Monday, August 27, 2018

The big double standard on child sex abuse no one is talking about The American Vision

The big double standard on child sex abuse no one is talking about The American Vision:
while they are raking the Roman Catholics over the coals, they are totaling ignoring—averting the eyes, covering the ears, running to avoid—the same issue in the public schools where all indications are the problem is far greater.

Friday, August 24, 2018

Google and Facebook Didn't End Data Privacy - The Atlantic

Google and Facebook Didn't End Data Privacy - The Atlantic:
Online services are only accelerating the reach and impact of data-intelligence practices that stretch back decades. They have collected your personal data, with and without your permission, from employers, public records, purchases, banking activity, educational history, and hundreds more sources. They have connected it, recombined it, bought it, and sold it. Processed foods look wholesome compared to your processed data, scattered to the winds of a thousand databases. Everything you have done has been recorded, munged, and spat back at you to benefit sellers, advertisers, and the brokers who service them. It has been for a long time, and it’s not going to stop. The age of privacy nihilism is here, and it’s time to face the dark hollow of its pervasive void.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

15,000 White South Africans Flee Racist Persecution, Plan Move to Russia - Russian Faith

15,000 White South Africans Flee Racist Persecution, Plan Move to Russia - Russian Faith:
...the whole notion that Boers see Russia as a possible new homeland is telling and it is huge in its implications. It is happening, as I predicted a few years ago, that white Christian peoples (which is by definition–a European root) will increasingly see Russia as their salvation.

Definitely a racist and idolatrous web site, to which I will no longer be following links.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Animal-headed Divinities in Christianity | Tsem Rinpoche

Animal-headed Divinities in Christianity | Tsem Rinpoche:

With the tradition of venerating the dog-headed St. Christopher and the manifestation of animal forms of Cherub and Seraphim angels it is clear that animal-headed divinities do exist within Christianity. It is not only something that exists in ‘pagan’ religions because divinity can manifest in a variety of ways, and divinity can certainly manifest in animal form. Mind you, pagan is something labelled by the Christians to denounce the gods of other religions calling them satanic or evil in order to denounce. Sometimes Christians would denounce in this way to show their superiority over other religions when all religions are actually equal. Nothing can limit the manner in which divinity or God can manifest in order to protect or benefit all beings. Hence, there is nothing wrong or demonic when divinity manifests in animal forms in any religion. It is, in fact, an expression of the divine reaching out to protect and benefit all beings.

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Nazism, Socialism and the Falsification of History – Opinion – ABC Religion & Ethics (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Nazism, Socialism and the Falsification of History – Opinion – ABC Religion & Ethics (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

last week, Paul Murray complained that young people tempted by left-wing politics fail to understand that the Second World War was waged against socialism. Presumably by this he meant the Axis powers, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

This bizarre view fails to consider the inconvenient fact that the Allies included among its number the communist Soviet Union, the state that bore the brunt of the conflict in lives and domestic destruction. But inconvenient facts should not get in the way of a convenient narrative. "The modern culture doesn't understand WWII," lamented Murray. "Too many of this generation want socialism and don't understand what their relatives fought for and that's why we speak up about it."

Monday, August 13, 2018

Russia Welcomes White South African Refugees? - LewRockwell

Russia Welcomes White South African Refugees? - LewRockwell:

While blind and hypocritical West was hailing their thoroughly fake idol of Nelson Mandela, the Republic of South Africa was slowly being consumed by unprecedented black racism and non-stop assault on white Afrikaners. Rape, murder, robbery, barbed wire electrified fences around white South African communities–these are defining characteristics of modern South Africa.

So Lew Rockwell, an idol to many, is also thoroughly fake!

A New Schism in the Orthodox World Growing as Moscow Seeks Supremacy Over Constantinople - The Pappas Post

A New Schism in the Orthodox World Growing as Moscow Seeks Supremacy Over Constantinople - The Pappas Post:
A New Schism in the Orthodox World Growing as Moscow Seeks Supremacy Over Constantinople

Largely unreported events (in the Greek media) took place in Moscow in early December when Patriarch Kirill, head of the The Russian Orthodox Church hosted 380 Orthodox bishops from Russia and throughout the world, including representatives from the Slavic countries and the Near East, and ethnic Greek church leaders from Alexandria, Cyprus, Jerusalem and Albania.

The celebrations were taking place to commemorate the centennial of the restoration of the Russian Patriarchate following the Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Church went all out to make a grand affair of the spectacle– complete with a gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Christ the Savior Orthodox Church - Church Etiquette

Christ the Savior Orthodox Church - Church Etiquette:

The Holy Orthodox Church is perhaps one of the last social institutions where dignity, protocol, respect, and reverence are maintained. This is primarily because when we come to the church and its services we are entering the Kingdom of God on earth, His habitation, and we choose to honor this sacred place by our attentiveness to what is proper and ordered. We have the opportunity to reflect the image of Christ within us by our actions. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” ( Peter 2:9).

Thursday, August 09, 2018

Alternative to Euthanasia | Wellspring

Alternative to Euthanasia | Wellspring:

...a clear distinction must be made between what have traditionally been labeled “active” and “passive” forms of euthanasia. The latter term, “passive euthanasia,” refers generally to a withdrawing or withholding of life-support, rather than to active intervention. As such, it is a misnomer. Modern life-support technology can sustain biological existence even when the patient has lost autonomous cardio-respiratory functioning or has suffered the irreversible loss of upper brain activity. Although the brain stem may still be working, if the cerebral cortex is dead, life-support technology (ventilator, dialysis, antibiotics) is doing little more than sustaining a living cadaver. In liturgical language, this state signals that “the soul is struggling to leave the body,” and there is no longer personal existence in any meaningful sense.

Monday, August 06, 2018

DignitySA and COPE to bring advance directives Bill to Parliament | Synapses

DignitySA and COPE to bring advance directives Bill to Parliament | Synapses:

In a secular state, people should of course be free to exercise their religious commitments if those commitments don’t violate the law.

But citizens should also not be forced to adhere to laws that are motivated by non-secular considerations, such as the idea that life is granted and taken away by a metaphysical being, and where humans (who possess the property of existing!) having no say in when and how they die.

The good news is that we are about to inch a little closer to securing personal agency in end-of-life decisions, thanks to Deirdre Carter (of COPE) having lodged a notice of intent to introduce a Private Member’s Bill on advance directives to Parliament. This follows extensive consultation with DignitySA, who have played a key role in getting things this far.

Friday, August 03, 2018

An Alternative Approach to Outlining For Writers Who Don't Outline | WTD

An Alternative Approach to Outlining For Writers Who Don't Outline | WTD:

Some of the best novels of all time are elongated answers to really good questions. A few examples: What if all evil in the world was condensed into a single piece of jewelry? Or, what would a future without books look like? Or, what would happen if a group of boys was left to govern themselves? These aren’t necessarily complex questions, yet they provide a foundation for some truly excellent works.

Likewise, I recommend starting your Junk Doc with a single question. It need not necessarily be a high-concept question like those mentioned above, though it could be if you’ve got one. If you don’t know where to start, try this: “What do I know about my novel?”

Wednesday, August 01, 2018

Ramaphosa hands out title deeds in Tembisa during Thuma Mina campaign – The Citizen

Ramaphosa hands out title deeds in Tembisa during Thuma Mina campaign – The Citizen:
He said through handing over title deeds, the government was giving people their dignity back, giving them a store of wealth and empowering them economically.

“A house is the most important asset that one can own,” Ramaphosa said.

He urged title deed holders to treat their certificates as valuable assets, adding that title deeds would be handed out throughout the country.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Luke Shelton’s Tolkien Experience Project | A Pilgrim in Narnia

Luke Shelton’s Tolkien Experience Project | A Pilgrim in Narnia:

The basic format is that participants reflect on a set of five questions, and then respond to them in short-answer format. This means that answers can be one sentence, or a few paragraphs! The great thing is that there are no wrong answers, because you are just sharing your own experience!

The questions are:

How were you introduced to Tolkien’s work?
What is your favorite part of Tolkien’s work?
What is your fondest experience of Tolkien’s work?
Has the way you approach Tolkien’s work changed over time?
Would you ever recommend Tolkien’s work? Why/Why not?

These questions are intentionally vague to allow contributors to talk about a variety of things. ‘Tolkien’s work’ is not meant to exclude adaptations, so they feel free to share experiences about movies, video games, board games, etc. All of these are important experiences in someone’s fan history! If they want to use ‘part’ in question two to talk about a specific scene from a book, great! They could also use ‘part’ to talk about their favorite book in general.

Participants can take as much time as they need to answer these questions, then they send their answers to me using the Contact page on my website or by direct email. I usually respond directly to the participant once or twice to clarify what they would like to be called on the post and to fix typos, but the answers are largely unedited/unfiltered.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Time to put Nelson Mandela where he belongs | IOL News

Time to put Nelson Mandela where he belongs | IOL News:
Our leaders seem to have forgotten how to speak of and to us as a nation. It is one thing for our leaders to speak truthfully and honestly about economic and political disparities.

It is quite another thing, when leaders conceal their lack of a unifying vision of South Africans as a people, by pandering to sectional, provincial and tribal interests.

Every time a South African leader invokes the phrase “our people”, we look at one another with bewilderment, wondering which particular people he or she is talking about.

We have come to know instinctively and to take for granted, that today few leaders if any use the phrase “our people” to refer to all South Africans.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Pitch your book and convince Jacana Media it needs to be published! | The Reading List

Pitch your book and convince Jacana Media it needs to be published! | The Reading List:
We are offering you the chance to participate in a 15- to 20-minute session where you’ll be able to pitch your book to a panel comprising of three publishers and a high-powered bookseller. External panelists so far include Michelle Magwood from the Sunday Times and Sharon Naidoo from Exclusive Books. This is your chance to impress and persuade us in person to consider your work for publication. We realise this isn’t an approach that will work for all authors, but if you would like to be one of the 20 candidates who will present at the Live Pitching Session on 28 August 2018, we encourage you to submit an entry on our website.

Monday, July 02, 2018

CS Lewis Was a Red

CS Lewis Was a Red:
He did not believe that Christianity was the same as capitalism. He did not believe that Christianity had anything to do with material success. (Lewis gave away the money he made from religion—unlike many famous preachers and authors.) He did not hobnob with the powerful. He hated British imperialism.

Saturday, June 30, 2018

The Boers are coming to Russia? | demographia.ru

The Boers are coming to Russia? | demographia.ru:



The Boers, descendants of the Dutch settlers of Africa, who are studying the possibility of re-deployment to Russia, may move to the North Caucasus. The Komsomol Prada informs that in the beginning of July the delegation is expected to visit the chapter with Jan Andrian Slebus. They want to communicate with the administration, the local population, politicians and religious figures. If approved by the authorities, over 15,000 Boers from the Republic of South Africa can move to the Stavropol Territory. If successful, other Boers may settle in the Crimea, the Krasnodar Territory and the republics of the NCFD.

Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Shocking Truth About Jordan Peterson – Tablet Magazine

The Shocking Truth About Jordan Peterson – Tablet Magazine:

The rawest forms of identity politics, grounded in the metaphysical premise that “whiteness” and “masculinity” are constructs solely predicated on a domination that we cannot hope to escape until those toxic forms of identity have been “dismantled” or “abolished,” began as provocations by radical academics. They have since become viral memes infecting the thinking and rhetoric of a certain strand of progressive activist, and through them, an ever-growing swathe of the media-making class. The resort to them is indicative of a profound failure of the political imagination.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Dinaane Debut Fiction Award: Call for Submissions | Jacana

The Dinaane Debut Fiction Award: Call for Submissions | Jacana:

If you are an aspiring author and want the chance to get published, then this is the opportunity you have been waiting for.

For the past 14 years, first as the European Union Literary Award and now as The Dinaane Debut Fiction Award, the submission process has unearthed great new South African literary talent. The books that have been published under this award have reflected the many strands of conversation that are woven together in the common language of fiction. The latest winner, Selling LipService by Tammy Baikie, is longlisted for this year’s Barry Ronge Fiction Prize.

This year, the prize is not only open to South Africans but also citizens of all SADC countries.

The overall winner, selected by a panel of judges, stands a chance to win R35 000, be published by Jacana Media, get great coverage as a debut author and be part of Exclusive Books’ Homebru campaign.

The JLF will also present the Kraak Writing Award, dedicated to the memory of Gerald Kraak. Valued at R20 000, it offers mentoring and intensive coaching from a published author, editor or a publishing expert, enabling the author to refine and develop their work further.

Submissions will be open from the 1 April 2018 to 30 June 2018. Enquiries can be directed to: awards@jacana.co.za.