Fascists on the ascent

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Poland November 2017Everywhere in EU member states (and non-EU countries of Europe) the specter of fascism is seriously rearing its ugly head again. And that not just in the from of fringe groups and insignificant parties. In some countries they have made it into parliament and in some they even are in government, unfortunately, already. In other countries they are headed in that direction. The danger is real and present.

On Sunday, November 19, 2017, in Ostia, a suburb of the Italian capital Rome, there was an election runoff for the post of mayor and for members of the town council. The winner was the Five-Star-Movement (M5S) with 59.6% for their candidate Giuliana Di Pillo. The candidate for the governing Democratic Party (PD) in Italy already had to bail out in the first run with only 13% of the votes cast. With “only” 40,9% of the votes the candidate of the fascist “Brothers of Italy” (FdI), Monica Picca, was unable to prevail but the result shows that the extreme Right led by ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi is on the ascent.

But I do not think that we need this result in a rather local election as a sign and proof that the fascists are on the ascent all over Europe. But not all often wear their aims so broadly on their sleeves as some do. Many come in the guise of Liberals.

In Poland in early November 2017 an estimated 60,000 “nationalists” (can we say Nazis) alone in Warsaw, during nationwide wave of demonstrations and marches, called for all Jews to leave the country and for a white Poland for only those with Polish blood. I can't say what they may have said about the Gypsies, as the media did not report that. And they would have reported nothing had the call no been for Jews to leave the country.

As a Rom I do not need reminding that the fascist are on the rise as we can see this day in day out in countries such as Hungary, Romani, Bulgaria, etc., and not just by mob actions and pogroms but by government speech and more. But when such actions are “only” aimed at the Rom, the Gypsy, the world remains silent and, unfortunately, many Romani People in the West too, even when they are in the know about this.

When the word “Jew”, however, falls then they finally wake up, and make mention of it, as in the case of Poland in early November 2017. No mention was made as to what was said about the Rom in Poland, though I am sure there was a lot that those fascists did say about the Gypsies and how they would like to deal with our Romani People.

Apparently, however, the EU condemnation, a very light one, came only after it was made public what had been said about Jews and where the Rom are under attack the EU, apparently, cannot possibly interfere because those are internal (domestic) affairs of the countries in question. It can interfere when it suit, though, such as when it condemns, and rightly so, school segregation. When, however, the lives and freedoms of Rom are threatened then it would seem, the EU cannot and will not.

But the EU has never had the best for the Rom at heart, regardless of what they say and regardless of the moneys that have been given to obscure projects that never seem to have materialized. It is a neoliberal construct after all and neoliberalism is one of the coin which, on the other side has fascism. Only neoliberalism is not as obvious, generally, as is outright fascism, the results, however, are, in effect, the same.

As far as the Rom, the Gypsies, are concerned, there is only one thing that will help and that is for the People, us, the Rom, to do things ourselves. We can petition governments and the EU, etc., as much as we like. As far as they are concerned we do not – really – count (except, maybe, during election times, especially not as long as we do not conform to their measures and be totally integrated into the neoliberal capitalist model of wage slaves.

Only we can free ourselves. But, alas, as far as our “leaders”, most of who we have not chose but who have appointed themselves to be our leaders, are concerned there is no money in that for them and thus they will do anything and everything to prevent us liberating ourselves. We need grassroots unity and ditch the “leaders”, the judges (Rechtssprecher) and the false sherengros (headmen), etc., free ourselves from their chains, and advance as one, regardless of tribe, group and clan.

© 2017

Rising abuse of alcohol among children and young people

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

binge drinking kids 2What is the answer? More education or does it need stronger prohibition and laws?

I think what everyone forgets in this equation is to ask the question as to why children as young as eight and ten drink themselves into a coma even. We must first ask why are children and teenagers taking to excessive drinking, so-called binge drinking, which lands some in a coma, and there are at least two reasons here. One is the very system and the pressure of the education system to perform to set standards and the second is the very fact that children no longer have boundaries of any kind and thus feel insecure.

binge drinking kidsGerman media recently reported that in central Germany, what is known as Mitteldeutschland, Saxony and Thuringia, more and more children and teenagers end up in hospital because of alcohol. In 2016 more than 950 children and young people were treated in hospital in Saxony alone for acute alcohol poisoning. In Thuringia the number was around 530. This is a rise of 3% above the previous year. Alarming is the rate of 10-14 year-olds among that number. In that age group there was a serious increase in binge drinkers, almost 25%. More than half of those were girls.

The story, more than likely, will be no different in other countries, including and especially Britain and the United States, despite strict alcohol laws and all the jazz.

While everyone is talking,again, about educating children and young people about the danger of alcohol and especially binge drinking and even stricter laws the underlying cause no one seems to be prepared to look at, consider, and especially not tackle.

Those engaging in this activity of drinking themselves into a stupor and even a coma – almost at least if not actually – have, I should guess, heard all the warnings, had the lessons about it, and there is, in most countries, already a minimum age to buying alcohol in that it is illegal for anyone under a certain age to purchase alcohol and more importantly that it is illegal for traders to sell alcohol to anyone who even appears to be underage. So, how come they still do it and more importantly why?

The idea of the powers-that-be, however, once again, is not to tackle the causes but to deal with the symptoms by more education and more prohibition. Seems to be working well, doesn't it.

© 2017

Christmas supermarket till receipts wrap around the world – every week!

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

till-receiptsOver 26,000 miles of receipts issued as waste reaches 'epidemic' levels

British supermarkets issue over 26,000 miles of till receipts every week in the run up to Christmas – more than enough paper to go around the entire circumference of the world – and virtually all of it is wasted.

These are the findings of a leading expert in waste and recycling, which has calculated that around 270 tons of till receipts are printed out for customers, many of which are thrown straight into bins along with non-recyclable single-use carrier bags.

Most of those receipts, and everything else that is printed from the till roll, is also on a special kind of paper that does not really recycle well, if at all. It is a so-called thermal paper as the printers does not actually ink but heat to create the “imprint”. In addition to that the paper is laced with BPA, which is a known health risk.

Stores that print out additional offers along with the legally required receipt make the problem worse by producing paper that customers almost always ignore. And those are just the receipts, etc., that are issued over the run-up to Christmas.

Factor in to that the estimated 150 million supermarket and convenience store transactions every week, and a couple of feet soon turns into thousands of miles.

In extreme cases, a customer can sometimes leave a store with:

  • Till receipt

  • Separate bank card receipt

  • Money saving offers

  • "You saved… compared to our competitors" promotions

  • Loyalty vouchers to collect

While the receipt itself is a (legal) requirement, it is the reams of promotional material to which we should object, leaving customers walking away with armfuls of ticker tape that they often bin, along with their carrier bags.

Those estimated 150 million weekly grocery transactions equate to:

  • 26,000 miles of paper, more than enough to reach around the world's 24,000 circumference

  • 270 tons of paper, most of which is discarded rather than recycled because, as indicated already above, some of the paper is mostly non-recyclable

  • A year's worth of till receipts would reach from the moon and back – twice

The frightening thing is that the data is only confined this to grocery stores in the United Kingdom. Add to that other business sectors like DIY warehouses and petrol stations, add in the rest of the world – that weekly till roll is going to wrap the world up like a gift bow, and that's not a good thing.

© 2017

Sustainable and money-conscious living with children

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

photo-1446072030474-a32143843657I say right at the start here that, more than likely, some suggestions may be a little controversial, at least to some readers.

Anyone who has children wants the best for them, that is obvious. But financial restraints do not always allow for doing all the things that one may want for them and giving them everything. Then again giving them everything is neither good for the children not is it good for the Planet and sustainable.

It is often said that the rich are rich because they live like poor and the poor are poor because they live like rich and that definitely often is the case as to poorer families with children who want to buy and do everything for their children so that they are not seen as poor. Totally defeats the object.

Wanting to to consider the Planet and to live as far as possible green and sustainable often meets with financial limits. But that should not, actually, be the case. On the contrary: A consumer behavior aimed to resource-conserving should actually benefit the household finances as it should help you save money rather than spend more. But, having said that, greenwash advertising tell us that we have to buy this and that.

Then there are the restrictions as to income and budget anyway and if one is on a restricted budget then what is one to do in this case. On the other hand those suggestions that I shall be making here can also be applied to any financial situation especially if one wants to be kinder to the Planet.

So let's consider a couple of ideas...

Clothes: Children grow very quickly, as those who do have them will know, that they very fast outgrow their clothes and that often well before those clothes are worn out. Unless, that is, you buy the very cheapest, but that is not really a sustainable option. So, what is one to do?

The answer here would be – OK, I know that that is not always what the kids would want – secondhand from charity shops and such like, or hand-me-downs from older siblings or even other families.

If they go to school where school uniforms are worn then, generally, they will have to be purchased new unless the school has a system of “recycling” those from older children to the younger ones. If school without uniform then anything goes.

Clothes for play should always be secondhand or even handmade by the parent. If they are at home, indoors or in the yard where it is possible, and now comes a controversial bit, let them be in their one-button suit they were born with. This saves washing clothes and this saves money on water, detergent, energy and is also is better for the clothes as too much washing also wears them out. It is easier and cheaper to wash the kids than their clothes. It is also better for the children and the Planet.

If you homeschool your children – and while that is not an option in many countries but where it is I would suggest to take it if possible – then no school clothes are needed at all (another saving) and if you (and the children) so desire the natural attire of wearing nothing is also an option.

Bedclothes such as nightshirts or pajamas: Here you should ask yourself as to whether they are really necessary at all. Sleeping in the nude is better for them as far as their health is concerned, and the same goes also for you, as their parents. And if it is a little too cold, say, then an old T-shirt will do with below the waist remaining bare. Never should children (or adults) sleep in underpants.

Shoes: Children's shoes are another one of those things that they grow out of at an alarming rate. So, the ideal thing is to have just a couple of pairs of shoes and boots for them and at other times let them go barefoot whenever and wherever possible. Better for their feet anyway.

Ditch the underpants: For the male of the species this, apparently, is especially important for health, and best start with the boys as soon as they are safely out of diapers and “accident free”. Apparently the restriction in those garments causes problems later as well, but it could also be the reason that many males later in life have health problems down there in the front.

Nudity for the children – and even the entire family – at home reduces the impact in the clothing department on the Planet and the wallet. Far fewer clothes are then needed and there are none that get dirty during play, craft activities, helping in the garden, and such. Paint, glue or dirt on the skin only need a bit of soap and water and not a whole wash cycle in a washing machine. It is a lifestyle that not only benefits your children and you but greatly reduces your family's impact on the Planet.

Holiday camp” for and with children instead of long-distance travel

You want to give your children something special when they are on holiday from school (if you don't homeschool)? Sure travels are great – but not really always for the children many who rather would stay at home – but holiday “camps” and other activities organized by the local council or other organizations which will give the little ones many great experiences. At the same time the environmental footprint is reduced as there are no long distances to travel.

If such “holiday camps” are not available locally, though in many places they are, then create your own adventure with and for the kids in the local countryside. There is much that you can do yourself for and with the kids: a night hike, a scavenger hunt or the campfire by the river or lake (make sure you can legally make a fire there) with bread on the stick or such – such highlight cost next to nothing, don't use up much energy and are much more interesting and exciting for the children and much greener than any travel to foreign destinations. Children also do not necessarily take too well to such trips.

Let children make their own ways

This is very controversial nowadays as in some places this can be constituted as child neglect by the powers-that-be but really should not be.

A quick drive to music lessons, to ballet classes into the next big town: especially when hobbies are concerned much money and gasoline can be saved because also the local municipal centers of have many possibilities and much to offer.

Many regional and local spots or music courses are offers which the child can often get to on his own steam without the need of the Mom or Dad Taxi. Walking and cycling should also be the main way to and from school.

Oh, but dare you suggest that in some countries nowadays, or even do it, that is to say to let the kids go alone to school, walking or cycling, or to the part or the woods, then you risk a visit from child protective services and a charge of child neglect, child endangerment or such. The world has gone mad, I know.

Toys

Regardless of age children really do not need many toys and definitely not expensive ones. All too often the new toy is being played with for five minutes – well, it may be a little longer but – and then put away often never to be played with again. So what's the point?

Pester power, obviously, can be very strong with all the ads on the television aimed at the kids during kids' viewing times and especially during the programs aimed directly at children. The only way to avoid this is to either limit the television viewing of your kids or, my recommendation, getting rid off the television altogether.

Many toys can also, safely, be bought secondhand, at, what we call in Britain, charity Shops, and such like, including stuffed cuddly toys. The best toys, often, however, are those that the kids learn to make for themselves, and the games.

Also and especially when we are talking here about sustainable and money-conscious living with children we want the children to learn and take up that habit of sustainable and money-conscious living themselves and how we raise them in that spirit will go a long way towards how they will become in that department.

© 2017

Smartphone neck

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

text-neckA new disease, if one would want to call it thus, has arrived in the region of the cervical spine; the “Smartphone neck”, also known as “text-neck”. Especially members of the younger generation are affected by it malaise. Though, to all intents and purposes, it is a self-inflicted injury, much like shooting yourself in the foot while cleaning a gun having forgotten to clear it first.

Personally I am not surprised seeing, on a daily basis, people of all ages being glued to the screens of their cellphones and smartphones, texting or whatever, not just in town, including crossing the roads without looking up, but even while walking in the park of the woods.

Personally I cannot understand why people have become so obsessed with needing to be connected all the time via their devices on social nedia and whatever.

On the other hand the “being busy on my smartphone” also is a message to the world around them that says “I do not want to interact with you, you and you in real life”. A “don't even think about talking to me” open message without saying so directly.

Spending too much time at the computer, as, alas, I also do, does not help the neck either though it is a little better than looking down onto a screen as with a smartphone.

We are often our own greatest enemy.

© 2017

Security devours freedom

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

14479765_655052154674847_4338337349472694382_nA flock of sheep is in the enclosure and the mother ewe asks: “Children, do you know why we are surrounded by barbed wire?” “I know, Mom!”, says one of the lambs. “That is there to keep the terrorists out, so that we can enjoy our freedom in peace.”

The terrorists hate us for our freedoms we are being told and in order to fight them and to keep us safe we have to give up our freedoms piece by piece to the powers-that-be.

The powers-that-be press the people to clamor for more and more security and protection by creating more and more threats and claiming that in order for them to be able to protect us they need to have access to all our telephone data, our Internet data, and more and more surveillance of all our lives, of everything that we do. We must, we are told, to give up more and more freedoms for which the terrorists hate us here so much.

Well, the way things are going there will soon be nothing left anymore for them to hate us any longer. We will have given away all those freedoms, more or less voluntarily, to be safe from terrorists (and criminals).

All those CCTV cameras neither deter crime, nor do they help to solve crime, and they definitely do not stop terrorism. Neither will broad telephone intercepts, especially on cell phone networks, and data collection and retention. But it will make “1984” look like a children's story.

Incrementally our freedoms, that we are being told the terrorists hate us so badly for, are being eroded and removed and the people, in general, by clamoring for more and more safety and security, having been first scared by the powers-that-be into believing all those threats and dangers, are playing right into the hands of the elite whose aim is to remove our freedoms from us.

More and more surveillance, data retention, monitoring of everyone's Internet activity and (mobile) telephone calls, and whatever else they are going to come up with next is not there to keep us, the public, safe but to monitor everything that we do just in case that we get ideas above and beyond our station.

It is all about people control and has absolutely nothing to do with making and keeping us safe from terrorist attacks or such like. How can any of those measures prevent a suicide attacker carrying out his “mission”? It cannot and will not. In the same way that police and soldiers on the streets, even in armored carries, won't. If you shoot a suicide bomber the bomb goes off, if you challenge him he will detonate it. Off it goes in any case and there will be victims.

None of those measures are designed to keep us safe. They are designed to keep us controlled and to keep us in a perpetual state of fear.

© 2017

Bed edging in parks, gardens and other green spaces

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Groundscare TurfTeq edgingIsn't it about time bed edging was back on the agenda? Neat edges make such a difference to parks, gardens and other green spaces, and it’s economical to maintain them if you have the right machinery. The TurfTeq is a versatile and productive edger.

But it can also be done without such machines – or with using them (on hire) – only every now and then to re-cut such edges. It is not necessary to own them outright these days.

Well made and well maintained edges add an instant appeal to beds, whether flower or shrubs, and even a bed in transition – that is to say between plantings – if free of weeds and well edged looks acceptable and more than that to the eye of the beholder.

Besides the use of such machines – or manually remaking and maintaining such edges – keeping them well trimmed manually by use of sharp edging shears is as important, if not even more so. The grass clippings can either be removed or incorporated into the soil. Visibly, however, they should not remain as that will detract from the good looks.

© 2017

Groundscare TurfTeq edging

Wake up! Fascism disguised as liberalism

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

truth-hate-speechThe first thing I have to say here is that this liberalism, as it appears to us, is actually what is referred to as neoliberalism and what, in the US is often called neoconservatism or short neocon. In truth this is neither liberalism nor conservatism, as in old money, but it is fascism in disguise. Neoliberalism and neoconservatism are same side of the same coin; the reverse side being fascism.

People are – by those very neoliberals – led to fear the rise of neo-Nazis and so-called right-wing parties, and those in power, which in general are the neoliberals, are trying to pretend that those groupings are the danger of fascism reemerging. They are far too visible for that. So do not be deceived.

The true danger and fascists are the neoliberals that have,m by now, infiltrated almost every political party, especially those on the center to left of the spectrum, the trade unions, and other such organizations and bodies, and are, as in the case of the Labour Party in Britain, leading the working class organization ever more towards an alignment with capital. Or how else is one to interpret the comments at a gathering of business leaders in a speech by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the British Labour Party, shortly after he was elected as leader, when he said that the Labour Party is the natural ally of (big) business? And that, by the way, came out of the mouth of a person who confesses to be a socialist.

Working class parties and groups are becoming revisionist in so many places in Europe and elsewhere in that they distance themselves from so many of the teachings of the old leaders of the socialist and communist world, and of the affiliations they once had to parties such as the SED and the CPSU. They are pandering to people that are not and never have been their supporters ever, namely the bourgeoisie and the capitalists. They have abandoned or are abandoning the working class or are even trying to pretend that class today is dead and a thing of the past.

Fascism does not come openly via so-called neo-Nazi groups. I believe we have been conditioned by the powers-that-be, aka the elite, to see the danger of fascism as coming (only) from that corner. This maybe just so that we do not expect it from another direction. But from another direction it is coming and a fascist dictatorship, a more-or-less global one, is in the offing unless we manage to stem the tide. But to that end we, and others, will have to wake up and become awake and aware first.

To clarify things a little. I am not saying the Labour Party is leading us towards a fascist dictatorship, though if we allow the right-wing neoliberals, the Blairites, the New Labour gang, and others free reign then it invariably will do so as truly as will the Tories, the Lib-Dems and/or the Green Party. It is the neoliberal elements within them – and some of those groups are nothing but neoliberals, such as the Green Party. Don't be deceived by their eco-label or the social-democrat/socialist one they are trying to pin onto themselves.

The true Nazis and fascists have returned to us, that is to say their offspring have, often from South America to Germany, though some never left, in the guise of neoliberals, and have infiltrated (almost) all parties and movements, and especially those on the left. Be it the Greens, and not just in Germany, the Social-Democrats in Europe, other left parties, and also the Democratic Party in the US. Of those in the “center” and on the right we shall not even talk.

The specter of groups such as the skinheads and others is being held up in front of us so as to not look elsewhere. But elsewhere we must look. I am no Bible thumper – not even a Christian by a very long shot – but I will quote a passage here anyway because it fits and that one is “by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16).

© 2017

#fascism #neoliberalism #neoconservatism #politics

A move back to our roots: more wood and clay and less plastic

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

23213129_1845303528843664_4872651655123413633_oBefore plastic became ubiquitous, many kitchen items were made from wood or pottery, that is to say clay, and also from metal. Predominately the material was wood and pottery; metal in the form of copper, lead, bronze and then finally iron, from whence came steel, including stainless steel, came into the equation much later.

The anti-plastic movement is gaining strength as more people realize the folly of using a material that not only leaches chemicals into our bodies, food, and environment, but also does not biodegrade. The movement has taken many shapes and forms, from no-straw campaigns to the zero waste lifestyle to more natural-fiber clothing.

But there is plastic and there is plastic in this context and while, yes, predominately, though not entirely anymore, plastic is made from oil and thus not very sustainable and all that, some plastic is better than other. The main concern, in the general context of getting away from plastic, is the disposable kind, the stuff that really no one needs and that ends up in our countryside, rivers and the seas.

Children are the key to the future so it is the children, therefore, first and foremost that we must educate about the “back to our roots” way of using natural materials. Once kids’ habits change (through education), they will influence their parents to change, while holding them accountable.

To this end teaching children the making of things from natural materials, such as making a wooden spatula or even a spoon, and in that case an eating spoon just right for them, and making a piece of pottery, would be the order of the day.

There was, once, a time when all schools were teaching handcrafts, especially woodwork and pottery but today that is all but gone.

When a child makes something him- or herself, for personal use especially, this product will have a special value for them – and thus we should teach them to aim for the best they can do.

But it should not stop at wood and clay (pottery) but include also the making of products from other, ideally natural materials, by hand and schools – and other places – must be at the forefront again for children – and not just children – to learn again the skills and the joys of making. Textiles, leather, and also metals, should be included.

While in regards to wood, pottery, and even textiles, the entire process can become part of the learning process with leather and metals it is somewhat of as different story. Working with wood and clay for pottery the process goes from natural to made product easy. With textiles it is a little more complicated. Wool needs to be shorn off the sheep, then made into yarn and then worked either by knitting, weaving or otherwise. Even more work is involved in the making of cotton, canvas and linen. And metals are getting even more complicated.

Having said that, however, does not mean that the skills of working those materials should not be taught; they should, as they once were. They should also be taught to both genders, as far as schools are concerned. Boys and men should know how to sew as well, not just girls and women, and the same goes for mending. We must remember that traditionally in the past the tailor was male. Also the cooks – chefs – in inns and hotels were (and often still are) predominately male, so both cooking and sewing is not (just) something that girls and women do. But I digressed somewhat.

We must become makers again instead of being (just) consumers (and learning again to appreciate the handmade efforts of ourselves and our children – proficiency comes with time) and this making can take many forms.

And making “by hand” may not always mean absolutely without any machines. As long as your hands are still involved in the work, and your skills, and it is not an automated process you are still making whatever you are making “by hand”. The potter who uses a powered wheel rather than a kick wheel still shapes the clay by hand into the object that he or she is making. The wood-turner who is using a powered lathe rather than a foot-operated pole lathe or such, still, like the potter, shapes the object, using his hands. I am just saying.

© 2017

Pruning your trees

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Pruning your treesOnce the leaves have fallen in late autumn/early winter, take the opportunity to get in there to remove any congested growth. For some fruit trees, however, the time to do any real pruning and cutting back is not that time of year but much earlier or somewhat later.

Trees of the prunus species, cherries, plums, damsons, and related, should be pruned – pardon the almost pun – while the sap is rising, after they have flowered. While that may reduce any fruit production for that year it is r4eckoned to reduce the risk of any infection entering the tree.

Apple trees have a very narrow window, so to speak, in which pruning should take place and that is about from mid to late January to the end of February (in Europe at least). Others can be pruned more or less immediately after the leaves have all fallen off and this also goes for the majority of ornamental shrubs and trees.

© 2017

The most important school subjects

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Handwerk1The most important school subjects are not reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. even though they are important, especially for self-directed learning, as I can ascertain. However, “viewed scientifically the most import school subjects would be music, sports, dramatics, art and handicrafts, the latter is what the Scandinavians would call sloyd”. This is what the brain researcher Manfred Spitzer says and, as far as child development, especially in elementary school children, is concerned that is exactly what is needed.

Children who spend much of their childhood playing (for play is an important aspect of learning), drawing, painting, doing sports, dramatics, and such, are in a much better position later to be taught, to study and to be trained in order to be able to follow a useful profession and calling. Much more useful than learning in Kindergarten already Chinese or having to be worried in elementary school about tests and passing them in order to progress up the ladder, so to speak.

Some may say that this does not do the economy any good and that it is only that which counts, in other words productivity and growth, and training obedient wage slaves.

But today's economy no longer needs untrained docile workers at production lines but highly flexible, stress resistant multi-taskers who are prepared to learn new things to the end of their life. No one needs what the schools of today churn out in the way of unripe non-adults. Nor will the children, as children and later as adults, ever need most of what they have been “taught” in school – generally only in order to pass the tests and exams – in later life.

Yes, reading, writing and some other things are important, as I have already said in the beginning, but you do not have to go to the brainwashing institution called “school” to learn those.

As far as handicrafts, aka sloyd in Scandinavia, and such like are concerned getting hands dirty and learning about traditional trades is what it is all about – kids will be having a ball as long as they are not just be shown how to but are actually allowed and helped to make things.

Also teach them gardening and the growing of food and involve them in this, to the extent of letting them have their own plots where to experiment with growing this or that.

Maybe the best thing would be for children to be taught at home (or other similar setting) rather than in the formal setting of the brainwashing facilities that we call schools where children are but trained to pass tests and regurgitate information in order to pass them.

Many kids are measured on their intelligence base solely on regurgitation of information. Many grow up thinking they are worthless and stupid because they do poorly. This is one of the many factors that contribute to social burden and decay. No matter what anyone says you are not stupid, just a different kind of smart. Also and especially children develop and mature in different stages regardless of age so any standardized tests actually prove nothing and all they do is make some believe that they are failures and will never amount to anything.

That is why self-directed learning, as often is the case with homeschooling, where the kids decide what they want to learn, research, etc., rather than following a set of guidelines, is so much better than any other way.

© 2017

Thank You for voting Tory

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

500534084Thanks for voting Tory. Everyone who did has really done well.

Due to the actions of the Conservative government of the “United Kingdom” it has been estimated that 120,000 children will wake up homeless this Christmas and many, many more in dire poverty. Hope you are proud of yourself. But, I guess, as long as it is not you and your children why should you care.

The Tories have been talking about getting Britain back to Victorian values but what they really aim to do is turning back the clock and bringing us all back into the Victorian era and if we are not careful back further still.

10446715_10205374118698472_1392947066675936283_nVictorian values were not, necessarily, the greatest thing either but the era definitely was no good for the common man, woman or child. Homelessness was rampant and dire poverty and we are on the best way to that kind of situation again.

It won't be long, if we allow the Tories to remain in power, that we will have workhouses and child labor again, but, no doubt, that is also something that the Tories would not mind, as long as it is not their children but only those of the working class.

The most worrying part is that such a great number of working class people actually vote Tory (or even further right-wing) and thus are causing misery for their class and the children of their class. But it seems to be the attitude of “I am alright, Jack” in the same way as Gypsies in the West are not prepared to do anything to help those of the same race persecuted in Eastern Europe, for instance. But, when the shoe is on the other foot they are the first to complain.

I do not even want to start to talk about the other things that are being destroyed, dismantled and sold off to the highest bidder for private gain, by the Tories, such as the NHS and other aspects of the welfare state. You really have done well keeping those parasites in power.

© 2017

Which cutting board is best, wood or plastic?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

wooden cutting boardWhen it comes to cutting boards which is the more sustainable and healthy choice; plastic or wood?

The good old cutting board is one of our most durable household goods and it has proven its worth through times and ages, especially when made from good wood. Properly cared for it will go through generations without complaining of breaking.

As a refresher, it is generally considered advisable to have at least two cutting boards, kept separate, so to speak, in your kitchen. One of those should should be designated for raw meat, seafood, and poultry, and kept for that purpose only and the other board(s) for everything else. This helps avoid cross-contamination for purposes of health (keeping bacteria from sneaking into our produce, bread, and other non-fleshy items) and for purposes of hospitality (vegetarians and vegans will thank you).

In fact, this question of bacteria helps answer your question about plastic vs. wood. Plastic gained favor for a while because it is non-porous and dishwasher-safe, two qualities that made it seem like a healthier, cleaner choice. But it seems this was just another PR coup by the plastics industry.

According to research, including a study at the UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory, wood wins the bacteria battle hands down. While bacteria such as salmonella and listeria are easy to clean off brand-new plastic boards, these boards become, so say the researchers, “impossible to clean and disinfect manually” once damaged by knives. In other words, the sneaky little bacteria hide out in the cracks and crevices. Wood cutting boards provide a home for bacteria too, but only for a very short time, and the little critters actually scoot down under the surface and die.

Many woods, in fact, have very high antibacterial and antiviral properties, such as the much maligned Sycamore, for example, which has one of the if not indeed the highest. Maligned, in Britain, for the fact that it is not a “native” tree and that is spreads somewhat like a weed. It has been in Britain for almost 2000 years, having brought here by the Romans and thus, I should think, we really should give it citizenship.

This makes wood more or less magical and if you buy a cutting board made from sustainably harvested sources – sorry, but forget the bamboo notion – it is definitely a greener choice than oil-based old plastic.

Once there are too many cuts showing on the surface of your wooden cutting boards or they have become excessively worn or have developed hard-to-clean grooves there still is no need to throw them away, even though the food safety people may say so. All you have to do is sand them smooth again or, if need be, planed down a bit, and they are ready to roll and entirely safe again.

So, if you have old wooden cutting boards rejuvenate them with some sanding and giving them a coat of vegetable (or mineral oil) and they will be yours to use, safely, and will last for many generations to come. The reason I put mineral oil in brackets is for the fact that – personally – I do not like using it simply because it is oil-based, as in the black stuff coming out of the ground. Some people claim that vegetable oil goes rancid but I have not found this to be a problem.

© 2017