text:
Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year 2014
"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall
"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman
"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today; "One of my favourite blogs" - Stumbling
and Mumbling; "Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife
Friday, March 31, 2006
That tortoise was just too fast for me
Bypassing Brown
Good news from the Budget debate: Gordon Brown does not have as much influence on British education as he likes to pretend.
The chancellor presents himself as the saviour of our schools: now providing billions to improve standards; now finding extra money for some desirable policy goal. Monday's budget debate showed that the truth is rather different.
Take Brown's headline figure of an extra £34bn for schools. As Sarah Teather pointed out, this was arrived at by adding up all the capital spending over the next five years, and much of this money has been announced already.
Or take the pledge to fund state school pupils at the same level as pupils in the private sector. This turns out to be merely an "aspiration", and an aspiration to reach the current level of spending in the private sector at that. By Sarah's calculation this will take 16 years, and by then private schools will be spending a lot more than they are now.
Incidentally, Tony Blair announced a similar aspiration during the 2001 election campaign. Then the gap between the state and private sectors was £2000 per pupil each year. Today it is £3000.
Achilles writes: I'm sorry, but that tortoise was just too fast for me.
If all that isn't good news, the next bit is. Because it turns out that the micromanagement of schools Brown is so keen on is largely a myth.
He may announce £2000 for every school to buy books, as he did in the 1999 budget. Or he may promise £220 million next year for personalised learning, as he did this time. But there is no sign that the Treasury has any mechanism for ensuring that schools spend this money the way Brown wants them to.
Maybe he knows this, and his announcements are all spin. Or maybe he thinks every head in the country really is doing what he tells them, and none of his acolytes has the courage to tell him the truth. (In other words, Balls doesn't have the balls.)
Whatever the explanation, this is welcome news. We Lib Dems believe in local control of schools, and it looks as though there is more of it about than we thought.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Garry Kasparov
Now he has given chess up to enter Russian politics on the side of the angels. This article gives his account of that decision:
Russia is in a moment of crisis and every decent person must stand up and resist the rise of the Putin dictatorship. Russia boasts too many generals and colonels in politics and too few thinkers. (Even Russia's chess players are in decline, a symptom of the larger malady.) I hope my vision and ability to think strategically can be of help to my native land. We must act now to unite and to create real democratic opposition to the Putin regime. I can now offer not only my name and my advice, but my active participation.
The New Art Gallery, Walsall
It is easy to find as it stands in the centre of town beside the canal basin. It looms over the water like a dreadnought where the narrow boats used to load. There was a family of swans in the basin. The cygnets were very adolescent - their feathers, turning from grey to white, looked like drifted snow with highways department salt dumped on it - and gave the impression they would be a happier in hoodies.
Walsall, at least the short stretch of it you see between the railway station and the gallery, is not inspiring. But I have seen tree-lined streets on the outskirts which suggest that it has been prosperous in its time. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries its wealth came from coal mining - today the area to the south is badly affected by subsidence - and later it became famous as a centre of the leather trade. (The local schools used to do their bit for the town's economy by beating the children with leather straps rather than canes.)
With celebrity architects (Caruso St John) and a celebrity director (Peter Jenkinson), the gallery made a great splash when it opened. Jenkinson wrote about its early success in the New Statesman in 2000. But the Wikipedia article on it suggests that it has not had such a happy time since then and is now run by council officers.
This would explain the display that greets you upon entering. There are trade union banners (Lambeth NALGO Women's Group, NUT Bexley Association) and poems from schoolchildren about racism and bullying. No doubt they are meant to represent popular culture, but they are characteristic of the cheerlessness and sententiousness of municipal Labourism. Still, if you climb the stairs to the galleries the views along the canal lift the heart and make you want to walk the towpath.
The galleries are upstairs too, and the art displayed in them is what makes the trip to Walsall worthwhile. The heart of the gallery's collection is the Garman Ryan Collection which, the gallery's website explains, was:
donated to the Borough in 1972 by Lady Kathleen Epstein. It consists of three hundred and sixty-five works of art, over a third of them being three-dimensional works from many different cultures and periods around the world. It also contains a wide-ranging body of the work of Sir Jacob Epstein and many significant works by European artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Corot, Renoir and Constable represented in prints, sketches and drawings as well as paintings and sculptures.You can explore the collection online on this page of the gallery's website.
Jacob Epstein is an appealing figure. He was born in 1880 in New York, the son of Polish refugees, and settled in England in 1905. He was a friend of leading British artists like Augustus John and Eric Gill, and one of his daughters married the painter Lucian Freud. The collection at Walsall has works by all these friends and family connections.
Epstein was at first a controversial artist, thanks to his predilection for nude figures on buildings such as the former BMA headquarters on The Strand in London and John Lewis's in Liverpool. But he lived to be knighted, to produce a bronze of Churchill just after the war and to contribute the sculpture of St Michael and the Devil to the new Coventry Cathedral. (The model for St Michael, incidentally, was the distinguished economist Wynne Godley.)
So that is the New Art Gallery at Walsall. The cafe is friendly but limited, and you may do better to eat next door at The Wharf, described as "Walsall's trendiest bar". How much competition there is, the writer does not say.
The Ming Dynasty
If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from internal party elections, go to politicalbetting.com where they are already discussing who will succeed Ming:
Like Tony Blair and David Cameron the top four in the betting have a lot in common:
- They are all male;
- They are all white;
- They all went to public school;
- They all went to either Oxford or Cambridge.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Vince Cable elected Deputy Leader
Ballot Results
Round One
Matthew Taylor - 25
Dr Vince Cable - 21
David Heath - 17
Round Two
Dr Vince Cable - 31
Matthew Taylor - 29
So it's Ming Campbell and Vince Cable. Hmm. Not the most varied of tickets, is it?
Opera at Bonkers Hall
This summer Grange Park Opera is staging performances of The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville at Nevill Holt.
I doubt that Lord Bonkers would settle for anything less than a complete performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle with the first Lady Bonkers (or possibly Elspeth Campbell) as Brunhilde, but it is good to see Bonkers Hall becoming the Glyndebourne of the East Midlands.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Is this all your own work, Tompkins?
This article is also discussed by Scott Burgess. And see Furedi's own website for more of his articles.From day one in primary school ... [parents] are told that the performance of their children is intimately linked to how much support they get at home. In a desperate attempt to improve standards of education, parents' concern for their children is manipulated to draw them in as unpaid teachers. The outsourcing of education by schools encourages a dynamic where many parents become far too directly involved in producing their children's homework.
Surveys suggest that parents spend on average six or seven hours a week on homework duties.
Jodie Marsh slams Phil Willis
Phil Willis is a topless model and former Page 3 girl; Jodie Marsh is Lib Dem MP for Harrogate. (Are you sure about this? Ed.)
Monday, March 27, 2006
Orange Book 2?
Some of this may come in a successor volume to the influential Orange Book, due out later this year.Your read it here first. (Unless you read the Guardian, obviously.)
Localism and equality
said the BBC website, reporting last weekend's Scottish Lib Dem Spring Conference. And the report began:
Yet when you read on, you see that there are tensions between this support for localism and the egalitarianism which now dominates Lib Dem discourse on education. For, as reported by the BBC, the centrepiece of Stephen speech was this call:Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has outlined plans to devolve control of health and education away from Scottish Executive ministers.
Addressing delegates at his party's spring conference in Aviemore, Mr Stephen said "new localism" would help the Lib Dems to overtake Labour.
This may be a good idea, but it has little to do with localism. It is about national government (in this case the Scottish Executive) using its powers and resources to override local preferences. After all, if a school has a good head the local community has a strong interest into holding on to him. For the best of motives, Stephen wants to make it more difficult for that community to do so."Let's get the best headteachers moving to new schools and new challenges every five or seven years - using their skills to prevent complacency in our best performing schools and to transform poorly-achieving schools," he said.
"And if it means we should pay more to get the best teachers in areas with the hardest challenges, where they need it most, I say we should."
The essence of localism is experiment: different communities will do things in different ways. Some of these ways will work, others will not. So localism is likely to lead to unequal provision.
The Liberal argument is that in the long run people will see which experiments work and which do not, and the more successful methods will be widely adopted. And this will raise standards everywhere.
As a good Liberal I believe this, though I suspect that many good services community, including schools, are down to exceptional individuals. So the extent to which the lessons drawn can be generalised is probably more limited than we sometimes argue.
But there is no doubt that in the short term localism will lead to inequality, and I wonder how many Liberal Democrats will react to this. For them, equality seems to have become the overriding consideration.
For instance, they hold the government's plans for city academies and foundation schools in contempt because they are not available to all children. The argument seems to be that unless a reform can be introduced everywhere, all at once, then it should not be introduced at all.
That view is a long way from localism, and I see a lot of, er, interesting debates ahead.
Nostalgia, Marxism and Miss Marple
He suggests three reasons why this series was so appealing. I have no quarrel with the second and third of them, which are the quality of Joan Hickson's performance and the way the programmes offer a "pleasantly female-oriented version of detective mythology".
But the first worries me a little. McKee argues that it is because the Miss Marple adaptations are "prime examples of 'heritage' television":
The term "heritage television" sums up a certain attitude towards the past which developed in Britain during the 1980s, when a mixture of a new Victorianism in moral standards and an increasingly frenetic late-capitalistic commodification led to two tendencies. The first was an attraction to a particularly sanitised version of England's past. The second capitalized on the first with various moves towards rendering that past easily consumable - in television programs, films, bed sheets, jams and preserves, and so on.I wonder. I always distrust this sort of Marxist analysis, if only because of the unexplained use of the term "late capitalism". Presumably we are now living through "even later capitalism", but there is still no sign of the Revolution.
It also assumes that an interest in the past is somehow excaptional and a sign that there is something wrong with present-day society. Presumably the idea is that in a socialist economy people would spend all their time working bare-chested in fields and factories and looking to the future, like the heroes of early Soviet propaganda films.
I suspect nostalgia is more central to the human condition than that. For it is not accurate to date the nostalgia boom to the Thatcherite 1980s.
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady -which gave rise to lots of associated merchandise - was no.1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list for 64 weeks in the more collectivist years of 1977 and 1978. And I am sure it would be possible to find examples going back much further than that.
Besides, is Miss Marple as nostalgic as all that? Yes, there is great pleasure to be had from the period cars, clothes and so on. But the Joan Hickson programmes were precisely set in the years around 1950, and we do see social change taking place. Where an institution - Bertram's Hotel - has resisted all change, it turns out to be sinister.
Perhaps significantly, the series looked both forward and back in its casting too. It looked forward in that it featured George Baker as a police inspector and Kevin Whatley as a sergeant before either Wexford or Lewis came to the screen.
And it looked back in its use of actors and actresses familiar from films made decades before.
The most remarkable example of this was the cameo appearance by Joyce Carey in A Murder is Announced, made in 1985. She had appeared as an elderly landlady (Alastair Sim, as a fake medium, schemes to marry her) in London Belongs to Me, as early as 1948.
Two Shropshire Star classics
Mind you, if you have been to Craven Arms you will know that moving the abattoir threatens to tear the heart out of the place.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The real Master
No doubt he did. But the real Master - the original one who flourished in the late 1960s* when I was just of an age to hide behind the sofa - was Roger Delgado.
* Actually in the early 1970s - see Will's comment below.
Government support for elite athletes
It's good to praise people when they have done well. But somewhere behind all these congratulations is the belief that all achievements by British people are really government achievements. And that is downright sinister.Tony Blair was at it again in Melbourne today. Praising Scotland's success in the Commonwealth Games, he said:
The people to be praised are the medalists themselves, their coaches and (I suspect most of all) the parents who gave up their spare time to ferry them from event to event when they were younger. But you will rarely hear a Labour politician admit that. It all has to be down to the Scottish Executive."Scotland has done superbly well with 11 gold medals and sixth place in the medal table.
"I think people worked hard before the games as well and I know that Jack McConnell, (Sports Minister) Patricia Ferguson, the Scottish Institute of Sport - they've all been putting their shoulder to the wheel and it's paid off."
These days it is taken as a given that state investment in elite athletes is a good thing. Governments boast of it: opposition parties demand more. Which makes Michael Johnson's condemnation of the set up in British athletics all the more interesting:
"We as American athletes used to be a little envious of the support that British athletes got but that system in Britain, that support that the athletes get, can hurt you at times.
"These athletes have it all - the status, the support - before they have done anything.
"All of those young guys wanted to be a champion when they came into it and now they are satisfied with being a relay gold medallist."
So perhaps there is another side to this argument?
Saturday, March 25, 2006
From Beastly to Eastleigh
You probably know that James Aubrey, who played Ralph in Peter Brook's famous 1963 film of Lord of the Flies, became an actor when he grew up. He has been appearing regularly in films and on TV ever since.
What you may not know is his most recent role. He played David Chidgey (former Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh) in The Government Inspector - last year's TV drama about Dr David Kelly.
Friday, March 24, 2006
From Brackley to the Lincolnshire coast
Home truths
Evenin' all. We've had a nasty gang in Dock Green this week: Jumbo Clarke and his henchmen. That's Mauler Mactaggart, Nasty McNulty, Andy "The Card" Burnham and Asbo Blears. (There's also Paul Goggins, but he's too boring to have a nickname.)
Thank you, PC Dixon. Home office questions made it clear why Charles Clarke keeps that crew round him. They are the only people in the Commons who make him look good by comparison.
Take Tony McNulty. When it comes to being rude, not even Clarke can compete. On Monday he accused Julian Brazier of confusing six different aspects of government policy. And he greeted Nick Clegg's first question as Lib Dem shadow home secretary with: "As ever, the honourable gentleman … is wrong. He should read things other than the Guardian and get a life."
That made Charles Clarke sound almost reasonable when he announced plans to merge police forces. Here in the East Midlands, for instance, he wants to combine five into one force covering everywhere from Brackley to the Lincolnshire coast.
Clarke took the first questions of this restructuring, but left the rest to Hazel Blears. It was she who deployed what the home office sees as its clinching argument. Forces must "be certain that they can cope with increased threats from serious and organised crime, and can counter terrorism".
Never mind traditions of local accountability and mistrust of an overmighty state: whisper the word "terrorism" and we are supposed to throwaway everything we believe in. The problem with today's world is not that terrorists believe in their cause so strongly: it's that the democracies' belief in theirs is so weak.
Just as McNulty makes Clarke look civilised, Blears and Andy Burnham makes him look like an intellectual. For, at the same time as defending her slaughter of county police forces, Blears was insisting on the importance of neighbourhood policing.
And when John Barrett asked Burnham how the government would accommodate the Scottish Executive's wish not to use identity cards for access to devolved services, he rambled on about how popular the "biometrics roadshow" had proved with the public.
So that's the home office view. If only we could abolish all these counties and national parliaments, the government would be able to make local accountability work.
At home with the Darbyshires
If you ain't never read the Darbyshires, you ain't never read nothing like this.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Big cats at Marston Trussell
As an article in this morning's Guardian said:
It is estimated that up to 7,000 people a year see panther-like (black) animals, or puma-like (brown) animals at large in the UK.If you do visit the conference, be careful. As the Rutland and Leicestershire Panther Watch site shows, this part of the world is simply crawling with the beasts.
Mind you, Marston Trussell is just over the Northamptonshire border, so it may be less dangerous than other local villages.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Lib Dem Chief Whip race
- Paul Burstow
- Richard Younger-Ross
Synthetic phonics again
My objection is that it's made into the law of the land. Whether to use it or not as a method. If we are to still regard teachers as professionalss then we should actually employ them as such. Fine, you're a qualified professional person. We trust you. Get on with it. This sort of level of detailed instruction is simply insanely prescriptive, to insist, by law, on a specific method of tuition from the centre.He might have added that the more things are prescribed from the centre, the less new recruits to the profession can even imagine making such decisions for themselves. The result is the demoralised and rather immature teaching profession we see today.
There: an opinion.
One of the odd effects of the virus I have had for the past couple of weeks has been that I have not been able to form an opinion about anything. I must be on the mend.
Cats: Swings and roundabouts
Monday saw the sad death of Humphrey. But on a happier note, Postman Pat's cat Jess is to get his own series.
Blair and Lloyd George
The sale of honours became particularly blatant and reckless under Lloyd George. The reason was that while he had won the 1918 general election he had broken with the Liberal Party, the coalition government he headed having a Conservative majority. In order to fight the next election he needed to found his own political party, which would need an enormous campaign fund. To sell the necessary honours he set up a brokerage system with a go-between, J. Maundy Gregory, who would have a near monopoly on official patronage. Lloyd George was the first Prime Minister to set fees for the sale of honours, which were publicly revealed by the Duke of Northumberland in the House of Lords on July 17, 1922: £10-12,000 for a knighthood, £35-40,000 for a baronetcy.
King George V was, according to one of his biographers, seriously disturbed concerning four aspects of the distribution of honours in the period 1917-22: "They were the failure of the Prime Minister to consult him before promising titles to certain political and financial supporters; the number of honours recommended by the Prime Minister; the character of the recipients; and the use of go-betweens to sell the royal prerogative in the market-place."
Despite the misgivings felt from the King down, things did not come to a head until the Robinson scandal. The honours list published to mark the King's birthday on June 3, 1922 included the names of five new peers, of which four were met with derision. The most controversial was the South African mine-owner Sir Joseph Robinson, who had paid £30,000 for his peerage. He had chaired a company to which he had sold, at an inflated price, mining freeholds, which he had previously bought in his own name. The South African courts had ordered him to pay £500,000 compensation and his appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was lost in November 1921.
The Lords, some of whom had sat in judgment on him, were furious at this new addition to their number, Lord Harris laying before them all the details concerning Robinson on June 22, 1922. The King was also furious and the storm was such that Lloyd George forced Robinson to decline the honour. This brought the scandal of the sale of honours to the surface and was a factor in Lloyd George's fall from power.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Shropshire Hills latest
The Shropshire Star reports:
On a happier note, The Wrekin has won £50,000 on the Lottery.A Shropshire man today said he was lucky to be alive after his sports car skidded off an icy road and came within six inches of plummeting off a 1,400-foot cliff on the Long Mynd.
Charlie Daker was forced to spend a terrifying 20 minutes teetering on the edge of the sheer drop after his Nissan 350Z lost its grip on the slippery road.
Humphrey the Downing Street Cat
It is a pity he did not live long enough to see the Blairs leave Downing Street. But it is starting to look as though they may not survive him for long. And I was always one of the school that believed that Blair would stay in power as long as possible and do down Gordon Brown once more if he possibly could.
The best memorial to him is by Oliver King on the Guardian site. It includes the famous snap of Cherie Blair holding Humphrey in the photo opportunity arranged by Alistair Campbell. This was arranged to keep cat lovers in New Labour's "big tent" after the Downing Street mouser was pensioned off because Cherie did not like him.
Except that I am convinced that you would find subtle differences in colouring if you compared that picture of "Humphrey" with earlier ones of him. I have not had time to do this myself, but I am convinced this "Humphrey" was a hastily found replacement after the real one was done away with.
As my old friend Whittington said: "The word in the alley is that he is buried somewhere under the Millennium Dome."
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Films for free
Now you can share the experience. Today the Daily Telegraph is giving away a free DVD of the 1947 film Brighton Rock. And tomorrow the Sunday Telegraph is giving away The Go-Between. Both films are well worth owning.
Looking at next week's TV schedules there is certainly one film to tape. At 1.45 p.m. on Wednesday, Channel 4 is showing Went the Day Well?
This Ealing drama was a wartime (1942) propaganda film, warning its viewers to be on the alert for German invaders. Yet it transcends these origins and is something quite remarkable. Indeed the cosy village setting makes the later violence all the more shocking. The final result looks like Dad's Army reshot by Sam Peckinpah.
Watch out in particular for the late Dame Thora Hird blazing away with a rifle.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Lib Dem Deputy Leadership vote
You have increasingly looked like an elephant
Castro Clarke
Highgate School, 1967.
"Ah, Clarke. Thank you for coming. I have it in mind to make you Head Boy next year, but there are a couple of things that are worrying me."
"I see, sir."
"The first is that since you have come here you have increasingly looked like an elephant, but we can't do a lot about that and Matron tells me that no one has been trampled this half. The second is that I have had word that you are a bit of a leftie."
"It's true, sir, that I have an admiration for dictators like Fidel Castro…"
"Splendid! That just what the Governors look for in a Head Boy. Have a bun, Clarke."
* * *
It was always going to be a public-school socialist who brought in identity cards. It's the noxious blend of contempt for democratic traditions and unshakeable self-confidence. And Clarke doesn't have the lovely manners such an education is supposed to give you.
Charles Clarke was at the dispatch box at 10 p.m. on Monday night when news came that the Lords had again refused to pass his bill.
These days we are all supposed to be in favour of family-friendly hours. The Commons should shut up shop in the early evening so MPs can rush home to supervise Jack and Chloë's homework. But you have to admit that there is something about a late-night row.
Clarke's case was that the Lords were holding up a bill that had been promised in the last Labour Manifesto. "We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national register and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports."
But it is not on a voluntary basis at all, people argued. If you renew your passport you have to get a card and go on the national identity database whether you want to or not. Clarke's answer to this point? "No one is forced to renew a passport if they choose not to do so."
The best argument against this came from Simon Hughes. So let's play out with him:
The Home Secretary has come here tonight to say to the elderly relative who is told that his or her child is ill in another country, "This is a matter of free choice, but you must have an identity card if you want to visit a relative who is very ill." … That is not freedom of choice in the conventional sense of the term, and the Home Secretary can never persuade us that it is.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Kenneth Clarke "We must turn to the Liberals"
No doubt the old rhinoceros is making trouble, but it is hard not to sympathise with him when he says of Ming Campbell:
"I don't know his views on domestic policy; I'm not at all convinced that he's got that many."
Harold Wilson's pipe
Mr Wilson was wont to smoke cigars when out of the public eye. In the 1970s, and this is nowadays hard to believe, one was allowed to smoke in the corridors of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister's Commons office was near the corridor at the back of the Speaker's Chair and, for those of us who had to spend time there waiting for whatever Parliamentary business we were interested in, Mr Wilson could be frequently espied trailing clouds of cigar smoke as he made his way to wherever he was going.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Buy your own peerage
Their press releases reads:
Virtual Peerages can be purchased online from the Elect the Lords websiteThe Elect the Lords campaign has launched a range of "Virtual Peerages" for sale on its website, following the continuing "cash for peerages" row.
As an introductory offer, the Virtual Peerages are being offered at a 25% discount for one week only, meaning that a Virtual Baronetcy can be bought for as little as £7.50.
Purchasers of these Virtual Peerages will receive a "certificate of inauthenticity" and be listed on the campaign's website. Purchasers of a Virtual Marquessetcy and Duchy will have their own Coat of Arms designed.
In the real world, the money raised in this way will be spent on campaigning for an end to political patronage and a democratic second chamber.
Commenting on the new scheme, National Coordinator of the Elect the Lords campaign Peter Facey said:
"17 out of the 22 individuals who have donated more than £100,000 to the Labour Party in the past few years have received an honour; all but one of the individuals who have donated more than £1m have received a peerage. This is unacceptable in a modern democracy.
"With prices starting from just £7.50, our Virtual Peerages are truly 'for the many not the few.' What's more, the money used from them will be spent on campaigning to abolish political patronage - they represent the perfect gift for a spouse or loved one.
"In nine years, Tony Blair has appointed more than 300 life peers - 50% more than any other Prime Minister in history. We are hoping to create more than 300 Virtual Peerages in just one month."
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Liberal Democrat deputy leadership
Lost racecourses
The course in Derby is now the county cricket ground.
Later. That list has disappeared, but here is a review of a book on lost racecourses.
Much later. The list is back.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Peers and loans
Why not ask your friendly local peer to help?
We offer helpful advice, a quick decision and competitive rates.
Apply to: The Bonkers Hall Estate Office, Rutland.
Your home and children may be at risk if you fail to keep up payments. Terms and conditions apply.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Shepperton Babylon
Last time I was in Waterstone's I noticed it was included in their three-for-two promotion. I still recommend it highly.
Incidentally, no one who has seen the still of Dirk Bogarde from The Singer not the Song on the front cover will believe that Brokeback Mountain was the first gay Western.
The last 1906 Liberal
The consensus is that the last Liberal elected in 1906 to die was the sixth Earl of Rosebery - the son of the Liberal prime minister. He lasted until May 1974.
Judging by his sporting biography, he must have been a good friend of Lord Bonkers.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Profumo's claim to fame
The obituaries will concentrate on the scandal of 1963 and his later redemption through charity work. But in many ways Profumo's finest hour came before all that. As Wikipedia explains:
In 1939 he joined the British Army (Northamptonshire Yeomanry), rising to the rank of brigadier. In March 1940, while still serving, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative at a by-election in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Shortly afterwards he voted against the Chamberlain government in the debate following the British defeat at Narvik in Norway. He was the youngest MP at that time, and by the time of his death he was last surviving member of the 1940 House of Commons.Unless, of course, you know different.
Lord Bonkers is immortal (thanks to his regular bathes in the sacred spring at Hebden Bridge), but it would be interesting to know who was the last Liberal member of the 1906 Commons to die. One obvious candidate is Winston Churchill, who lasted until 1965.
The occasional horse's head in the marital bed
The observation about commandeering a De Havilland was orginally made of the first Lady Bonkers. And the story about John Prescott and the Edens can be found somewhere on my (very occasional) anthology blog Serendib.
Fun and Games
I don't care if Tessa Jowell resigns or not. What I want, as I have said here many times, is for her whole department – Culture, Media and Sport – to go.
You wonder why? Monday's question time gave a clue. The first question came from our own Paul Rowen and was about Rugby League. That didn't stop Richard Caborn congratulating Alastair Cook on his century in India and Shelley Rudman on her silver medal in the Winter Olympics.
With her job under threat, Tessa Jowell had to act decisively. Faced with a question on the switchover to digital television, she countered by congratulating Rachel Weisz. Nick Park and Steve Box; and Martin McDonagh for their success at the Oscars.
It's good to praise people when they have done well. But somewhere behind all these congratulations is the belief that all achievements by British people are really government achievements. And that is downright sinister.
Which brings us to Jowell's home life. What can it have been like? How David Mills explain all those mortgage agreements to sign at breakfast? Or the occasional horse's head in the marital bed?
Now they have separated, and those who suspect there is something convenient about this are accused of the most appalling cynicism. Yet we remember the widely reported story that Robin Cook took a phone call from Alastair Campbell at Heathrow, telling him that the headlines meant he had to choose between his wife and his mistress. He did so, telling his wife their marriage was over in the VIP departure lounge.
Yet what this story really shows is a decline in the quality of political wives. If Harold Macmillan had treated Lady Dorothy like that. She would have commandeered a De Havilland and gone after him.
Talking of political wives reminds me of an interesting historical sidelight. An exhausted Anthony Eden resigned as prime minister on 9 January 1957. A few days later he and his wife set sail on a cruise from Tilbury to New Zealand aboard RMS Rangitata.
They were looked after by their cabin steward, who also fought on-deck boxing matches to entertain passengers. When he won, the former prime minister or his wife would sometimes present him with his prize of beer or wine.
His name? John Prescott.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Spare a thought for former MPs
Found via Iain Dale's Diary.It must be the most humiliating way to be sacked.
One minute you're the bees knees with voters who have backed you to become an MP and help run the country.
The next, you're unemployed and standing on a stage next to the person who has just been handed your job before the eyes of a nation.
Now, a study being undertaken by Leeds University is to examine how deposed MPs cope with the trauma of being rejected by their constituents in a General Election.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Yellow Peril
That new Lib Dem team in full
Anyway, the BBC has the full list of the new Lib Dem front-bench team.
Note in particular Alistair Carmichael's promotion to transport spokesman and the unexpected re-emergence of Nick Harvey as our expert on defence.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
I saw a blue tit over there where I'm pointing
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Ming at the Olympics
In the 200m he won his heat in the first round but was eliminated in the second. He was also part of the British 4 x 100m relay team which made it all the way to the final.
The only good thing about Blackpool
Railnews.co.uk says:
After government rejection of new tram systems in Leeds, Liverpool and Southampton, it is now reported that Blackpool's 100-year-old tram system is under threat.There is also a report in the Independent on Sunday. Read it while it is still free.
Campaigners claim it will have to close if the Department of Transport fails to support an £88m funding application from local councils on Lancashire's Fylde coast.
Watching Ming from a distance
Even so, I have formed the clear impression that being party leader will be far more to Sir Menzies Campbell's taste than campaigning to be leader was.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
The Fourth Anglo-Afghan War
Yesterday's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News.
Incidentally, there was no House Points column last week. The Commons on its half-term holiday and I was still obliged to be neutral in the leadership contest. So we decided the editorial gods were against the idea.
Gut feelings
Britain has a long and unhappy history of intervention in Afghanistan. There was the First Anglo-Afghan War of 1838–42, where the massacre of the British garrison in Kabul was followed by brutal reprisals.
Then came the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–79), when much the same happened. By the time of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 we were using aerial bombardment.
Now British troops are off to Afghanistan again. At Monday's defence questions John Reid confirmed there are currently around 1600 there, and this will increase to around 5700.
Why are they going? Reid described their task as establishing democracy, ending terrorism, achieving security in the south of Afghanistan, helping the Afghan economy and dealing with poppy destruction. He did not say what they are doing after lunch.
There were hard questions from both sides of the House. Michael Moore asked how individuals detained by UK forces would be handed over to the Afghan authorities and what judicial procedures would follow.
In reply to all this, Reid said what defence secretaries always say in a tight corner: "we all ought to be careful not to cross the threshold into despondency and defeatism before we even arrive, because that does no one any good, particularly our very brave troops."
Liberal Democrats have questions to answer here too. We are best known for our opposition to George's Bush invasion of Iraq, yet in principle we are in favour of intervention in Afghanistan and many other places.
You can argue that we have been consistent by insisting that military operations must be sanctioned by international authority. But politics is about gut feelings as well as logic, and ours can sometimes be in conflict.
If the current expedition into Afghanistan turns into the Fourth Anglo-Afghan War, what will we say then?
By the time you read this, the party will have elected a new leader. It's been a good campaign, but as it unfolded it became clear that Chris/Ming/Simon was the outstanding candidate. I congratulate him on his victory and am proud to say that I supported him all along.
(Deirdre, please can you have a look at the first couple of boxes to be opened and delete the two names that don't apply? Thanks.)
(Oops, sorry - forgot to delete this before we went to press - Ed.)
Friday, March 03, 2006
Elspeth Campbell
Yesterday I pointed to a profile of Lady Ming on the BBC website. There was also one by Michael White in this morning's Guardian.
Better still, try this profile in the Scottish Field. You have to subscribe to read the whole thing, but the free sample is wonderful as it is:
After two years the family moved to peaceful occupied Austria and her photo albums show a large sugar pink house beside Lake Woethersee, where the children skied, swam, played tennis and rode. Her father had an official train and there were trips to Vienna to watch the changing of the guard at Shoenbrunn Palace, between the French, Russians, Americans and British.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
The power behind the throne?
for years his beloved Elspeth has worn the trews in their household. She tells him "Menzies, we are not leaving Morningside" or "Menzies, you are to be leader," as the mood takes her.How fair was the old brute? Judge for yourself: the BBC website has a profile of the redoubtable Lady Campbell.
Letters from the candidates
First, here is Ming after his victory was announced:
The Liberal Democrats are a party that embraces new ideas, that cherishes our principles, and that refuses to sacrifice our values for convenience.And here is Chris Huhne:
Tony Blair has squeezed values out of politics. Under New Labour, politics has become managerial and not inspirational.
David Cameron has taken the same course, shunning conviction and desperate only to copy the value-free managerialism of Mr Blair's Number 10.
Britain does not need a third managerial party. It needs a distinctive liberal democratic party. I believe that a modern Liberal Democrat party is better placed than any other to understand and address the most pressing challenges of our time:
the overbearing centralisation of public life in Britain, which has led to a pervasive feeling of individual powerlessness, and to public services which still fail too many of the people they are supposed to serve;
the absence of social justice, with persistent levels of poverty and social immobility, and a tax system still biased against the poor; and
the disturbing effects of globalisation and the urgent need to rebuild confidence in the international rule of law; the threat of catastrophic environmental degradation.
These are the urgent challenges of our times.
If you agree with me on these key issues facing our country, you can donate now to help our campaigns at www.libdems.org.uk.
Without your help, I could not have done anything like as well. It was disappointing not finally to pull it off, but we certainly came from a long way back against all the odds.
We will now go forward as a united party led by Ming, reinforced by the experience of all the common ground forged during the leadership campaign on what is undoubtedly going to be a more radical environmental platform.
Thanks again for all your help and support.
And Simon Hughes? He doesn't write. He doesn't visit...
It's Ming the Merciless
Congratulations to Sir Menzies Campbell on a clear victory in the leadership election.
The figures were as follows:
Sir Menzies Campbell - 23,264
Chris Huhne - 16,691
Simon Hughes - 12,081
Sir Menzies Campbell - 29,697
Chris Huhne - 21,628
We must all wish Ming well. The odd thing is that, despite his venerability, we have no clear idea of where he stands on many domestic issues. No doubt we shall soon find out.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Leadership odds on the eve of declaration
Reclaiming the balaclava helmet
Now, it seems, the robbers are bunglers, who have left a stream of clues behind them. Not the least of these clues are the abandoned balaclava helmets, which are thought likely to be festering with criminal DNA. According to some reports, the identities of the criminals may be betrayed by their dandruff.
If so, let it be soon. In the meantime, I hope this experience will do something to discourage the wearing of balaclavas in criminal endeavours. For too long, the jaggy woollen helmet of childhood has been appropriated by terrorists, rapists, skiers and thugs of every variety, leaving the heads of youngsters exposed to the elements or - worse - clad in the checked crown of the ned, the Burberry baseball cap.
Reports that the Tonbridge gang had their mittens attached by elastic to the sleeves of their duffel coats have yet to be substantiated.
The King is dead
The remarkable thing is that such a talented player won only four England caps.


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Pamela Knighton, a 51-year-old social worker from Cuthbert, Ga. who earns less than $25,000 a year, had been really looking forward to her tax refund of around $1,000 last year.
But when she filed her taxes last February, her return was rejected. An IRS agent told her that someone had already filed a tax return in her name and the refund had been deposited into a bank account in Minnesota -- a state Knighton has never even visited.
The agency promised to launch an investigation into her missing refund, but told her it would take at least six months. (The IRS says the average investigation takes between four and four-and-a-half months, but could last longer based on the complexity of the case.)
She wanted the money back sooner so she started her own investigation, calling the bank in Minnesota and reporting the fraud to her local police department.
Related: Don't miss these Tax Day deals
"In between being busy at work I would use lunch as an excuse to try to find out what was going on," said Knighton.
She didn't turn up any leads, however, so she was forced to sit tight.
Worried that the scammer had taken mail from her mailbox to steal her information, she opened a post office box. She also notified her bank, bought identity theft protection that alerts her of any suspicious activity on her credit report, and started watching the activity on her checking account like a hawk.
Related: 'How I'm using my tax refund'
More than six months later, Knighton received her refund. But the IRS wouldn't tell her whether the identity thief was caught -- the agency says it won't disclose the information for privacy reasons. So now she worries that the thief is still out there and could use her information again -- whether it's to open a credit card or bank account in her name, or drain her checking account.
Any of these scenarios would be devastating to her finances.
"I'm one of the working poor and don't have a lot of money -- I work for a social service agency that doesn't pay that much, I'm still trying to buy my own home and I'm always running low on my [bank] account," said Knighton.
Related: 10 tax audit red flags
Plus, she worries that the thief will ruin the nearly perfect credit score she's worked so hard to attain.
"It has been very stressful -- I've stayed up plenty of nights over this," said Knighton, who has been getting advice from nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center about how to protect her identity going forward.
Identity theft is a growing problem for both taxpayers and the IRS, which is struggling to keep up with record levels of fraud amid a constantly shrinking budget. The IRS has already launched 295 new investigations into tax-related identity theft so far this filing season. Typically, most investigations are launched later in the year. Last year, the number of identity theft investigations surged to 1,492 -- up 66% from 2012 and more than 400% from 2011.
"We know identity theft is a frustrating process for victims," an IRS spokeswoman said. "Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes nationwide, and refund fraud caused by identity theft is one of the biggest challenges facing the IRS."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Prolific researcher Chiara Barbieri has put online another interesting study on African genetics, this time about the Bantu populations of Southwestern and Central-Southern Africa (i.e. Namibia, Angola, Botswana and Zambia).
Chiara Barbieri et al., Migration and interaction in a contact zone: mtDNA variation among Bantu-speakers in southern Africa. bioRXiv 2014. Freely accessible (pre-pub) → LINK
Bantu speech communities expanded over large parts of sub-Saharan Africa within the last 4000-5000 years, reaching different parts of southern Africa 1200-2000 years ago. The Bantu languages subdivide in several major branches, with languages belonging to the Eastern and Western Bantu branches spreading over large parts of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa. There is still debate whether this linguistic divide is correlated with a genetic distinction between Eastern and Western Bantu speakers. During their expansion, Bantu speakers would have come into contact with diverse local populations, such as the Khoisan hunter-gatherers and pastoralists of southern Africa, with whom they may have intermarried. In this study, we analyze complete mtDNA genome sequences from over 900 Bantu-speaking individuals from Angola, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana to investigate the demographic processes at play during the last stages of the Bantu expansion. Our results show that most of these Bantu-speaking populations are genetically very homogenous, with no genetic division between speakers of Eastern and Western Bantu languages. Most of the mtDNA diversity in our dataset is due to different degrees of admixture with autochthonous populations. Only the pastoralist Himba and Herero stand out due to high frequencies of particular L3f and L3d lineages; the latter are also found in the neighboring Damara, who speak a Khoisan language and were foragers and small-stock herders. In contrast, the close cultural and linguistic relatives of the Herero and Himba, the Kuvale, are genetically similar to other Bantu-speakers. Nevertheless, as demonstrated by resampling tests, the genetic divergence of Herero, Himba, and Kuvale is compatible with a common shared ancestry with high levels of drift and differential female admixture with local pre-Bantu populations.
Figure 1: Map showing the rough geographical location of populations,
colored by linguistic affiliation. Abbreviations of population labels are
as specified in Table 1.
In spite of the Bantu-centric approach of the study, which also has its merits, my greatest interest is rather in the less typically Bantu lineages, which speak of admixture with several pre-Bantu populations.
In this sense I find the following highlights:
Fig. S2 (annotated in green by Maju): CA plots based on haplogroup frequencies. Left: all the dataset, right: excluding outliers. |
L3d and L3f founder effect:
The Himba and Herero, as well as the non-Bantu pastoralists Damara make one distinctive cluster defined by the high frequencies of haplogroup L3d, as well as L3f (not present among the Damara but found among the Kuvale). As discussed in the paper, the Himba and Herero may be related to the Kuvale of SW Angola but they have notable differential levels (or directionality) of aboriginal admixture.
As both L3d and L3f are present in West and East Africa alike, it is interesting to track the specific subhaplogroups implicated in this founder effect, something done in fig. 4.
The main L3d sublineage is L3d3a1, whose haplotype network shows a largely Khoisan centrality (not Damara) although this node is shared also by some unspecified "other Bantu". The Southern Africa specificity of L3d3a was already noticed in the past (see here). So it is very possible that we are before an aboriginal Southern African lineage, maybe arrived with the first Khoisan Neolithic (or whatever other ancient flow) rather than a Bantu-specific founder effect.
The main L3f subhaplogroup is L3f1b4a, which seems more specifically Bantu, with a major branch concentrated among the Himba, Herero and Kuvale. This lineage is not found among the Damara in spite of the other strong affinity of this Khoisan population towards the Himba and Herero. L3f1b is found in Southern Africa, Kenya and Oman (per Bihar 2008), so we are probably before a distinctive East African element, not too likely to be genuinely Bantu but possibly just assimilated into Bantu ethnic identity.
Even if both lineages converge in the Himba and Herero, they are almost certainly different inputs, one of Damara (herder Khoisan) origin and the other of Bantuized East African origin maybe.
L1b founder effect:
L1b is essentially a West African lineage concentrated in the Sahel area from Chad westwards (although L1b1a2 is from the Nile basin). A particularly high frequency population are the Fulani pastoralists, original from the Westernmost African plateaus, who ruled many kingdoms in West Africa between the collapse of the colonial rule by Morocco and the consolidation of the European conquest of the continent.
As this study does not dwell in sublineages, we cannot understand the most likely specific origins of it among several Southern African populations, specifically the pooled NE Zambians (13%) and the Fwe and Shanjo of SW Zambia (24-27%).
In any case it is a notorious founder effect, almost absent in other Bantus of the area (0-10%).
Typical L0d Khoisan admixture:
This element is concentrated in Botswana (~25%) and with highest frequencies in the SW Kgalagadi (53%). It is also important among the Kuvale of SW Angola (21%). Other Bantu populations in this dataset have frequencies under 10%, some even zero. The Damara have 13%.
We know from previous studies that it is also found at high frequencies among the Xosha of South Africa (L0d3).
While L3h appears marked in the graph, the lineage is in fact absent in all populations except at very low frequency among the Kuvale (2%), so it does not seem actually of any relevance.
Less typical L0k around SW Zambia:
While L0k is generally considered an aboriginal Southern African lineage it has a much more northernly distribution than the more common and surely older L0d. Its area of greatest commonality seems to be SW Zambia (see here and here).
This study confirms this distribution:
High frequencies of L1c (Pygmy admixture marker) among Southern African Bantus:
An interesting element is the commonality of L1c, typical of Western Pygmies and some other populations from Gabon (possibly representative of the wider West-Central Africa jungle region, not too well studied otherwise), among almost all Bantu populations in this dataset.
The exceptions are the Herero, Himba, Kgalagadi and Tswana (0%), as well as the NE Zambians (4%). All the rest have frequencies between 12% and 30%. Even the non-Bantu Damaras have 11% of it.
In my understanding this almost certainly implies a notable level of admixture with Western Pygmies of the Bantus from especially Angola and West Zambia. A phenomenon that may be widespread in Central-West Africa.
It is notable however that at least many of the populations with the highest likely Khoisan admixture (in its various forms, discussed in the previous sections) have the lesser frequencies of L1c (Pygmy admixture). So to a great extent these two aboriginal influences in Bantu mtDNA seem mutually exclusive and were probably produced after settlement rather than "on the march".
This in turn arises some interesting questions about the ethnic geography of Africa before the Bantu expansion.
Update: I just noticed that Ethiohelix has parsed the haplogroups' frequency into a very helpful chart → LINK.
Update: I just noticed that Ethiohelix has parsed the haplogroups' frequency into a very helpful chart → LINK.
See also:
- My latest reconstruction of human early expansion in Africa (within a larger entry) → LINK


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Brooks & Dunn are bound for the Hall of Fame: "We made a big ole mess out there for 20 years"
Monday, the world learned something Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have known for several weeks: Brooks & Dunn will be this year's Modern Era inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
"It was just a couple weeks ago," Ronnie recalls. "And they said, 'Don't tell anybody.'"
"The first thing I did was get in the car, and go tell everybody I knew," he admits. "Luckily, it didn't leak out."
Ironically, Kix and Ronnie weren't on board in the beginning when they were urged to abandon their solo careers to work together. "We did not want to be a duo," Ronnie points out, as Kix laughs. "We started and it just caught on, and we went with it. And we became a darn duo."
"I guess it means that anything can happen," Ronnie reflects. "You just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving," adding with a laugh, "Today's a good day to be a duo."
Ultimately, both Kix and Ronnie are thankful for their partnership.
"We owe each other a lot," Kix admits. "And the major part of our recognition came from whatever it was that we did… and had together."
"And we've never been able to describe that or explain that," he adds. "We get introduced and we jump in a rocket ship and take off."
B&D will officially join the Hall during the Medallion Ceremony this fall.
"I'm proud to go in with Ronnie," Kix says. "We made a big ole mess out there for twenty years. It was a lot of fun, and I look back on it with a big ole smile on my face."
"It's like, I don't know how the hell that happened," he says, "but man, I guess it did or we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


text:
- Adviesdiensten
UST xpresso.ai- 8 Weeks Proof of Concept
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No wonder our kids need remedial reading and math upon entering college in many states and also why we are number 47 in the world in math.
The way the government works, a number is not from another world but another dimension (insert the "Twilight Zone" theme here.) Just amazing!
Nancy Pelosi says, "Every dollar we spend on unemployment puts two dollars in the system." Really? In what universe? Under government math, if Susie has 3 pieces of cake and Johnny only has 1 there is an obvious inequity. The fact that Susie's daddy is a banker and Johnny's daddy is a cab driver obviously means that Johnny hasn't had the same opportunities as Susie. This means we need to find Frankie because he always has 4 pieces of cake. He's looking a little chunky so we need to save him from himself and give one of his pieces to Johnny. Then we need to take one from Suzie and give it to Johnny as well. Now Johnny won't feel bad because based on government math, everyone has been equalized. Confused? I am writing it and I'm confused.
But this is government math!
They want us to believe that over 92 million people have left the work force. They will tell you it's because many have retired, some are on disability, and other moronic excuses. We need to create 200,000+ jobs a month to maintain a level of economic misery that's tolerable. Last month we created 73,000 jobs. Most were temporary jobs, go figure, Christmas, holidays, and all that. But, 535,000 people left the work force bringing that number to over 91 million. Wait a minute, what?
Did a million people leave the planet, die off, hit the lottery, crawl under a rock? Will they be needing government help? Can anyone explain this to me?
Government math is the only way this works. The same guys who say more taxes will create more jobs. Yup, that logic means, taking money out of the pocket of employers will give them more money to hire people.
Only with government math will raising minimum wage to $15.00 per hour create more jobs and stimulate the economy. In most cases, it would double the total payroll for a company. And the government thinks that will compel employers to hire more employees because people will have more money to spend and they will need extra staff for the increased spending. HUH! That's government math
Participation rate (the number of people who are able to work but, for whatever reason, do not) is the worst it's been since 1978. Mr. Obama, this is your mission accomplished moment. This does not include people on disability or those retired on government pensions.
People, there are approximately 350 million American citizens in the U.S. (and an unknown number of other human inhabitants.) Let's make it easy and round the numbers, because I don't have enough fingers or toes to count on. To start with, take 100 million away for those that have left the workforce. Next, figure that at least 75 million of the 350 million Americans have at least 1 child who doesn't contribute to the tax rolls. That puts us at around 175 million tax-paying Americans. That means companies (employers) are paying for over 175 million people receiving government aid. It CAN'T WORK!
And to add insult to injury, CNBC now reports that, according to the government, there are ONLY approximately 155 million employed people. Hello!!! Some of those 155 million employed are only part-time workers! (there is a 20 million people chasm between my numbers and theirs, but hey is government math) People, we are closer to a 25-30% unemployment rate. Even the government's real rate, as shown in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows it closer to 13.2 %. So not only can't they add (or calculate percentages), but they couldn't find the truth in a bag marked "Truth" if you put both their hands on it!
Let's break it down to smaller numbers for illustration. Say there are 20 people on your street and you have all vowed to take care of each other in every way, communal living. Say 10 people decide that they really don't want to work. They want to hang out and raise their families, work on their homes, cars, or maybe start a new career. That means the other 10 have to provide for the whole group of 20. They may need to cut back on food, get rid of a car to save on insurance, use less electricity, buy less clothes, and make other adjustments. WHY? Well, if you're using government math (and logic,) everyone has to share. No one should go without food, shelter, cable, or cellular service. And no one should be forced to work until they decide to and even then only at a job they are satisfied with.
Come-on! Does this make sense to anyone?
Government math has gifted us with a "real" unemployment rate of over 25%, a $17 trillion deficient (and climbing), and one of the worst education systems in the world (you cant just throw money at it to fix it).
People, wake up or we're going to lose our country!


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Our condo complex pressure washer near me Johns Creek services are not just about maintaining appearances; they represent a commitment to hoa property care, ensuring that building facades washing and community pressure cleaning are carried out to the highest standard. The rejuvenation of outdoor surfaces maintenance is visible on every cleansed pathway and brightened facade, solidifying the integral role of hoa & condo pressure washing in preserving the integrity and allure of our shared living spaces.
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Exterior cleaning through regular pressure washing serves multiple benefits. It significantly enhances the appearance of a property, contributing positively to its curb appeal. But more than just aesthetics, it encompasses preventive maintenance measures that protect the property from weathering and decay. This table outlines the core benefits that HOAs and Condo Associations can expect from implementing a regular pressure washing routine:
Benefit | Impact on Property |
Removal of Contaminants | Eliminates harmful substances such as mold, mildew, and algae that can degrade surface materials over time. |
Prevention of Damage | Regular cleaning helps prevent the decay of building materials, thereby extending the lifespan of the property's exterior surfaces. |
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- Enhanced property appearance
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HOA & Condo Pressure Washing
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Trust in our proficient team to refresh and revitalize your HOA or condo association's appearance. With a commitment to exceptional exterior cleaning, you can rest assured that the professional wash services provided will embody the standards of excellence necessary for outstanding property care.
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Understanding your property's specific pressure cleaning needs is essential for maintaining its appeal and integrity. At Xtreme Pressure Washing, we prioritize a detailed property assessment to identify the best customized cleaning solutions. Our team examines the surface conditions and evaluates the extent of soiling to tailor a maintenance plan that aligns with the community's demands.
- Review of current surface conditions to detect problem areas
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- Identification of appropriate cleaning techniques for various materials
- Creation of a maintenance plan based on thorough property assessment
Surface Type | Condition | Recommended Treatment | Cleaning Frequency |
Building Facades | Varies with material type | Soft wash with eco-friendly detergents | Bi-annual |
Driveways and Walkways | High foot traffic, oil stains | High-pressure rinse and degreasing | Quarterly |
Pool Decks | Presence of mold and mildew | Low-pressure wash and mold inhibitors | Tri-annual |
Parking Lots | Accumulation of dirt and debris | Power sweep and high-pressure clean | Annually |
By aligning our customized cleaning solutions with the established maintenance plan, we enhance the longevity and beauty of your property. Observing and adapting to evolving surface conditions ensures that each cleaning session is as effective and non-invasive as possible. Trust Xtreme Pressure Washing to meticulously address your community's pressure cleaning needs with precision and care.
Professional Power Washing vs. DIY: What You Need to Know
When it comes to maintaining the aesthetic and structural integrity of properties within HOAs and Condo Associations, the debate between professional vs DIY power washing is essential. While the DIY approach may appear to offer cost savings, there are significant power washing benefits that come with hiring experienced professionals. Using specialized equipment, professionals can achieve a level of cleanliness that is difficult for amateurs to replicate. The expertise of trained professionals ensures that the correct techniques are applied to each unique surface, minimizing the risk of damage.
Expertise in power washing translates into time-saving for HOA and Condo Board members. Instead of dedicating weekends or hiring additional personnel to manage this labor-intensive task, leveraging the skill set of a professional service like Xtreme Pressure Washing allows board members and residents to direct their efforts towards other important community functions. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, the long-term savings of professional power washing—through the extension of the lifespan of property surfaces and prevention of costly repairs due to incorrect washing techniques—far outweigh initial perceptions of DIY economy.
Comparison Criteria | DIY Power Washing | Professional Power Washing |
Equipment Quality | Limited to consumer-grade tools | Advanced, specialized equipment |
Time Efficiency | Time-consuming with potential for rework | Timely completion with immediate results |
Surface Safety | Higher risk of damage due to inexperience | Lower risk, correct techniques for surface types |
Long-Term Cost | Potential for higher costs due to errors | Preventative maintenance saves money long-term |
Expertise | Varies greatly, often minimal | Professional grade, with proper training and experience |
Ultimately, professional power washing stands out as a superior choice for HOAs and Condo Associations, balancing the factors of time-saving, cost-effectiveness, and result-oriented benefits against the DIY option. While the allure of perceived immediate savings may tempt some, the breadth of expertise and specialized equipment offered by professionals ensures a worthwhile investment in maintaining property value and community standards.
Condo Complex Pressure Washing: Special Considerations
Condo complex cleaning presents a set of unique challenges, particularly when dealing with high-rise buildings and their inherent access challenges. At Xtreme Pressure Washing, we specialize in overcoming these obstacles by utilizing specialized equipment that allows our trained professionals to efficiently clean multiple surfaces, regardless of height or difficulty. Adapting our methods to suit the complexities of your building, we guarantee a customized approach ensuring the exterior of your condo complex gleams with cleanliness and professionalism.
- Addressing a Range of Surfaces: From glass and concrete to brick and stucco, our expertise extends to a variety of surface materials typically found in condo complexes.
- Health and Safety Standards: Ensuring the safety of our staff, your residents, and the public with our rigorous adherence to health and safety protocols.
- Reduced Disturbance: Our techniques minimize noise and disruption, allowing residents to enjoy their living environment without intrusion.
Condo complexes often consist of multiple interconnected components that require thorough attention to detail. We focus on not just the aesthetic appeal, but also on the longevity and preservation of the property's external condition. Each task is executed with precision, from balcony stain removal to roof area pressure washing, upholding the quality and value of your investment.
Service | Description | Benefits |
Balcony Cleaning | Removal of dirt and stains from outdoor spaces visible and utilized by residents | Enhanced resident satisfaction and property appeal |
Facade Wash | Gentle yet effective cleaning of building exteriors including delicate finishes and features | Preservation of structural integrity and external appearance |
Common Area Maintenance | Comprehensive cleaning of areas such as walkways, pool decks, and lounges | Improved community hygiene and elevated aesthetic standards |
Our diligent approach to condo complex cleaning ensures that every corner of your property, from the parking garage to the penthouse deck, receives meticulous care and attention. Combining our specialized equipment and breadth of experience, we address even the most challenging aspects of high-rise buildings with ease. Partner with Xtreme Pressure Washing for an exceptional cleaning service that is as unique and sophisticated as your condo complex.
Residential Exterior Cleaning: Beyond Aesthetics
When considering the manifold benefits of diligent home maintenance, the role of quality residential cleaning is paramount. Far from being merely a means to amplify curb appeal, consistent exterior washing acts as a form of preventive care that safeguards the integrity of a home's façade. Engagement in regular upkeep not only eradicates harmful elements like mold, requiring specialized mold removal techniques, but also substantially mitigates the potential for structural decay. The subsequent effect of these efforts is a noticeable enhancement in property value, fortifying the investment made in one's domicile.
- Preserving Structural Integrity: The implementation of residential cleaning averts the accruement of harmful elements that can degrade building materials.
- Financial Prudence: By engaging in ongoing home maintenance, homeowners are likely to encounter fewer demands for costly reparative measures over time.
- Enhanced Appeal: A well-maintained residential exterior leads to an elevated curb appeal, making it inviting not only to guests but also to prospective buyers.
Service | Benefits | Frequency Recommended |
Exterior Surfaces Cleaning | Removes stains, prevents surface damage | Semi-annually |
Mold and Algae Treatment | Specialized mold removal, stops biological growth | Annually |
Gutter Cleaning | Prevents water damage, maintains roof condition | Bi-annually |
Window and Glass Care | Enhances natural light, improves aesthetics | Quarterly |
Driveway and Walkway Pressure Washing | Improves safety, maintains curb appeal | Annually or bi-annually |
The Final Word
As we wrap-up this exploration into the specialized world of HOA & Condo Pressure Washing, it becomes evident that maintaining the integrity and beauty of communal living spaces is a task best entrusted to professionals. Through this summary, Xtreme Pressure Washing emerges not just as a service provider, but as a partner in preserving your property's value and appearance. By choosing Xtreme Pressure Washing, you select a company committed to delivering cleaning solutions that far transcend superficial tidiness; you opt for a transformative maintenance service that will refresh and revitalize your living environment.
The services provided by Xtreme Pressure Washing offer a comprehensive approach to caring for your property, extending its lifespan while bolstering its visual appeal. Whether your community is in need of routine cleaning or more profound maintenance work, their professional and meticulous approach to HOA & Condo Pressure Washing stands out as an essential investment. Their attention to detail ensures that every nook and facade of your property won't just be clean, but also treated with the utmost care, deterrence from future damages, and preservation.
In summary, the value of expert power washing rendered by Xtreme Pressure Washing is incomparable. The caliber of their work reflects an understanding of the unique challenges faced by HOAs, Condo Associations, and residential property owners. When it comes to safeguarding the allure and longevity of your exteriors, the expertise of Xtreme Pressure Washing is what keeps communities looking their best. Reach out to their team today and experience the marked difference that professional pressure washing can make.


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Nothing beats a warm, good-quality hoodie. This mid-weight unisex supply hoodie is made of 80% cotton and 20% polyester anti-pill fleece and for sure is the piece of clothing you need. It also features a kangaroo pocket, sleeve cuff ribbing, and is preshrunk to minimize shrinkage.
.: 80% cotton, 20% polyester (fiber content may vary for different colors)
.: Medium-heavy fabric (8.5 oz /yd² (290 g/m²))
.: Sewn in label
.: Regular fit


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*This is a Preorder Item* expected to ship in 15-20 business days.
Fairway / 3 Wood Headcover in Black/Robin Egg Blue
Our new style wood covers feature a very high quality synthetic leather to ensure a great fit!
Features include:
- Sugar Skull Golf Logo
- Sugar Skull Golf Print and Sugar Skull Golf Tag
- Matching inner fur lining
After the preorder, these will never be rereleased with the same design/color combination.


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Muslim Attitudes towards End-of-Life Decisions
Islam, End of life,Abstract
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/43-3-8602
Video: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/43-3-8602V
Conference Proceedings
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).


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So the rumors were true for the LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sets releasing next year! Gizmodo has posted images of the minifigures as well as a set. The Shellraiser Street Chase (79104) set was revealed at New York Comic Con 2012 and will retail for $59.99.
Raphael & Leonardo
Michelangelo & Donatello
Master Splinter & Dog-Pound
Foot Soldier, Shredder, Kraang
The Shellraiser Street Chase (79104)
Official Press Release:
The LEGO Group and Nickelodeon Announce Expanded Global Partnership to Bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Construction Toy Category
-Construction Toy Collection to Launch in January 2013-
BILLUND, Denmark, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The LEGO Group, makers of the world's leading construction toys, and Nickelodeon, one of the world's leading entertainment brands for kids, announced today an expansion of their global partnership to develop construction toys inspired by the recently launched CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series. The collection is slated to launch in North America and the UK in January 2013 and will roll out in global markets later in the year. The companies have a long-standing relationship and first partnered together in 2006 to create LEGO® SpongeBob Squarepants. Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered on Sept. 29 and was an instant hit, drawing almost 12 million viewers during its premiere weekend.
LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings the action-packed adventures of Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo to life in LEGO form with a series of vehicles, renowned scenes and iconic LEGO minifigures. One playset and select minifigures from the forthcoming line will be unveiled at the LEGO booth #1538 at New York Comic-Con at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from October 11-14.
"We are thrilled to partner again with Nickelodeon to help bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to a new generation of kids," said Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seamlessly combines action and comedy and Nickelodeon is brilliantly balancing what was great about the original property while still making it feel fresh. No doubt fans and builders alike will love the LEGO products our team has created."
"Following the triumphant return to TV of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we're very excited to expand our connection with our audience and fans through stellar creative play with one of the most respected and admired brands in the world: LEGO," said Manuel Torres, Senior Vice President Global Toys and Electronics for Nickelodeon. "LEGO's system of play combined with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle power will lend itself to hours and hours of creativity and fun for kids and families around the globe."
The series begins as the turtles emerge from their hidden lair in the sewers for the very first time, ready to confront the wondrous and hostile world of New York City and face enemies more dangerous and pizza more delicious than anything they could have imagined. Funnier and with more ninjutsu than ever before, the show will explore the companionship of four teenage brothers learning to rely on themselves and one another as they unravel the mystery of their existence and grow to become the heroes in a half-shell that they are destined to be. The premiere episode was executive produced by Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin & J.R. Ventimilia and Peter Hastings.
The 26-episode, half-hour action-comedy series breathes new life into the wildly popular band of reptile brothers played by Jason Biggs (American Pie) as "Leonardo," Rob Paulsen (Planet Sheen) as "Donatello" (Paulsen also voiced the original "Raphael" from 1987-1996 in the very first TMNT series), Greg Cipes (Teen Titans) as "Michelangelo" and Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) as "Raphael." The series airs regularly on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT).
Considered one of the most popular kids' television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned four blockbuster theatrical releases. The property also has translated into a significant consumer products business–with DVDs, video games, toys and more–that has generated billions of dollars at retail.
About The LEGO Group
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 9,000 people globally. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities. LEGO products can be purchased in more than 130 countries. Visit www.LEGO.comLEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of The LEGO Group. © 2012 The LEGO Group.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 33(rd) year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).© 2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Based on characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.
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HAJJ DOOM! SAUDI QATAR WAR: Rex Tillerson Can't Work Things Out ......Even Our Masters Don't Know The Web We Weave....
Hajj 2017 will begin in the evening of Wednesday, August 30
DOOM updates:
- 15 JULY 2017 Rex Tillerson Can't Work Things Out
- 15 JULY 2017 SAUDIS Kick Out First Wave Of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) In Preparation Of HAJJ SLAUGHTER!
- 14 JULY 2017 SHIA MUSLIMS Murder Saudi Soldier in Qatif
- 9 JULY 2017 Hyundai Engulfed By Flames At Saudi Arabia Gas Station!
- 8 JULY 2017 Saudi Arabia imposes Dh389 fee on domestic pilgrims
- 8 JULY 2017 Iranian security forces confiscated a large cache of weapons to be used In HAJJ attack by Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
- 7 JULY 2017 World's Largest Bookstore, Tehran's Book Garden Opens
- 6 JULY 2017 Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to terms for Hajj 2017
- 6 JULY 2017 Saudi Policeman Killed, 6 Wounded In Qatif Bomb Attack....
Who Are the Muslim Brotherhood, and What Does It Have to Do With the Qatar-Saudi Split?
LONDON — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been working his diplomatic muscles this week shuttling between Qatar and Saudi Arabia trying to end a month-long rift among some of America's most important Mideast allies. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it more than a month ago, accusing Doha of supporting extremist groups. The four anti-Qatar countries issued a 13-point list of tough demands, primary among them that Doha cut ties with Islamist groups — particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Source
Statement from UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake and WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on the cholera outbreak in Yemen as suspected cases exceed 200 000
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 24 June 2017 – The rapidly spreading cholera outbreak in Yemen has exceeded 200 000 suspected cases, increasing at an average of 5000 a day. We are now facing the worst cholera outbreak in the world.
In just two months, cholera has spread to almost every governorate of this war-torn country. Already more than 1300 people have died – one quarter of them children – and the death toll is expected to rise.
UNICEF, WHO and our partners are racing to stop the acceleration of this deadly outbreak. We are working around the clock to detect and track the spread of disease and to reach people with clean water, adequate sanitation and medical treatment. Rapid response teams are going house-to-house to reach families with information about how to protect themselves by cleaning and storing drinking water.
UNICEF and WHO are taking all measures to scale up prevention and treatment interventions. We call on authorities in Yemen to strengthen their internal efforts to stop the outbreak from spreading further.
This deadly cholera outbreak is the direct consequence of two years of heavy conflict. Collapsing health, water and sanitation systems have cut off 14.5 million people from regular access to clean water and sanitation, increasing the ability of the disease to spread. Rising rates of malnutrition have weakened children's health and made them more vulnerable to disease. An estimated 30 000 dedicated local health workers who play the largest role in ending this outbreak have not been paid their salaries for nearly 10 months.
We urge all authorities inside the country to pay these salaries and, above all, we call on all parties to end this devastating conflict.
Anthony Lake
Executive Director
Dr Margaret Chan
World Health Organization
225 distressed OFWs arriving from Saudi Arabia Saturday evening
Over 200 OFWs from the Middle East are expected to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Saturday evening and will be welcomed by some government officials. In in tweet on Saturday morning, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac said that a total of 225 OFWs, including their children, are coming home from Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Source
Attackers kill Saudi soldier in Qatif
A Saudi soldier has been killed and another injured in a shooting attack on their patrol vehicle in the kingdom's eastern province of Qatif. Saudi Arabia's official news agency on Friday quoted the Saudi interior ministry as saying that the attack took place late on Thursday. It gave no further details, but said that authorities were investigating. In recent months, Qatif, a Shia-majority province, has seen a series of attacks targeting security forces. Last week, two security personnel were injured when a roadside bomb hit their car in Qatif. Thursday's attack came days after Saudi Arabia executed four Shias convicted on "terrorism" charges for attacks on the police and their role in violent protests. The interior ministry said the four were executed for incidents that took place in Qatif. Source
2015 All over again......
Car engulfed by flames in alarming gas station footage (VIDEO)
CCTV footage has captured the remarkably alert reactions of Saudi gas station attendants after a customer's car suddenly burst in flames.
What began as a relatively mundane Saturday rush hour quickly turned chaotic when one of the attendants at a gas station in Medina, Saudi Arabia noticed a spark beneath a refueling Hyundai. RT>>>>>>
Saudi Arabia imposes Dh389 fee on domestic pilgrims
The fee will be in the form of a bank guarantee of 30 per cent of the value of services provided by the ministry. The Saudi Haj Ministry has imposed a $106 fee on each domestic pilgrim to be paid by organisations and companies offering services for them, the media reported on Saturday. The fee will be in the form of a bank guarantee of 30 per cent of the value of services provided by the ministry. The fees should be paid before registering domestic pilgrims through the online portal for the upcoming pilgrimage season. The fees should be transferred to the ministry's account through local banks that are registered with the Saudi Monetary Agency, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry warned the organisations against hiking their prices in order to make the pilgrims to pay for the new fee, while ordering them to allocate all administration, reception and data processing jobs to Saudis Source
Arms cache of Jaish ul-Adl terror group seized in SE Iran
Iranian security forces have confiscated a large cache of weapons and an anti-aircraft cannon belonging to the so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The terrorists' arms depot included 35 Kalashnikov rifles, a 14.5-mm anti-aircraft cannon, nine SPG-9 guns as well as a large amount of ammunition, the police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan, Hossein Rahimi, told reporters on Saturday, IRNA reported Source
Bibliophiles in Iran, clear your weekend: The huge Book Garden center just opened in Tehran. Officials unveiled the Book Garden, a giant academic complex being called "the world's largest bookstore," on Wednesday. At roughly 65,000 square meters (about 700,000 square feet), the center has several movie theaters, science halls, classrooms, a restaurant, a prayer room and whole a lot of literature. On its roof is a green park area for reading. Newsweek>>>>>>>>
Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to terms for Hajj 2017
(IRNA) The Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Wednesday that all the conditions of Iran in order to provide security for Iranian Hajj pilgrims and safeguarding their honor were accepted and inked by the Saudi officials.
Salehi-Amiri added that safeguarding the Iranian pilgrims' honor and respect is a top priority for Iranian officials.
He added that the first group of the pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia on July 31 Source
Saudi Policeman Killed, 6 Wounded In Qatif Bomb Attack
JEDDAH: A policeman was killed in a bomb attack in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Thursday, authorities said. A police patrol was targeted while in the Al-Musawara neighborhood of Qatif Municipality resulting in the death of Cpl. Abdullah Treiki Al-Turki and wounding six others, the Interior Ministry said, cited by the official SPA news agency. The attack, carried out by terrorists, was the second this week in the same area. On Tuesday morning Vice Sgt. Adel Faleh Al-Otaibi was killed and 3 others were wounded after a explosive projectile hit their vehicle. Earlier Thursday, Sgt. Abdul Aziz Al-Turki, who was injured by an improvised explosive device in the town of Awamiyah in Qatif on Tuesday, died at the Central Hospital of Qatif. Al-Turki was on duty patrolling the area in an armored vehicle when an explosive was thrown at him. He was taken to hospital for emergency surgery on his head, but his health deteriorated. SourceStay tuned here for further HAJJ DOOM updates!


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Roti - Flat Indian Bread
While we're on the topic of flatbread...
One of my friends posted this video on facebook. I am really going to have to try these.
She makes it look pretty easy, and they look really good.
While we're on the topic of flatbread...
One of my friends posted this video on facebook. I am really going to have to try these.
Posted by
Labels: bread, unleavened, video
When I posted the recipe for the flatbread I made Peggy last year, Zemanta suggested this - Olive oil adds snap to Sardinian flatbread. It looked really good, but I forgot all about it, until this week. So today I tried it.
Posted by
Labels: bread, unleavened
The last couple years I've been making my Oatmeal Bread recipe for Unleavened Bread - just not using yeast and rolling it into 4 approximately 8-inch rounds to bake. It's soft and chewy and yummy. But, I still like the thin, crunchy stuff, so I make this too. I took some last night for Night to Be Observed and again today for the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread, and it was really popular. I find that it's hard to stop eating it.
Posted by
Labels: bread, unleavened
I'm trying to install a new comment system, but it's only supposed to be on new posts. So, I need a new post to test it and see if it worked. I may or may not leave this post once I figure it out.
Probably not. It has nothing to do with food.
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