civilisationReview

“As far back as the 1800s, single mothers were receiving benefits. At that time, they would be paid up front and in cash, but were they better off than today? It's a perennial issue every government has to grapple with, whatever its political persuasion. Is the welfare system too generous? The Welfare Reform Bill, currently going through parliament, is this government's attempt to introduce what it says is "a simpler and fairer" system. But proposed cuts will hit the poor hardest, argue opponents.” - bbc “Can a welfare system be too generous”?  Yes.  If the amount that is given out means that the amount that is held back isn’t enough to produce enough to satisfy the people’s needs. welfare = ‘far more than is required for sustenance, and enough to ensure that others are deprived, and enough to enable one to subjugate and exploit the rest.' But when the question is asked within a capitalist scheme of things, and especially when it is taken as a divinely mandated ...

"American parents looking to send their children to the world’s best schools might want to start looking East. And by that, we don’t mean the East Coast. East Asia is now home to the world’s best primary and secondary schools, producing students who are able to outperform their counterparts in the Western world, according to a recent report from the Grattan Institute, a think tank based in Australia. - Wall Street Journal " ed’s comment at WSJ: I come from singapore, and i can say that they are ‘superior’ in the sense of being able to learn formulae, memorise, and regurgitate. But as innovative, inventive, and out-of-the-box thinkers, from my experience, a mediocre student in the UK beats the ‘superior’ students of the east. It is the socio-cultural experience that enables one to make more of education as opposed to education serving as a ceiling. In that, the UK for example, beats the straight ‘As’ of the east. At the end of the day, it is the social curriculum that adds val...

Said Cameron, “Speaking before a trip to Edinburgh, the prime minister talked in passionate language about his desire to keep the union and insisted he wanted to make a positive case for keeping Scotland in the UK. However, his list of issues raised – including Scotland losing its seat (as part of the UK) on the United Nations security council – could be seen by opponents as an attempt to threaten voters into shunning independence in the planned referendum. He said: "We're stronger, because together we count for more in the world, with a permanent seat on the UN security council, real clout in Nato and Europe, and unique influence with allies all over the world.” - the guardian Scotland only needs the UK because the UK still includes the rest of non-England. Something like a skinny scrawny lad being only as strong as the toughies he is supported by. What i was wondering, when i came across this statement by Cameron is, is it that Scotland is stronger because, with Scotland b...

Edison 6w LED MR16 bulb (neutral white - 5000kelvin). Comprises 3 2W LEDs...just arrived by post this morning using a velcro adjustable bicycle handlebar mount made for conventional hand-held torches My aim was to come up with the simplest, cheapest, DIY design that required no soldering, no drilling, and takes about 5 minutes to assemble by anyone, and requiring just about no electrical knowledge.  I also wanted it to be easily taken apart and put in another housing if one just felt like a change in housing colour to match one's mood;), or if the housing got damaged in anyway.  The housing-change takes less time as it is just a matter of unscrewing the cap, pulling everything out as one piece, and sticking it in another housing. One of the reasons why i opted for this open-ended (the other end of the housing is open) curved design was for ventilation purposes as bulb-life can be compromised by all-round enclosure.   Additionally, the bottom-side being open enabled me to ...

As stated in a previous article (ed’s on sabbatical), a2ed is moving on from singaporean affairs to wider vistas, and also figuring out how to construct a bicycle light as cheaply as possible, making it bright enough to rival most of the overpriced ‘Cateye’ bike lights out there, and making it as simple as possible for anyone to replicate or take apart for simple repairs or part-replacement without compromising too much on aesthetics. Well, it’s going on quite fine so far.  Did quite a bit of research on the net on bicycle lights, the electrical stuff behind it - i.e. watts, volts, switches, battery holders, wiring, etc - my background in sociology/psychology/art/music/photography isn’t really relevant in the technical sense unfortunately;)  Basically, what i ended up doing was to put together ideas from various tutorials, and come up with my own in the aesthetic and functional sense after considering and taking on the best of the ideas i’ve seen - that’s ‘progressive multicul...

Merry Christmas, not, 'Happy Holidays', or 'Happy Break from Work and sleep till noon'. A Merry, 'Love thy Neighbour as thyself' Day that serves as a resolution for the countdown to the next Christmas that might, hence, make that a day where we celebrate our being a living illustration of that Ideal. It's a celebration of an Ideal, as espoused in Christ's 13th Commandment, 'Love thy Neighbour as thyself'.  It's a celebration of the birthday of the one who was born out of, and for, Love, for humanity, with empathy, and with humility - which makes it just about one of the most significant of Socialist statements in human history.  It matters not whether you believe He is the 'Son of God', or 'just a Prophet', or 'just a bloke'.  It matters not if you believe that it was an Immaculate Conception, or if God exists, of if the birth of Christ was on the 25th of December or January the 6th.  What matters, as I stated, is th...

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I was watching Jeeves and Wooster last night (one of my favourite shows) and there was a scene where 'Wooster' exclaims, 'Blasted!' and all the women present, including Aunt Agatha, took great exception to it (see video below - "Bertie! Kindly restrain your language!"...which can be paraphrased with, "Kindly restrain your passion/opposition").

 Now, literally, there is nothing vulgar about 'Blast' - unless, of course, it was to be expressed through one's rear end in a crowded restaurant during the main course, and within earshot of all present. But i suppose it is the expression of passion and and vigour that might at times seem vulgar to the relatively dispassionate.

  I suppose the curtailment of passion does, in a way, vasectomise and ligate the population into political and perspectival impotence, whilst rendering them objective enough to do their best to put up with a bad situation with a cool head instead of attempting to get rid ...