The Daily Blog Open Mic – 19th December 2023

I feel doggerel coming on:
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the shops
The shelves bulge to bursting
As the economy flops.

The floors are empty
So few shoppers there
And few students serving
Employment is bare.

Our economy is in the hands
Of unfriendly people and powers
Consumers can never absorb
Their legacy. golden showers

Will they be celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem on day 80 of the Genocide in Palestine? Will the IDF cease bombing and killing Palestinians for a few hours or day(s)?

I suspect not.

Thinking – in medical term, sepsis is weakening possibly fatal.
In societal terms so is SEP-SES | Someone Else’s Problem – Someone Else’s Solution.
Holiday thinking about the various sides of love?

It has become obvious that people who want a democracy have to step up as citizens and do something for it positively THEMSELVES. This representative government, like any other group in society, gets captured by strong prevailing fragrances – mainly the smell of money and advantage. Without the input of spirit and ethical vision, the money-magicians take over and profit from the work of others who can be coerced to do whatever is required to some end envisaged.

But societal needs never end, and if people only work and serve for money, who does the unprofitable necessary support to others that actually is the basecourse of society?? The committed democratic humanistic citizen! And I think that the spirit for this has to be renewed within society frequently to keep it fresh; for staleness, look to religion. It can be bent by money or prevailing mores, and often now portrays an example of societal respectability rather than agape (ancient Greek for universal love. The term, idea developed before Christianity – see below. It’s time for us to go back to the future.)!

Agape, the philosophical love which has the most value to Plato, because it is a love based on reason and rationality. It is common among individuals who have souls that are not driven by their appetites but by reason.
(DOC) Plato’s theory on love | Kerry Lambert – Academia.edu
Academia.edu https://www.academia.edu › Platos_theory_on_love

Plato’s most influential and well-known ideas include: The Forms or Platonic Forms – reality is divided into two sections: the eternal, real, and perfect ideal of what should be, and the phenomena of what exists in the physical world as we perceive it.
Plato | Beliefs, Philosophies & Contributions – Study.com
study.com
https://study.com › plato-philosophy-life-contribution

We need to have in mind a number of different types of love:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love
** Philia (φιλία, philía) means “affectionate regard, friendship”, usually “between equals”.[8] It is a dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle.[9] In his best-known work on ethics, Nicomachean Ethics, philia is expressed variously as loyalty to friends (specifically, “brotherly love”), family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Furthermore, in the same text philos is also the root of philautia denoting self-love and arising from it, a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.

** Xenia (ξενία, xenía) is an ancient Greek concept of hospitality. It is sometimes translated as “guest-friendship” or “ritualized friendship”. It is an institutionalized relationship rooted in generosity, gift exchange, and reciprocity.[15] Historically, hospitality towards foreigners and guests (Hellenes not of your polis) was understood as a moral obligation. Hospitality towards foreign Hellenes honored Zeus Xenios and Athene Xenia, patrons of foreigners.
(And I must show my love for Wikipedia with a donation which is a useful affirmation they are asking for.)

These concepts were formulated in the 5th century BCE – before Christianity came, which has produced many versions of its considerations of meaning which have become paramount.
Before Common Era
/ˌbiː.siːˈiː/ abbreviation for Before Common Era or Before Current Era or Before Christian Era: used when referring to a year before the birth of Jesus Christ when the Christian calendar starts counting years: Celtic remains were found dating from as early as 1200 BCE.7 days ago
BCE | English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary
https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › bceclassical period

Classical period –
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were alive and active during the classical period of ancient Greece. Socrates was born around 470 BCE and died in 399 BCE, while Plato, his student, lived from around 428/427 BCE to 348/347 BCE. Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, was born in 384 BCE and passed away in 322 BCE.12 Jan 2023
What period in Greek history were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle alive …
quora.com https://www.quora.com › What-period-in-Greek-history

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/505103/act-nz-first-hesitant-to-criticise-national-over-kainga-ora-name
…The National-NZ First coalition agreement demands that the government “ensure all public service departments have their primary name in English, except for those specifically related to Māori”.
Housing Minister Chris Bishop on Monday announced an independent review into social housing agency Kāinga Ora, referring to it by that name rather than its English name “Homes and Communities”

This presents the need for state housing as a ‘Maori’ problem when it is a citizen problem, not just a Maori one. All social problems and difficulties Can Not be passed off as Maori and so separated from whole of government concern to instead a special unit just for Maori and so fuelling resentment by needy pakeha. This is sleight of hand by malign-magician government, which we have had for a while, seeking for ways to further disestablish stable government in our previously workable, patchable model!

https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/12/18/merely-pulling-levers-and-changing-the-scenery-isnt-working/
From Rob Campbell at Newsroom. Dec.18/23
…In the meantime, though government services at all levels flounder under great pressure from competing and poorly understood demands, economic and social activity goes on. Communities find new, more relevant and effective means to meet their needs. Increasingly they look to government for funding to do their own things, not for government definition of and delivery to their needs.

Where government agencies to do meet this, they do not give up, but look to private funding instead. Sometimes they find this from philanthropic sources, but at scale and continuity they turn to private enterprise options. The problem with this is not that private enterprise cannot respond, but that its capital return needs and embedded processes will reframe the community response. But many services and groups will find that this works for them, they will take the option. The residual public service capacity and capability shrinks further. We can see this happening across a wide spectrum.

(This carries my feeling forward, that the opportunity for citizens to act and trial is being limited by PPPs and contracting out to privates, and citizens groups should be able to apply for ongoing finding, providing stats show it is working. At present successful ones can be crushed by frivolous change to changes in funding rounds, in favour of something new.)

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/505215/wellington-international-airport-fights-to-stop-online-scams-using-their-branding
Remedy – abandon Facebook. If it is not able to handle safety on its pages then change your system you clowns. You are just spiked by major bodies like these. They are not helping you so give them the push. Find another way for handling those internet probs and info.. Stop being the weak-kneed victims of a bad outdated system.

Latest on Julian Assange v The Big Unfriendly Giant BUG.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/dec/20/us-officials-monitored-pro-assange-protests-in-australia-for-anti-us-sentiment-documents-reveal

https://www.reuters.com/world/julian-assanges-final-appeal-against-us-extradition-be-held-february-2023-12-19/
If you haven’t followed the files involved, they are very interesting.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/505133/space-race-puts-pressure-on-new-zealand-defence-force
How much juice have we? The USA that can manufacture trillions wants its vassal/serf to stump up with, how much? But there are cottars. the lowest, someone below us to despise.
What is lower than a serf?
Serfdom – Wikipedia
Status-wise, the bordar or cottar ranked below a serf in the social hierarchy of a manor, holding a cottage, garden and just enough land to feed a family.
Serfdom – Wikipedia wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Serfdom

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/505191/cyclone-damaged-roads-and-highways-breaking-up-just-weeks-after-being-repaired
Bet we all experience this. Suckers all.
Flanders and Swann’s bright little number fits here.
The Gas Man Cometh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1dvAxA9ib0

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/505193/government-books-show-worsening-outlook-deficit-curbed-by-immigration
and
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/505204/hundreds-of-migrant-workers-lose-jobs-after-ele-group-calls-in-receivers (0r is it EEL?)
Luxon/Willis carolling about ponzi schemes

Good king christopher (not the one on the medal).
…Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer.
Mark my footsteps, good my page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winters rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his masters step he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed

Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/505204/hundreds-of-migrant-workers-lose-jobs-after-ele-group-calls-in-receivers
…ELE recruited staff in New Zealand and overseas for the building, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors, and also offered refrigerated transport and freight services, through a subsidiary.
The five companies put into receivership were: ELE Holdings Limited, ELE Management Limited, ELE Limited, Tranzport Solutions Limited, and RISQ New Zealand Limited. A sixth company, ELE Security Limited, was not in receivership and was continuing to trade.
In a letter to some customers Campbell wrote: “We are mindful of the many employees whose employment was required to be terminated”.
ELE’s sole director is Brent Mulholland, who lives in Tauranga, according to Companies Office records. The group had more than 10 offices around the country.
Meanwhile, First Union said around 500 migrant workers were affected by the receivership, and it called on the government to come to the workers’ aid.