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Posts Tagged 'Chester'
Dictator Johnson Unites Country Against Him
On Wednesday there were demonstrations against BoJob's proroguing of parliament the same day as he, or rather, the West Country's answer to the Slender Man, Jacob Rees-Mogg, persuaded the Queen to sign his wretched order. Even more followed on Saturday, with people marching up and down the country holding banners and placards, making it very clear what Johnson is: a dictator.
Jeremy Corbyn spoke to protesters in Glasgow denouncing BoJob's decision. The Labour leader also issued a tweet thanking everyone who had taken to the streets both their and across the country, and pledging the Labour party to oppose BoJob's attack on British democracy and stop a no-deal Brexit.
In London, demonstrators marched on Buckingham palace to make their feelings very known about the Queen's decision to give in to his demand to assume authoritarian rule. The were also demonstrations in Hereford, Staffordshire, Nottingham, Oxford, King's Lynn, where the local radio station for West Norfolk, KLFM 967 came down to cover the demo; and in Trafalgar Square in London.
Please see Mike's blog for the images peeps posted on Twitter of these demonstrations: https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2019/08/31/britons-take-to-the-streets-across-the-country-to-stopthecoup/
One of the most sharply observed was the banner at the beginning of Mike's article, showing BoJob wearing a swastika armband and Nazi officer's cap, flanked either side by the evil clown from Stephen King's It, with balloons above them showing his and Rees-Mogg's heads. This bore the slogan 'Before 1933 People Thought Hitler Was A Clown Too…'. Yes, they did. One of the characters in Bernardo Bertolucci's cinematic classic, The Conformist, makes that exact same point. The film's about a man, who becomes a Fascist assassin after believing he has shot and killed the paedophile, who had attempted to assault him. In one scene, one of the characters reminisces how, when he was in Germany in the 1920s, there was a man, who used to go round the beer halls making speeches and ranting. 'We all used to laugh at him', the character recalls, and adds that they used to throw beer glasses at him. He then sombrely concludes 'That man was Adolf Hitler'. And before he came to power, some Germans used to go to his rallies just for the fun of seeing who he would abuse next. Presumably this was in the same manner that people used to tune in to the genuine comedy character, Alf Garnett, although Garnett was very definitely a satirical attack on racism and the bigotry of working class Conservatism. Another banner made the same comparison with the Nazi machtergreifung: 'Wake Up, UK! Or Welcome to Germany 1933′. Again, this is another, acute pertinent comparison. Everything Hitler did was constitutional, as was Mussolini's earlier coup in Italy. Democracy collapsed in those countries because of its weakness, not because of the Fascists' strength. And they were helped into power by right-wing elites in the political establishment, who believed that including them in a coalition would help them break a parliamentary deadlock and smash the left.
Zelo Street also covered the demonstrations against Johnson's attempt to become generalissimo. The Sage of Crewe noted that not only were people marching in London, and large provincial cities like Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Brighton, but they were also occurring in middle ranking towns like Shrewsbury, Bournemouth, Cirencester, Lichfield, Stroud, Colwyn Bay, Clitheroe, Oxford, Swindon, Middlesborough, Exeter, Southampton, Derby, Weston-super-Mare, Falmouth, Bangor, York, Poole, Leamington Spa. Cheltenham Spa, Chester and others. 'Places that do not usually do protests'. And the protesters are not, whatever BoJob's focus groups say, going to vote for him.
https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2019/08/stop-coup-people-speak.html
I doubt that the demonstrations will personally have much effect on Johnson himself. He's a typical Tory, and so has absolutely nothing but contempt for popular protest. However, the march on Buckingham Palace may have made an impression on the genuine guardians of the British constitution. The monarchy is supposed to be one of Britain's central institutions, like parliament. Prime ministers come and go, but the monarchy is a central pillar of the British constitution. And its guardians in the British establishment may not take kindly to Johnson dragging the Queen down with him. There may also be some hope in that it was popular demonstrations and dissatisfaction with an unjust policy – the poll tax – that culminated in the removal of Thatcher. I hope it isn't long before BoJob goes the same way.
Tags:Adolf Hilter, Alf Garnett, Bangor, Bernardo Bertolucci, Birmingham, Boris Johnson, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, British Constitution, Buckingham Palacy, Cheltenham, Chester, Cirencester, Clitheroe, Colwyn Bay, Conservatives, Demonstrations, Derby, Edinburgh, Exeter, Falmouth, Glasgow, Hereford, IT, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Jeremy Corbyn, King's Lynn, kWorking, Labour Party, Leamington Spa, Leeds, Liverpool, Llichfield, London, Manchester, Margaret Thatcher, Middlesborought, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Parliament, Poll Tax, Poole, Protests, racism, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Southampton, Staffordshire, Stephen King, Stroud, Swindon, The Conformist, The Monarchy, The Queen, Vox Political, Weston-Super-Mare, York, Zelo Street
Posted in Comedy, Democracy, Fascism, Film, Germany, History, LIterature, Politics, Radio, Television, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
If You Want to Stop the Spread of Fascism, Vote Labour Tomorrow
Mike's put up a series of articles this week arguing that anybody really worried about the spread of Fascism in Europe should vote Labour at the European elections tomorrow. He's based these on comments and an article posted by one of the great readers of his blog, and by a Groaniad journo. And his and their logic is impeccable.
The election tomorrow is not a re-run of the Brexit referendum. The responsibility for deciding whether Britain leaves the EU and how lies very firmly with parliament. Nothing the Lib Dems for the Remain side nor the Brexit Party does in the EU parliament will alter that. But European democracy, culture and human rights are under threat from a renascent Far Right. The Brexit party is part of that threat, and the Lib Dems are part of the underlying cause: the misery and increasing poverty caused by neoliberalism for the benefit of the European elites, and particularly the financial sector.
Let's start with the Brexit Party. Whatever the Fuhrage says to the contrary, his is an authoritarian, racist, far right party. It only looks moderate because Batten's recruitment of Sargon, Dankula, Paul Joseph Watson and Tommy Robinson has pushed the party further right, bordering on the real Fascism of the BNP. But the party was already stuffed full of racists, islamophobes and militant anti-feminists under Farage. And the Brexit party still contains them and draws on them for support. The song by Captain Ska that Mike's put up this morning attacking Farage as a racist is spot on. He did put up anti-immigrant posters that used the image of a long line of immigrants almost identical to a Nazi one against the dangers of Jewish immigration. His party is a corporation, like that of Change UK, and there are very strong suspicions that it is funded by dark money from foreign powers. Which is illegal. Quite apart from the fact that he lied about it not being funded by Arron Banks when it clearly was. The Fuhrage's personal style of leadership is extremely authoritarian. In Chester last week he had a member of the audience at a rally thrown out because the man had the temerity to ask a searching question. Rather than cry 'Duce! Duce!' along with the rest of the adoring masses. Now he has blocked Channel 4 from his rallies, for the same reason. This is extremely ominous, as it shows that, like his friend Trump, he would dearly love to get rid of the freedom of the press and speech completely. He would also like to privatise the health service and roll back the welfare state even further than the Conservatives.
He's a threat to Britain, and to genuine European liberal values.
As is Vince Cable and the Lib Dems. People are voting for them apparently because of their clear Remain message, and they're supposed to have overtaken Labour in the polls for this election. But let's remember that the Lib Dems went into the coalition with the Tories, where they were quite happy to support the further privatisation of the health service, the bedroom tax, the increasing destruction of the welfare state, including IDS' and McVey's lethal sanctions of the unemployed and the disabled in the DWP. Thanks in part to the Lib Dems, a quarter of a million people now have to rely on food banks for their next meal, the majority of whom I think are now working people. And something like a quarter of all children are growing up in 'food insecure' homes. Or something like it. And students in particular have a very good reason not to vote for Cable or his gang of bandits. The massive hike in tuition fees was urged by Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader. Cameron would have given in and lowered or dropped them had the Lib Dems insisted. Our young people, the doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists, engineers, and professionals of tomorrow, are being sadly with tens of thousands of pounds in debt because Clegg and the Lib Dems thought they should. They are also a threat to democracy, because they decided to throw out John Stuart Mill and his resolute support of democracy to bring in secret courts. All in the interests of national security, of course.
But hey, the austerity they and the other centrists demand will bring prosperity eventually.
The answer to this is no, it won't. It hasn't so far, and won't ever. A few weeks ago I put up a video from the Canary which explained that everywhere austerity has been implemented it has produced nothing but poverty. And far from being massively popular, those parties promoting it have met with the absolute reverse.
And the Fascists know this, and are exploiting it.
Hope Not Hate on Monday, 20th May 2019, put up piece about a mass rally in Milan of the various European far right parties, organised by Matteo Salvini of Italy's Lega Party. It was a kind of 'Unite the Right' of European Fascists, attended by
Marine Le Pen of France's Rassemblement National and Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom. Alternative for Germany (AfD), Belgium's Vlaams Belang (VB), Estonia's EKRE and the Danish People's Party (DPP) had all sent their main MEP candidates and central party figures, Jörg Meuthen (AfD), Gerolf Annemans (VB), Jaak Madison (EKRE) and Anders Vistisen (DPP). Representatives from Slovakias Sme Rodina, Austrian Freedom Party, Finland's True Finns, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) from Czech Republic and Volya from Bulgaria also addressed the rally.
Hope Not Hate reported that
Welcomed by chants of his name from the crowd, Salvini said he wanted to "free the continent from the illegal occupation orchestrated in Brussels", and that Europe had been betrayed by the "Merkels, the Macrons, the Soroses and the Junckers who built a Europe based on finance and uncontrolled migration." The audience chanted "Matteo, Matteo, Matteo" in response.
Okay, Merkel is the leader of Germany's centre right Christian Democrats, and Soros is the Hungarian-American billionaire financier. But the policies they are pursuing are the old shopworn neoliberalism and austerity. As are Macron's, who's supposed to be reviving French prosperity. And if you don't believe that these people are Fascists, consider how close Geert Wilders' comments that "We must secure the future of our land and children". This is close to the infamous '14 Words' of the American neo-Nazis, which run something like 'We must secure a White homeland and the future of White children', although I've forgotten the right wording.
Salvini gathers leaders of the European far right in Milan
Europe desperately needs the return of genuine, socialist politics. Not just to restore its industries and people from decades of poverty, calculated neglect, privatisation and welfare cuts by its elites, but to save Europe and its tradition of democracy and human rights from a renewed Fascism. A strong vote for the Labour party in the elections will help them form a powerful bloc with the other European socialist parties. And it has always been the parties of the Left – the Socialists and Communists – who have been the most resolute and determined opposed of Fascism.
Don't let Farage and Cable lead us into a Continent-wide new Fascist Dark Age.
Vote Labour!
Tags:Alternative Fuer Deutschland, Anders Vistisen, Angela Merkel, Arron Banks, Austrian Freedom Party, Benefit Sanctions, Brexit Party, Captain Ska, Channel 4, Chester, Children, Christian Democrats, Conservatives, Danish People's Party, David Cameron, doctors, DWP, EKRE, Engineers, Esther McVey, Estonia, European Parliament, Financial Sector, Food Bnaks, Freedom and Direct Democracy, Geert Wilders, George Soros, Gerolf Annemans, Ian Duncan Smith, Immigration, Islamophobia, Jaak Madison, Jews, John Stuart Mill, Jorg Methen, Junckers, Labour Party, Lega Party, Lib-Dems, Macron, Marine Le Pen, Neoliberalism, NHS Privatisation, Nick Clegg, Nigel Farage, Nurses, Political Donations, Privatisation, racism, Rassemblement National, Scientists, Secret Courts, Slovakia, Sme Rodina, Students, Teachers, The Canary, The Guardian, True Finns, Tuition Fees, UKIP, Vince Cable, Vlaams Belang, Volya, Vox Political, Welfare State, Whites, Working Class
Posted in America, Austria, Banks, Belgium, Bulgaria, Charity, communism, Czech Republic, Democracy, Denmark, Disability, Economics, Education, England, European Union, Fascism, Finland, Germany, Health Service, Industry, Islam, Italy, Judaism, Justice, Music, Nazis, Persecution, Philosophy, Politics, Popular Music, Poverty, Television, The Press, Unemployment, Welfare Benefits | Leave a Comment »
Tommy Robinson Exploiting the Misery of the White Working Class
Last Monday, 13th May 2019, the great man at the Zelo Street blog put up an article explaining how Tommy Robinson was avoiding the more prosperous areas of northwest England to concentrate instead on the poorest, and those areas with the highest levels of depression. The virulent anti-Islam campaigner, late of the EDL, Pegida UK and the BNP, was avoiding towns like Crewe, Chester, Southport, Lancaster, Northwich, Winsford, Runcorn, St Helens, Ellesmere Port, Chorley, Wilmslow, Ashton-under-Lyne, and places like them. Instead, he was concentrating on towns like Brinnington, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Rochdale, Burnley, and Barrow-in-Furness.
Brinnington has the highest levels of clinical depression in the north and midlands. According to the Groaniad, it accounted for 23.6 per cent of all cases seen by GPs in the town. Four other areas with the highest levels of depression are in or near Birkenhead – Bidston Hill, Tranmere, Woodchurch and Birkenhead Central. Another two are in Fleetwood, near Blackpool. Robinson is due to visit that fair town, as well as Carlisle, which has another area with a very high incidence of depression. Three more areas are Rochdale, whose Heywood area Robinson was due to visit on Saturday. Robinson cancelled a visit to Blackburn, but turned up in Burnley, which has two of England's most deprived towns near it. He also planned on visiting Barrow-in-Furness, which has an acute heroin problem.
Zelo Street concluded
And by pure coincidence, Stephen Lennon is favouring the area with a visit this week. All the while, The Great Man is waving his begging bowl, telling those amongst whom he comes that he needs their help. That they live on the margins of society, and he lives in the lap of luxury, does not seem to occur to those willing to cheer him on.
Living high on the hog while preying on misery. Welcome to the Tommy Tour.
See: https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2019/05/tommy-robinson-campaign-trades-on-misery.html
It's not just that Robinson is exploiting the poverty and poor mental health afflicting the people of those towns, he's also trying use their misery to distract them from the real economic and political causes of their problems. These areas have suffered from the decline of traditional industries, resulting in high unemployment rates. Which would also account for the massive rise in depression due to the lack of self-esteem, hopelessness and sheer despair. These are areas that have not been helped by the neoliberalism embraced and enthusiastically promoted by the Tories, the Lib Dems and Blairite Labour. Thatcher made it very clear that she did not believe in providing any help to failing industries or direct state interference in the economy. Failing companies were to be allowed to fail, on the grounds that state aid was inefficient and would prevent the operation of the market forces that would see new industries take off to provide work and prosperity.
This hasn't happened. These areas are still poor and depressed. And it was situation made worse in the 1990s when the Tories decided to destroy whatever remained of the British mining industry. This was touted, again, as saving the country from supporting a failing and uneconomic industry, but the real reason was to destroy the NUM, which had overthrown Heath's government in the 1970s.
But Conservative ideology prevents any discussion of the failings of private industry or the precious market forces, which the supporters of the free market are constantly telling us must be obeyed at all costs, and will ultimately bring back jobs and wealth. And so scapegoats must be found to explain why the free market isn't working as it should, or to direct popular anger away the businessmen, think tanks and politicians pushing these policies. And so Fascists like Robinson accuse racial or religious minorities or outside groups of causing these problems. The Nazis made Jews synonymous with capitalism, and so claimed they had created a socialist Germany when they persecuted and murdered them. Capitalism, however, was retained and encouraged, although private industry was subject to a complex system of state planning. George Orwell described it as 'the socialism of fools'. And right-wing populist politicians across the world, from Trump in America to the EDL, UKIP and the Brexit party in Britain are doing it today. Aided by mainstream Conservatives.
The right-wing press, and particularly the Heil and Speccie, have been telling their working class readers that their poor and underprivileged, not because of Tory policies that have decimated manufacturing industry and are destroying the NHS and welfare state for the profit of big business. No, it's because high-spending Labour authorities and liberal 'political correctness' are deliberately diverting funding to undeserving groups, like Blacks, other ethnic minorities, gays and in the case of Tommy Robinson and his supporters, Scary Muslims.
The right have been doing this since Bacon's Rebellion in 17th century. This was a revolt in Virginia where the slaves were joined by White indentured servants. The rebellion was put down, but to ensure that Blacks and poor Whites never united again to challenge the social hierarchy, laws were passed that separated Blacks from Whites, and gave Whites a higher social status. But crucially, these laws did not improve conditions for the indentured White servants. Materially, they gained nothing from these laws. Nevertheless, they had the psychological effect intended. From then on, White indentured servants didn't make common cause with the slaves against their exploitation, or at least, not so much, because Blacks were now their social inferiors.
And it's the same here. Robinson fully supports neoliberalism. Indeed, in his attack on a female academic at Liverpool John Moores University, he defended it against left-wing academics such as herself. He and his supporters offer precious little that will make the lives of ordinary working people better. The only thing they offer is more division and hatred.
There are issues with Islam, such as the continuing malign influence of the preachers of hate and the dangers of self-radicalisation for the young and disaffected through the internet. And authorities have targeted ethnic minorities for a greater proportion of aid because these groups are, or have been, more deprived, or have specific needs that can only be addressed through projects directed to them. Like the rape helpline for women from ethnic minorities, which Robinson so grossly misrepresented as deliberately excluding Whites and legitimising the assault of White women. It wasn't the case, and his vile tweets about it resulted in the phone line having to be shut down because of the abusive calls they were receiving, thus depriving extremely vulnerable women of the help they needed.
Fortunately, Robinson's tour of the northwest isn't going as smoothly as he planned. A string of towns have made it clear that he is not welcome, there have been large counterprotests. And to cap it all, the internet platform, Stripe, that makes it possible for people to donate their hard earned cash to him, has thrown him off. Which makes it a bit more difficult for him to scrounge off the poor and misinformed.
Robinson poses as a member of the working class, defending them from the politically correct Left and militant Islam. He isn't. He's a very rich man, thanks to the money he's been given by his followers. And he offers nothing to the working class except more neglect and poverty, but with racial hatred and suspicion added. He's a disgrace.
This Thursday, those who really want to see working people's lives improved should ignore him, and his lies about Europe and Muslims, and vote for somebody else instead.
Tags:'Stripe', Ashton-Under-Lyne, Bacon's Rebellion, Barrow-In-Furness, Birkenhead, Blackpool, BNP, Brexit Party, Brinnington, Burnely, Capitalism, Carlisle, Chester, Chorley, Conservatives, Crewe, Daily Mail, Donald Trump, Donations, Drugs, EDL, Edward Heath, Elections, Ellesmere Port, Ethnic Minorities, George Orwell, Indentured Servants, Jews, Labour Party, Lancaster, Lib-Dems, Margaret Thatcher, Market Forces, Midlands, Mining, Neoliberalism, Northwich, NUM, Pegida UK, Private Industry, racism, Rape, Rochdale, Runcorn, Southport, St. Helens, State Planning, The Guardian, the Poor, The Spectator, Tommy Robinson, tony blair, UKIP, Virginian, Whites, Wilmslow, Winsford, Women, Working Class, Zelo Street
Posted in America, Coal, Crime, Economics, England, European Union, Fascism, Health Service, History, Industry, Islam, Judaism, Law, Mental Illness, Nazis, Persecution, Politics, Poverty, Slavery, Socialism, Terrorism, The Press, Trade Unions, Unemployment, Welfare Benefits | 1 Comment »
Review: The Liberal Tradition, ed. by Alan Bullock and Maurice Shock
(Oxford: OUP 1967)
I picked this up in one of the secondhand bookshops in Cheltenham. I am definitely not a Liberal, but so many of the foundations of modern representative democracy, and liberal political institutions, rights and freedoms were laid down by Liberals from the 17th century Whigs onward, that this book is of immense value for the historic light it sheds on the origins of modern political thought. It is also acutely relevant, for many of the issues the great liberal philosophers, thinkers and ideologues argued over, debated and discussed in the pieces collected in it are still being fought over today. These are issues like the freedom, religious liberty and equality, democracy, anti-militarism and opposition to the armaments industry, imperialism versus anti-imperialism, devolution and home rule, laissez-faire and state intervention, and the amelioration of poverty.
Alan Bullock is an historian best known for his biography of Hitler: A Study in Tyranny, which remains the classic work on the Nazi dictator. In the 1990s he produced another book which compared Hitler's life to that of his contemporary Soviet dictator and ultimate nemesis, Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives. The book has an introduction, tracing the development of Liberalism from its origins to the 1930s, when the authors consider that the Liberal party ceased to be an effective force in British politics. This discusses the major issues and events, with which Whig and Liberal politicians and thinkers were forced to grapple, and which in turn shaped the party and its evolving intellectual tradition.
The main part of the book consists of the major historical speeches and writings, which are treated in sections according to theme and period. These comprise
Part. Fox and the Whig Tradition
1. Civil Liberties.
Two speeches by Charles James Fox in parliament, from 1792 and 1794;
Parliamentary speech by R.B. Sheridan, 1810.
Parliamentary speech by Earl Grey, 1819.
Lord John Russell, An Essay on the History of the English Government and Constitution, 1821.
Lord John Russell, parliamentary speech, 1828.
2. Opposition to the War against Revolutionary France
Speeches by Charles James Fox, from 1793, 1794 and 1800.
3. Foreign Policy and the Struggle for Freedom Abroad
Earl Grey, parliamentary speech, 1821;
Marquis of Lansdowne, parliamentary speech, 1821.
Extracts from Byron's poems Sonnet on Chillon, 1816, Childe Harold, Canto IV, 1817, and Marino Faliero, 1821.
4. Parliamentary Reform
Lord Melbourne, parliamentary speech, 1831.
T.B. Macaulay, parliamentary speech, 1831.
Part II. The Benthamites and the Political Economists, 1776-1830.
1. Individualism and Laissez-faire
Two extracts from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, 1776.
Jeremy Bentham, A Manual of Political Economy, 1798.
2. Natural Laws and the Impossibility of Interference
T.R. Malthus, Essay on Population, 1798.
David Ricardo, The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, 1819.
3. Free Trade
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations,
David Ricardo, Principles of Political Economy,
Petition of the London Merchants, 1820.
4. Colonies
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations.
5. Reform
Jeremy Bentham, Plan of Parliamentary Reform, 1817.
David Ricardo, Observations on Parliamentary Reform, 1824.
Jeremy Bentham, Constitutional Code, 1830.
John Stuart Mill, Autobiography.
Part III. The Age of Cobden and Bright.
1. Free Trade and the Repeal of the Corn Laws
Petition of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce to the House of Commons, 20 December 1838.
Richard Cobden, two speeches in London, 1844.
Cobden, speech in Manchester, 1846,
Lord John Russell, Letter to the Electors of the City of London (The 'Edinburgh Letter') 1845.
2. Laissez-Faire
Richard Cobden, Russia, 1836.
Richard Cobden, parliamentary speech, 1846.
Joseph Hume, parliamentary speech, 1847.
John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, 1848.
T.B. Macaulay, parliamentary speech 1847.
John Bright, parliamentary speech 1847.
4. Religious Liberty
John Bright, two parliamentary speeches, 1851 and 1853.
5. Foreign Policy
Richard Cobden, parliamentary speech, 1849;
Viscount Palmerston, speech at Tiverton, 1847;
Richard Cobden, parliamentary speech, 1850; speech at Birmingham, 1858; speech in Glasgow, 1858;
John Bright, letter to Absalom Watkins, 1854;
W.E. Gladstone, parliamentary speech, 1857;
6. India and Ireland
T.B. Macaulay, parliamentary speech, 1833;
John Bright, four speeches in parliament, 1848, 1849,1858, 1859;
Richard Cobden, speech at Rochdale, 1863.
Part IV. The Age of Gladstone
1. The Philosophy of Liberty
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859;
John Stuart Mill, Representative Government, 1861;
Lord Acton, A Review of Goldwin smith's 'Irish History', 1862;
Lord Acton, The History of Freedom in Antiquity, 1877.
Lord Acton, A Review of Sir Erskine May's 'Democracy in Europe', 1878.
Lord Acton, letter to Bishop Creighton, 1887.
Lord Acton, letter to Mary Gladstone, 1881;
John Morley, On Compromise, 1874.
Richard Cobden, two speeches at Rochdale, 1859 and 1863;
John Bright, speech at Rochdale, 1863; speech at Birmingham, 1865; speech at Glasgow, 1866; speech at London, 1866;
W.E. Gladstone, speech at Chester, 1865; speech at Manchester, 1865; parliamentary speech, 1866;
W.E. Gladstone, two parliamentary speeches, 1877 and 1878; speech at Dalkeith, 1879; speech at Penicuik, 1880, speech at Loanhead, 1880; article in The Nineteenth Century, 1878.
4. Ireland
John Bright, speech at Dublin, 1866 and parliamentary speech, 1868.
W.E. Gladstone, two parliamentary speeches, 1886 and 1888.
Part V. The New Liberalism
1. The Philosophy of State Interference
T.H. Green, Liberal Legislation or Freedom of Contract, 1881;
Herbert Spencer, The Coming Slavery, 1884;
D.G. Ritchie, The Principles of State Interference, 1891;
J.A. Hobson, The Crisis of Liberalism, 1909;
L.T. Hobhouse, Liberalism, 1911;
2. The Extension of Democracy
Herbert Samuel, Liberalism, 1902;
Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, speech at Plymouth, 1907;
D. Lloyd George, speech at Newcastle, 1909;
H.H. Asquith, speech at the Albert Hall, 1909.
L.T. Hobhouse, Liberalism, 1911.
3. Social Reform
Joseph Chamberlain, speech at Hull, 1885, and Warrington, 1885;
W.E. Gladstone, speech at Saltney, 1889;
Lord Rosebery, speech at Chesterfield, 1901;
Winston S. Churchill, speech at Glasgow, 1906;
D. Lloyd George, speech at Swansea, 1908;
Manchester Guardian, leading article, 8th July 1912;
4. The Government and the National Economy
H.H. Asquith, speech at Cinderford, 1903;
Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, speech at Bolton, 1903;
D. Lloyd George, speech at Bedford, 1913, and speech at Middlesbrough, 1913;
5. Imperialism and the Boer War
Sir William Harcourt, speech in West Monmouthshire, 1899;
J.L. Hammond, 'Colonial and Foreign Policy' in Liberalism and the Empire, 1900;
J.A. Hobson, Imperialism, 1902;
Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, speech at Stirling, 1901.
6. Armaments
Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, speech at London, 1905;
William Byles, parliamentary speech, 1907;
Sir E. Grey, two parliamentary speeches from 1909 and 1911;
Sir J. Brunner, speech at the 35th Annual Meeting of the National Liberal Federation, 1913.
House of Commons debate 22nd July 1909, featuring J.M. Robertson and Arthur Ponsonby;
Sir E. Grey, two parliamentary speeches, 1911 and 1914;
House of Commons debate, 14th December 1911, featuring Josiah Wedgwood and J.G. Swift MacNeill;
Manchester Guardian, leading article, 1 August 1914;
Part VI. Liberalism after 1918
1. The End of Laissez-faire
J.M. Keynes, The End of Laissez-Faire, 1926;
Britain's Industrial Future, the Report of the Liberal Industrial Inquiry, 1928;
J.M. Keynes and H.D. Henderson, Can Lloyd George Do It? 1929,
Sir William Beveridge, Full Employment in a Free Society, 1944.
2. The League and the Peace
Viscount Grey of Fallodon, The League of Nations, 1918;
Gilbert Murray, The League of Nations and the Democratic Idea, 1918;
Manchester Guardian, leading article, 24th June 1919;
J.M. Keynes, The Economic Consequences of the Peace, 1919;
D. Lloyd George, speech at London, 1927;
Philip Kerr, The Outlawry of War, paper read to the R.I.I.A., 13 November 1928;
The Liberal Way, A survey of Liberal policy, published by the National Liberal Federation, 1934.
J.M. Keynes, Am I a Liberal? Address to the Liberal summer school at Cambridge, 1925.
In their conclusion, Bullock and Shock state that Liberal ideology is incoherent – a jumble – unless seen as an historical development, and that the Liberal party itself lasted only about seventy years from the time Gladstone joined Palmerstone's government in 1859 to 1931, after which it was represented only by a handful of members in parliament. The Liberal tradition, by contrast, has been taken over by all political parties, is embodied in the Constitution, and has profoundly affected education – especially in the universities, the law, and the philosophy of government in the civil service. It has also inspired the transformation of the Empire into the Commonwealth. It has also profoundly affected the British character at the instinctive level, which has been given expression in the notion of 'fair play'.
They also write about the immense importance in the Liberal tradition of freedom, and principle. They write
In the pages which follow two ideas recur again and again. The first is a belief in the value of freedom, freedom of the individual, freedom of minorities, freedom of peoples. The scope of freedom has required continual and sometimes drastic re-defining, as in the abandonment of laissez-faire or in the extension of self-government to the peoples of Asia and Africa. But each re-definition has represented a deepening and strengthening, not an attenuation, of the original faith in freedom.
The second is the belief that principle ought to count far more than power or expediency, that moral issues cannot be excluded from politics. Liberal attempts to translate moral principles into political action have rarely been successful and neglect of the factor of power is one of the most obvious criticisms of Liberal thinking about politics, especially international relations. But neglect of the factor of conscience, which is a much more likely error, is equally disastrous in the long run. The historical role of Liberalism in British history has been to prevent this, and again and again to modify policies and the exercise of power by protests in the name of conscience. (p. liv).
They finish with
We end it by pointing to the belief in freedom and the belief in conscience as the twin foundations of Liberal philosophy and the element of continuity in its historical development. Politics can never be conducted by the light of these two principles alone, but without them human society is reduced to servitude and the naked rule of force. This is the truth which the Liberal tradition has maintained from Fox to Keynes – and which still needs to be maintained in our own time. (pp. liv-lv).
It should be said that the participation of the Lib Dems was all too clearly a rejection of any enlightened concern for principle and conscience, as this was jettisoned by Clegg in order to join a highly illiberal parliament, which passed, and is still passing under its Conservative successor, Theresa May, legislation which is deliberately aimed at destroying the lives and livelihood of the very poorest in society – the working class, the disabled and the unemployed, and destroying the very foundations of British constitutional freedom in the creation of a network of universal surveillance and secret courts.
These alone are what makes the book's contents so relevant, if only to remind us of the intense relevance of the very institutions that are under attack from today's vile and corrupt Tory party.
Tags:'Britain's Industrial Future', 'Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives', 'Hitler: A Study in Tyranny', 'The Liberal Tradition', 'The Liberal Way', 'The Nineteenth Century', 'The Wealth of Nations', Absalom Watkins, Adam Smith, Alan Bullock, Albert Hall, anti-Militarism, Arms Industry, Arthur Ponsonby, Bishop Creighton, Boer War, Byron, Cambridge University, Chamber of Commerce, Charles James Fox, Chester, Chesterfield, Civil Liberties, Conservatives, Constitution, Corn Laws, D.G. Ritchies, Dalkeith, David Lloyd George, David Ricardo, Dublin, Earl Grey, Equality, Erskine May, Free Trade, Freedom of Conscience, Freedom of Religion, French Revolution, Gilbert Murray, Glasgow, H.D. Henderson, H.H. Asquith, Herbert Samuel, Herbert Spencer, hitler, Home Rule, Hull, Imperialism, J.A. Hobson, J.G. Swift MacNeill, J.L Hammond, J.M. Keynes, J.M. Robertson, Jeremy Bentham, John Russell, John Stuart Mill, Joseph Chamberlain, Joseph Hume, Josiah Wedgwood, L.T. Hobhouse, laissez-faire, League of Nations, Loanhead, London, Lord Acton, Lord Melbourne, Lord Rosebery, Manchester, Marquis of Lansdowne, Mary Gladstone, Maurice Shock, Merchants, National Liberal Federation, Newcastle, Nick Clegg, Parliament, Penicuik, Philip Kerr, Plymouth, Political Economy, R.B. Sheridan, Religious Equality, Richard Cobden, Rochdale, Saltney, Secret Courts, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, Sir J. Brunner, Sir William Harcourt, stalin, State Intervention, Surveillance, Swansea, T.B. Macaulay, T.H. Green, T.R. Malthus, The Guardian, Theresa May, Tiverton, Viscount Grey of Fallodon, Viscount Palmerston, W.E. Gladstone, Warrington, Whigs, William Byles, Winston S. Churchill, Working Class
Posted in Africa, Asia, communism, Democracy, Disability, Economics, Education, Ethics, France, History, Industry, Ireland, Justice, Law, Liberals, LIterature, Morality, Nazis, Politics, Poverty, Scotland, South Africa, The Press, Unemployment, Wales | Leave a Comment »
The Punishment of Starving Thieves: The Barbarism of Modern Britain
A 15th century law court
One of the commenter's to Mike's blog, Vox Political, R. Jim Edge, reported an appalling miscarriage of British justice. The comment is on Mike's post, reblogged from Pride's Purge, about the death of a mentally ill man, Mark Wood, from starvation. Wood had been sanctioned by Atos, and this exacerbated his mental illness. He developed an eating disorder, and refused money his family gave to spend on food. He died weighing just over 5 stone, with a body mass index of 11.5. The full details are on Pride's Purge and the Void. R. Jim Edge commented
Its going to get worse, just this week in Chester a woman who stole some groceries from TESCO because she had had her benefits stopped was (and this is the good bit) fined £30 and ordered to pay £80 compensation to tesco.
This is actually a more unjust legal decision than the notoriously harsh punishments associated with medieval law. The popular image of the medieval punishment for theft was that thieves had their hands amputated. In England the punishment depended on the amount stolen. If it was over a certain number of shillings, then the thief was fined. If it was over the amount, he was hanged. However, theologians argued that if someone stole bread because they were starving, then that person had done so out of necessity, not wickedness. In their opinion, they should not be punished.
The woman in Chester was clearly motivated from hunger, if she had had her benefit stopped. By the standards of medieval law, therefore, she should not have been fined, nor had to give compensation to Tesco. By this standard, the law now is worse than that of the Middle Ages. IDS and the Coalition really are leading us back to barbarism.
Tags:Atos, Chester, Coalition, Eatinig Disorder, Ian Duncan Smith, Mark Wood, Middle Ages, Pride's Purge, R. Jim Edge, Starvation, Tesco, The Void, Theft, Vox Political
Posted in Disability, Ethics, Justice, Law, Mental Illness, Politics, Poverty, Welfare Benefits | 5 Comments »
Have Scientists from Sheffield University Found Life from Outer Space?
A team of scientists from Sheffield University believe that they may have discovered extraterrestrial life. According to this story on MSN News http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/has-life-from-space-just-accidentally-arrived-on-earth/ a group from the University's department of molecular biology and biotechnology under Professor Milton Wainwright sent a balloon 27 km up into the stratosphere during the recent Perseid meteor shower. The balloon was launched from Chester and came down near Wakefield. The balloon carried microscope studs, which were set to open between 22 and 27 km above the Earth. To ensure that the results were not contaminated by organisms from the Earth's surface, the equipment was sterilised before it was launched.
When it returned, it was found that the studs had collected a variety of microscopic organisms. Some were diatoms, a form of algae, along with more unusual life-forms. Prof Wainwright said "It is generally accepted that a particle of the size found cannot be lifted from Earth to heights of, for example, 27km. In the absence of a mechanism by which large particles like these can be transported to the stratosphere, we can only conclude that the biological entities originated from space. Our conclusion then is that life is continually arriving to Earth from space. Life is not restricted to this planet and it almost certainly did not originate here. If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution. New textbooks will have to be written!"
The team's finding appears to corroborate the highly controversial views of the origin and evolution of life on Earth of the late Sir Fred Hoyle and his colleague, Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe. Panspermia is the theory that life originated in space and later colonised Earth. It was first put forward in the 19th century by the Swedish astronomer, Svante Aarhenius. In the late 1970s and early '80s Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe wrote a series of books Lifecloud (London: Dent 1978), Diseases from Space (London: Sphere 1979) and Evolution from Space (London: J.M. Dent 1981), reviving and expanding the theory. They suggested that not only had life come to Earth from space, but that it was viruses and bacteria continued to arrive from space to infect humans and another creatures here on Earth.
Most controversially, they suggested in the last book that Darwin's theory of evolution was inadequate to explain the evolution of the Earth's creatures. They argued that the process of evolution was actually too rapid to be cause by what they viewed as they slow processes of Natural Selection operating on random mutation. They considered instead that evolution was actually driven through viruses and other genetic material entering and mutating terrestrial organisms from space. More speculatively still, they suggested that the seeding of such genetic material on Earth was done deliberately by advanced extraterrestrial civilisations. They suggested that these would artificial, machine intelligences from another cosmos in the multiverse. Their theory that evolution has been consciously directed is extremely similar to Intelligent Design, proposed and supported by the mathematicians and scientists William Dembski and Michael Behe. Most of the supporters of Intelligent Design are religious, and the theory has been severely attacked as a form of Creationism.
This is not the first time a scientific balloon has returned from the stratosphere containing what was suggested was extraterrestrial microbial life. A few years a balloon sent up by scientists in India returned to Earth with red slime. Like Prof Wainwright, the Indian scientists believed this material had been collected from too high an altitude for it to have come from the Earth. They came to the conclusion that it must therefore have come from space. Fred Hoyle died twenty or so years ago in the 1990s. The media did contact Chandra Wickramasinghe, who was then working at Cardiff University, if I recall correctly. Prof Wickramasinghe was delighted that there was now further evidence to support his and Sir Fred's theory.
Meanwhile, Prof Wainwright's team intend to repeat the experiment in October, when there is a meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet. This will spread further cosmic dust. If the balloon returns again with similar material, it will confirm the team's theory.
All this is fascinating and highly controversial. I don't think, however, there's any remote chance of them finding anything like the horrific extraterrestrial disease in Michael Creighton's book and film, The Andromeda Strain.
Tags:Andromeda Strain (film), Bacteria, balloon, Chester, Creationism, darwin, evolution, Fred Hoyle, Halley's Comet, India, Intelligent Design, Meteors, Michael Behe, Michael Creighton, Milton Wainwright, Natural Selection, origin of life, panspermia, Svante Aarhenius, University of Sheffield, Viruses, Wakefield, William Dembski
Posted in Astronomy, Evolutionary Theory, Film, India, Science, Sweden, Theology | Leave a Comment »


Why No Mention of Dan in Revelation 7?
The list of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in Revelation 7 omits the tribe of Dan and the half tribe of Ephraim but includes the "tribe of Joseph" and the half tribe of Manasseh. What are the implications of this variation of the tribal listings?
I am convinced that tedious listings serve an obvious meaning: to clarify that a passage is to be taken literally (and thus within the category of genealogies and numberings found in the Torah and elsewhere). As another case in point, Ezekiel's Temple measurements are horrendously detailed; therefore, the most reasonable interpretation is that the Temple will actually be rebuilt during the Kingdom Age. Who else would want to tackle the meaning of the text if it were not literal? Who would have time or energy to decode it if it were allegorical? Tedious detail precludes the "easy out" of allegorical or spiritual interpretation.
But why is "Joseph" added? In a sense, the tribe of Joseph was only a tribe in theory. As you might recall, Joseph's two sons were given separate tribal status because Joseph was specially honored with a double portion. Even though he was not born first (chronologically), he was, by Jacob's decree, given the rights of the firstborn socially (hence receiving the double portion given to the firstborn son). Jacob himself had been in a similar position: even though his twin Esau was born first, Jacob received the honors of the firstborn.
These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.
On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.
On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.
On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.
In this text, we can postulate that the Tribe of Ephraim, being the dominant tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, is included under the banner of the "Tribe of Joseph." But it is my opinion that the term "Joseph" is used to include MORE than merely Ephraim. I will elaborate on this further below.
In the above passage (Ezekiel 48), we observe two distinct tribal listings in the same chapter. Do we see any other tribal variations in the Old Testament? Yes!
In Deuteronomy 33, the tribe of Simeon is left out of Moses' blessing. If we can discover why Simeon was left out there, then that could provide us with the clue to Revelation 7.
A reasonable answer for Simeon's omission is that the land of Simeon was an island surrounded by the territory of Judah. Note this point: few conservatives challenge that the tribes Moses mentions in Deuteronomy 33 are literal (simply because one is left out). Between the passage mentioned above in Ezekiel and the list of Deuteronomy 33, it is reasonable to conclude that the Jews viewed the 12 Tribes as a fluid expression of their national composition. Whereas the 12 sons of Jacob are absolute and unchanging in nature, the 12 tribes have been fluid since the beginning (when Jacob, by blessing Joseph's two sons, created 13 tribes).
Perhaps I am cynical, but it seems to me that the reason some theologians point to the omission of Dan in Revelation is because they have an agenda to allegorize the tribes. Since there is no such agenda for Deuteronomy 33, some of the same scholars who defend the literal integrity of Deuteronomy advocate allegorizing Revelation 7.
Also worth noting in our quest is the fact that the tribe of Benjamin is frequently included with Judah throughout the Old Testament. These clues advance our "fluidity" theory.
About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe."
Note here that the ten strips plus the one strip of fabric equals only eleven strips. Yet we know that the "one strip" really represented two tribes, Judah and Benjamin.
Conventional interpretation suggests that Benjamin was so small at this time that it was not considered its own tribe. If so, we need to add Levi to get 12 tribes, and, of course, Levi's land allotments were scattered through all Israel. Although many faithful Jews later migrated to Judah from the Northern Kingdom, Levi, at least initially, probably kept its land scattered within both the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
If Benjamin were included, we would have what we normally picture: 13 tribes (11 full tribes and two "half" tribes). If Benjamin indeed is not counted here as its own tribe, why is it unthinkable that Dan should suffer the same fate in Revelation?
In light of all this evidence, it seems logical to conclude the following: The Twelve Tribes of Israel were not as firmly set as many believe. The enumeration of the twelve tribes is a floating enumeration.
We see something related in Paul's account of a post-resurrection appearance of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:5 we read that Jesus, "appeared to the Twelve." The problem is that twelve apostles were not present. In His first appearance, He only appeared to ten. Even when Thomas was present a week later, He technically appeared to eleven apostles. (Judas Iscariot was dead). In that case, the term, "The Twelve" is not so much a numerical term as a figure for the apostolic group. The same seems to be true with the twelve tribes of Israel. In this case, we must ask, "which twelve?"
And Amalek came from the land of the south and leaped on that night a thousand and six hundred miles; and on account of the disagreement which had been between Esau and Jakob, he came and waged war with Israel in Rephidim, and took and killed (some of the) men of the house of Dan; for the cloud did not embrace them, because of the strange worship that was among them.
Contrasting this to the original text, Exodus 17:8, which simply reads: "The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim" gives the reader an impression that the author of the Targum is venting by means of a diatribe against Dan!
For some reason unknown to me, the Jewish people had a negative attitude toward the tribe of Dan, at least at one point in time. I am not saying that this negative attitude was prevalent as far back as the Second Temple period, but it may have been. This may or may not have bearing on the Revelation passage.
The Best Solution: The "Tribe of Joseph" is a Regional, Not Primarily Genetic, Term!
I will eventually bring us back to this point, namely that "Joseph" is a regional term (and provides room for expansion), but I want to "get us there" first.
Returning to Revelation 7, one solution seems likely to me: both Ephraim and Dan, and perhaps others, are included in the title, "tribe of Joseph." Although Ephraim and Manasseh were brothers and could therefore logically be called "the tribe of Joseph," remember that there really was no such Old Testament tribe as "Joseph," at least not in a practical sense. Instead, Joseph's line was represented by the phrase "the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh."
We need to take into account that though many of the northern tribes were "lost" after the Assyrian Conquest (722 B.C.), the godly of the land had previously fled south to Judah (2 Chronicles 15:9, 34:9). But that does not mean all tribal heritages were lost.
In New Testament times, for example, we are introduced to Anna, who was of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36, 38). In addition to the tribes of Levi, Judah and Benjamin (of which Paul was a member), most or all of the other tribes were probably represented within the Jewish community, although probably in small numbers.
So here is one possible scenario: After the conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., the godly Israelites from the tribes of Ephraim basically absorbed the remnant from the tribe of Dan, and the people of Dan lost their separate identity perhaps because so few of them were faithful to the Lord and hence not mentioned in the migration of 2 Chronicles 15:9. This combination of Dan, who descended from Rachael's handmaid, Bilhah, and Joseph who descended from Rachael, are so intertwined that they became known simply as the "Tribe of Joseph" because they really were such a mixture that perhaps their genealogies could no longer be sorted out, as could be done with the other tribes. Since Ephraim bordered the smaller region given to Dan, the groups absorbed each another. It could be that this conglomeration could have happened even before 722 B.C.; if so, the Ephraimites of 2 Chronicles 15:9 might be an Ephraim-Dan mix.
Since Ephraim and Dan had lost track of their genealogies by the first century A.D., they could not confidently call themselves Ephraimites or Danites, so they chose a term to explain this genetic uncertainty, the tribe of Joseph. This would also make it clear that their Ephraimitic line was the dominant strain and that they were all connected somewhere to Joseph but were not clearly legal heirs to the title "tribe of Ephraim."
Another possibility is that all those from the tribe of Dan are reduced in number in comparison to the other tribes. This might mean that there are still many descendents of Dan, but not enough to muster 12,000 virgin men (implied by Revelation 14:4) during the Tribulation period.
If the invasion of 2 Chronicles 16:4 depleted Dan, then the invasion of the Assyrians (2 Kings 15:29) may have depleted them further to the point that they virtually disappeared. If so, the term "Joseph" may refer to miscellaneous, minority or uncategorized Israelites.
In Zechariah 10:6, we read: "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them."
In these and other verses, the entire block of northern tribes is sometimes called "Joseph." So perhaps the tribe of Joseph refers to descendents of Israel who are so mixed that they cannot be categorized into any other tribe, with the tribe of Dan being completely mixed and beyond sorting.
Yet another intriguing possibility that provides an even simpler solution is this: the tribe of Joseph refers to the Samaritans! When the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, (aka, "Samaria," "Ephraim," or "Joseph,") they left some of the peoples behind while deporting the majority and dispersing them throughout their kingdom. Perhaps the majority of those left behind were from Dan and Ephraim. The Assyrians then imported a variety of gentile peoples into the land, and these people intermarried, creating the Samaritan race, a race the Jews despised. These were the troublemakers mentioned in Nehemiah: the early Samaritans.
Modern Jews (who have often done some intermarrying themselves) recognize the Samaritans--who have never left the land and still sacrifice Passover lambs on Mt. Gerizim--as fully Jewish! The Samaritan Jews today are more observant than modern Orthodox Jews. So perhaps the Samaritans are considered the tribe of Joseph because the term Joseph is used for the Northern Kingdom.
While we are at it, we might even suggest that the term Joseph includes gentiles who have converted to Judaism. We know, for example, that when the Hebrews left Egypt, some gentile peoples (called a "mixed multitude" in Exodus 12:38) were amalgamated into the nation.
You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign LORD.
This passage alone shows us a case of divine precedent: tribal identity is not merely genetic. Thus, the concept of "The Tribe of Joseph" leaves room for all kinds of converts to Judaism, mixed Jews, and Samaritans.
How Hard to Find 144,000 Jews?
Although there may not be enough virgin men to supply the 12,000 required for the Tribe of Dan, the world is filled with people who have genetic connections to Israel. Perhaps most people of European, Middle-Eastern, or North African descent are genetically connected to Israel somewhere--very likely to the many children of Solomon who married royalty throughout the region (and then the grandchildren who likewise married royalty moving the genetic connection in all directions, including westward). Since the progeny of royal families tended to be large and healthy, many of us have a touch of royal blood somewhere, and thus probably a Jewish connection.
Note that God not only promises to make a great nation from Jacob in Genesis 35:11, but also suggests that Jacob will father God's special nation, Israel, but also that a "community of nations" will arise from Jacob.
The text reads, "And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty ; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.'"
This could refer to the each of the tribes as a "nation," and thus Israel is a "community of nations," or it could refer to the idea that Jacob's genes would be spread throughout the world, which has very likely happened (as mentioned above, many of Solomon's thousands of children would have married foreign royalty, thus moving Jacob's genes in all geographical directions; the rulers of the Northern Kingdom of Israel would also marry off their children born to concubines and lesser wives to foreign royalty, thus propagating Israelites from non-Judean stock as well).
Although I disagree with the various theories of "British Israelism," the actual truth is that many people in the world have some genetic link to not only Abraham--but also to Jacob.
Although modern Jews determine whether one is born a Jew or not by whether one's mother was a Jewess, the ancient Biblical criteria seems oriented toward the heritage of the father. What criteria God will use to determine who belongs and does not belong to Israel are unrevealed.


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This is a non-denominational class based on Christian (biblical) principles. This class is open to all individuals all regardless of religon, race, ethnic background or gender.


Best Pinot Noir to Get the Best of the Tastes!
Every country that produces wine has some specialty to offer and for New Zealand there are two world famous wines that they offer i.e. pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. They have proved excellence in manufacturing these wines and have continually prospering industries for these two varieties.
Pinot noir is a very light shaded red wine that is the blend of various fruits like plums, tomato, berries and cherries flavors. Occasionally the flavor of wood or earth also seeps in. This wine goes perfectly well with all the typical foods fitted for red wines like creamy sauces, red meat and various spicy seasonings, as well as compliments both pork and chicken.
Pinot noir requires high maintenance as there are many difficulties faced in cultivating grapes, as these grapes call for warm days and followed by consistent support of cool evenings. This special wine has the flavor of French wine as wineries of France are significantly gifted in this kind of wine.
Initially Pinot Noir flourished in the Canterbury terrain of New Zealand and then spread to other provinces like Martin borough, Central Otago and then Waitaki making this wine a common product of this nation more than kiwi which is grown abundantly in this country.
This queen of red wine leaves ever lasting imprints on the minds of wine lovers as the flavor it has, is rich in texture and complex in nature. To bring spicy flavor for the taste buds, cinnamon, mint or sassafras is further added and it becomes spicier than any other wine. The contents of alcohol are high in this wine but still it is not tannic. The top most quality of this kind of wine takes nearly 5-8 years of storage after vintage giving it the softer and silkier taste but still not acidic or heavy in texture.
This highly preferred wine has a wide variety of aroma, flavors, and bouquets which sometimes confuse the wine enthusiasts. When this wine is blended with pinot meunier and chardonnay, it becomes sparkling like champagne. The other members of this pinot family are pinot Blanc, pinot meunier and pinot gris, and it can be put under the process of mutation easily and in this manner about 50 clones of this red wine are produced, to be widely used for deriving a large variety of aroma, bouquets and flavors of this special wine.


VMI Oak Brook, founded in 1999, continues to expand as a premier marketing company. VMI Oak Brook has over 30 locations nationwide and is averaging a yearly growth rate of over 24 percent. Our tremendous growth can be attributed to two primary ideals–the innovative marketing and sales strategies of VMI Oak Brook, and a deep sense of caring for the security, growth, and well being of our employees.


C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: The Board Game is an exciting and challenging crime solving board game that includes forensic cards, arrest warrants and evidence cards.
Obvious comparisons are likely to be drawn with the old family favourite Cludeo. However, C.S.I. offers a lot more. Sure, you have to move around the board collecting evidence before you rush to Grissom with your proof for who committed the crime, and how, but it is more complex than Cluedo.
You'll also need to carefully go through the instruction manual, because there is a lot to take in before you can start to play the game - and you know how everyone likes to argue over the rules.
The only slight problem is that I was hoping there would have been a few more crimes to solve than the eight that are included. While these can be played again and again, it would have helped to have a bit more variety.
Fans of the TV series may not find this as exciting as the TV series, but it is the next best thing to starring in your open episode of C.S.I.


For many men, skincare seems too big a bother or too intimidating a prospect to invest any time or energy into it. "It's for women." "It's too complicated." "My skin is fine right now and I'm not doing anything." But skincare, no matter what your gender, is important, not only for looking good, but for staying healthy and preserving the integrity of your skin. An article from Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery describes the skin as an indicator of overall health throughout our lives. How we care for it is reflected in the way it functions, looks and ages.
Men, care for your skin. Not only for vanity, but for health. Here are a few reasons why it's important to develop a skincare routine and some simple suggestions for getting started.
Your skin is your body's largest organ and the first line of defense against disease and infection. This, if nothing else, is reason enough to care for your skin. Skin that's not well cared for can become too oily or too dry, which can cause complications. Oily skin can result in acne when pores become clogged with debris or dead skin cells. Dry skin can develop atopic dermatitis, which causes redness, itching, cracking and inflammation, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cracked skin can allow bacteria to enter, causing infection. In addition to being distracting, none of these symptoms are good for your image.
The solution to all of these problems can start with a simple skincare routine.
Cleansing your skin is the first step towards embarking on a skincare regimen. It's simple. You need to cleanse your skin. Choosing a cleanser from amongst the myriad drugstore and boutique options, however, is where developing this step of your routine gets complicated. Men's Fitness recommends using a facial cleanser that contains glycolic acid in the morning and in the evening before bed every day. Once or twice a week, use an exfoliating scrub to slough away dead skin cells that can clog pores and leave your skin looking dull and dry.
Moisturizing after you cleanse your skin should become an automatic part of your new skincare routine. When choosing a moisturizer, it pays to understand your skin and know your skin type. Most facial moisturizing lotions are oil-based, according to Men's Fitness, which will work well if you have normal skin. These types of lotions are particularly well suited for dry skin or winter skin parched by the elements and indoor heating. Oily skin, however, would be better off with an oil-free product. Look for something dermatologist tested and noncomedogenic if you're prone to acne breakouts.
Once you've cleansed and moisturized, it's important to protect your skin from the harsh environment, especially from the sun's damaging UV rays. To do this, you need to apply a sunscreen every day. The American Cancer Society recommends choosing a sunscreen that is "broad spectrum," meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. This ensures that your skin is not only being protected against the possibility of skin cancer, but also lines, wrinkles, sun spots and other visible signs of photoaging caused by the sun's rays.
Your sunscreen should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Higher SPF numbers do carry more sun protection, according to the American Cancer Society, but as the SPF number increases, the improvement becomes minimal. For instance, a sunscreen with 30 SPF filters out about 97 percent of UVB rays, whereas a sunscreen boasting 50 SPF filters out about 98 percent. The difference is negligible. Just don't dip below SPF 15, since it may only protect against sunburn, but not skin cancer or skin aging.
Remember as well that "sweat proof" does not mean "waterproof." A sweat proof sunscreen should be suitable on most days, but if you're headed to the pool or the beach, look for a sunscreen that will hold up better in the water. The American Cancer Society recommends reapplying every two hours or so to ensure you're well protected.


DO OVER – fix, adjust.
To alter, amend, improve, remedy, revise!
Oh, we all have many things that we would like to do over.
The truth is our failures and mistakes and wrongs can contribute to our success.
If allowed, these challenges and difficulties can serve as a refining process.
And it begins with how you view them.
Sure we make many mistakes, we all have failures!
But allow the refining process lead you to change and improvement and success.
Learn and change and improve.


After our wee stop at the Shiva Temple (see previous post), we crossed the street and headed towards Jaipur City Palace.
The palace was built initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, between between 1729 and 1732, and subsequently improved and augmented well into the 20th century. The complex is a quiet and serene contrast to the heat and dust of the lanes and over-populated market streets outside.
We spent a couple of hours slowly walking round the buildings and smart rooms before stopping there for a snacky lunch in a cool, cobbled courtyard.
Preparations seemed to be underway for a party (a wedding?) with a tiled dance floor painstakingly under construction by hand. We took advantage of the most luxuriant of one of the sumptuous seating areas for a few minutes rest.
Elsewhere we saw the second biggest chandelier in India, huge silver pots, the magnificent Diwan-I-Khas (the Maharaja's private audience hall) and Diwan-I-Aam (his public audience hall), Persian and Kashmiri carpets and rugs, carriages, palanquins and an artistically arranged armoury. This was a practical and impressively laid out room containing displays of the many knives, daggers, swords, blunderbusses, flintlocks and armour used by the warrior nation of Rajasthan.
A small slideshow of images of the City Palace.
On the periphery of the City Palace complex, overlooking the hectic Siredeori Bazaar, is a five storey pink sandstone wall of windows. The Hawa Mahal was built at the end of the 18th century, by the Maharajah Sawai Pratap Singh for his stable of royal women. Those poor birds were kept in "purdah" and were not allowed out in public; no-one was supposed to see them except his royal nibness.
This tall 'palace' is a honeycomb of latticed windows (supposedly 953 in total) from which the girls could have a good old gander at what the plebs were getting up to below.
After the palace Liz was keen to see the famous cotton merchants of Jaipur. Busier than Oxford Circus at Christmas, we forced our way through Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar, where we saw all manner of fabrics, salwar kameezes and saris for sale. It was pattern and print overload for us, but groups of brightly dressed women sat giggling and haggling with eager shop-keepers. We declined every earnest invitation to step inside to look at the wares; my shirt collection is getting ridiculous.
The most memorable part of those bazaars was the drinks vendor who specialises in vegetable juices. His best seller, at Rs10 (14p) a glass, was a lurid-looking beetroot, parsnip, Indian gooseberry and lemon drink which Liz and I decided to give a go. It was utterly delicious. The two occasions we passed his stall it was packed with workers looking for an end of day refreshment.
You might be interested to know what ingredients he's putting into his drinks, but you do NOT want to know what the bloke behind him is doing!
Our last bit of fun was ascending another temple, up to the first floor of another pink wall, and looking back down across the street we had just walked. Monkeys swung on electric cables whilst kids stood patiently in their school uniform as mums bought fruit and veg from the vendors beneath us.
I say this was our last bit of fun because, after walking for nine hours, Liz and I were exhausted. As the sun began to set, and after a small debate, we decided to get a cycle rickshaw back to the hotel, which was by now miles away.
Our first mistake was not taking one of the many young rickshaw hawkers who regularly cycle past touting for business. No, we were stupid enough to flag down some old boy – who looked at least 79 but was probably no more than 50 – and had probably never been outside the old city. When we tried in our best head-wobbling Indian accent to say the name of our hotel, the street, the region, nay the bloody country our hotel was in, our man looked at us blankly. Fortunately he had the instinct to ask the nearest shop-keeper who, after a group discussion with his neighbours, was able to explain to our driver exactly where we wanted to go.
The journey started pleasantly enough and Liz and I agreed that it was a more comfortable and fun way of seeing Jaipur at night than an auto-rickshaw.
Aside from the odd slope that ended in a clank, bump and a banged arse, it was good fun. Things took a more grim turn when our driver decided to continue down a street instead of taking a right; he then went left when by this time he should have been going in the opposite direction. Keen to share my local knowledge I tapped him on the shoulder and pointed the other way. He nodded, huffed, and then half-stepped down on the pedals to get himself across the busy dual carriage way he was crossing. He turned right.
What we hadn't realised was that he was now cycling down four lanes of on-coming traffic: he was heading down a one-way street the wrong way at night, with no lights. Most of the on-coming traffic – an assortment of killer buses, weaving cars, kamikaze auto-rickshaws and other nimble cycle rickshaws – had no lights either. It is quite normal to go up or down the road in any direction the driver fancies in India, but this was a really busy highway in a capital city and the junction was being monitored by a tall, officious looking traffic cop.
The policeman took one look at the oldest rickshaw driver in Jaipur (in India?) struggling to cart two fleshy westerners against an onslaught of beeping traffic, ran over blowing his whistle and raised an arm. As soon as he was in range the policeman dealt out an armful of lashings, whipping our driver until he was cowering over his handlebars. Liz and I screamed at the copper to stop and, realising we were white English tourists, he desisted. He wasn't apologetic though, despite my losing my rag at him. As I ranted at the copper for being a hooligan, Liz tugged at my elbow her telling me to pipe down.
After the commotion subsided we managed to get the policeman to believe that our driver was under our instruction and was doing his best to get us back to our hotel. We ascertained the best route through the one-way system from some local shopkeepers, all the while our 'driver' still cowering and nursing a sore arm. Eventually he turned the bike round and we headed home.
When we arrived I handed him a couple of notes for his troubles. He looked at me and at first I thought he was asking for more but I quickly realised he was indicating that he had no change. He'd spotted the Rs100 and thought I was just paying the standard Rs30. I wasn't, I had included another Rs50 as a large tip. When the penny dropped he put his hands together, nodded furiously and looked really pleased. He cycled off happily.
No doubt I'll be repeating this story for years to come, but I wonder what the oldest rickshaw driver in Jaipur made of the experience? Did he go home that evening with a story to tell, or was it just another day's lashing, a hazard of his profession? Liz said he might start intentionally cycling the wrong way up major arterial routes in the hope of another lashing followed by a large tip from his punters, but I think that's a bit cynical. I won't forget that poor chap as long as I shall live – which won't be long if I take another cycle rickshaw in Jaipur.
Great post. Have you guys seen any evidence of the caste system still around?
Yes, Neil, despite efforts by the authorities to play it down, the caste system is very much alive and kicking. It runs deep and is a way of life here.


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Category: 01Back to News
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We're still waiting to list lidos in South Yorkshire but there's still plenty of fun to be had – try one of these instead!
We've rounded up the best lidos in South Yorkshire in our quest to discover brilliant family attractions and places to visit near you. There are 12 South Yorkshire lidos to pick from. Alternatively, why not explore some other water days out nearby, including water parks, beaches or sailing and kayaking. Find the perfect places to go with your kids and get out on your next adventure!
If you've visited one of these lidos in South Yorkshire , please consider leaving a review on the attraction page to help others plan their next fun day out.


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Home › Blogs › Running in ZK Blog's blog ›
Submitted by Running in ZK Blog on Sun, 11/03/2013 - 09:40
Last night was the Halloween party. Halloween is not my favorite Twin Oaks holiday, but this year I really enjoyed it. We have a new holiday manager who used to be involved in haunted houses, and she did a wonderful job transforming ZK (our dining hall) into a party space. Many people don't like having parties at ZK (traditionally the dance parties at Halloween, Anniversary and Validation Day happen there) because the building feels "institutional," the dance floor is too big to ever feel "full," and the layout of the building encourages people to section off such that one feels as though the party is less attended than it actually is.
Halloween at Twin Oaks consist of a costume presentation and a dance party. During the costume presentation, people come to the front of the room and do a little skit about their costume (alone or in groups). My favorite skit was a rewriting of the story of King Solomon testing the maternity of a baby by offering to split it in two. In this clever skit, King Solomon does split the baby in two, and one of the women tells him that his wisdom will go down in history. People often work Twin Oaks culture into their skits. For instance, the person dressed as Amelia Earhart said that she was surprised to find herself on a commune in Virginia in 2013, but that she had been accepted into the next visitor period, and, until then, she would be a guest of Paxus. In another skit, two communards dressed as Ernie and Burt. Ernie tells Burt that he's got an idea for his next community meal: a tiki bar. Burt tells Ernie that this is a bad idea for a community meal because there's no real food, like "grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein." Ernie says he's already thought of that: "There will be fruit punch, bloody Marys, and beer made from fermented grains." The humor in this skit was that the person playing Ernie captured well both the essence of Ernie and stereotypes about himself. (He is a dinner honcho and a bar tender.)
The dance party starts immediately after the last skit in the costume presentations. The first DJ started playing music as people were still moving the chairs off the dance floor. At a typical Twin Oaks party, the line-up of DJs starts with the person with the most "accessible" music and transitions to someone with music more reminiscent of a club / bar (me this year) and ends with a person who plays electronic / trance music. I didn't stay for the third set, but I really enjoyed the first DJ's set, and it seemed like mine went over well too. To give a sense of what a Twin Oaks dance party is like, here are some songs I remember hearing during the first DJs' set:
The Commodores – "Brick House"
Amy Winehouse – "Rehab"
The Weather Girls – "It's Raining Men"
Destiny's Child – "Jumpin', Jumpin'"
Kanye West – "Gold Digger"
Justin Timberlake – "SexyBack"
Christina Aguilera, etc. – "Lady Marmalade"
and here is my playlist from last night:
The Ting Tings – "Hands"
Wynter Gordon – "Til Death"
Black Eyed Peas – "Just Can't Get Enough"
Nicki Minaj – "Va Va Voom"
Vassy – "Desire"
Afrojack – "Take Over Control"
Selena Gomez – "Slow Down"
Lady Gaga – "Starstruck"
Dev – "In the Dark"
Lady Gaga – "Telephone"
Macklemore – "Thriftshop"
Will.i.am – "Scream & Shout"
Ke$ha – "Die Young"
Black Eyed Peas – "Dirty Bit"
Azealia Banks – "212?
Stromae ft. Kanye West – "Alors On Dance"
Missy Elliott – "Get Your Freak On"
Nelly Furtado – "Promiscuous"
Nicki Minaj – "Pound the Alarm"
Psy – "Gangnam Style"
Melanie Amaro – "Respect"
The Cataracs – "Top of the World"
Flo Rida – "Whistle"
Kanye West – "Stronger"
Cleopatra & Hakim – "Walk Like an Egyptian"
Running in ZK Blog's blog
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Local News From A local Perspective
Steinmetz College Prep is Making Moves.
September 28, 2019 dunningnews Uncategorized 0
"Contribution by Members of Steinmetz Community"
Steinmetz is making moves. The type of moves that make people take notice. Steinmetz College Prep is providing a college level education with state of the art facilities. Steinmetz is serving its community as a scholastic center, an area resource and a place of neighborhood pride.
Steinmetz has been an IB World School for over 20 years. Steinmetz offers a "wall to wall" MYP curriculum for all of its freshmen and sophomores. It also offers the prestigious IB diploma program to juniors and seniors. Steinmetz is also now an official S.T.E.A.M. school. STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. In addition, we also offer a dual credit program with universities and colleges. Steinmetz also proudly carries our award winning JROTC program which has been recognized as an honor unit with distinction, earning one of the highest scores in the city. The JROTC program provides weekend training, summer camp, international trips to historical sights, college tours, archery, and other team building opportunities for our students. Over the last 4 years, STEINMETZ has averaged $10 million a year in scholarships.
Steinmetz has been awarded the Community Schools Initiative Grant ($500K a year) which has allowed the school to not just do what's best for its students, but help out the entire community as a whole. Along with Parent University and our on-site Medical Clinic, we've also invested in creative spaces that promote self expression and voice through a Mac computer labs, music recording studio stocked with instruments and all the essential gear to create masterpieces, and a state of the art e-gaming center.
One of the main highlights which everybody keeps talking about is the brand new front campus. Steinmetz has become a distinguished landmark. Highlighted by a new turf field that serves as home to the football and soccer teams. In addition, we have a complete track and field facility. The brand new baseball and softball fields are in a class of their own. With natural grass and an outfield fence, both fields are looking majestic.
Steinmetz has upgraded in many ways. The upgrades are not just physical but also ideological. We have focused on changing our way of thinking about students, parents, and community. We are creating a culture of celebrating success and a feeling of pride that was not present before. We are focused as a community around our core values and what it means to be a STREAK (Strong, Talented, Resilient, Empowered, Ambitious, Knowledgeable). We have partnered with the community to create the village that it takes to raise a child. We are building a better world, changing hearts, and changing minds. Steinmetz will continue to change for the better, adjust for what's needed and strive to stay "THE PRIDE OF THE NORTHWEST SIDE."
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City Ordinance to Fine Pet Chicken Owners upwards of $500 per day
Dunning has Options for High School Enrollment
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New Oak Park Traffic Pattern Means New Risks
Do you think Dunning has good high school options?


This property sold for $525,106 almost 3 years ago.
Super convenient location next to Kahala Mall. Rarely available, spacious single level 4 bedroom, 2 bath layout with enclosed lanai. Perfect for owners who want the convenience of being within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, movies and bus line. The apartment has been cleaned up and is ready for your remodeling dreams. To be sold in "as is" condition.


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9th MOP Bureau (MP) Geneva, Switzerland 06 July 1998
9th MOP Montreal, Canada 15 September 1997 - 17 September 1997
16th OEWG Montreal, Canada 09 September 1997 - 15 September 1997
18th ImpCom Nairobi, Kenya 02 June 1997
17th ImpCom Geneva, Switzerland 15 April 1997 - 16 April 1997
4th COP San Jose, Costa Rica 25 November 1996 - 27 November 1996
8th MOP San Jose, Costa Rica 25 November 1996 - 27 November 1996
14th OEWG San Jose, Costa Rica 19 November 1996 - 26 November 1996
16th ImpCom San Jose, Costa Rica 20 November 1996
13th OEWG Geneva, Switzerland 26 August 1996 - 29 August 1996
14th ImpCom Geneva, Switzerland 23 August 1996
3rd COP Bureau (VC) Geneva, Switzerland 22 March 1996
3rd ORM Geneva, Switzerland 19 March 1996 - 21 March 1996
13th ImpCom Geneva, Switzerland 18 March 1996 - 19 March 1996
7th MOP Vienna, Austria 05 December 1995 - 07 December 1995
12th ImpCom Vienna, Austria 27 November 1995
12th OEWG Geneva, Switzerland 28 August 1995 - 01 September 1995


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Century Properties Gets Stake in Pacific Star Building
By editor| 2019-03-14T01:00:57+00:00 October 24th, 2014|Corporate News|
In line with its plans to diversify its revenue streams, listed property company Century Properties Group, Inc. (CPG:PM) signed a memorandum of agreement for a 50 percent stake in the company that owns the low-rise tower of Pacific Star Building ("PSB Low Rise") located at the corner of Sen. Gil J. Puyat and Makati Avenue, Makati City.
PSB Low Rise, which is over 5,900 square meters of office space, is expected to contribute to the company's recurring revenues as the building is fully leased out. The company is acquiring the property through assuming the existing loan of PSB Low Rise.
From its listing in 2012, Century Properties is evolving from being a primarily residential developer to becoming a well-diversified real еstatе company. PSB Low Rise will be an addition to the company's planned commercial portfolio of 160,000 square meters that will be completed by 2019. This includes Century City Mall, a five-level 50,000 square meter which was completed earlier this year. It is the first mall to open in Makati City in almost a decade.
By the end of the year, Century Properties will turnover Centuria Medical Makati, a 28-storey out-patient medical facility also within Century City, which has both for sale and for lease medical IT units. The company, likewise, projects to complete three Class A commercial buildings in prime locations with close to 90,000 square meters, thereby enabling Century Properties to be a significant participant in the growth of the office space sector in the Philippines by 2019. "We welcome the addition of the low-rise tower of Pacific Star Building into our portfolio given that it is already a revenue-generating asset," said Kristina Garcia of investor relations.
« Centuria Medical Makati to spearhead medical tourism in the country
Century Properties tops out two towers of fast-selling Commonwealth project »
Century Properties expands after-sales services to unit buyers—offering leasing management assistance through Siglo Suites
Chinese New Year deals and treats at Century City Mall
Century Properties Group raises Php3B from Preferred Shares Follow-On Offering; Proceeds to bolster CPG's commercial leasing expansion
PHirst Park Homes acquires 30-hectare property in Batulao, Batangas
Century Properties Group to complete 2,853 condo units this year, ramps up expansion in affordable housing and commercial leasing


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NYTimes Debuts Streaming, Album on Its Website
By Jennifer Lane on May 10, 2010
I've been a fan of The National since I first heard their song All The Wine years back. Their lead singer Matt Berninger sings in an unforgettable deep baritone voice, similar to Crash Test Dummies, another band I like.
A few weeks ago The National, a ten year old Indie band about to release a new album, fell victim to music piracy when their album was leaked online. They responded by offering a stream of the album on the New York Times website. Then turned to social media site Tumblr to tell fans about it. They said a low quality version of their album was making its way across the Internet, but they hoped their fans would instead go to the New York Times site to hear it "at its intended level of quality". They also took the opportunity to announce the release date, so fans could then purchase the album.
I call this a nice, classy move by the band and a big win for the New York Times. It's the first time the Times has ever debuted an album on their website. I'll bet it won't be the last. It enables them to offer value to a younger demographic and spice up their website with quality content. In fact, it's the kind of offering that any online station would jump at. The Times has the site traffic to make it an attractive offer for the band as well.
NPR has been doing similar album debuts on their website for awhile, and in fact they are now offering a stream of the same album (it's still in advance of the official release date). Last November they featured a first listen to Norah Jones new album, and a list of First Listens on their site includes David Byrne, Merle Haggard, Jeff Beck, The Dead Weather, The New Pornographers and lots more. Again, as The National's album debut did for the Times, this feature expands both the image and the demographic for the NPR brand.


Are you hosting an elected official at your Hour of Code?
View our toolkit with all the information you need to make their visit and your event great!
From left to right: Governors from Arkansas, North Carolina, and Arizona participating in an Hour of Code.
Get every school participating, every student learning!
See why computer science education is important, and how you can help the effort by supporting the Hour of Code.
Use this email or this blurb as a starting point, and take a look at this how-to for schools and districts.
See our event how-to guide for a sample run of show, media outreach kit, and other event-planning resources. Hosting an event is a great way to promote the Hour of Code and increase participation.
Find classrooms and schools participating in your district, city, or state.
See this sample resolution supportive of Computer Science Education Week and its goals that could be used by state and local legislators.
Consider publishing an opinion piece in your local paper. See this sample op-ed supporting Computer Science Education Week and its goals.
Use this sample as a guide.
Learn more about computer science education in your state. Sign the petition there and you'll get updates on Code.org's local, state, and federal advocacy efforts.


Nike iD is heaven for people who enjoy customizing their sneakers, and it looks like things are getting even better. They've teamed up with Will Leather Goods to give us even more options, and the results are plush to say the least.
Will Leather Goods' can be applied across a wide range of Nike's sneakers and here's a small sampling of the looks. An Air Max 90, Air Max 1, Huarache and Air Force 1 are all seen here looking as premium as your favorite leather jacket. Most of them are given gum outsoles as well to match the tanned leather accents that can be included as well.
If you feel like building a pair of fly kicks with some of the best leather around, run over to Nike iD and start designing yours today.


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Immaculate Heart diver sets sights on Olympics
Angelus Staff
Jul 18, 2012 • < 1 Min Read
Immaculate Heart High School senior Maggie Denison, an Olympic hopeful and All-American diver, has signed a letter of intent with UCLA, where she plans to compete next fall on the university's Division 1 diving team.
For three years in a row, the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association has selected Denison for its All-American Diving Team. Last summer Denison competed in the Diving Nationals in Knoxville, Tenn., where she placed third in the nation in her age group (16-18) on the three-meter board.
Based on her performance at Nationals, Denison has qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials, to be held June 18-24, in Federal Way, Wash. She will be among 100 divers from across the country vying for one of the few spots on the U.S. Olympic Team, which will compete in the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Denison, the daughter of Michael and Teresa Denison of Pasadena, trains six days a week at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. An Immaculate Heart scholar-athlete, she holds the CIF-Southern Section record in both Division 3 and Division 4 diving.
"Maggie is a tremendous athlete and scholar, and yet very unassuming about her success," noted IH athletic director Maureen Rodriguez. "Immaculate Heart congratulates her on her many accomplishments and wishes her success on her future diving career at UCLA."
The school community recently celebrated Denison's achievement in signing ceremonies on campus. By signing a national letter of intent to participate in UCLA's NCAA Division 1 program, Denison will receive an athletic scholarship.
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Pope Francis hails 'the beauty of Mary's heart' on Immaculate Conception feast by Catholic News Agency December 8, 2021
Pope Francis to consecrate Ukraine and Russia to Immaculate Heart of Mary by Catholic News Agency March 15, 2022
Sights, sounds, and signs of life at OneLife LA 2022 by Robert Brennan January 25, 2022