The Twelve Days until and including Epiphany

This post, ladies and gentlemen, is starting now at 00:12 GMT, just into December 26 … or in other words, we have just entered The Second Day of Christmas.

This was the previous discussion which this post follows on from:

Any “Day of Christmas” includes a morning, an afternoon and an evening.  Where the confusion can come in is to ask, “Well when, then, is the night? Shirley it follows evening?”

Logic would agree with that but this is not logical from here-on-in.  In Russia, yes, there was evening, followed by night next calendar day. However, in the west, we might ask, “What are we doing tonight?” … meaning, “What are we doing this evening?”

When applied to Twelfth Night, it’s not a reference to the nighttime after midnight but to the period before and ending with midnight January 5th, before Epiphany begins.

Let’s say we now agree we’ve ticked over into Epiphany, January 6th … what then is Epiphany, what does it mean?

Were we to accept the Wiki explanation above, which imho is a good one, then what coincided with the visit of the Magi … let’s not define them for now, nor their number … usually 3 (western) or 12 (eastern)?

Was it not Herod asking the Magi to report back to him, once the Magi had found this child, “in order to also worship him or pay homage”?

And by the Magi failing to report back, instead going home by their own routes, did that not infuriate Herod in the story, leading to the dream in which the Holy Family of Three were warned to fly into Egypt tout suite?  Meanwhile, Herod pronounced his edict or whatever.

Christmas wishes

While there are many quite rightly enjoying this with family if they still have one intact:

… let’s spare a thought for those in not such a good position … for example our contributing reader at N.O. who lost his mother yesterday, our own co-author here who sometime back lost his wife to the NHS, all the other victims of the NHS and health crims all over the west banning correct medicines and pushing damaging procedures … taken to its logical end game in Canada … it just goes on and on.

To those looking after ageing relatives, to those, including me, who are ill because the boiler is dead and there’s no hot water or heating, to those who lost their jobs in 2022 due to Woke mania, to the unjabbed vilified by everyone from govt to your average karen, to those defrauded, from the Donald to Kari Lake, to those subject to the rulings of the corrupt judiciary … it just goes on and on.

To the situation in Paris where certain invaders took it upon themselves to enrich Christmas this year on the streets and in shops, to children telling their parents they’re now tranny, to the corrupt pollies gorging themselves over their Christmas dinners after shafting their people … are there any I’ve forgotten?

It just goes on and on.

Websites and money

It may be tacky to talk money the day before Christmas … so let’s talk money.

Long ago, in another galaxy, some of us decided we did not wish to get into this whole advertising/monetising thing because for a dissident political blogger, it’s fraught … and how. They control you once you’re on that bandwagon. We have no tip jar, no Paypal, no nuffink. We want no money.

How do OoL and our respective sites operate … after all, there are expenses you know? 

Well firstly, we use the free hosts ggl and WP, each of which has set, Woke rules and that’s another issue again. But overall, it’s still the better choice for now … tip jars and bloggers constantly moaning about money are just a bit offputting in my book, plus we’re then on the treadmill. And as for vlogs … I detest this constant subscribe and bell thing … if it’s prominent, that ding ding ding, I for one just click out … couldna be bothered.

However … and this is a big however … there are sites where the expenses are a bit beyond and Toby’s Daily Sceptic is one. He apologised, mentioned what Paypal had done to them (never to the Woke left of course), then came this, which perhaps needs to be read by onliners:

Second, an organisation called NewsGuard, which ranks websites according to how ‘safe’ they are for companies to advertise on (among other things), decided to downgrade the Daily Sceptic on the grounds that we frequently publish ‘misinformation’ about the Covid vaccines and climate change. I was sent a long email by an employee of the company, listing all the articles on the site that had been red-flagged by supposedly impartial ‘fact checking’ organisations – as well as NewsGuard’s own employees – and inviting me to mount a defence. 

Knowing how damaging a poor NewsGuard rating can be to a site’s ability to attract advertising – and this coincided with our decision to start selling ads on the site – I sent back a lengthy response in good faith, rebutting each of the fact-checks in turn, but saying I would link to them beneath the articles in question (as well as to our rebuttals). 

I duly spent a couple of days sticking ‘postscripts’ beneath the articles, as well as below some additional pieces NewsGuard hadn’t mentioned but which had also fallen foul of fact-checkers – and I let NewsGuard know about that, thinking it would be pleased. 

After all, I thought, it would be able to tell its big clients – which include Microsoft – how it had prompted a website that publishes ‘misinformation’ to include links to dozens of fact-checking websites.

Instead, NewsGuard wrote back to tell me it had downgraded the Daily Sceptic to 37.5 out of 100, about half the points it had before. The reason was because I hadn’t said beneath the articles that the content that had been identified by the fact-checkers as false was in fact false. 

My defence is that in every case the fact-checkers hadn’t red-flagged the articles in question because they contained factually inaccurate information; rather, they just disagreed with our interpretation of the data. But – as is common among fact-checkers, who are invariably Left-of-centre – they pretended none of this was up for debate and labelled our interpretation as ‘misinformation’. 

I explained all this to my NewsGuard correspondent but it didn’t cut any ice, presumably because he shares the same ideological biases as the fact-checkers. Its website now includes the following note about the Daily Sceptic: “Proceed with caution: This website violates basic journalistic standards.”

The American Institute of Economic Research, which published the Great Barrington Declaration, has had its own difficulties with NewsGuard, which Phil Magness, Director of Research and Education at AIER, labels a “propaganda entity”. Magness’s piece on NewsGuard and how it operates is well worth your time.

Let’s just say that I (for one again) take a decidedly jaundiced view of what is done to “us” but I can’t help wondering, all the same … how come it’s always globo-Woke running these things?  I mean, are we, the supposed arch-Capitalists, not the likely ones to be running such organisations?  

How come the left, which supposedly eschews Capitalism, is the side running the money-raking schemes?  In such an authoritarian manner?

Are we so incompetent?  Or just ideologically and money-grubbingly naive?

Glad tidings, stony-faced, we bring …

Last year, Julia brought readers glad tidings and why should this year be any different … except the horrors perpetrated by Them reached proportions it’s increasingly difficult to ignore.  Our own Grandpa here lost his most beloved, Julia and I both have issues … you do too.

All we can do is put a brave face on it and at least enjoy this weekend’s festivities.  From Julia, Grandpa and I … we wish our readers a Merry Christmas and shall talk about the Happy New Year closer to the time.

SECRET! Squaddies Manned Unauthorised Road Monitoring: Early days of Lockdown!

Grandpa1940

@Grandpa19401

·

15h

I hear from a source that when the Lockdowns were first imposed, every night, the WHOLE oF CATTERICK CAMP GARRISON were ABSENT! They weren't in the boozers, they weren’t on leave, THEY WERE PATROLLING THE MOTORWAYS AND MAIN ROADS OF ENGLAND. It was Undeclared MARTIAL LAW!

To Be Fair, It's Only A Little Problem...

*sighs*

This winter has seen the release of two new major fantasy series, Willow (Disney+), set years after the original film, and The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix), a prequel to the hugely successful series The Witcher, based on the books of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski. Both feature actors with dwarfism playing fantasy dwarves in central roles.

You might be thinking “hurrah for diversity!”...

No, as a long-suffering 'Guardian' reader, I can assure you I'm not! I know what's likely to be coming. 

...but the existence of fantasy dwarves on screen holds a complex and sensitive history for those of us who have dwarfism off screen.

*sighs even harder*

So, you want to ban real-life dwarves from acting? 

On the other hand, the decision Peter Jackson made not to cast actors with dwarfism in his The Hobbit film series and The Lord of the Rings felt frustrating at the time, given the aforementioned lack of jobs offered to actors with dwarfism.

Oh. So, you want to have your cake and eat it. Like so many professional whingers... 

Of course, all of this is only fantasy, and people might be reading this thinking “it’s obvious those characters aren’t real, so what’s your point?”. My point is that we need to see more accurate dwarfism representation on screen before people who know nothing about us can reject the wealth of misinformation they often subconsciously consume.

Funny, whenever I watch 'Tenable', I think of it as 'that quiz show Warwick Davies hosts'. I don't think of it as 'that quiz show hosted by the dwarf actor'. 

Isn't that what we're supposed to be aiming for? 

Opening Christmas salvo

The main Christmas message from us, readers, will be tomorrow morning.

There’s a point, methinks, where we gaze out and it’s all just too much. There was the egregious gang in Washington, the murderous thug they fawned over and the last item before I crashed and actually had a good sleep was this first one of DAD’s today:

British police arrest woman for silently praying. Several videos:

https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/she-was-arrested-for-an-actual-thought-crime/

The expression running through my mind, over and over, it’s not even strictly biblical, is: “Have no truck with the unfruitful works of darkness.”

The most egregious thing about this scene below was firstly that she was a lady, not a nose-boning, rainbow coloured, tattooed shrieking harpy. And the copper was desperate, the little thug, to make it a crime.  She was keeping a vigil, Christians always have and so the pre-Cross era was also a vigil.  Vigils are in every faith, even the godless candle kumbaya after Charlie Hebdo.

What was her beef?  The spare baby-parts trade, the paedo trade, before even getting to the theological side, concerning the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage. It was an abortion clinic.

Very powerful image, that lady standing alone in the cold.  Very powerful.  Perhaps we need our iconic images too.

https://adf.uk/support-isabel/

Everything within me cries out about that young thug without cap … a post-millennial telling her what’s what.  Father, forgive him, for he knows not what he does.  Pastor Pawlowski springs to mind too.

Protection, guidance and comfort, but only in order that we can do the work we have to do. Whether tis that lady or just a humble blogger, if it’s you in your abode, if it’s your day job today … whatever vicissitudes are thrown at you over this period … take it on the chin if poss.  

The one thing you must never, ever do, is despair, fall to pieces. Nils carborundum or whatever the expression was.

There was a comment below those videos, from a lady called Lola, presumably in America:

This is how persecution begins. The seats in the coliseum are starting to fill.

Appalling town planning

This post is not necessarily about the things we blog on everyday, from the sickeningly Woke two tier justice … everyone else first, the indigenous last, ex forces people on the streets, invaders in posh hotels … to the great deathjab and lockdown scam now admitted by the FDA in the States, splitting society down the middle … or the sickening cultural malaise in post Gen X … and so on.

Plus this sort of thing:

Or the total over-reach of, intrusion of, the corruption of anyone in govt:

All of those things are huge factors but they’re not the whole story.  This video below is about the drastically bad town planning in the English speaking west.  Despite the angle he’s coming from, it’s still a major issue:

Thank God For 'Experts'!

Ask any child their favourite film, and there is quite a high chance they will name a Disney movie, like 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'Aladdin'.

However, experts believe that these films are giving them the wrong idea about what a healthy relationship looks like.

You mean, it's not a good idea to fall in love with a thief? Or take up bestiality?  

Researchers at the University of Exeter surveyed young people and found they had the desire to learn skills to help them develop relationships at school.

What..? Really? 

Study author Simon Benham-Clarke said: 'Those we surveyed highlighted the importance of teaching skills such as relating, communication, empathy, respect, conflict resolution and repair and ending relationships kindly and safely.

'Our research shows schools need improved support to run relationships education, including specialist expertise and resources, and guidance on signposting pupils to external sources of help.

'Positive relationship behaviours should be modelled, integrated and built on throughout curriculums nationally and reflected in a school's ethos.'

Where on earth are schools to find the time for all this? What's this nonsence based on?

...the researchers conducted focus groups with 24 young people aged between 14 and 18.

*sighs* 

One female participant said: 'I think it actually does create this toxic image to some degree… it's very much the female is feeble, and she must be saved by the male, and it kind of creates a toxic masculinity.'

Another added: 'It's embedded into our heads that it's always Prince Charming and it's always the prince and the princess … you don't understand it until you actually get to it, and that's when you realise that it's not like Disney movies or anything.'

Well, love, that's life for you. Frankly, I understood that well before the age of 14...

Customer service - it ain't no gas

Modern day customer service - my tale of woe regarding EoN

- by reader Lord T

I have a prepayment meter, as I like to keep track of what I spend. On Sunday, the 11th I put a card in with £100 on so that I would have to worry about the gas over Xmas. 

The meter cut my gas off and very helpfully said 'CALL HELP' which I did but nobody came to my aid. Maybe I didn't shout loud enough so I went inside and dialled EoNs number, out of hours message where an emergency number was provided. 

I rang it all afternoon and didn't get an answer. So much for an emergency phone line. 

That night was one of those in the cold snap last week and I'd obviously caught a chill and was freezing despite being wrapped up in bed. 

On Monday it took hours to get someone on the normal line. They listened to my tale of woe and arranged an engineer to come out within 2 to 4 hours. Which made it about 1400 to 1600. 

No sign of anyone so I called again at 1700 and it was answered at 1740. I was told an engineer was almost there and would be there is 20 to 30 minutes. 

No sign of anyone over an hour later and I was back on the emergency line until my phone battery went flat. 

Another night of sub zero temperatures and I was well wrapped up buy feeling poorly heading towards hypothermia. 

Next day another wait for a few hours and I eventually spoke to someone who arranged another engineer. I didn't get a call back to confirm as I had asked and I called again to be told at 1230 one was scheduled with an SLA of 1458. 

The engineer arrived in less than an hour later. He stuck a card in the meter and 30 seconds later it was back online. Before he left I insisted that I put in my card so if there were any issues. It shut the gas off again. 

He checked the logs and it seems the meter thought the card was corrupted. So it cut off the gas even though there was £60+ of my cash on there because of a corrupt card. 

Why not a 'CORRUPT CARD' message and leaving the gas on? Who thought that would be a good idea, and who approved it. If I ever find out they will be kicked to death in the street. 

As I will be unable to get satisfaction that way, they should all be sacked. Anyway I was told a new card would be ordered and sent to me and be with me in two days and I would also have to send this card back to get my £100 back. 

So, 50 Hours after my gas was cut off, I was back burning fossil fuels again. Whoo Hoo. 

It seems that these companies have an obligation to get people with no gas back in 4 hours. On one call, the handler said that she was sorry but they prioritised the calls. I asked how they did that? How did they know that me hanging on the line awaiting an answer was a lower priority than someone else? Were they ESP trained or something? 

Three days later, no card. I called again, another torturous [sic] wait and when I got through, I was told that the engineers don't order these cards, I was expected to phone up, wait an hour on the phone to order a new one myself. 

She said she would get one sent out. I insisted on an emergency one as I didn't want to wait another three days. She gave me a number and said wait two hours and go to a provider who will give you a new card. Only thing was all the providers I went to didn't have cards to issue.

I went further afield and got one late Friday. I had to put £50 on it. When I got home I thought about trying it but though if it went wrong I would be all weekend without gas. Kids would be freezing again. So I waited. 

At midday, I plugged the card in and the meter clicked off. 'CALL HELP'. I was expecting it. Back on the phone. A wait while I typed this and eventually an answer and an engineer is on his way. 

This is the worst customer service I've every had and I've had a lot of sub standard service in my life. Many caused by office staff making decisions and not having any impact from the consequences. The call staff are all nice and polite but they all say the company lines such as my customer experience isn't what it should be and they are overrun by calls. 

It is just bad management. They build these delays into the calculations for service staff and it works out cheaper than having people available to fix the issues. 

In the meantime, people freeze. 

I have no doubt that people died last week in that cold snap simply because there was an issue with their gas. 

So currently, I have less than £19 on the meter. No way to top it up and £150 on cards I can't use. So fingers crossed. not just to keep them warm as I await. 

Engineer arrived with plenty of time to spare. Put his card in and reset the meter. Gas back on. We discussed what had happened and he checked the cards. 1st was corrupt but nothing seemed wrong with second. Guy reset the meter wiping out my credit. 

He then put my £50 on gas from the card. Said I would need to claim the original £100 plus the £10.38 wiped from the meter. 

Still, got to check the card is OK and I'll do that tomorrow by putting a further £50 on it and putting it in the meter which will test the card while the weather is mild and take me into the new year. 

So, still got to test the fix and claim my £100 back. Apparently there is compensation for missed appointments and they clearly missed the 4 hour SLA for restoring gas, several times. 

Till tomorrow. Fingers crossed.