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Archive for October, 2010

Bloomberg follies Redux

October 30, 2010

In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court indicated that a limited number of gun control restrictions are permissible under the Second Amendment — provisions such as “prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the Court said that its Heller ruling applied not just to Congress and federal enclaves, such as Washington, D.C., but nationwide as well.

Nevertheless, earlier this year, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and his police commissioner, Ray Kelly, proposed new regulations designed to give the NYPD the power to deny a firearm license to anyone, for reasons that most Americans would consider not nearly serious enough to warrant the suppression of a fundamental individual right.

These reasons — grouped under the heading “lack of good moral character or other good cause” — include an applicant’s “poor driving history,” termination from employment due to “lack of good judgment or lack of good moral character,” failure to pay debts, or having ever been arrested for anything more serious than a traffic offense, even if no charges had been filed, charges had been dropped, or the applicant had been found not guilty in court. For individuals whose license applications cannot be denied for those reasons, the proposal would also allow the police to deny a license to anyone about whom “information demonstrates an unwillingness to abide by the law [or] a lack of candor toward lawful authorities,” or when there is “other good cause.”

Insulting the intelligence of anyone who can read the proposal, the mayor and commissioner announced it in a press release which focused on how their plan would streamline the gun license application process and reduce license fees — all of which will be meaningless to people whose license applications will be denied. Only in the next to last paragraph did the release note that “NYPD will add to its regulations to offer more detailed examples of eligibility standards for a permit,” without giving examples of what those “examples” might be.

With the public comment period on the proposed regulations having ended in mid-September, and city bureaucrats working out the new regulations’ final language, on October 19th Bloomberg appeared on CNN’s “American Morning” program, saying that it is the NRA that is “totally unreasonable.”

Bloomberg’s statement is absurd; probably the kind of thing the NYPD should take into account, if he ever applies for a license to possess a gun.

At this moment, the future of Liberty is at stake

October 30, 2010

Rights Endowed by Whom?

What is really at stake in this election?

“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” –George Washington

Buy this poster here

Next Tuesday’s 2010 midterm election marks the first major battle in a fired-up grassroots effort to restore constitutional integrity, one with a fervor not seen since the election of Ronald Reagan 30 years ago.

The stakes in this election and those to follow are much higher than a mere contest between competing political platforms and personas. These elections will determine who is this nation’s arbiter of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Perhaps unwittingly, Barack Hussein Obama, by way of omission in several recent speeches, has made it abundantly clear whom he and his comrades reject as the source of the rights of all men. On three separate occasions, when speaking at fundraisers for his Leftist comrades, Obama has referenced the Declaration of Independence.

Speaking at the Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Annual Awards Gala, Obama said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed with certain inalienable [sic] rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” When questioned about the omission of who, precisely, endowed those rights, the White House press office claimed that Obama went off script … unlikely for a man who has been glued and tattooed to his Teleprompters.

A few days later, speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Obama said, “If we believe that … everybody is endowed with certain inalienable [sic] rights and we’re going to make those words live, and we’re going to give everybody opportunity, everybody a ladder into the middle class…” For the record, that utterance was not “off script.” Rather, it was precisely how the White House posted his speech.

At the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser, he did it again, saying, “What makes this place special is not something physical. It has to do with this idea that was started by 13 colonies that decided to throw off the yoke of an empire and said, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men … are endowed with certain inalienable [sic] rights.'”

In each instance, Obama omitted the Declaration’s clear affirmation that the rights of all people are “endowed by their Creator,” not by some potentate or government.

Our Declaration of Independence was derived from inherent common law, and in its first sentence, our Declaration establishes the rights of man as “which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them.”

When asked again about Obama’s omission, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs asserted, “I can assure you the president believes in the Declaration of Independence.”

So, Obama “believes in the Declaration”? The Declaration is a piece of paper, one that expresses a self-evident Truth. Were it destroyed today, or had it never been written, the right of all people to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” among other rights, would still be endowed by our Creator.

Mr. Gibbs’ assurances notwithstanding, Obama’s subtle but telling omissions expose the underbelly of the political beast that is intent on devouring Essential Liberty and replacing it with the rule of men.

With his omissions now a matter of public interest, Obama has now tossed “our Creator” into a stump speech before Election Day. But make no mistake: That would be subterfuge. Obama believes that the rights of men are subject to the rule of men, and the terminus of the unabated rule of men is always tyranny.

The election of Barack Hussein Obama was the worst of insults to our nation’s heritage of Liberty, but in one important way, it has proven a blessing in disguise.

It has drawn millions of Americans to the frontlines of the eternal war for Liberty and Rule of Law, as enshrined in our national Constitution. Still, this midterm election cycle is different than the knee-jerk response to Bill Clinton that seated a Republican majority back in 1994.

There is a Great Awakening across our nation, one being spearheaded by Tea Party Patriots who are armed with, among other things, the right tools to articulate the difference between Rule of Law and rule of men, and who are willing to passionately fight for the former over the latter.

In the words of Thomas Paine, “I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state; up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake.”

At this moment, the future of Liberty is at stake.

Our Declaration of Independence concludes, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (I suspect Obama would omit “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”)

I know that you have “pledged your sacred honor” for the defense of Liberty. I beseech you to help us muster millions of additional Patriots to the frontlines for the battle ahead.

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!

Mark Alexander
Publisher, The Patriot Post

The BIG Lie: again…

October 30, 2010

It’s all about me … except when that’s inconvenient: “It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, [Republicans] feel more responsible, either because they didn’t do as well as they anticipated, and so the strategy of just saying no to everything and sitting on the sidelines and throwing bombs didn’t work for them, or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way.” –Barack Obama

Psychotherapy for voters: “Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument do not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we’re hard-wired not to always think clearly when we’re scared. And the country is scared.” –Barack Obama

Doesn’t say much: “The single best decision I have made was selecting Joe Biden as my running mate.” –Barack Obama

If only he understood his own claims: “I think families, as well as the federal government, have understood that you can’t just operate on the basis of debt.” –BO

Blame Bush, check; bash the Chamber, check: “We have lost millions of jobs to outsourcing under President Bush. We don’t intend to repeat that policy — no matter how much money the Chamber of Commerce dumps into our elections.” –House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) getting in all her talking points

When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging: “When Barack Obama was elected president, he found himself in a hole so deep that he couldn’t see the outside world. It was like the Chilean miners, but he, being the man that he is, rolled up his sleeves and said, ‘I’m gonna get us out of this hole.'” –Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

The BIG Lie: “In the course of this year we will have created more jobs this year, 2010, than in the entire Bush administration of eight years.” –Nancy Pelosi, who also once infamously claimed, “Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose their jobs.” (To say the least, she’s not very good at math.)

Yeah, fewer of them: “The health care bill is about jobs, the energy bill is about jobs, the education bill is about jobs, and the recovery act is about jobs.” –Nancy Pelosi

Belly Laugh of the Week: Politics

October 30, 2010

Belly Laugh of the Week: “One of [Barack] Obama’s greatest political weaknesses has been his stubborn — and unrequited — love for bipartisanship. … The expected Republican gains in the coming mid-term elections may solve one of Obama’s problems: his misplaced faith in logic, persuasion and cooperation in the national interest.” –Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker

Belly Laugh II: “Unlike Ronald Reagan, whose poll ratings were slightly lower than Obama’s just before the 1982 mid-term elections, Obama didn’t take every possible opportunity to pin the economic mess on his predecessor.” –Cynthia Tucker, missing the fact that Obama takes every opportunity — and then some — to blame Bush

Sympathy for the devil: “Nancy Pelosi is considered one of the most effective speakers in congressional history. But now she’s faced with the fact that Democrats could lose the House in November. You get indignant when you hear that.” –CBS’s Rita Braver to Pelosi, who responded, “I don’t get indignant. I just don’t believe it.”

“Where is the celebration over what has been done and accomplished [by Barack Obama] in the face of all this anger and vitriol in Washington?” –MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski

Whose money is it? “Why are we letting the top 2 percent of the population win over the other 98?” –MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on taxes

Non Compos Mentis: “[The Tea Party’s philosophy is] every man for himself. … No more taxes, no more government, no more everything. No more safety net. You know these people, if they were every man for himself down in that mine [in Chile], they wouldn’t have gotten out. … They would have been killing each other after about two days.” –MSNBC host Chris Matthews

ObamaCare is an unmitigated disaster-in-the-making

October 30, 2010

“ObamaCare is an unmitigated disaster-in-the-making. If people can be forced to buy health insurance and states can be forced to blow gigantic, federally-mandated holes in their budgets, this country will never recover. Our wannabe socialists in Congress and the White House are already, as Margaret Thatcher put it, ‘out of other people’s money.’ The election in November may do much to blunt their odious ambitions, but they will never give up trying to turn America into a socialist nation.” –columnist Arnold Ahlert

“The question here is in one crucial sense about health care, but it is in fact about much more than that. It concerns the federal government’s claimed entitlement to instruct us concerning the decisions we make about caring for our health. It is possible, no doubt, to claim that ObamaCare, as enacted last spring by Congress, is so wonderful a thing no one should miss out on it. It is another matter entirely to suggest that the end here justifies the means. That’s to say because ObamaCare is wonderful/marvelous/you name it, you and you and you should be made to buy into it. That kind of assertion gives off the odor of tyranny — a prospect worse, I hope we can agree, than gaps in health insurance coverage.” –columnist William Murchison

“A nirvana ‘Star Trek’ world without money, without sickness, and without envy ignores reality. Yet not only do the Left pretend this is possible, but they sell the idea by using envy and government checks like candy from their pocket. They sell this idea to those in need, taking power in exchange for promises they cannot possibly keep. They have merely shifted the burden, first to ‘the rich,’ and then always expanding according to ever-increasing needs to the entire producing half of the country. This is not fairness. This is lust for power. This is the face of tyranny in disguise. This, then, is the liberal Democrat message of Hope and Change.” –columnist Richard Pecore

“The problem is, and always has been, that once government programs and agencies are created, they quickly become sacrosanct and virtually impossible to destroy. As Ronald Reagan said, ‘Government programs, once launched, never disappear … a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!’ So it doesn’t matter that the Department of Education doesn’t educate, or that the Department of Energy doesn’t produce energy. It’s government and, thus, by definition good in the minds of the Washington establishment.” –columnist Cal Thomas

“All indications coming out of the White House suggest that if Democrats suffer major losses, the president and his top aides will resolutely refuse to reconsider the policies — national health care, stimulus, runaway spending — that led to their defeat. Instead, they will point fingers in virtually every direction other than their own. Come November, it’s likely the D-for-Democrat that the president refers to so often will actually stand for denial.'” –Washington Examiner political correspondent Byron York

The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ test

October 30, 2010

“Legal arguments for Obamacare’s individual mandate fail the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ test and the duck test. In two court challenges to the law in the past 11 days and a court hearing today on a third, the Obama administration’s legal position is fading faster than the Cheshire Cat. Democrats took some solace from the first case, a challenge in Michigan, because Judge George C. Steeh ultimately ruled in favor of Obamacare. Yet even though that Clinton-appointed judge refused to declare the mandate unconstitutional, he undercut the administration’s key argument that the penalty for failing to buy insurance is a ‘tax,’ and that the mandate it enforces is allowable within the broad taxing power provided by the Constitution. ‘The provisions of the Health Care Reform Act at issue here, for the most part, have nothing to do with the assessment or collection of taxes,’ Judge Steeh ruled. This is so important that the federal district judge in Florida, in Thursday’s preliminary ruling in the second case, spent 22 pages analyzing it. If the fine is a penalty rather than a tax, Congress’ power is far less extensive. Judge Roger Vinson noted Congress repeatedly called the fine a ‘penalty,’ explicitly changing its description from a ‘tax’ that earlier versions of the bill assessed by name. Citing Alice’s admonition to Humpty Dumpty that words can’t ‘mean so many different things’ as Humpty intended, Judge Vinson concluded, ‘Congress should not be permitted to secure and cast politically difficult votes on controversial legislation by deliberately calling something one thing … [only to] argue in court that Congress really meant something else entirely.’ Judge Vinson explained that no matter what Congress called it, the assessment was designed to act as a punishment, not a revenue measure. Hence, it’s not a tax. His 22-page analysis is an exposition of the logic that if something is called a duck, acts like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck — and the same goes for a penalty. The tax issue is vital because it’s the Obama administration’s fallback position if it loses on the first and biggest dispute, which is whether Congress has the power under the Commerce Clause not only to regulate commerce, but to force individuals to engage in specific commerce.” —The Washington Times

GOP RINO’s attack: Truth in politicing?

October 29, 2010

Seems that there are some behind the scenes activity going on in Wyoming politics. As usual, the mainstream GOP is attempting to co-op TEA Party people, and calling members of the movement out of touch, radicals, and all the usual garbage.

There are a number of letters circulating on the Internet telling people to Google Matt Mead — guns. When they do they are led to several websites (more than one of them designed by the same person giving the impression that there is a whole body of “evidence” regarding Matt’s position on gun control, when in fact just one person is pushing his own agenda). These phony sites are putting out erroneous information concerning Matt Mead’s record on gun issues.

Really? Have you bothered to notice all the comments? Or the fact that this blog certainly isn’t ran by that person?

A California transplant moved to Wyoming and started a blog about gun rights and gun issues. He published that Matt Mead was anti-gun and supported the BATF in lawsuits against Wyoming and Wyoming gun laws. These statements are not true and when confronted, said blogger refused to meet with Matt to correct his misrepresentations.

Sorry, but the facts are otherwise. Not to mention that he uses a website, not a blog… I’m also a California transplant just to let you know. I left there in 1978 because of the stupid anti freedom things that were going on. Now people are trying to pull the same sorts of insanity here..?

Matt Mead is a member of the NRA and has an A rating from them. He has not favored/does not favor gun control. People need to remember that the Internet is a tool which can be a very good source of information, but some who have an agenda can also use it to spread misinformation. Wyoming has seen its share of “dirty politics” but deliberate untruths which seek to malign a person’s character or present false information about him should be rejected.

One of Matt mead’s big campaign points is that he will stand up for Wyoming: FACT; He went after Wyoming as a U.S. Attorney. Just doing his job? Alright, I can understand that. That’s also what those folks said at Nuremberg, and things didn’t work out so well for them. Rightfully so I might add. So what if the NRA gave him a favorable rating? They gave favorable ratings to a lot of people that the membership, such as myself, deplore.

I have found Matt Mead to be very approachable and willing to sit down and rationally discuss any topic. I am certain that Matt will protect your Second Amendment rights as well as other constitutional rights and will be a good governor for Wyoming.

He may be, but if past behavior is any indicator of future actions then the people of Wyoming need to think long and hard about electing a RINO. Not that there is much out there to be had other than the lessor of evils, yet again.

‘Army of One’ takes on Colorado Legal establishment

October 29, 2010

‘Army of One’ takes on Colorado Legal establishment

Campaign finance and electioneering complaint filed against “Know Your Judge” consortium

Contact Matt Arnold: director@clearthebenchcolorado.org or 303.995.5533.

This afternoon, Clear the Bench Colorado – Political Action Committee filed, pro se, a campaign finance and electioneering complaint against the “Know Your Judge” consortium: the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (“IAALS”), Colorado Bar Association (“COBAR”), Colorado Judicial Institute (“CJI”) and the Colorado League of Women Voters (“LWV”).

In this complaint, Clear the Bench Colorado alleges that both collectively as the “Know Your Judge” campaign and as individual organizations, these groups have engaged in electioneering communications through print, radio and television advertisements as well as on their website – in violation of campaign finance laws, which would have subjected them to the same guidelines to file as a political committee (and the same contribution and expenditure limits) with the Secretary of State’s office as were followed by Clear The Bench Colorado.

Tens of thousands of dollars have been spent by these organizations with no accountability or transparency, in sharp contrast to Clear the Bench Colorado – which has followed the ever-changing law to the letter – while conducting similar political advocacy activities.

In a clear example of “what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander,” Clear the Bench Colorado simply wants these organizations held to the same legal standard as is everyone else in the state.

Unlike the frivolous, groundless, and vexatious complaint filed by “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” – it’s what they do) against Clear the Bench Colorado back in May, this lawsuit has a solid legal basis (in part, due to the ruling against CTBC, ironically enough).  View our website, www.clearthebenchcolorado.org, to read the complaint in its entirety and for updates.

If Clear the Bench receives a favorable judgment, these organizations will be subject to fees ($50 per day that they didn’t file) as well as fines of 2-5 times the contribution totals above and beyond the $525 contribution limit of a political committee (which, since these groups spent at least $85,000, will add up to a hefty sum).

These groups, with armies of accountants and lawyers at their beck and call, should (and do) know better.  Apparently, they thought that they could get away with violating the law, since CTBC’s resources (and ability to challenge) have been strained almost to the breaking point.  However, they messed with the wrong guy…

Clear The Bench Colorado may be the underdog in this fight – but it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.  CTBC doesn’t have armies of attorneys and accountants on call – but CTBC is… an Army of One.

Political Correctness, and getting laid; Talk about Big Brother / Sister!

October 27, 2010

What follows, is well? Beyond stupid in my not so humble opinion…

I am a Conservative Libertarian, hence the name of this blog. What follows, is either some really funny tounge in cheek. Or some serious Big Government Mysandry / Misogyny intrusion on personal liberty…

Seeking Promiscuous Heathen Female Roommate

Dear Fair Housing Center of West Michigan,

I am writing to express my concern over a recent civil rights complaint that has been filed against a woman who posted an advertisement at her church last July. Apparently, you were upset that she was seeking a Christian roommate. I came to that conclusion after reading the following in the complaint you recently filed against her: “(The ad) expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths.”

As someone who is preparing to move to Grand Rapids, I am concerned about your complaint. I’m not concerned about the Christian woman. I’m concerned about myself. Let me explain.

Because of recent financial hardships I have had to take a job in Michigan and, for the same reasons, I am going to have to seek a roommate. I want to live with a woman. Not just any woman but, preferably, a really sexually promiscuous one. In order to increase the chances that she’ll be promiscuous I am specifically demanding that she be a practitioner of Heathenism, just like me.

But now I have read a Fox News story that quotes your Executive Director Nancy Haynes as saying “It’s a violation to make, print or publish a discriminatory statement. There are no exemptions to that.” Director Haynes statement is incorrect because there is, in fact, an exemption for gender when there is a shared living space. I plan to take advantage of that by discriminating on the basis of gender. I’ll seek women only and, of course, demand that the woman I choose shares a bedroom with me throughout the duration of our relationship.

I am concerned that Director Haynes has said that, depending on the outcome of the case, the Christian woman could face several hundreds of dollars in fines and fair housing training to prevent it from happening again. I don’t want to face the same prospect.

Harold Core, director of public affairs with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, recently told the Grand Rapids Press that the Fair Housing Act prevents people from publishing an advertisement stating their preference of religion with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling. And he made no distinction between an owner-placed ad and one placed by a prospective occupant.

Joel Oster, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is representing the Christian woman free of charge. He says this case is simply “outrageous.” So I plan to call the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to see if they will defend my right to live with a promiscuous heathen woman. I know they would not represent me if I were seeking a Christian roommate. Thank Government Almighty they aren’t morally consistent!

Okay folks, I couldn’t remove the “sign up” Button… Here is the source

Bad driver? In debt? Proposed NYC law would ban you from owning a gun…

October 27, 2010

This makes about as much sense as basing auto insurance ratings on your credit rating. Simply an agenda…

New York City residents who want to own a gun may soon be denied permits if they are litterbugs, if they are bad drivers, or if they have fallen behind on a few bills. Under proposed revisions to the police department’s handgun, rifle and shotgun permit procedures, the NYPD can reject gun license applicants for a number of reasons.

Read About It: Fox News

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You Inner Darkness Beckons your Light

That part of you; the darkness in your psyche; it fills the gap between your personality and True Self. Many people mistake this darkness as something to fear.

Fear not, it beckons your light. Its unseen map, once illumined, shows you the way to your complete self.

It differs from your inner teacher and inner child. Its direct messages pull no punches. It sometimes can transmit its messages without words – you experience an instantaneous download of resources and programming. You may not articulate ably these resources given you. Nonetheless, you receive them. You experience them for yourself. You know. You have no need to explain them to anyone else.

We are blinded when we look at noon day sun. At night, when no clouds (emotions) block our view, we can see infinity.

The glory lies in the darkness. Tis there we find the path to our True Self and purpose in life.

Darkness, thus, serves a purpose in our lives. A purpose equally as important as The Light. Neither embrace your darkness nor deny it. Avoid trying to control it. That will make you into a false sun that rules, and is ultimately ruled ,by fear (not Love).

Instead shine your Light (Love) into it unconditionally. Ask for, but expect nothing, to receive everything.

Shine on…!
Paul C Burr

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Sorting out the public finances – Part 3 : Re-nationalisation, pensions and infrastructure

One of the funny things about democracies is how sometimes there can be a cross-party consensus amongst politicians that the public is wrong on a major issue and can be safely ignored by them, one and all. Opinion polls continue to show that 70% of the British public want to renationalise the privatised utilities – water, gas, electricity, railways. This is not a rejection of capitalism – they are clear that they don’t want to renationalise British Airways, Rolls-Royce, BP or Jaguar Land Rover. But they clearly feel that our national infrastructure should be under public ownership. And yet even Ed Milliband, the most overtly left-wing and populist Labour leader for thirty years, see such ideas as beyond the pale. This generation of politicians (and senior civil servants and journalists) has grown up accepting that the Thatcher settlement is inviolable – that to undo what she did would take us back to the 1970s. Even those who do argue for renationalisation seem to accept that it’s an unaffordable pipe dream. But what if the public is right? What if it’s time, after 30 years, to think again about nationalisation? Maybe each generation needs to think, pragmatically, about the right solution for its era, rather than fetishising the solution to the last one? And what if renationalisation is perfectly affordable and could actually improve the public finances?

In this political debate, we are often stuck in the narrative of thirty years ago. A Cold War narrative, in which domestic politics was just part of a black and white global struggle between Communism and Capitalism. And, as we know, Capitalism won. Like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the privatisation of our national infrastructure was an icon of this victory. Not only could even our drinking water be privatised, but millions of British people could buy shares for the first time as the privatisations made capitalism truly popular. And clearly, privatisation achieved a lot. £100 billion of investment into our water infrastructure. Being able to get a new telephone line when you wanted it, rather than going on a long waiting list. But thirty years later, it is worth revisiting this narrative – the world is no longer a black and white struggle. In a world of state capitalism and after the 2008 humiliation of the uber-liberal economists, are there are new types of nationalisation to offer the public?

Indeed, the “private sector” which owns much of our infrastructure is in fact often the public sector of other countries! For example, our largest water company, Thames Water, is owned by the governments of China and Abu Dhabi. Or look at the UK government’s recently agreed thirty-five year contract with the “private sector” to build a new nuclear power station in Somerset, guaranteeing a revenue of over £80 billion, with a minimum price for the power produced, set at roughly twice the current market price. Such contracts have been deemed necessary to secure private investment in long-term assets. There were two “private sector” investors in this deal – the French government (owner of EDF) and the Chinese government (owner of the two Chinese nuclear corporations). If the “private sector” is not a foreign Government (through a government owned company or sovereign wealth fund), then it is often a foreign public sector pension scheme. For example, London’s High Speed Railway to the Channel Tunnel is owned by two of Ontario Province’s public pension schemes. Globally, there is now some $50 billion of overseas public sector pension funds invested in infrastructure, mostly from North America but also from north European countries. The trend is growing – earlier this year, the world’s biggest pension fund, the Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund, allocated some of its giant £750 billion fund to a joint venture with the Ontario Municipal Employment Retirement Scheme to buy up Western infrastructure. However, these funds do not like to build new infrastructure – they look for mature assets in developed countries producing strong financial returns from low-risk assets. They often find these in the UK, which attracts a fifth of all global pension fund investment in infrastructure. Our regulators have become very good at ensuring that overseas investors get the low risks and strong returns that they desire. (But they have lost the confidence of the public. For example, polls suggest that less than one in five people now trust energy companies to act in the customer’s interest.)

For all the debate about nationalisation, it is worth noting that, in fact, much of our infrastructure is not privatised at all. Network Rail, which owns and operates England’s track, was officially reclassified last year as a part of the public sector, bringing to an end a long and unhappy period clinging by its finger tips to its private sector status. Scottish Water has never been privatised. Nor has Northern Ireland Water. The UK’s motorways are owned and operated by the Government, paid for by taxes, rather than charging tolls, like many countries in Europe. Many of our airports are still owned by local authorities, including Stansted, Manchester and Birmingham. Councils still own nearly 2m homes.

So, if this debate about nationalisation or not isn’t so black and white, what could a new narrative look like? After the Great Financial Crisis, perhaps we should think about all this in terms of national balance sheets. How can countries match their future liabilities (like future pension costs) with their assets (like owning water companies which produce predictable cash flows to cover those pension costs)? This is, in effect, what other countries are doing when they are buying our infrastructure assets and companies. They are anticipating future liabilities (e.g. pension costs for Canadian public servants or social costs in the Middle East when oil revenues dry up) and acquiring assets which can cover those liabilities. They are putting the resources on their balance sheet to productive use. If this makes sense for them, why aren’t we doing the same? Infrastructure is all about assets (creating investments like roads which fuel economic growth) and liabilities (like repairing railways when they wear out, or replacing power stations when they reach the end of their life). Given the UK consensus that we need to invest massively in our infrastructure, after decades of under-investment, we are in danger of seeing infrastructure merely as a lot of liabilities ( hundreds of billions needed for power, rail and roads). This comes on top of many other liabilities on the national balance sheet, not least the £900 billion of future public sector pension liabilities which are unfunded. Add these to the £1.5 trillion of national debt predicted for 2018 and the future, like that of much of the West, looks gloomy. It is pretty challenging. But if we think about the nation’s balance sheet in a more joined-up way (across the public and private sectors and across assets and liabilities), we can begin to see things differently and, potentially, more optimistically.

One way to do this would be to see if we can solve four problems with one solution. The first problem is that we need massive capital investors, with a long term commitment to improving the UK’s infrastructure. The second problem is that we need our public sector pensions to be properly funded. The third problem is that we need the owners of the UK’s infrastructure to be acceptable to the British public and trusted by them. The fourth problem is that Government sits on hundreds of billions of assets on its own balance sheet, doing nothing with them. In finding a single solution to these four problems, we have some strong starting points. We have a regulatory system for our utilities which is good at guaranteeing investors a predictable and healthy return on their investments. We have the examples of overseas public sector pension funds, paying premium prices to get a slice of the UK infrastructure market to match their future liabilities. We also have the examples of overseas governments putting the current wealth on their balance sheet to productive investment in the UK. These starting points suggest that one solution to the problems we face would be for UK public sector pension funds to own the UK’s infrastructure. When such pension funds own private sector companies, we see that as private ownership. For example, when the Local Government Pension Scheme currently buys a a stake in a company, we don’t see hysterical headlines saying that the company has been nationalised. The pension funds have capital to invest, they are subject to statutory requirements to maximise investment returns and they invest in companies with the best private sector management. But given that very little of the privatised utilities are owned by UK public sector pension funds and, even more problematically, most of the UK public sector pensions are unfunded (i.e. have no money at all), how could this solution possibly work?

Well, if we assume that the UK Government is willing to intervene with all its financial and statutory firepower, here are three illustrative examples of how UK national infrastructure could be owned by UK public sector pension funds. (I am not arguing for these solutions – I am just arguing that we should have an argument!):

1. Renationalise energy and water and return their ownership to local authorities – There is only one funded public sector pension scheme in the UK (assuming that we see universities as in the private sector). That is the Local Government Pension Scheme. This has assets of some £150 billion. Unlike the North American public pension schemes, it only has 1% invested in infrastructure. The LGPS is in effect paid for by taxpayers. 20% of the council payroll is paid into the pension scheme. Given increases in life expectancy, the liabilities of the scheme increase 10% every decade. The LGPS currently operates 99 local funds, all with expensive advisors and overheads. A first step would be merge these into one consolidated fund. A second step would be sell-off 75% of its current assets, releasing £110 billion of cash. This would be the war chest for the third step, which would be to purchase the currently privatised utilities in water and energy. £110 billion should be sufficient to buy the water companies, National Grid, the energy generators and the power network companies. The remaining wealth of the LGPS is available for future investment in new infrastructure. The companies bought by the LGPS continue to be privately-owned – in the same way as other companies owned in part or full by public sector pension funds. The companies would still be regulated and Government would still underwrite contracts for major new infrastructure, as it does now. The regulator (and Government) would have a duty, as now, to ensure that the companies can make an acceptable return for their shareholder, equivalent to what the LGPS would have earned on its current investments. But the public would know that the single shareholder in energy and water is now the LGPS. It is in the public’s interest for this shareholder to make a strong return. A strong return will reduce the pension deficit for local councils, which in turn will reduce the contribution required from the council tax. In effect, this makes all council tax payers shareholders in the nation’s energy and water companies. For those with a sense of history, this returns energy and water to their municipal origins.

2. Fund the Armed Forces Pension with public housing and land – The Armed Forces Pension is currently unfunded, but has future liabilities of £125 billion. Here’s a way to fund the scheme. The ownership of all council housing stock could be transferred to this new Fund, including outstanding debt. All of the 1.8m homes would be sold on the open market as and when tenancies reach a natural end. At an average market value of £120,000, this would generate some £220 billion over a 15-20 year period. Of this some £30 billion would be used to pay off the outstanding debt on the houses. Of the balance of £190 billion, £90bn would be used to replace the sold-off properties by building 1.8m brand new social homes, providing the £50,000 capital subsidy that each one needs. It could then own these new homes, but have them managed by housing associations. This would leave a net cash surplus of £100 billion to go into the new Armed Forces Pension Fund. In addition to council housing, Government could transfer to new Fund the £40 billion of repayable grant that sits on the balance sheets of housing associations. It could ask for interest on the grants at, say, 5% per annum, generating a new income stream of £2 billion per year, or the repayment of the £40bn grants, funded by the sale of existing properties when tenancies naturally churn. In addition, it could transfer all surplus military land, adding many more billions of development land. Suddenly, we would have a new force in the land – the Armed Forces Pension Fund, with up to £140 billion of financial assets, land worth billions and over £250 billion of housing assets (i.e, the open market value of the 1.8m new social homes it built and owns) , focused exclusively on meeting the country’s housing needs. By rebuilding the council homes it sold off, it would add 1.8m new homes to the country’s housing stock, doubling the number of homes built during the period. After this, it’s mission would be build private homes. It would have a statutory duty to maximise returns on its assets from housing development. Ist would be obliged to put to work its massive financial muscle and the MOD’s surplus estate to transform the country’s housing supply. The Fund’s assets and revenue, along with its long term focus, would give it the financial strength to build homes ahead of demand and to develop at scale and over decades, e.g. creating new garden cities and suburbs.

3. Fund the NHS Pension with transport assets – The Government could create a funded scheme for the NHS, focused on transport. It could establish this fund by gifting two major assets overnight. Firstly, it could transfer Network Rail, with its assets of some £50 billion and annual profits of £2-3 billion. Given there are no private shareholders, no compensation would be due. This ownership could extend to other major new rail projects, such as High Speed Rail. Given the massive scale of investment in the UK’s railways over the next few decades (even before High Speed Two, capital spending will be the highest since the Victorian era) this asset base will rapidly expand, as will the profits. Secondly, Government could transfer ownership of the Highways Agency and the national road network into this NHS Pension Fund. This network has an asset value of over £100 billion. The Government could give the NHS Pension Fund the £2-3 billion per annum share of the current Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) which goes to the Highways Agency. However, given that this tax base will decline (given carbon efficient cars), the NHS Pension Fund could be asked to introduce tolling onto our national roads, as a replacement for VED. This would replicate European charging – so only those who use the national roads pay. On this basis, the NHS Pension Fund would be able to raise funds to improve the UK’s road system, where investment has been only half of that of our European competitors in recent decades. A regulator for both road and rail would allow the NHS Pension Fund to make a normal commercial return from its ownership of roads and rail. If it’s returns were better than predicted by the regulator, this would reduce the pension contributions needed from the NHS and, hence, from taxpayers. These two assets together would make a big dent in the £300 billion liabilities of the NHS Pension Fund. Given that NHS pensions are cash positive in this period (i.e. there is a large fairly young workforce paying in more now than is paid out), the NHS Pension Fund could put current surpluses to good use to create future assets.

Similar solutions can be found across the Government’s balance sheet. For example, maybe the ownership of school buildings should be transferred to the Teachers Pension Fund. Gradually a rent could be introduced payable by schools as tenants to the Teachers Pension Fund, creating a revenue stream. The Pension Fund could be the source of capital investment for those wanting to open new schools, as well as a residuary body for school buildings which have outlived their usefulness. Or, maybe the (funded) Universities Superannuation Scheme should be obliged to buy a substantial tranche of Student Loans debt, sharing some of the risk in whether students are able to pay off their education debts by finding well paid careers.

The idea would be to have the benefits of capitalism, e.g. the obligation on the capitalists (the pension funds) to make a good financial return; the opportunity to use today’s private capital (i.e. people’s savings) to invest in assets which make our economy more prosperous in the future; keeping companies under private management and ownership. But also to ensure that the UK’s future infrastructure investment needs can be served from UK capital, including the dormant assets sitting on the UK Government balance sheet, and that we have big players who are obliged to invest in the UK. This mirrors the retrenchment of banks after the 2008 Crisis, where they now largely balance their assets and liabilities in their own country, rather than being spread all over the world.

What would this all achieve? Would the public feel better knowing that privatised companies are owned by the NHS, Armed Forces and Local Government Pension Schemes? Would the public recognise that that strong profits from these companies were keeping down taxes, which would otherwise have to rise to pay for pension deficits? What would it be like if the UK had 3 new financial giants stalking the land, with hundreds of billions to invest in new housing and infrastructure? Would the cost of capital fall, cutting the cost of investment? How could we still have competitive pressure – e.g. by having separate operating companies (e.g. regional railways, existing water companies, etc) with incentivised managers competing to achieve the highest customer service and operational efficiency, underpinned by a regulator which penalised under-performers and public sector funds obliged by law to achieve regulatory standards and strong financial returns? Could there be a fairness debate, which says today’s population should pay a bit more for their utilities today to generate profits paid into pension funds for their old age, rather than just leaving the bill to be picked up by future generations? There is a lot to think about and this piece is just a thought experiment to spark debate. But perhaps in a General Election year, the UK public deserves some fresh thinking about renationalisation. Who knows, they may even demand it.

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An Introduction to 3d Modeling with openSCAD – Installing

Installation in General
Installation of openSCAD is straightforward in most cases. The program is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows from the openSCAD site. Scroll down to the section labeled “Download Releases”, and find the file appropriate for your operating system.

Installation on Linux Systems
If you are running a version of Ubuntu, you can install openSCAD through Synaptic. I have used this method several times, and have had no issues.

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chrysn/openscad
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install openscad

A package is available for openSUSE as well.

If you are running another Linux distro, you can download the source and install openSCAD manually.

Installation on OS X and Windows

Pre-compiled binaries are available for OS X and Windows. There is also an installer for Windows.

Next: openSCAD resources

About ehmatthes

Teacher, hacker, new dad, outdoor guy
This entry was posted in openSCAD and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

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Archive for March, 2010

A new medium! I recorded the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast for today, in which I describe how a broken tooth leads me to discover that The Universe is more terrifying and more exciting than I had imagined.

In the process of recording I discovered that

  1. I love talking.
  2. I hate hate hate hate hate hearing my own voice.

I’m also pretty sure those two points describe 99.9% of humanity. I’ll be doing one of these a month, so hopefully I’ll get over point 2, or at least reduce the number of hates. Luckily, the chance of me getting over point 1 is so insignificant as to be not worth thinking about.

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Small Waxed Canvas Pouch in Radish

We are so excited to reveal our two new colours Radish and Rook! Radish is a luscious dusty pink. It illuminates in the sun, looking rather radish-like with its ombré effect. Rook, like the crow it is named for, is an intense dark indigo, which varies in light – brightening, purpling and blueing. It is the nature of the waxed canvas to seemingly transform in different light, and these two colours are no exception.

A wallet sized pouch perfect for keeping cash, credit cards, keys and phone. The waxed canvas gets cozier with age.

Constructed waxed canvas originated in the sailing industry in Scotland in the 1920s and became widely used in sportswear and apparel because of its waterproofing abilities and superb durability.

- 15 oz. waxed duck canvas (19 oz. with wax)
- Vintage zipper colour varies from bag to bag
- Leather brand from antique WWII gunsling
- Brass rivets

Inches: 3.5″ tall by 5.75″ wide by 1″ deep
Metric: 8.9 cm tall by 14.5 cm wide by 2.5 cm deep


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Episode 16: Experiencing the Divine

Merry meet one and all! Finally this episode is out.

We start with a few thank you's, to Holly and to Onyx, reminder of the pagan anthology with Misanthrope Press that is taking submissions until October 31st. I share a bit of my recent learning experiences from Lady GaGa to knee braces.

The first break is S J Tucker's Pixie Can't Sleep.

Then it was straight into sharing all of the emails on how you experience the divine and a little bit on how I do, right after a digression into the Big P.

In the second break we learn that this episode is brought to us by the three of swords and the runes eihwar and nied. We also hear promos from New World Witchery and Borealis Meditation Podcast.

We conclude with magical housekeeping about purging stuff from our homes and the final song is from the Tricky Pixie cd. Oh, yes, we did have a winner! Polly is the lucky owner of the signed copy of Tricky Pixie.

Thank you for listening! I love sharing this experience with you.

Saturn, the abysmal witch.

(yes, you can find me at Abysmal Witch blog or on twitter by searching for Abysmal_Witch, neither of which I mention in the podcast, go figure.)

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  • Pombagira

    way to make my monday awsometastic.. *skips about* will be downloading this episode tomorrow eveing, this evening i am giving a talk at nerd nite.. whee and eeek.. teheh

    *bounces about some more*

    err.. gosh.. is me yes.. not some other Polly right.. *ponders about this*..

    *beams* Polly

    Sep 19, 2010 at 4:27 pm
  • Onyx

    Awesome episode!

    1 year audio bible.. is creepin’.. so EVERYBODY VOTE!

    Sep 19, 2010 at 9:44 pm
  • penniesinthewell

    lol, yep, Polly, it is you! I haven’t made it to the post office yet - Friday or Saturday for sure (timing issues, darn it). Nerd nite? Sounds entertaining!

    And Onyx, your powers are amazing. We’re again ahead of the Audo bible guys. wow. thanks! :)

    Sep 22, 2010 at 8:47 am
  • Onyx

    Its a mixture of trolling the depths of 4chan and around 600 friends on Facebook!

    That and I can be really persistant… not as persitant as Velma though she’s kickin’ butt!

    Sep 24, 2010 at 2:09 am
  • penniesinthewell

    lol, you are too funny and have too many friends for me to ever say anything nasty about you. :D

    All I can say is congrats to Velma, she’s earned it. And I’m just damn thrilled to be ahead of the Audia Bible people. It’s crazy amazing. You know what? Life is good.

    Sep 26, 2010 at 6:28 pm
  • Onyx

    Life is good, because life is what we make it… ;)

    Sep 26, 2010 at 8:52 pm
  • ginger

    Great episode!

    Sep 28, 2010 at 5:41 am


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Why a Mortgage Company?

Entertaining…that is the word that I am thinking when I share with people around me that I am starting a mortgage company… now. For those that are not familiar, the mortgage industry is taking a beating because of fraud and predatory lending and that is forcing many mortgage companies to shut their doors.

So why am I starting a mortgage company like Community First Financial….because so many are getting out. One of the principles that we taught at Rich Dad was get out when most people are getting in and get in while most people are getting out.

My business partner Troy and I believe that with our abilities to focus on key areas like construction lending, we can prepare our company for the next big shift in the marketplace. Whether that is in a few days or years, we are willing to survive today to thrive tomorrow.

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From To
Find an Event
  • Today
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    The Center for the Creative Arts

    410 Upper Snuff Mill Row Yorklyn DE 19736

     For 30 years, the Center for the Creative Arts has been a community art center devoted to art enrichment through education for people of all ages and abilities. The Center's engaging and exciting programming reflects community needs and supplements that provided by schools and other institutions. We make every effort to collaborate with other cultural organizations, schools, and local businesses to serve as a catalyst for accomplishing common community goals. Our vision is to further our mission of helping people "Find the Artist Within". We believe that the arts are essential for child development and academic success and for enriching our culture as a whole.

    More Info


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A news blog for Seattle's Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighborhoods

Zoo’s Pumpkin Bash, live music and Meaningful Movies in the neighborhood this weekend

October 17th, 2014 · Comments

Here are a few highlights of events in Greenwood and Phinney Ridge this weekend. Check our Events calendar for more.

Greenwood Meaningful Movies: “Feeding Frenzy” from 1-3 p.m. Friday at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.

Exploring Opera: Don Giovanni at Music Center of the Northwest, 901 N. 96th St., at 7 p.m. Friday.

PNA Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Exchange from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the PNA.

Violet Sweet Shoppe, which opened last week at 6410 Phinney Ave. N., is having its grand opening celebration all day Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pumpkin Bash and “Boomazium” at Woodland Park Zoo Saturday and Sunday. Animals will get special Halloween-themed treats to eat and smash. Zoomazium, the zoo’s indoor play space, will be turned into a Halloween-themed Boomazium with storytelling, costumed puppet shows, face painting (for an additional fee), games and more, Mad Science programs will be from 11 to 2 p.m. in the Rain Forest Food Pavilion. (During Pumpkin Bash, one child 12 years and under in costume is admitted free with a paid adult.)

staines-resizedSeattle Folklore Society presents Bill Staines with opener Tom Rawson at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. in the Brick Building. Tickets in advance (online or call 1-800-838-3006) are $16 general, $14 SFS/PNA members and seniors; kids half price. Tickets at the door are $2 more. (Photo by Larry Marcus; courtesy Seattle Folklore Society.)

Seattle Harmony Voice Lab from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday at the PNA, in the Brick Building.

Open Jazz Jam with Kenny Mandell (all levels welcome) from 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday at Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N.


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Three “Third Ways” for Evangelicals in Politics

I’ll leave it to my colleagues on Election Shock Therapy to engage in rigorous, trained analysis of American politics. But I have reached one conclusion based on my observation of the 2016 presidential election campaigns:

Evangelicals need a political “third way.”

I’ve never liked the idea of evangelicals being too closely identified with either of our two major parties. But especially if the Republican Party remains the party of Donald Trump — and all the nativist, racist populism that attends his candidacy, then evangelicals can absolutely not remain the GOP at prayer. I’ve resisted call after call to abandon the old, honorable term “evangelical,” but I’ll do so if it becomes clear that the likes of Jerry Falwell, Jr., Robert Jeffress, and James Dobson speak for the vast majority of those American Christians.

I’ve thought aloud about the possibility of Hillary Clinton expanding the appeal of the Democratic Party to theologically conservative Christians, and Ron Sider just endorsed her in Christianity Today (his first such public endorsement in over four decades). But I’m not confident evangelicals will feel at home in a party that continues to move leftward on abortion and whose partisans tend to dismiss even reasonable invocations of religious freedom as encoded bigotry.

Gary Johnson in June 2016
Gov. Gary Johnson speaking in June 2016 – Creative Commons (Gage Skidmore)

Some of my friends are considering seriously the third party candidacies of Jill Stein and Gary Johnson (who has even picked up some major newspaper endorsements and is doing especially well with younger voters). I find both more likable than Clinton and Trump, and if were ever to cast a protest vote, it would be in this election. (Particularly since I live in a blue state and need not fret my conscience about making it easier for Trump to gain electoral votes.) But I align even less well with the Greens and Libertarians than the Democrats and Republicans, and I’m not hugely impressed by a physician who indulges anti-vaccination talk and a would-be commander-in-chief who seems woefully ignorant of a major foreign policy issue.

But however important the decision that we face, politics will continue to churn after the election. So maybe the best thing that evangelicals can do at this point is vote as best they can on November 8th, but also to take the long view — and consider three alternatives that have either been born of this political cycle or given new energy by it.

A truly significant Christian democratic party

In August, I wrote at considerable length about this possibility for The Anxious Bench, noting that Europe and South America have long had centrist political parties that, while secular, were inspired by religious principles that caused them to lean to the left on economic issues and to the right on social ones — a combination that some have suggested would appeal to disillusioned evangelicals, Catholics, and especially African American and Latino Christians.

Now, this country’s current version of a Christian democratic party (the American Solidarity Party) has barely registered, and barring a significant political realignment (the implosion of the GOP, for starters), that doesn’t seem likely to change in the future. But I think it’s worth considering.

The AND Campaign and Public Faith

More impressive, if only because of the people involved, are two newer initiatives. In theory, they could grow into new political parties, but at least for now, they remain non-partisan groups whose members may continue to work within existing parties.

First, the AND Campaign, which describes itself as “an urban coalition that promotes the voice of human flourishing in the socio-political arena. We seek to assert biblical wisdom and restore the true narrative of humankind to its rightful prominence which is justice for all.”

AND Campaign emphasizes that “Urban Christians have a unique and powerful sociopolitical perspective that is not fully represented by either of the two predominant political ideologies.” And it is perhaps most notable for the prominence of Christians of color in its leadership. For example, hip-hop artist Sho Baraka, who advocated voting for neither Trump nor Clinton in Christianity Today‘s recent forum:

I believe that soon there will be a movement of folks who protest both police brutality and abortions without feeling disloyal to one party or the other. These Christians comprehend an unabridged concept of life, that it is to be protected from the cradle to the grave. This is a comprehensive outlook that seeks justice in community development, education, prison reform, and job creation. These people recognize honoring humanity is a service to God and not a partisan policy.

It would be naïve to think that urban Christians are the only people who feel this disconnect. Not all Republicans are callous legalists; not all Democrats are immoral despots. I find great utility on both sides. However, who better than Christians, who have experienced persecution of all kinds, to display both compassion and conviction? Out of that experience comes the capacity to love recklessly while inviting people to a new standard.

Overlapping AND is an even newer campaign, Public Faith, whose leadership includes both Democrats (e.g., former Obama administration official Michael Wear) and Republicans (e.g., leading #NeverTrump writer Alan Noble, editor of Christ & Pop Culture). Public Faith professes itself “particularly concerned with the persistence of racial injustice in this country” and also emphasizes “religious freedom for all as a bedrock principle that will be essential if we are to build a more inclusive America in this new century.”This week Public Faith issued statements on two issues that aren’t typically paired in American politics: criminal justice reform and abortion.

Logo for The AND CampaignIt’s not yet clear what Public Faith (or the AND Campaign, for that matter) might grow into, assuming it continues past this election. But for now, Public Faith is seeking Christians to sign its vision statement, “to work within political parties to advocate these essential ideals and to change parties or create new ones when reform is no longer feasible.”

If nothing else, I appreciate that the AND Campaign, Public Faith, and the American Solidarity Party are all:

  1. Trying to bring religious convictions into the public square in a manner that’s appropriate to a religiously plural society with a long-standing separation of church and state.
  2. Making racial justice central to their platforms, and looking to people of color for leadership.
  3. Pushing us to think of creative alternatives, rather than accepting an increasingly polarized, frustrating status quo.

5 thoughts on “Three “Third Ways” for Evangelicals in Politics

  1. It really sounds as if each of the three “third ways” have strong overlap. They should really combine forces instead of going it alone. As the American Solidarity Party is already a political party, perhaps members of the other groups should strongly consider joining it.

  2. Voting 3rd party is a powerful statement, even if you vote for a second-tier 3rd party, like ASP or the Veterans Party. It sends a strong message, and boosts that 3rd party for the future. This is so worth doing!

    It only takes 5% of the popular vote to push a 3rd party onto the national stage in the next general election: automatically putting their candidate on all the ballots, and giving him/her a seat at the debates.

  3. For those prolife looking for a political home and a third way, American Solidarity Party is the only way that makes real sense.

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#MicroBizMattersDay 2017

On 13 January 2017 I helped ‘The Enterprise Rockers’ (aka Tina Boden and Tony Robinson OBE) run the 3rd annual #MicroBizMattersDay event in the form of an 8hr continuous broadcast of live Google Hangouts On Air interviews between 7am-3pm GMT.

The first time we did this in 2015 I was an employee of Sage (who have sponsored all 3 years) and in 2016 I was working for the UK Government at Tech North (part of Tech City UK) but this year I’m taking part as a micro business (0-9 employee) owner myself having started my business development and marketing consultancy in April 2016!

Of all the things I have ever done in my professional career to date, #MicroBizMattersDay 2015 is possibly the thing I am most proud of because:

  • From a content marketing point of view, 8hrs of live Google Hangouts featuring amazing micro business owners offering genuinely useful and practical advice is a truly epic achievement (watch them all here)
  • From a technical point of view, I was already a big fan of Google Hangouts having done several great interviews during my time at Sage but #MicroBizMattersDay proved just what a wonderful tool they can be for connecting people around the world both in real time and after the event. (It was very cool to be broadcasting them live from the Google Apps for Business office in London too)
  • From a partnership and CSR point of view, #MicroBizMattersDay 2015 was a fantastic example of how big business (like Sage, Google and ScanSnap/Fujitsu) can support micro businesses (their primary audience) in a way that makes sense for everyone involved, doesn’t feel forced or fake and was fun and creative too

In 2016, we switched from Google Hangouts to a new platform called ‘Blab’ which seemed to provide an easier way for interviewees to join remotely via a single URL instead of 8 different ones for each hour and also had the added benefit of automatically emailing us the video file and audio file so we could share them on YouTube and as a podcast.

Although this was another fantastic day, Blab didn’t work for everyone and has recently been ‘retired’ by the founders so we reverted back to Google Hangouts which people could either watch live between or after the event via the #MicroBizMattersDay YouTube Channel or by clicking on the YouTube videos below:

#MicroBizMattersDay 2017 Live Stream

Schedule for #MicroBizMattersDay 2017

You can also watch lots of behind-the-scenes Facebook Live videos at on the #MicroBizMattersDay Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pg/microbizmattersday/videos/ including this one of the amazing 19yr singer/songwriter Murdo Mitchell who I saw busking on Leicester Square two days earlier and invited to perform at the event!

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Baby Steps into 2015

Coffee on New Years with Ann. We hadn’t seen each other since the crazy texting breakup of 2014. I got to Starbucks early, and was reading a book when she walked up. And it was exactly like no time had passed at all, and yet a thousand years had passed. I saw her with normal eyes and not the rose colored glasses of infatuation.

We sat, and talked, catching up over the past few months. Pleasantries with really good energy between us, and then the conversation steered toward the deep, the painful, the vulnerable. I opened it up by saying, ‘I’m glad we’re talking again, I’ve missed you. And I’m scared to even say that, because I’ve never admitted to any ex that I’ve missed them and want them back.”

And she apologized. For everything. And not just a desperate I’m-so-sorry-boo-hoo needy apology. A well spoken, insightful apology that included her owning up to all her shit, including things like “when I said this, it’s because you triggered this in me, and it wasn’t you, it was me reacting to my self and my own insecurities,” and WOW. It’s taken four months, but we were really communicating. Non sexy communicating about wants, needs, boundaries, hopes, and not in a fantasy sense, but in a real honest to goodness two real life people who need things way. I told her that my biggest fear about entertaining the idea of dating her again is that this will be a pattern of crazy. That I will open myself up repeatedly to not be hurt in a normal daily hurt way, but in the emotional upheaval roller-coaster way.

We’re busy, with families, and work, and life. But we decided to move forward in baby steps. Texting. Maybe planning to hang out in the next month. Maybe redefining some boundaries we are comfortable with and what we’re not. Our time at the coffee shop ran out quickly, I had to make my way to Portland and she had to get to work. I kissed her goodbye by her minivan, and in one short hour we had gone from broken up to back together on some level. It feels optimistically good.

2015 has started off quite surprisingly!

3 thoughts on “Baby Steps into 2015

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The Week That Was: Tax Day Edition

On Tax Day it is good to remember: No problem is so big or so complicated it can not be run away from.

~Charles Schulz

I bet you’re asking yourself one of two questions today: either “Where the hell is my tax refund?” or “Why the hell did I wait until the last minute to do my taxes?” No sane person likes income taxes, but they’re inevitable. I wish everyone who did  procrastinate wasn’t descending on my library branch right now like hungry locusts in search of the last few bits of grain.

Here’s an interesting pie chart regarding who pays what kind of taxes. (Wish I could opt out of Social Security.)

If you’re looking to get some wacky tax deductions, this feature might give you some tips. Don’t tell them I sent you, or that I claimed my invisible dog as a dependent last year.

For those who might not know, Sunday also marked the centennial of the Titanic disaster. Turns out a good many Twitter subscribers had no idea the Titanic was real and not James Cameron’s imagination. Somewhere, my facepalm will go on.

Which reminds me: back when I was dragged unsuspectingly by my roommates to the movie Titanic 15 years ago. All I seem to remember is learning not to drink 64 ounces of soda during a 3-hour flick, and how some guy got busted for wanking off in the back row. Which makes me think: how much more would that guy like the 3-D version with Kate Winslet’s nipples practically poking him in the face?

For those following the Stanley Cup playoffs, so far they’ve delivered…and it’s just the first round!  Check out this bad blood boiling over between the rival Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday:

The funny thing is, the fans lapped it up. Of course, this is the same city that once famously booed Santa Claus. Talk about brotherly love.

Oh, and my hometown Predators are up 3-2 against the traditional powerhouse Red Wings. Hockey tonk, baby!

I’m still waiting for that promotional interview which hasn’t come. I suppose I could always apply to be one of The Master’s brides if it doesn’t work out this time.

T-minus one month until I head north to the Motor City Comic Con to see Dwight Schultz (aka Murdock, the site mascot and an awesome guy in real life). Which also reminds me: enter our Guilty Pleasures movie contest for a chance to win a cool prize autographed by Mr. Schultz. (You know you want to.)

Some of the best posts I came across this week included:

9 Reasons Why Solo Travel Is Great at Travelola. You know, travel isn’t just for couples anymore. Go check this post out if you are, like me, a single who enjoys getting out and going.

The Horror of London at Robotic Rhetoric. Speaking of travel, London is one of those places I only got to see on a whirlwind tour. This post made me laugh and also gave me second thoughts about wanting to go back one day.

“What is a lamp, you nincompoop…” at 1PointPerspective. A spin on both the ubiquitous Versatile Blogger Awards *and* the famous Leg Lamp? Hell yeah! I love it!

Details On Rowling’s New Book at Novel Journeys. All you fellow Harry Potter geeks and book nerds need to check this out. J.K. Rowling’s new book “for grownups.” Will it be a hit? We’ll see!

Chillin’ With Mom at BrainRants. I have yet to read a BR post that doesn’t make me convulse with laughter. This one is no exception.

Telltale Signs That You Need a Break at Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride. I just took a vacation, for crying out loud, and I still need a break. All amateur writers and bloggers will see a bit of themselves here.

So, it’s Preds-Wings tomorrow, and probably the demise of the Penguins. (Sidney Crosby, you sounded like a 16-year-old girl who got dumped by her prom date yesterday. Seriously.)

As for me, I paid my taxes a month early. If the tax man shows up at your place for an audit, neither the site mascot nor I had anything to do with it.

I love it when a tax return comes together!

What have you been up to this week, P&Q Rangers? Did you wait until the last minute to file your 1040? Pulling for (or against) any team in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

As always…if you enjoyed this post, click that “Like” button and subscribe so you’ll never miss another moment of insanity!

~ by Howlin' Mad Heather on April 16, 2012.

11 Responses to “The Week That Was: Tax Day Edition”

  1. Thank you so much for including me in your mash up! I will definitely go and check out the other blogs, as soon as I get back from my break…
    BTW I remember being warned about the length of Titanic and stopped drinking liquids at 9:00 in the morning!

  2. Ironic that I just finished some Kansas yardwork in my best Carl Spangler attire when I came in and saw this awesome shout-out. Thanks, Heather. You rock.

  3. For the record, the fans in Philadelphia didn’t boo Santa, they threw snowballs at him (OK it was iceballs).

  4. Quite a random mix of topics! – love it! Thanks for including my post on travelling solo. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

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abandonen toda esperanza aquellos que entren aqui

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Spirituality and Pastoral Care

DAY1 - Introduction to Spirituality

Dawn OConnell

on 23 April 2014

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Transcript of Spirituality and Pastoral Care

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...those transcendant beliefs and values which give deepest meaning to our lives.
Jacqueline Watson (2003)
Spirituality is the awareness that there is more to life than the material; an awareness of oneself as a human being, responsive to beauty, sensitivity to ethical concerns, as well as experiences of engaging in mystery, awe and wonder.
David Hay and rebecca Nye (2006)
An awareness that there is something Other, something greater than the course of everyday events.
McCreery (1996)
...that process by which God seeks continually to work upon, or address, the raw unstable chaos of our lives and experience, and of our world, drawing forth meaning, identity, order and purpose. Mursell (2001)
Spirituality is the way in which people in all times and places encounter the holiness, the mystery, the fear and fascination of existance, of their own life, and death, and of their calling to be members of their family, their tribe... Butler & Butler (1996)
Spirituality is a dynamic wholeness of self in which the self is at one with itself and with the whole of creation.
Zoher & Marshall (2000)
For me spiritual experience is the search for answers to questions such as 'who am I?', 'Where do I fit in?', 'Why am I here?'.
Eaude (2004)
Spiritual moments are direct, personal, and often have the effect, if only for a moment, of waking us up and expanding our understanding of who we are and what our place is in the universe.
Tobin Hart (2003)The secret spiritual world of children
Would you like me to pray with you?
Can I send Christmas cards to my colleagues?

Should I be allowed time off because of Church Services / Christmas / Easter?

Can I wear a cross?

I am being asked to wear an immodest uniform – can I refuse?

Can I share my faith in the workplace?

Can I give a Christian opinion on controversial topics?

I am worried I might be accused of being homophobic.

Can I object where my employer has asked me to undertake duties that are contrary to my Christian conscience?

My employer has asked me to provide a good or service for a client that is contrary to my Christian conscience.
Spirituality of Children and Young People
Think about your own experience.

While remembering your own definition of spirituality - how was your spirituality nurtured as a child and as a young person?
Children's spirituality and the school curriculum
Schools are required by law to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society

(Education Reform Act 1988 and reinforced in subsequent Acts)
its definition
(SCAA 1995, Ofsted 2004, Watson 2001)
poor focus in teacher training
(Wright 2000, Woolley 2009)
lack of valuing of spirituality
(Hay & Nye 2006, Adams,
Hyde & woolley 2008)
State of wholeness, when every aspect of life is in balance and the person feels confident, creative, fulfilled and integrated, both inwardly and in relation to other people. It is a process of growth and development that gives to the individual meaning, purpose, direction and value in daily life.

Encompass hope, a quest for meaning and inner peace, a need to be valued and to receive assistance to cope with anxieties and fears.
Identify opportunities to support individuals’ spiritual well-being
Provide opportunities that facilitate and support spiritual well-being
Evaluate and report on work that relates to spiritual well-being
do you think people working in health and social care should be able to offer to pray for a client?
Ofsted Definition of Spiritual Development:
The training of good human beings, purposeful and wise, with a vision with what it is to be human
and the kind of society that makes possible.
Introduction to
Objectives for today
Define a personal understanding of spirituality
Consider that all human beings are spiritual regardless of age of faith
Identify attitudes to children's and young people's spirituality that need challenging
Apply a framework to assess our own approach to nurturing spirituality
Aim of the Session
To explore the meaning of Spirituality
What are the BIG questions that children and young people ask?
Paying Attention to Spiritual Needs
Group Activity
When have you experienced these needs in your own life?
How do you usually respond to your own needs?

Think about a time when you found a particularly meaningful way to meet one of these spiritual needs.

How do you think a group of people engaged in theological reflection could meet each other’s spiritual needs effectively?
List some of the ways.
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Outdoor Survival - Canada

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Ally Sørensen

on 10 October 2013

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Outdoor Survival - Canada
Cultural Influences
Stereotypes/Prejudices about Canadians
Military Uniforms
Growing hobby for families/school to explore the wilderness
Body Ideals
No Image
Famous professionals (Bear Grylls, Daniel Shrigley, Les Shroud, etc)
Food and water consumption
To conclude, outdoor survival has become a part of culture, media, society and politics.
Outdoor survival is very beneficial to the environment, seeing as National Parks preserve nature.
Body Images are non-existent or less of importance to knowledge skills
Popular as television shows

Scouts, raised in outdoor survival

Wide range of ages of participants
Impact on Society
Political Influences
Politics has played an essential role in outdoor activities.

National Parks are all preserved because of various politicians, who wanted to preserve nature.
Origin in Canada
Different types of Outdoor Survival
Cold weather

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How the human body works

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Paige Vincent

on 29 May 2014

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How the Human Body Works
In an adult human body, there are about 208 bones. However, in a baby's body, there is an average of 300 - 350! This is because a lot of bones merge together as a person gets older and as a result, there are less bones.
Calcium is very good for your bones. Bones will be stronger if you drink milk and other sources of calcium.
The Muscular System
Our Brain
Our brains are so complicated that there are some parts in it that scientists still don't understand. However, scientists know that our brain has the same general structure as most mammals, but compared to the size of our bodies, it is larger than any other. Here is a diagram of the different parts of the brain

Our digestive system
Our Heart and Lungs
Our heart and lungs are the most important things in our bodies besides our brain. Our hearts are the parts of our bodies that pump blood through all the blood vessels in our bodies. Our lungs are the parts of our bodies that puts oxygen in our blood cells. Our lungs wouldn't work if we didn't have a diaphragm. Our diaphragm is the part of our bodies that pumps our lungs.

In our muscular systems, there
are three different types of muscles
there are smooth muscles, skeletal muscles,
and cardiac muscles. Here is some information about them.

Smooth muscles
Skeletal Muscles
Cardiac Muscles
Smooth muscles are muscles we can't control. Because of this, they are sometimes called "involuntary muscles." Smooth muscles surround organs like our stomach, lungs and intestines.
Skeletal muscles are muscles that surround our bones. They are also the muscles that let us move our bodies.
Cardiac muscles are also involuntary muscles. However, they are not smooth muscles. In fact, they are definitely the most important muscles in our body! They are so important because they are the muscles that make up the three chambers in our hearts and pump blood through them.

The Five Senses
Human bodies have five important senses. They are our senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.

Our Sense of Smell
Our sense of smell is very closely intertwined with our sense of taste. However, they are very different. Our sense of smell is in our nose and brain. Usually, when we smell something, like some kind of food, it will taste somewhat like it smelled.
Our sense of taste
Our sense of taste comes from our tongue and our brain. We use our sense of taste to taste things, like food. Isn't that AMAZING? Also, even though the sense of taste is the most simple sense of the 5
senses, scientists know the least about it!

Our sense of touch
Our sense of touch is the only sense out of our 5 senses that can be found all over our bodies. This is because it originates in the bottom layer of our skin called the dermis. The dermis is filled with really tiny nerve ends that give your brain information about the things you touch. They can tell your brain if the things you touch are hot, cold if they hurt, and many other things!

Our Sense of Sight
The key to our sense of sight is light. Our eyes cannot and will not work without light. There are many different parts of the eye, as shown in the diagram below.
Our Sense of Hearing
Our ears are what we hear with. Our ears have three sections in them. They are the outer ear, inner ear, and the middle ear. The outer ear is the part we can see and the ear canal. The middle ear starts at the eardrum and goes to three tiny bones inside our ear. Finally, the inner ear is shaped a lot like a snail's shell. It is thge last large part of the ear

Every day, 11.5 liters of food and liquid passes through our digestive systems. Before it gets to our digestive systems,though, it is either cooled or warmed up to a more suitable temperature. In the stomach, enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL) break down food and then send it down to the small intestine, where 90 percent of digestion and absorbtion takes place. There are other steps in the digestive system, but as you can see, there's no more room for more writing
That's all for now!
I hope you enjoyed my prezi!
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PRIDE In Action Volunteers at Placer Food Bank

Most school-age children look forward to the weekend. However, for 29,000 children in Placer County, weekends and holiday vacations may mean going with little to no food.

PRIDE in Action is a group of PRIDE Industries employees, their family members and friends, volunteering their time in the community. The group believes that one person can make a difference, and if we unite, we can make an even greater impact. PRIDE in Action volunteered at Placer Food Bank on Saturday, November 10th, 2012.

Placer Food Bank is dedicated to feeding the hungry through a network of partner agencies, while educating the community about hunger and advocating for hunger relief. Their vision is to eliminate hunger. On Saturday, PRIDE in Action lent a hand by helping with their Backpack Program. The Backpack Program helps meet the needs of hungry children by providing them easy-to-prepare food to take home on weekends and school vacations. The program provides food that is child-friendly, non-perishable, and easily consumed. Children from local elementary schools are given a “backpack,” a gallon size bag, containing two microwaveable meals, two juice boxes, two cereal boxes, a fruit cup, and two shelf stable milks. The Backpack Program currently provides 615 school age children with meals each week.

Fourteen PRIDE in Action volunteers including PRIDE employees and their family members, pitched in. Together, the group re-packaged more than 2,400 meals for distribution at three Placer County elementary schools.

My husband and I were excited to volunteer for the first time at the Placer Food Bank with our boys. We feel it is important for them to understand how many kids and adults do not have food readily available to them,” said Dana Almora, a PRIDE Industries employee and PRIDE in Action volunteer. “We talk about it, however, we wanted to show them first-hand how they can make a difference. Kids at any age are never too young to learn the spirit of giving, especially during this Thanksgiving season.”

PRIDE in Action is currently collecting gently-used or new coats for a community drive. Donations can be dropped at the PRIDE Industries Roseville Headquarters lobby in Roseville.

PRIDE in Action is open to employees, family members and friends. If you live in the Sacramento area, and would like to participate in future PRIDE in Action events, please email us at with “PRIDE in Action” as the subject.

Thank you so much to all of our PRIDE in Action volunteers, Placer Food Bank and United Way for making this collaborative effort a reality! We hope that with our joint efforts fewer children will go hungry.

For more information about Placer Food Bank, their Backpack Program visit

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