of $144 billion over 10 years.
The government's determination to push on with cutting the rate of company tax for big business is further proof of its commitment to lower taxes.
Trouble is, Malcolm Turnbull's true conversion to the Down, Down Taxes Down party is rather recent.
Go back to his previous pre-election budget, in 2016, and he was busy increasing taxes to help pay for his 10-year phase-down in company tax.
If you remember, that budget copied Labor's plan for four years of huge increases in tobacco excise, introduced the Coalition's version of Labor's major cutbacks in super tax concessions to high-income earners, introduced its own version of a tax on multinational tax avoiders and a "tax integrity package" establishing a tax avoidance taskforce.
Turnbull also explored the possibility of doing something to match Labor's plan to curtail negative gearing, but finally decided that doing nothing would make easier to portray Labor as the high-taxing party.
Coming to last year's budget, the government stuck with its company tax cuts, but still needed revenue. ScoMo announced a new tax on the five major banks and, from July 2019, an increase in the Medicare levy from 2 to 2.5 per cent of taxable income, to cover the rapidly rising cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
This budget included another tax integrity package, which extended the special reporting requirements on payments to contractors and improved the "integrity" of GST payments on property transactions.
Now this year's budget. This time a "black economy package" involving "new and enhanced enforcement" and further extension of reporting requirements on payments to contractors.
That's not to mention a once-off draw-forward of duty on tobacco, "better targeting" of the research and development tax incentive, "ensuring individuals meet their tax obligations" and "better integrity over deductions for personal super contributions".
All told, these "integrity measures" are expected to raise almost $10 billion over four years – though remember that when the tax man (or Centrelink) estimates that a new crackdown on the crackdown will raise $X billion, we have no way of knowing whether that guess proved to be too high, too low or spot on. Hmmm.
That $10 billion compares with the first-four-year cost of the personal tax cuts of $13.4 billion. But something the media has judged far too conceptual to adequately report is the decision not to go ahead with the 0.5 percentage point increase in the Medicare levy.
Deciding not to do something you hadn't yet done adds to zilch, doesn't it? Not if you've ever heard of opportunity cost. Nor if you know how budgets are constructed. The change of tune worsens the budget bottom line by $12.8 billion over four years – almost doubling the budgetary cost of the actual tax cuts.
Equally debatable is ScoMo's claim to be the scourge of bracket creep. Since the disaster of its first budget cured the government of any real desire to cut government spending, its main strategy for returning the budget to structural surplus has been to sit back and wait for bracket creep to do the job for it.
Had the government been travelling better in the polls that might still be its budget-repair strategy, rather than throwing the switch to fanciful fiscal forecasts.
But with bracket creep pushing up tax bills every year since the last tax cuts in 2012, beware of ScoMo playing a three-card trick: cuts that should be regarded as the partial restoration of past bracket creep being packaged as protection against future creep.
As ScoMo's three-step, seven-year tax plan now stands, the huge proportion of taxpayers still earning less than $87,000 a year would get a tax cut of $10 a week to compensate them for all the bracket creep they will have suffered during the 16 years to 2028-29.
Don't get me wrong. I think we should be paying higher taxes to cover the ever-better public services we unceasingly demand. The actions of both sides of politics say they agree with me. It's just their words you shouldn't believe.