11 Aug 2014

Britain's five richest families own more than poorest 20% - Oxfam

In a report, a Tale of Two Britains, Oxfam said the poorest 20% in the UK had wealth totalling £28.1bn – an average of £2,230 each. The latest rich list from Forbes magazine showed that the five top UK entries – the family of the Duke of Westminster, David and Simon Reuben, the Hinduja brothers, the Cadogan family, and Sports Direct retail boss Mike Ashley – between them had property, savings and other assets worth £28.2bn.

DVD swaps

Commonplace Book list of my DVDs to lend:

9 Aug 2014

NVC and social change at Rainbow Mill camp

I'm looking forward to camp and I'd like to give advance notice of a request for a workshop on NVC and social change. I have initiated discussions about this at each of the past Rainbow Mill camps. I'd like to clarify what I’d like from such a discussion this year, should we find the time and space and willingness to do it again.

3 Aug 2014

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

The TTIP is a free trade deal currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. The implications of the TTIP are as follows:  The most insidious threat is Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), under which corporations would be able to sue governments in secret international tribunals run by corporate lawyers for any measure the government had enacted causing them loss of profits.  Private providers of public services would have recourse to the tribunals. This would make it impossible for future governments to reverse the privatisation of the NHS set in motion by the Health and Social Care Act.

2 Aug 2014

Quaker pacifism

There is an old joke about Quaker pacifism in action. It seems there was once a Quaker farmer who could not get his mule to move, no matter how he cajoled, pushed, or pulled. Finally, he looked the mule straight in the eye and addressed him by name. "Josiah," he said, "Thee knows I shall never curse thee, and thee knows I shall never strike thee; but if thee doesn't start moving this very instant, I shall sell thee to a Baptist who will!" Of course, the mule began moving immediately, being an animal of great wit and sagacity.