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Abuse? I'll show you abuse!

Note to Curt:

Just because the state claims the authority to apprehend and punish rapists doesn’t mean that apprehending and punishing rapists is a form of state coercion. Nor is the notion that rape is bad an example of state coercion. Depending on your perspective, this is either a moral truth derived from God/reason/whatever or a widely-accepted social convention. Similarly, the notion that one can own property is (again, depending on your perspective) either morally necessary or a widely-accepted social convention that seems to work pretty well (here I’m dispensing with Communists and other fools who have nothing intelligent to say on the matter). Either way, the fact that the state claims ultimate authority to adjudicate property disputes does not make private property a form of state coercion. (Further reading)




9

Bentham's mummified corpse, like Lenin's, remains fresh in appearance

It’s almost comforting that such invidious fluffy-minded sludge as this is floating around, as it seems, like religion, to keep the middle-brows hypnotized by “beautiful sentiments” which are so vague as to keep them from actually getting together and doing anything. It’s sort of weird to hear this weakly Marxist social-democratic pap which used to be shouted from the rooftops now being whispered in a low monotonous whine. The author avows his fealty to Jeremy Bentham, not Marx, and calls it utilitarianism not Marxism, but there are many illegitimate fathers along this line of thought.

The root of the idea is that, now that neuroscience has supposedly made it possible to actually identify what makes us happy, the idea of happiness has become quantifiable, and hence a program of providing the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people has become objectively possible. However, the author does not make the slightest effort to apply these wonders of modern science to actually determining what the alleged sources of human happiness are. The neuroscience tack is really just a defensive ploy to ward off the eternal charges that utilitarinism is simply a euphemism for an authoritarian imposition of values. As for espousing his positive program for what constitutes human happiness, it is simply the usual liberal middle-class canards, with not surprisingly a socialist edge: more time to spend with family, a decent wage for everyone, blah blah blah. But he seems to make two pretty criminally unsubstantiated assumptions: one is these sources are essentially the same for everyone, or at least could be under certain conditions, and the other is that they do not inherently conflict with anyone else’s.

I say under certain conditions could be, because in evaluating our current society he seems to privilege envy of other’s material well-being as the principal determinant of happiness. His theory is that above a certain level of material subsistence people are motivated primarily by status-seeking and the desire for a high rank within their social group. Therefore, the increasing wealth of the society will not increase happiness because people measure their well-being relative to the group, not by their absolute prosperity. This is always been a flaw in the concept of the “war against poverty”; I’m not sure it’s much of an argument for socialist economic redistribution. But actually if you read his section on the value of income taxes carefully, he doesn’t even seem to be arguing that they are useful insofar as they can be redirected to the less prosperous, although he does evidently believe that a certain amount of money contributes more to the happiness of a poor person than to a rich one’s. Rather, he seems to think that taking money away from the properous is valuable in and of itself, because it will supposedly make them less focused on the “rat race,” more family-oriented, etc., etc. In short he seems to be advocating a net impoverishment of society.

All of which may be consistent with the program of a good little socialist, but does not necessarily accord marvelously with his own evidence about the supposedly quantified happiness of humanity. The research that he cites non-specifically supposedly indicates that people’s feeling of happiness has not risen in the last half-century, but he does not cite anything which indicates that it has necessarily declined. He cites rising rates of depression and crime as presumably implicit indicators of greater unhappiness, but he does not seem to acknowledge the possibility that in our hyper-medicated and surveillance-based society perhaps people simply report depression and crime more. In any event, if roughly similar numbers of people today as in the ‘50’s report themselves happy (and we believe them), despite the increase in prosperity, that might perhaps indicate that happiness is not fixed to material well-being. Which may be consistent with his general point, but not with his idea of increasing happiness by manipulating income levels.

And even if it did, it seems rather difficult to countenance any social program predicated upon appealing to one of humanity’s most depraved instincts, namely envy. The author acknowledges that his ideal of taxation is mainly motivated by the desire to pander to people’s envy, but he seems to think that their envy will be sated by the loss of prosperity of those around them and that after that point there will be no more. So the envy of the less prosperous will be satisfied by the losses accrued by the more prosperous, which will somehow not be counter-balanced by the chagrin of the more prosperous at the prospect of seeing their status diminished. Very logical.

One of the more egregious presumptions of utilitarians is that non-utilitarian social systems somehow aren’t concerned with seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people. On the contrary, that’s the defining problem of practically every social and political theory I can think of, and they all either seek or claim to have found the answer—whether such a solution exists, I have my doubts, but that’s why I’m a skeptic about politics. This is a handy trick by utilitarians: they say “I believe in the greatest good for the greatest number of people.” Which is practically begging the question: “As opposed to whom?” It’s useful because it tends to conceal the fact that their real agenda is generally somewhat more specific, and tends to consist in the autocratic notion that one or two measures of social living can be authoritatively determined to be the sources of happiness, and then divided up in a centralized fashion. Those that are the most insistent on the idea of liberty are generally those that are the most skeptical about the possibility of the notion of happiness being either quantitatively defined or generalizable. In other words, only indviduals can determine their own sources of happiness.

For the author, on the other hand, the fact that certain stimuli trigger certain areas of the brain at the times when test subjects profess pleasure has solved the problem of determining happiness. Of course, as mentioned, he never really bothers with the results that those studies have yielded. Somehow the fact that he considers envy to be a principal element of human happiness does not place very severe limits on the harmoniousness of individual happiness. Nor does it constitute a tyranny of the majority, because he claims that in an ideal utilitarian society the happiness of the most unhappy would be considered of pre-eminent importance. Of course, at the beginning of the article he cited the equal importance of each individual’s happiness as the fouding tenet of his theory, but I’m sure it all sorts out in the end.

Among social factors responsible for unhappiness, he cites divorce and unemployment as of pre-eminent importance. Of course, rates of both divorce and unemployment in the crassly materialistic and religious United States are much lower than in the much more overtly utilitarian-embracing Europe, but it would be a bit embarassing for him to admit this after avowing that all traditional value-systems outside of utilitarianism and “individualism” are dead.

Personally the question of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people doesn’t exactly compel me constantly, although the issue of personal happiness tends to impose itself intransigently. I would have thought that evolutionary biology would have provided an adequate explanation of this, as well as the recurrence of what we call altruism. But such an idea of course suggests that happiness, whatever that is, is not really the point of our little existences, and that the more imperious competitiveness of life will ultimately subvert all of these little trifles of pleasure and pain. But in the meantime, we have these debased statistical notions of happiness to amuse us in an idle hour.

It seems to me that if one’s “objective” measure of happiness is electrical stimulation in the cerebral cortex, the most efficient utilitarian solution to the problem of human happiness would be strap everyone onto hospital gurneys and stimulate the “happiness” part of their brain all day long. If one does not wish to be this deterministic about it, perhaps one should allow more latitute to individuals to discover their own conception of happiness. Personally, I have found happiness generally to be an idea for the unhappy and something rarely spoken of by the happiness; mention of practically guarantees that it is not present in the environment where it is uttered. I don’t deny that what you might call love is the real bridge between personal happiness and moral obligations, and the only true means by which the desires of oneself and of others are united, but such a sentiment can never be mandated; it is entirely resistant to intellectual compulsion. Utilitarianism, which sometimes does a decent job of faking morality, is nevertheless ultimately predicated on the pleasure principle, and hence is wholly inadequate to uniting the moral and the pleasurable except when love truly pertains. In that case, of course, political theory is entirely superfluous, which is why this is all a waste of time.

p.s. I don’t claim that people’s behavior necessarily reflects what really would make them happy, but presumably it does at least reflect what they consciously value. Hence, if I were the author I would have been a bit skeptical of using the results of “surveys” of what people claim to value when the results don’t correlate with their behavior, i.e. they claim that spending time with family is most important, but they spend a disproportiante amount of time working (at least according to him). So either people are not really being forthright (consciously or unconsciously) in responding to surveys, or there is not actually a problem of priorities. In either case, he’s way over-valuing surveys as a guide to what will make people happy.




9

FileZilla Server 1.9.4 (Freeware)

FileZilla Server is a full featured FTP server with support for secure SSL/TLS connections, IP security, anti-FXP options, per-user speed limits, user groups and MODE-Z compression. It provides a pla....




9

Dr.Explain 6.9.1322 (Trial)

Dr.Explain is a screen capture documentation tool that is designed to aid software developers with the documentation of interface features. It automatically adds references to all controls, and you c....




9

Free Music and Video Downloader 2.99 (Freeware)

Free Music Video Downloader (Lacey) enables you to download your favorite music as MP3 files from various online sources, including Last.FM, Grooveshark, Sogou, VKontakte, SoundCloud, and many ....




9

AVG Clear (Remover) 24.11.9615

AVG Clear eliminates all the parts of your AVG installation from your computer, including registry items, installation files, user files, etc. AVG Clear is provided by AVG and is the last resort to use if you have a problem removing your current AVG whether it's a failed repair, reinstall or complete removal. [License: Freeware | Requires: 11|10|8|7 | Size: 15 MB ]




9

Avast! Free Edition 24.11.9615

Avast! Free Antivirus is the perfect package of applications for people who send e-mails and surf popular websites to protect their computers from a virus infection or other malware threats and can significantly reduce the risk of losing vital or private data. [License: Ad-Supported | Requires: 11|10|8|7|macOS | Size: Size Varies ]




9

AVG AntiVirus Free Edition 24.11.9615

AVG AntiVirus Free Edition provides a reliable tool to protect your PC against many of today's viruses. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition has both online and offline protection from viruses, spyware, and other nasties with consistent high-speed performance as well as automatic signature or virus definition updates to make sure you're current. [License: Ad-Supported / Freemium | Requires: 11|10|8|7|macOS | Size: Size Varies ]




9

YouTube for Android 19.45.36

The latest version of the official YouTube app, now with in-page playback! Experience the latest and best version of the official YouTube app.... [License: Ad-Supported | Requires: Android | Size: Size Varies ]




9

Valérie Lemercier, "95C"


A record that has been on repeat as of late, perhaps in part because of my obsessive reimmersion into Shibuya-kei. (If you missed the big playlist I began, check it out.) Reconnecting with it deeply, thoughtfully, and from the perspective of me as I am today as opposed to through a desire to, frankly, wrap myself in warm, fuzzy nostalgia, has unlocked new respect and reverence. Its whimsical expressiveness and lightning-bolt vigor and costume-party playfulness come from, yes, overstimulated and itchy brains, fidgety crate-digger fingers, but, more importantly, from curious hearts that want to simply celebrate life. Thus, while it's artificially about a sort of cosplay, it's a sincere, pure body of work, and that's what makes it so remarkably special.
 
 
But Valérie Lemercier isn't Japanese—she's French. Were I also French, I'd likely be well familiar with her by now; she was first an actress, and she remains one to this day, and it's that career for which she is perhaps best known. (I only know her face through a small role in Sabrina.) 

In the 90s, she recorded some lively, animated music, both Gen X space-age retrofuturistic kitsch and classicism chanson and yé-yé. The album is bright, saturated with fruitiness and jazzy spunk. A real treat. And, evidently, Pizzicato Five was rather infatuated with her. She and Maki Nomiya (野宮 真貴) even were matched together for a feature in H magazine in '96, in fact.




9

Mick Ronson, "Growing Up and I'm Fine"


One of the Spiders from Mars, Mick Ronson would undoubtedly be bigger—or at least still working, up to album number seventy—had he not died in 1993, only 46 years old.

 
Through the 60s, he started and was in a number of bands, including the Rats, a psych unit with a heavy and somewhat baroque, arty presence, smarter than contemporaries.

Eventually, he found his way to David Bowie, who, in 1970, was getting assembling a group called the Hype. The band eventually became Bowie's backing outfit, though only after breaking off from Ziggy Stardust, getting signed, and renaming as Ronno.
 

He stayed with Bowie, mostly as his lead guitarist and a strings arranger, and also began working with others, like Mott the Hoople and Lou Reed. Once he started recording on his own, he intersected with Ian Hunter, and thus began the final chapter of his career, toggling between his own macho glam ambitions (think Todd Rundgren with less of the elfish slouch and woo-woo gentleness, and a heaping spoonful of brawn), power-pop studio jobs, and hired-gun positions in touring ensembles, like Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue.

Bowie described him beautifully: "Mick was the perfect foil for the Ziggy character. He was very much a salt-of-the-earth type, the blunt northerner with a defiantly masculine personality, so that what you got was the old-fashioned yin and yang thing. As a rock duo, I thought we were every bit as good as Mick and Keith or Axl and Slash. Ziggy and Mick were the personification of that rock 'n' roll dualism."
 




9

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In: The Complete Fourth Season

Rent It

Well, I guess I had to see it to believe it. After reviewing Time-Life's set of Laugh-In's third season, where all 26 episodes were affected by a serious mastering error, I didn't think the problem would have carried over to any of the other sets. In this set of the fourth season with 26 more episodes from the show's 1970-71 season, ONE episode (#22) seems to have come out right but the remaining 25 are still afflicted. I'll talk more about that in the quality section, but first a bit about the show itself:

Dan Rowan and Dick Martin still haven't let up by this point, continuing the show's mostly anarchic format that filled an hour-long slot each week when network TV...Read the entire review




9

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration!

Recommended

This second DVD release from Shout Factory Kids celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary consists of a special made this year for prime time on both HBO (where the show has moved for its first run episodes) and PBS (which still presents the show delayed after the HBO showings, and with an annoying "E/I" symbol at the top of the screen to count towards the FCC's required hours of "educational programming" each week- in that regard it's likely for the better that its new primary home is HBO.) Like the 25th anniversary special, which was one of the very first DVD releases back in 1997, this focuses mostly on songs from the show but most of them are new performances, done on the show's set, rather than archival clips. There's a number of celebrity appearances but for some reason Joseph Gordon-Levitt, born after I had already outgrown the show on TV, was chosen to be the main "star". He takes a cab t...Read the entire review




9

Lynyrd Skynyrd - I'll Never Forget You: The Last 72 Hours Of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rent It

The Movie:

I think both in fictional movies and documentaries, when airplane trouble happens when a musical act is one of the passengers on the plane, the comedy to diffuse the tension is palpable, whether it is a tribute to "The Night the Music Died" when the Big Bopper, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly passed, or when members of Lynyrd Skynrd died in a 1977 plane crash. Neverthless, I'll Never Forget You attempts to put some emotion into the tragic event.

The film is based on the novel by Gene Odom, friend of singer Ronnie Van Zandt and who wrote the book that serves as the foundation for the film. In it, he, along with others that survived the crash (backup singer Leslie Hawkins and guitar roadie Craig Reed) as they share their thoughts on the crash and offer some thoughts on the days and hours leading up to the tragic events.

So when it comes to the film itself, the sto...Read the entire review




9

Don't get sick




9

Tearing Method Director's Cut




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Don's Intro to PostScript video




9

ARA January 2019 Hanging Canal Video




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JFA Bajada "hanging" canal author's preprint




9

What's New and Daily Blog




9

Topical Sermon: Fasting God's Way

'Fasting God's Way' is the subject of our latest Topical Sermon, as we consider the genuine motives behind the type of fasting God looks for in His people. What's the difference in fasting our way, and fasting God's way? What does our fasting achieve if we're not fasting God's way? How does He view it? Join us for the answers to these and other questions! This sermon is available now from https://www.preachtheword.com in MP3 audio and text formats...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Holy Spirit Pt2: What's Missing?

Just like the twelve 'disciples' in Ephesus, the original twelve in Jerusalem also had something missing. They had spent three years with Jesus, but still needed their Pentecost experience. Jesus warned His disciples that they needed more to accomplish His commission. Here in Part 2 of 'The Holy Spirit', we will find out 'What's Missing?', and learn of the utter necessity of living and ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. This challenging message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Holy Spirit Pt9: Symbols Of The Holy Spirit - Fire

We have been looking at some of the several 'Symbols of the Holy Spirit' described for us in Scripture. Last time in our series on 'The Holy Spirit' we looked at 'The Dove', but this time we will focus primarily on the 'Fire' of the Spirit and what we can learn from this image and reality. How might we quench the Spirit's flame and how can the fire be caught? This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Holy Spirit Pt10: The Fruit Of The Spirit - God's Personality

In this introduction to a sub-series in our wider study on 'The Holy Spirit', we consider: what exactly is the Fruit of the Spirit? Whose life is it anyway? Here in 'The Fruit Of The Spirit - God's Personality' we find the answer to why the Christian life is impossible to live in the flesh. This sermon is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Holy Spirit Pt19: The Fruit Of The Spirit - Gentleness

Have you ever prayed for more gentleness? Have you ever heard teaching on 'how to be gentle'? Do you imagine God as gentle? When you think you are hearing God speak to you, is it with a gentle tone? We trust this next video on 'The Fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness', will answer these and other questions for you. 'Gentleness' or 'meekness' is a much neglected and tragically undervalued attribute that we and others would so benefit from if we experienced it through the Holy Spirit's power. Indeed, this is how we would better influence the people around us to be Christians. As Jesus put it in Matthew 5:5 'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth'. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Holy Spirit Pt29: The Gifts Of The Spirit - Gifts Of Healings, Part 2

For Part 29 of 'The Holy Spirit' we have the second episode of our look at 'The Gifts of Healings'. David further explores this gift in the Bible and how it operates today. He considers whether, as some claim, using medicine is somehow showing a lack of faith in the healing gift. He also seeks to answer a common objection to this gift - if you 'have' it why don't you go and heal everyone in the hospitals and hospices? In these two studies we are seeking to biblically, honestly and sensitively explore a subject that dominated the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles and that we are promised to experience in some capacity today. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Revival Now Pt9: A New Revival And Reform Movement

In this concluding message of 'Revival Now' we see the need for 'A New Revival And Reform Movement', as David considers the difference between revival and reformation. From Matthew 9, he shares how revival is like the new wine God pours out from heaven, but the wineskins need to be fit for purpose to preserve and distribute the wine, otherwise the wine is spilled and wasted and the wineskins are ruined. God is wanting to reform the church again so that she is fit for purpose for the 'new thing' He wants to do among us. God is calling the church back to original New Testament Christianity, so therefore we must remove all obstacles in the way of this move of God. Perhaps that's part of what this current shaking in the church is all about? This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Helping Others To Freedom Pt6: A Case Study - Frank's Story

In this very practical session, we look at a fictional case study, which you can do as an individual or as a group if you are following this course with others. As 'Frank' comes to you to receive prayer for his problems, from his story, you must assess the underlying root causes of his issues and how he can receive healing and freedom. David will allow you to pause in this session and take time to consider some helpful questions which are provided for you. Then David will continue, giving some suggested answers to those questions. This exercise helps us contemplate how the principles we have been learning might be outworked in a hypothetical 'real-life' scenario. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Helping Others To Freedom Pt9: Practicalities And Mysteries Of Healing And Deliverance

In Session 9 of 'Helping Others To Freedom', David addresses many practical questions that often arise around healing and deliverance, also considering some of the mysterious matters that can confuse people. This episode on 'Practicalities And Mysteries Of Healing And Deliverance' should be extremely useful for anyone engaging in prayer ministry. This session is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Glorious Presence Of God Pt5: The Passionate Pursuit Of God's Glory

We need to pursue Him passionately to experience more of 'The Glorious Presence Of God'. King David reflects this in Psalm 63, and others like Moses and Isaiah show us what it is like to hunger after and interact with God's presence. In this message, you'll hear how we must turn away from other distractions and sins to gain a greater passion for God's presence. This concluding message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Jesus' Preparation For Ministry Pt1: From Obscurity To Prominence

There is much of Jesus' early life we don't know about. We know He didn't begin His earthly ministry until around the age of 30. What did He do in those preceding years? Those years in obscurity were a vital part of 'Jesus' Preparation For Ministry'. What lessons can we learn from such obscurity and silent years? Follow Him 'From Obscurity To Prominence', as we consider this question and also the importance of Christ's baptism, holiness, obedience and His empowerment by the Spirit. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Jesus' Preparation For Ministry Pt2: Learning To Minister From Identity

Many of us have been conditioned by life and culture to serve to obtain identity rather than ministering from our identity in Christ. Jesus knew who He was and what the Father thought of Him; this impacted how He served God. However, many of us behave as orphans in ministry, which often ends in our own hurt and that of others. In this message on 'Learning To Minister From Identity', David teaches us to minister from identity as children of God rather than ministering from identity like orphans. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Jesus' Preparation For Ministry Pt3: The School Of Suffering

The Bible tells us that Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered. Even for the perfect Son of God, there was 'The School Of Suffering' that prepared Him for ministry. As His disciples, we are called to take up our cross and suffer for Christ. We will experience the test of the wilderness and face the enemy's taunts attacking our belovedness to God. Suffering cannot be avoided as Christians. Discernment is needed to know what can be resisted and what is part of God's plan for us. One thing is sure: if we are to inherit as God's sons and daughters, we must suffer for His name. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

God's Voice And Spiritual Warfare

Hearing the voice of God is vital for success in spiritual warfare. It is essential to learn to use the sword of the Spirit, the rhema of God, to overcome the temptations and attacks of the devil. This message from Ephesians 6:17 will teach you the importance of using the sword of the Spirit and some practical pointers on receiving words from God to take into the battle against the enemy. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

God's Plan For Mental Health

Mental health problems, it appears, have escalated dramatically in recent times. Does the Bible have anything to say about our minds, how we can protect them and solutions to mental ill-health? The answer is 'Yes!'. There is power in the gospel and the Word of God to heal our minds. God has given us a plan of wholeness and healing for our minds. Join us for valuable guidance from Philippians 4:6-9. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Don't Fear, Only Believe

In this story of two overlapping healings - the woman with the issue of blood and the raising of Jairus' daughter - we learn some principles of how God heals. Sometimes, we can be confused about how God does His healing work. In this account, Jesus emphasises the importance of saying 'No' to fear and only believing what God has said. Don't fear, only believe! This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

The Lord's Prayer

This prayer that Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 11:1-4 also teaches us how to be 'kingdom people'. This prayer can be prayed with our lives, as we become the prayer and the answer to it. 'The Lord's Prayer' would warrant a whole series of teaching, and even that could never exhaust its depths - but here in one message, David seeks to highlight the kingdom principles that are in the will of God for us to pray for, and live out. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

God's Holy Kingdom

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, Paul gives a list of the sinful lifestyles that will not inherit 'God's Holy Kingdom' - we are not to be deceived! However, every 'type' of sinner can enter the kingdom of God through repentance and faith. Paul exhorts us to live up to our identity as citizens of the kingdom of God. He challenges us as to our behaviours, what influences we are under or bound by and whether or not we are filled with the Holy Spirit as God's holy temples. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format...



  • Religion & Spirituality

9

Visión Innovadora para Proteger Áreas DANA y Preservar el Empleo

La reciente DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) que ha afectado a varias regiones ha evidenciado la necesidad de implementar medidas de protección a largo plazo para mitigar cualquier repercusión futura. Este fenómeno meteorológico ha causado daños considerables, subrayando la urgencia de establecer políticas que no solo respondan a las necesidades inmediatas de los afectados, […]

Artículo publicado en : Visión Innovadora para Proteger Áreas DANA y Preservar el Empleo




9

Álex Simón Designado cartelista del carnaval 2025, que tendrá lugar del 1 al 15 de marzo

En la ciudad de Cuenca, el ambiente está cargado de emoción ante la inminente llegada del Carnaval, uno de los eventos más esperados por la comunidad. El Concejal de Festejos, Alberto Castellano, ha destacado la colaboración entre su departamento y la Asociación Amigos del Carnaval para fortalecer esta celebración anual. «Llevamos ya tiempo trabajando en […]

Artículo publicado en : Álex Simón Designado cartelista del carnaval 2025, que tendrá lugar del 1 al 15 de marzo




9

Adventures of Man in the Can - Chapter 9 - Leo the Lizard



A strange man shows up in the park and discards a brown bag in the trash..but the bag is moving and The Man in the Can is going to find out what it is!!

Hear what happens on today's Adventures of the Man in the Can.



MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast







9

Adventures of Man in the Can - Ch 19 - The Great Exodus - Alliances



The animals sleep as the remaining team of scout birds return and report the findings on their future home. What news will they bring back to Man in the Can and Yellow Bird?

Find out in today's Adventures of the Man in the Can.




MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast





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9

Kate is 9!

Kate's birthday was on December 22nd! She had a spend the night party on January 3rd which also was Miles' s first birthday. It was a very exciting and fun filled day. I never imagined that I would have a spend the night party because they are not my thing. However, we had a great time.

The best part of the night was the comment we overheard, "Kate's dad is actually funny!" Not surprisingly, Rick is open to have many more spend the night parties. :)

 Eating Pizza

Here are 4 of the 8 Rainbow Looms we had in our house that night.

I think she was having fun!

The gang. :)







9

Charlotte's Pictures From the First Few Days

Here are a few pictures from Charlotte's first week. I'm planning to write up the story of her birth in the next few days so I will not forget anything.



This was about 30 mins before Charlotte was born. Rick was most proud that this was his 2nd "selfie." I was in severe pain at this point. They were monitoring Charlotte and I was waiting on the anesthesiologist to come and talk to me. My contractions were 2 minutes apart with almost no downtime in between. 

Right after Charlotte was born. She was 7 lbs and 15 oz which puts her as the 4th smallest baby. 

Kate and Claire are completely in love with her. 

First picture with her 5 big brothers. Can you even imagine? She is going to be one loved and protected little girl. They all ask to hold her multiple times a day (well, not Luke.) The boys only hold her for about 30 seconds and then they are off to something else.  :)  

 First picture of all 8 children. I cannot believe all of these sweet little ones are ours. 


Kate - 10, Claire - 9, Henry - 7, Jack - 5, Sims - 4, Miles - 2, Luke - 1, Charlotte - 1 week




9

Charlotte's Birth Story

Things to know before reading:

1. Charlotte was breech
2. I had a version preformed to flip her
3. She flipped back


When I last left off, I was waiting on our planned c-section. I had a list of things to do and by the Thursday before her Saturday arrival, nearly everything was finished. All of our school work for the semester was complete and all of the laundry in my house was washed, folded, and put away. The only major family thing I had left to do was packing. I never got around to packing.

Thursday afternoon I noticed I was having about 4 contractions an hour. I paid no attention to these because in my previous pregnancies, I had weeks and weeks of contractions prior to actual labor. This pregnancy, I had NO "practice" contractions. I just assumed it was because she was breech and so there was nothing to get ready for. My cervix was also closed at every appointment in the last weeks which is also not normal for me. I normally am between 3-4 cm before I go into labor. So back to the few contractions, I just assumed these where the ones I had been without for the last 6 weeks.

I started cooking dinner on Thursday night and got about halfway through cooking when I felt the first painful and long contraction. It was at 5:15. From that point on, they were coming every 2-3 mins without stopping and lasting over a minute. They went from 0-60 immediately. I couldn't finish making dinner so I really have no idea what the kids ate that night. Rick walked in the door at 6 and I asked him to take Kate to dance and take all of the other kids with him. He asked if it was "time" and I said, "No, I just need to try and make them stop." I had 2 times with Luke where I had similar contractions prior to labor that lasted 2 hours and then stopped. I was assuming that's what was going on here. So from 5:15-9:15, I walked around my house, laid down in my bed, took 2 baths, but nothing was stopping them. It was the same pattern, 2-3 mins apart and lasting from 1-2 mins. I wasn't getting any relief or downtime in between contractions. At some point during this 4 hour period, Rick picked Kate up from dance, printed and folded the bulletins for Sunday, and took them to the church.

I told myself if they were still going at 9:15 that I would call my doctor. My doctor told me to come on in and get checked out and that they would probably keep me overnight to monitor me and decide what to do early Friday morning. I still wasn't sure if I was in labor or not and really didn't want to go and then get sent home so I was relieved that they were going to keep me and that Charlotte would probably be born the next day when my doctor was on call. (He delivered all 7 of our other kids.)

I texted my sister to come stay with the kids and started packing my bags. I always wondered why people packed their hospital bags early. I thought you would have plenty of time in between contractions to get what you needed. Haha! I ended up at the hospital with 6 shirts and 1 pair of shorts. :) I guess I really was in pain.

The ride to the hospital was horrible. Every bump magnified the pain. The contractions didn't slow down and that was when I finally realized that I was actually in labor. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the hospital. I think we arrived around 11:00pm and I was taken to triage to get things checked out. I had never actually been to triage so that was something new. They monitored me for an hour and I had to lay on my back that entire time. That was horrible. I'm pretty sure you are not meant to lay on your back without pain relief during labor. :) They also did an ultrasound to check her position and she was in fact, still breech.

Around 12:20am, Friday morning,  the doctor on call came in said it was time for Charlotte to be born and that we couldn't wait any longer. My contractions were not stopping and my cervix was opening.  From that point on, everything moved quickly and slowly at the same time. The anesthesiologist came in and said I would be getting a spinal because they couldn't wait for an epidural to work. He told me all of the side effects but I'm not really sure what he said. I had to sign about 20 pages of release forms and they I was wheeled off to the operating room while Rick waited in triage to be called back.

I remember the operating room being very, very bright and there were a lot of people in there - I think 10. I'm used to the quiet dark delivery rooms with just one nurse and the doctor so this was a change. I moved from the triage bed to the operating table and was given my spinal. I do remember the anesthesiologist saying that if the spinal didn't take for some reason that they would immediately knock me out and that when I would wake up I'd have a baby. I was hoping that didn't happen. He poked my arm with some kind of sharp object and then would poke on my stomach to make sure I didn't feel anything. The first 2 times he did it I felt it but by the third time, I couldn't feel anything. At that point Rick was let in the room and they began. They had been prepping and draping me during this time as well. Charlotte was born at 12:50 am. She was born toward the beginning of the surgery and it seemed that the bulk of the time was spent getting stitched back together.

She was immediately shown to me over my drape and then taken to get cleaned up a bit. About 2 minutes later she was brought over to me and placed on my chest and I held her for about 5 mins. She was then taken away (in the same room again) to be weighed, etc and Rick went with her. She was then brought back to me all bundled me for a few kisses and then Rick was able to carry her to the recovery room to wait for me. I was in the recovery room for 2 hours and during that time my parents came up to see her. I was able to nurse her which was great. I was also given a pump for my pain medication. The nurse sacred me because she told me to push the button every 8 mins and to stay on top of the pain. She warned me not to fall asleep because if I did and then woke up an hour later, I would not be able to handle the amount of pain I would be in. It was 2:00 in the morning and I was drugged up on morphine and she was telling me not to fall asleep! I guess it worked because I didn't sleep until later that morning, after the pump was turned off. :)

I was in love with her from the moment I saw her. My main concern with having a c-section, prior to having it, was that I would somehow feel like I missed out on the birthing process. I never felt that way. I carried her for 9 months and she arrived in the safest way possible for both of us. It was perfect. The only thing I was sad about was that my doctor missed delivering her by 5 hours. However, that was the Lord's will too. He was on call all weekend so he checked on me everyday while I was in the hospital. C-section recovery is painful. That's all I want to say about that. I just want to remember the hours and minutes before, during, and after her birth. I am thankful for every moment of it.









9

Ed Miliband's reply To Sonia Poulton.

I'm reading that lot of people seem to have taken a lot of negative things from Ed Miliband's reply to Sonia Poulton's letter regarding welfare reform and the new Work Capability Assessment that was signed by thousands of people including myself. I'm actually quite surprised by this as I thought for a letter from a Politician it was very positive and actually addressed what it said in the original letter directly, which is quite rare. Lets look at it again for a moment.

Dear Ms Poulton,
Thank you for your correspondence regarding the Work Capability Assessment, and my apologies for the delay in replying. Disabled people need support and compassion, and the Labour Party believes in a welfare state that fulfils this principle. The previous Conservative Government took the opposite approach and left many disabled people on Incapacity Benefit with little support to return to work where possible. It is also important to separate out ill health and disability from the decision not to work, which is taken by a distinct minority. For these reasons, the previous Labour Government introduced the Work Capability Assessment, and I am supportive of the principles behind this test.
However, I share some of the concerns that have been expressed about the test by you, along with many charities, disability groups and healthcare professionals.
These concerns, the high percentage of appeals, and Professor Malcolm Harrington’s expert reviews have shown that the test must be improved. The Government needs to listen to Professor Harrington’s advice, especially when his third review for 2012 comes out. 
We have also forced a vote in Parliament on the need to reduce the human cost of the wrong decisions that result from the WCA in its current form. Given the importance of this issue, I am keen that you discuss this further with the Labour Party and share with us some of the experiences of people going through the WCA that you have collected. Anne McGuire, my Shadow Minister for Disabled People, would be happy to arrange a meeting in order to do so. Please contact her on ********** to arrange a convenient time.
Thank you again for taking the time to get in touch on this issue.
Yours sincerely, Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP
I can see it's going to have been the first paragraph that has angered people so much, he is stating what the new WCA was meant to achieve there. I agree with the points he makes, there was little or no support for people wanting to return to work from incapacity benefit under the old system. I have always wanted to work and said that in every medical I ever had under the old system. The problem is that I have to have a job I can reliably do, and mental illness prevents me doing a lot of jobs.

The new system was supposed to support me to get back into work which I was pleased to hear, but when I finally had my assessment I was horrified to find they were trying to deny me ESA altogether. I was confident I would get into the work related activity group where I would still receive ESA for 1 year and attend groups and activities designed to help get back into work. I am now having to go through the stressful and uncertain process of appealing their decision, and I daily read about people who have severe physical disabilities or are even dying being declared fit to work.

If we lived in a Utopian society where every employer would pay for adaptations and carers for disabled people from their own profits to enable them to work, and every employer was trained in mental health issues and was sympathetic towards employees who suffer from them. If businesses could afford to employ people who may be absent because they are receiving medical treatment  or just too ill that day to show up, then it would work. Every disabled and mentally ill person would have a job and we'd all stand in a big circle with the able bodied and mentally well holding hands and sing "I'd like to teach the world to sing".

But here's the problem Ed, society is not like that, hate crimes against the disabled are being committed every day, employers can't afford to adapt buildings and employ carers without any funding available. And where are all these jobs we are supposed to be applying for anyway? There aren't even jobs for the able bodied who have just been made unemployed, let alone jobs for a woman like me who hasn't worked for 10 years because I'm mentally ill and prone to nervous breakdowns. And all the thousands of others who have even more severe metal illness's and physical disabilities, who is going to employ them Ed?

Even if I do make it to the Work Related Activity group, what will the people there actually be able to do for me to remedy these problems? Are the department for work and pensions even the best people to be in charge of such a thing? How are we going to change society enough in the one year I have to get me a job? There are thousands like me, nothing the DWP alone will be able to do will find us all suitable jobs. Money needs to be available to employers to enable them to employ us, and they need to be educated in the many and complicated needs of people who have mental illness and disabilities. More jobs need to be created to meet the demand for them, as we want to work Ed we really do, this minority of people who don't want to work are non existent Ed. Only someone who's never had to live on benefits would say something like that, it is a soul destroying experience and everything rests on the words of an anonymous decision maker who you will never meet.

So that's the bit that makes us angry fair enough, but he does go on to talk about the human cost of what is happening, so he's admitting things aren't right there in a veiled way. And he says that he has concerns about the high number of appeals, that's all we can really hope for, he's a politician after all. He's never going to turn around and just say "sorry everyone it's not working like it should have, we didn't think it through we'll go back to the drawing board", Politicians just don't do that. But there is hope that behind closed doors they are frantically reassessing what they've done and realising it is going horribly wrong. Bills have gone through parliament now though and thousands of people are suffering, if they admit they were wrong they will have to compensate everyone who has suffered, I can't see that ever happening. It will take years to undo the damage that has been done, the human cost has already been too great and will only get worse is the horrible truth.

It's not only the benefits system that has to change for this to work it's the very nature of employment and societies attitude to disabled people that has to change too, and that will take more than a year.   




9

Condems, Bringing 19th Century Values to 21st Century Britain.

Captioned Photo Kindly provided by Christos Palmer

I was reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens yesterday, a book written in 1843, and I'd like to share this excerpt from the first chapter.

Two men enter Scrooges office on Christmas eve asking for charity for the poor.

.... "at this festive season of the year Mr Scrooge," said the gentlemen, taking up a pen "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some light provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common comforts sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons" said the gentlemen. Laying down the pen again.

"And the union work houses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"They are still" returned the gentleman "I wish I could say they were not"

"The treadmill and the poor law are in full vigour then?" said Scrooge.

"Both very busy sir"

"Oh! I was  afraid from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their Useful course", said Scrooge "I'm very glad to hear it".

"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body in the multitude" returned the gentlemen "  few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the poor some meat drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?"

"Nothing!" Scrooge replied

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone" said Scrooge "since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen that is my answer. I don't make merry myself and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned - they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die"

"If they would rather die" said Scrooge "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Besides - excuse me but I do not know that"

"But you might know it" observed the gentlemen.

"It is not my business" Scrooge returned "it is enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to intrude with other peoples. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon gentlemen."

Seeing Clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge resumed his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and an even more facitious temper than was usual with him...


As you can see the attitude towards the poor and destitute in Britain is becoming chillingly close to that of 19th century Britain. The current government is bringing values from that century that even the Victorians were ashamed of  and sought to bring to public attention the hypocrisy and barbarism of as early as 1843 to this century.

So before you harshly judge a benefit claimant as workshy or a scrounger remember, the welfare state was bought in to put a stop to the inhumane methods of dealing with the poor used before it's creation. The benefit claimants of today are no different to the poor and destitute of the Victorian era. Do not let the government drag us back to the 19th century with their propaganda about "benefit dependency" and "tough love".

The only thing that will end benefit dependency and help the long term unemployed and sick and disabled back to work is job creation, and a more sympathetic and helpful attitude towards them, that enables them to get work and remain employed. Labeling, hounding and cutting off benefits will not help anyone except the government in their endeavours to save money, caused by a crisis they created with their relentless pursuit of profit over humanity. 




9

More Propaganda Broadcast "Don't Worry Disabled People Are Fine, Go Back To Sleep..."

Just been listening to BBC Radio Four, they were discussing disability and finances and how disabled people have more of a hard time getting loans. they also went into how it costs more day to day if you are disabled, how this is worse in the current economic climate, and mentioned welfare reform and bedroom tax, giving an example of one woman who has to now pay £20 a week she can ill afford. The report quite good and balanced up until that point, then they read out the government response.
They said that they are "Committed to helping disabled people" still spend 58 billion on disabled people, and that a number of disabled adults and children are actually getting more money under welfare reforms. Then went on to say something about some scheme to help disabled people say no to dodgy loans and expanding credit unions.
I couldn't believe it, I only know one disabled person who is in fact getting more money as a result of welfare reforms. I know many people who have lost money and are afraid they will lose more money when PIP comes in. Nearly every one of my friends who has mental illness has lost ESA on appeal, including myself, the mentally ill are always the first to be screwed over when there are cuts after all.
They completely ignored all the negative impact their reforms have had in their response and as usual didn't apologise one bit or admit welfare reform had gone wrong, it was a disaster, and they were sorry, let alone tell us they were working on putting it right.  They just gave this reassuring response that practically said "go back to sleep, disabled people are fine..." even though the show had just given an example of a person who was suffering.
And to add insult injury those of us who campaign to raise awareness of what is actually happening are now labelled extremists. I just hope the general public aren't falling for all this rubbish, though lets face it they probably are...




9

I've moved the blog!

You can find all my old articles and new posts here

http://nancyscrazyadventures.wordpress.com/

Goodbye google




9

Le ''droit au logement opposable'', cette fausse bonne idée, par Jérôme Dubus

Depuis une décennie, hiver après hiver, l'histoire bégaye : la France fait mine de découvrir la grave crise du logement à laquelle elle est confrontée. « SDF » qui nous renvoient le miroir de nos propres insuffisances ; « mal-logés » qui se réfugient...