The Clothiers’ Neighborhood

On 3rd November, 2009 at 1500 CET, The United Kingdom ceased to exist as a Sovereign Nation, when Czechoslovakia signed the Lisbon Treaty. The Sovereign Nations of Europe are now just part of the new European Union Empire.My father fought in a World War and my Grandfather was killed in one to prevent a day such as this.

I am here at Vox.

I rarely come here now, there are many reasons why I don't.

I just came across a person's blog and there were some old familiar names; not the names of people I would call "nice." 

Then it hit me, a rush of anxiety and a sinking feeling of dread and my skin is still crawling.  I cannot tolerate these people any more and I don't want to run across them in my travels.  We are taught to be tolerant, but I am sorry i cannot be tolerant of people who want to harm others and think it is their duty to do so.

Life is tough and why do people feel the need to make it even tougher for other people.  Why can't people just leave people alone if they are not hurting them.

Oh and by the way, I do not need to be saved or converted to your way of thinking.  I am fed up with people who tell me they respect me and then they try and change me to their religious views.  Either you do respect me and accept me for who I am or you don't and if you don't then leave me the hell alone.

To the few friends I have left here at Vox, I apologise for not visiting but I just have not been able to face Vox and I know some of you will find that strange.  Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try and just keep to myself someone will come along and be a total killjoy and I end up wondering what is the point!  The fact is my life is bloody tough and I rarely complain and I don't need people bringing me down.  Everyday for me is a struggle and some days it is actually a struggle to keep going. 

These days because I know just how tough life can be I just have no patience for people who want to make life even harder for people, no time for people who want to interfere in people's lives who have no business doing so, no time for people who want to prevent people from expressing their real and devoted love for each other, I think anyone reading this will get where I am coming from.

Just so I am perfectly clear on a few matters which people seem to have issues with:

I do believe in gay rights and same sex marriage.

I believe that unfortunately sometimes abortion is necessary, but at the same time we should try to do the best to reduce the number of abortions.

I do not believe in the traditional Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Hindu god.  I do believe we are all connected by some force but it is not what people traditionally call god.  That does not make me a evil person.  I am still very spiritual, but I repeat I do not believe in god.  But if you do believe in god well that is just fine, so long as you don't oppress people with your beliefs.

I am centre left in my politics and I am not about to change.

I do think love is the answer to a lot of the world's problems.  The problem is most of us are too selfish to really love enough to allow others a foot up in this world; because to allow others a foot up will most likely mean that we have to take a step down.

Oh and then there is the environment.  Yes people I do believe we humans are destroying our planet and we do need to do something about it for our future generations.  No I do not think that climate change is some divine plan from a loving god and we should just continue on as normal.

----

Thank you to Vox for showing me just how loving and wonderful people can be and at the same time opening my eyes to just how absolutely horrible other people can behave.

Well I should go now.

"Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool

 Oh no I have said too much, I haven't said enough, I set it up.

Try, cry, why try?"

Peace.

P.S. This is not goodbye.

Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

I am no better and neither are you
We are the same whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can't figure out the bag l'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

There is a yellow one that won't accept the black one
That won't accept the red one that won't accept the white one

And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo-bee

There was a very interesting Private Members Bill debated by the Commons today.  The full transcript is in Hansard, but here are a few of the gems:

"People unfamiliar with the ethos behind home education might question the defensiveness of some who home educate: “Why not let the Government in if there is nothing to hide?” Of course, that refrain has seen many other freedoms cast aside over the past decade or so. Independence to pursue the choice that is right for a particular child at the speed at which that child wishes to learn is the cornerstone of home education. Home educators opted out of the system by and large because they lacked confidence in the idea of a very strict and regulated state system. That is something that has been apparent for quite some time—20 or 30 years. I am talking about the rise of the national curriculum and ever more testing, which are, understandably, concerns."

"The Government have a right only to ensure that the education that the state, predominantly via local government, provides is of good quality, and the authorities can intervene only when people are seen to be breaking the law. It is for the same reason that police do not routinely visit people’s homes to check for stolen property. Therefore, there is an overwhelming case that home educators should be allowed to get on with their lives without undue state interference."

"With regard to the other aspirations in the Every Child Matters agenda, home educators contend that they are far more likely to fulfil the Government’s objectives than the state system. Home education is personalised, child led and free from some of the detrimental effects of curriculum constraints, constant testing and standardisation. Home-schooled children can learn autonomously, often spend more time on physical activity and can learn in an environment free from bullying and peer pressure. Many studies have shown that, regardless of socio-economic background, home-educated children consistently outperform school-educated children."

Yes starting on the first Saturday of each June it is International Clothesline Week

It seems the world needs a week devoted to hanging washing on clotheslines.

Why some of you may ask?

Well because it seems most people don't use clotheslines, they use clothes dryers instead.  Not just on those rainy days, but they also use clothes dryers on beautiful sunny days.

Is this true?

Surely this practice isn't a common trend here in sunny Australia where virtually every backyard has an iconic
Hills hoist? 

Is it?

In some parts of certain countries the use of clotheslines are banned or tenants are punished if they use a clothesline.

Many homeowners associations and apartment complexes ban or severely restrict the use of clotheslines. Check the current laws in your area. For example, after the California electricity crisis of summers of 1999 and 2000, the state legislature passed a law preventing homeowners associations from punishing clothesline users. (Source)

It seems that the tradition of hanging out clothes on a clothesline is no longer handed down from generation to generation.  The situation is so bad that there are now generations of adults who no longer know how to hang washing out on a clothesline.  There are now websites devoted to teaching people how to use a clothesline!

So please if you are one of these people who cannot use or refuses to use a clothesline please consider the environment and start using a clothesline instead of a clothes dryer.

For instructions on how to hang out clothes on a clothesline simply go to this website:

For more information on this annual event dedicated to encouraging people to use a clothesline go to:

Bishop Gene Robinson: "Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference.

We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

Gay bishop rejoices in NH's gay marriage vote

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/a...

ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people. "What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop. Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside. "There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes." But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches. "The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom. "But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work." The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services. They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval. But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. Th...

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ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people.

"What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop.

Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote.

In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones.

The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside.

"There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes."

But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches.

"The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom.

"But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work."

The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services.

They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval.

But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. They argued the protections should be expanded to cover commercial vendors, such as photographers and caterers. That drew fire from gay marriage supporters who said the state's anti-discrimination laws would be unraveled by allowing people to discriminate at will.

The law goes into effect in January.

In a speech in Washington last month, Robinson said despite recent momentum, the struggle continues for gay rights supporters in churches.

"Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

Robinson's election in 2003 caused a rift in the global Anglican Communion, intensifying a long-running debate over what Anglicans should believe about salvation, sexuality and other issues. The Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the U.S., is more liberal than growing Anglican churches in Africa and elsewhere.

Meeting in Egypt in February, Anglican leaders requested their churches continue a temporary ban — enacted after Robinson's election — on consecrating openly gay bishops and writing prayers for gay unions.

New Hampshire legalized civil unions for gay couples last year, but in a pastoral letter, Robinson told Episcopal clergy he would prefer they not preside at civil unions, instead, presiding over a blessing, afterward.

"It is my hope that we will be able to provide for the private, pastoral needs of the faithful people entrusted to our care, while causing a minimum of further furor in the Church," he wrote in February, 2008, a month after civil unions became legal in the state.

But he said he would be "personally and institutionally supportive" of clergy who did not want to bless a civil union.

Robinson and his partner of 20 years were united in a civil union a year ago this month.

He said legislators recognized that gay marriage is more than a policy question and hopes churches will do the same.

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference. We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

If you're getting paid to do something, you should do it, and do it well. But is it always that simple? What if you have a vague job description, a haphazard workload, and a very bad boss who is only content when you look busy, but not if you're super efficient? Sad to say, but sometimes working at your maximum potential is punished. This happens a lot in larger organizations and retail.

Let's say you and a co-worker must each enter the data from 100 files, or shelve 100 books. You hustle and finish an hour earlier than your co-worker, and there's not much else to do. Your boss or manager walks by, expresses displeasure at the fact that you're not doing anything, and assigns you to an unpleasant, and really unnecessary task because they don't like seeing you relax (even though you earned it by finishing your assignment faster, right?). What do you do? Quit? File a complaint? Or slow down? These instructions are here for if you decide to reward your own efficiency by using that extra time you earned for R&R--without your boss noticing.

(Note that if you follow these steps without actually being more efficient than your co-workers, you'll fall behind on your work and give your employer a reason to fire you.)

http://www.wikihow.com/Look-Busy-at-Work-Without-Really-Working

Tom_logo

The Labour Party continues to enjoy a healthy lead at the polls according to the European Parliament election forecast even if its share of the vote has dropped over the past two weeks.

If you've spilt your coffee, I apologise. This is from The Times of Malta

(Pointed out by EURef)