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Koers (Online) vol.79 no.2 Pretoria feb. 2014
Modern slavery in the post-1994 South Africa? A critical ethical analysis of the National Development Plan promises for unemployment in South Africa
Moderne slawerny in die post-1994 Suid-Afrika? 'n Kritiese en etiese analise van die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan se beloftes aangaande werkloosheid in Suid-Afrika
Vuyani S. Vellem
Department of Dogmatics and Christian Ethics, University of Pretoria, South Africa
In African ethics, work is not work if it is not related to God or gods. Work, or umsebenzi, is for God or gods ultimately; work without God is the definition of slavery in my interpretation of the African ethical value system. If one succeeds from that understanding to define what slavery is, then God-lessness in work might imply the need for us to search for the gods of modernity post-1994 that have dethroned God, if they have not disentangled work from God. This article looks at the problem of unemployment by analysing the National Development Plan (NDP) and in particular the solutions proposed in relation to unemployment in South Africa. The article examines the language and grammar of the NDP to evaluate its response to the violent history of cheap, docile and migratory labour in South Africa.
In Afrika-etiek word die idee van 'werk' aan God of gode gekoppel. Werk, of umsebenzi, is uiteindelik vir God of gode; volgens my interpretasie van die Afrika-etiese waardestelsel is werk sonder God gelykstaande aan slawerny. Met so 'n verstaan van slawerny kan goddeloosheid in werk impliseer dat ons post-1994 na die gode van moderniteit wat God onttroon het, indien nie werk van God ontkoppel het nie, soek. Hierdie artikel kyk na die probleem van werkloosheid deur die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan en in die besonder die voorgestelde oplossings vir werkloosheid in Suid-Afrika te analiseer. Die artikel ondersoek en evalueer die taal en grammatika van die NOP as respons op die gewelddadige geskiedenis van goedkoop en gewillige trekarbeid in Suid-Afrika.
What types of jobs are promised by the National Development Plan (NDP)? Are they six million decent jobs? This paper subjects the NDP to a hermeneutic of suspicion. The question is whether the NDP can provide a solution to cheap labour - 'modern slavery' - my chosen term to designate cheap labour. I regard cheap labour as my starting point, given its centrality to our South African history of poverty and inequality. I attempt to engage the NDP in so far as it promises to deal with unemployment by 2030 - at the level of the metaphysics of its economics - its set of beliefs. This critical analysis is conducted from the perspective of a black theology of liberation. Black ethics, I argue, must be understood as critical ethics as it is grounded in the paradigm of liberation.1 Most recently, Daniel Finn's (2013) description of a 'Christian socialist critique' of capitalism generally captures my ethical approach.
In this work he traces a historical perspective of Christian views on economics and also provides an important juxtaposition of a 'Christian socialist critique' and a 'Christian libertarian view' (Finn 2013:5-10). The relationship of racism and economics (Cannon: 2011) is one aspect that shapes my approach. Indeed, as a black African, my use of African symbols suggests that I cannot limit my approach to a 'Christian socialist critique' only without affirming black African symbols in my critique of economics. I begin with a brief understanding of the black African ethics of work through the concept of 'home' or household, as a heuristic device. I then proceed to examine briefly the NDP - its grammar, interlocution and approach to employment issues. Essentially, I find economic growth as a condition of employment problematic, because my assessment of the NDP is supported by relevant ecumenical and liberation views on neoliberal economics.
Umsebenzi: On the underside of the colonial and apartheid logic of work
By analogy with the heuristic use of oikos,2 the concept of ikhaya [home] is employed as a heuristic device to illuminate the integral relationships of spheres and the conviviality of life in the black African worldview. Ikhaya is a heuristic device to aggregate the totality of life in a black African ethos. Umsebenzi, that is, work in ikhaya, cannot be understood without all the components of a home. Some of the important components of a home include people, faith, land, work, God and ancestors. Components could be understood as spheres, meaning that the components of ikhaya are spheres as we understand spheres in public life.3 All these different spheres are integral to a home, God being the highest transcendent order of a home, whilst ancestors harmonise the unity of a home.
This ethic is implied in one of the well-known sayings: umanyano nga mandla, meaning 'unity is strength' amongst black Africans. The type of unity implied in that saying, nonetheless, should be searched for in what has now become arguably an accepted view of how Africans view life and thus their cosmology. Not a single one of these components or spheres of a home can be understood to exist without considering the other. The fragmentation of one sphere disturbs the equanimity and harmony of the whole of ikhaya, the whole of public life and the African cosmos. Bediako (1995:95), for example, argues that human beings in the African setting live 'in a sacramental universe where there is no sharp dichotomy between the physical and the spiritual'.
Many other African scholars have made this point about the sacramental nature of life in the African value system. In this regard, work in African ethics should be understood as part of the sacramental whole of life, inseparable from all spheres of life and inseparable from God and ancestors too. I find Masoga's (2012) exposition of Setiloane's themes of African theology helpful:
The living strengthen their dead by offering them service (inkonzo -Nguni, tirelo -Tswana); the departed in turn exert a real vital influence on the living and on their destiny. The visible world is one with the invisible; there is no break between. Therefore, at any one time any community is more than the sum total of the physical elements that composes [sic] it. (p. 335)
Firstly, the relationship of a person with ancestors - motho or umntu to the ancestors - is important. Secondly, there is the community aspect in the African cosmos and, thirdly, the image of God. In the quotation above, Masoga is giving exposition to the communal aspect of the African worldview.
He explains that inkonzo, which is equivalent to our chosen word umsebenzi, is offered to the living dead, who in turn reciprocate by exerting a real vital influence on their destiny. There is no break between human beings and ancestors, hence this sacramental view of life. In other words, umsebenzi encapsulates a transcendental and immanent view of life. In Sotho and Nguni languages, the plural for the word Modimo or Thixo [God] is Badimo or Izithixo, literally meaning 'gods'.
Often used to designate ancestors, particularly in Sesotho, the word Badimo [gods], in the phrase I use in this work, 'God or gods', is a punctuation of the ethical import that I seek to make, both literally and heuristically, namely that work cannot be separated from all spheres of ikhaya [home], worse still from God or gods (Badimo).4 Masoga (2012) says:
Ancestors are 'the guardians of the morality' (Daryl Forde) of the group, community in family, tribe or nation. They discharge this responsibility with excellence and effect because they are Badimo, Va-dimu, Wa-zinu (Swahili) literally 'the people of Modimo (Divinity) and transmitters of Modimo's essence, energy, Vital Force'. (p. 334)
I understand what Masoga (2012) is doing in his translation of Badimo, Va-dimu, Wa-zinu above. He implies that ancestors are people of Modimo, a rendition that is in the genitive tense rather than a literalism. My literal translation is equally accurate. I interpret Badimo [gods] as a plural for Modimo [God] literally. I do so because it is not 'un-African' to say Motho ke Modimo5meaning that 'a human being is God'. If a human being can be expressed as God, then to do the same about ancestors, more so when, etymologically, God and ancestors share the same word, could even be far less of a problem, if there is any given that the realm of the ancestors is above that of human beings. The two renditions are also not mutually exclusive, because ancestors are human beings who are departed and thus can share in the same saying, Motho ke Modimo, [a human being is God]. There is a reason for this exposition.
The logical ethical question for me is: 'How much has been lost by black Africans during their encounter with the West in their understanding of work?" I view the history of cheap, docile and migrant labour in South Africa with this ethical prism. Cheap labour in South Africa was a form of modern slavery and slavery is work disintegrated from other spheres of a home and, indeed, without God or gods! Slavery is work without God or gods!
It is work in the absence both of the transcendental and immanent dimensions of life. It is work without the being of a black African person. It is work without the sacramental and communal relationship of a black African to the totality of life. It is ipso facto the dethronement of God, the 'Vital Force' the Imago Dei I and denial of being you find in the character of the slavery and cheap labour experienced by black Africans. Furthermore, the point has already been made that the word tshebeletso or tirelo shares the same root as the word mosebetsi [work] and is therefore quintessentially liturgical. Indeed, this is not an alien idea in the African setting, because rituals that are performed for ancestors are generally called mosebetsi or tirelo or umsebenzi. So this liturgical dimension-the spiritual dimension of work- is lost in the history of the encounter between the West and black Africans. There is simply no work without God or gods in the black African imagination, and colonialism destroyed this image. If one takes into account the fact that African ethics is anamnetic, always a liturgy of re-membering, re-establishing and re-constituting one with the totality of one's life, then the loss of umsebenzi and its signification must be deeply understood. It is sacramental; it is a narrative that articulates the constant renewal of a community, and truly liturgical (cf. Bujo 2011:56-57).
Terreblanche (2002) says:
In the quarter century between the discovery of gold and the adoption of the Land Act, South Africa experienced revolutionary changes in social, economic, and political relationships. The emerging capitalist nature of gold and agricultural production generated a fundamental change in the nature of the demand- by white employers-for African labour. Both the gold mining companies and white farmers claimed that they could only operate profitably if enough cheap and docile African labour was available. (p. 256)
Cheap and docile black African labour since the late 1890s is at the heart of the social, economic and political relationships in South Africa today.
Terreblanche (2002) provides a historical account of the inequalities in South Africa and paints a vivid picture of the assault black Africans suffered at the hands of the whites, in both the mining and the agricultural sectors. There is no space for me to provide the details of the violent history within which cheap and docile labour was created. It is nonetheless a fact. Even before the discovery of gold and the grabbing of land through the Land Act of 1913, the seeds of the harrowing experience of the violent extraction of labour from black Africans were already sown. Jennifer Wenzel (2009) discusses the violence in the seven frontier wars that led to the defeat of the amaXhosa before the discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa. She says, 'AmaXhosa faced drought, floods, crop blight, and land and cattle shortages in the 1850s' (Wenzel 2009:18). In this context, she goes on to say:
Grey's policies tied famine relief to labor contracts that pulled the amaXhosa away from their lands and chiefs, and he oversaw the passage of legislation that required "passes" to enter the Cape Colony for some Africans, but not others, on the basis of ethnicity. The cattle killing was not only a devastating event in the history of amaXhosa but also a seminal moment in the history of colonialism, segregation, and apartheid in southern Africa. (Wenzel 2009:19-20)
The disastrous circumstances of the amaXhosa, a beleaguered people after internecine frontier wars of dispossession in the Eastern Cape, became an opportunity for creating cheap labour. This devastating moment of the history of the amaXhosa is seminal to the history of colonialism, segregation and apartheid. One can even move backwards a little to unearth this history. If one takes into account the usurpation of African history by the West since 1492, as Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2013) argues, then one should appreciate the extent to which African values have been subjugated by the West. The entrapment of Africa in the colonial matrices of power throughout the Europeanisation of the world and thus the slave trade is a tale of terror that links economics to racial bigotry. Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2013:336) eloquently expresses this entrapment as manifest in the ubiquity of the West 'through its 'models of growth and development', the writing out of African people from the 'zone of being' into a 'zone of non-being' (ibid:338) and the uncritical embracing of 'modernist vocabularies and concepts' (ibid:342) in the quest for the liberation of Africans.
In this long history of African entrapment by the West, the loss of the understanding of the black African concept of umsebenzi [work], which is sacramental in nature, was violent and racist. This is what the picture of umsebenzi entails on the underside of colonial and apartheid regimes in our land. I venture to examine the promise of the NDP with this ethical perspective in mind.
National Development Plan (NDP) and unemployment
Terreblanche (2012) says this about the NDP:
The main targets of the Commission are to reduce the proportion of the people living below the level of R418 (at 2009 figures) from the current 39 per cent of the population to zero, and to reduce the unemployment rate from 27 per cent in 2011 to 6 per cent in 2030 by creating an additional eleven million jobs. If these targets and the other targets set by the Commission can be accomplished by 2030 it would be an excellent accomplishment. (p. 116).
These sentiments above set the tone for my engagement with the NDP text. What Terreblanche (2012) further says is even more vital for my argument:
But who is going to implement the policy measures that will be necessary in order to realise the hyper-optimistic targets set by the NDP? Who is going to equalize the unequal power relations, the unequal property distribution and the unequal opportunities that must be put right before the NDP targets can be attained. (p. 116)
There is no need to expand more on the questions Terreblanche (2012) poses above, save to say that power relations, property and opportunities that should be equalized, as he argues, are issues related to the ethical questions I have already raised. They cannot be postponed whilst unemployment is dealt with in South Africa. The NDP employment targets require the loss of power that black Africans suffered with the resultant inequalities that define our country to be restored before the targets are attained.
Terreblanche (2012) says the targets are good, but add no value:
before the South African politico-economic system can become functional to serve the interests of the total population instead of the narrow class interests of the capitalists and political elite, as has been the case from 1886 until 1994, and over the past eighteen years. (p. 116)
The NDP executive summary document devotes close on 10 pages on the vision of a South Africa that might have been constructed by 2030. South Africa will have become 'a home where everybody feels free yet bounded to others; where everyone embraces their full potential' (NDP executive summary 2011:1). It is important to note that the opening lines of this vision employ the notion 'home', which is a heuristic device I have employed to explore an African understanding of the ethics of work. As a result, I immediately imagine an integration of all the components identified in the NDP for its success in creating this 'home'. Undoubtedly, there are other metaphors in the statement of the vision, such as the 'rainbow' (NDP executive summary 2011:12), which could also be pursued for an ethical engagement of the NDP.
The NDP purposes to 'eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030' (NDP executive summary 2011: 14). It is quite fascinating that very early on in the document the NDP (executive summary 2011:14) cites a statement from the 'Reconstruction and Development Programme' (RDP) which places poverty as the first priority and, ipso facto, its elimination as a condition for the success of any democratic dispensation. At this very early juncture of the NDP, one could assume, either rightly or wrongly, that the mediation of the Plan is centred on the poor. Indeed, the NDP clearly states that '... South Africa must translate political emancipation into economic well-being for all' (NDP executive summary 2011:14). The NDP then offers a background to the appointment of the National Planning Commission in May 2010 and, most importantly, refers to the Diagnostic Report released in June 2011 which identified 'nine primary challenges' in South Africa post-1994.6
There is probably nothing we can fault in this diagnosis apart from stating candidly that there is nothing profoundly new about these primary challenges - not one of them could be unrelated to the crux of the struggle for liberation waged by the oppressed people of this land.7 Now, if these challenges are not new, the manner in which the Planning Commission sets out to tackle them is crucial. In other words, the language of the NDP is good, the metaphors are good, even the diagnosis of the challenges is fairly good, but what is the 'grammar' of this language? Is it about the equalisation of power and ownership or an elitist dream feigned as a response to the restoration of work with transcendence, being, spirituality and harmony?
Let us move a little further. The NDP adopts a multidimensional approach and explicitly espouses a 'capabilities approach' for the transformation of the economy and society. This is arguably its 'grammar'. This obviously places Amartya Sen's theory (1999a; 1999b) of capabilities at the centre. (It is important to remark that one cannot read the emphasis on capabilities without Amartya Sen coming to mind.) Sen has argued that human beings should be enabled to achieve crucial 'functionings' in order to convert a capability into a function (Van Til 2008:85). In this manner, by espousing an approach that clearly seeks to emphasise capabilities (NDP executive summary 2011:17), the NDP makes it possible for us to engage its 'grammar' ethically now - the capability theory of economics and anthropology -and for me, Amartya Sen comes to mind.
Briefly, capabilities theory entails that there are critical capabilities that are indispensable to transformation in an economy and a society. According to Van Til (2008), Sen's theory of capabilities challenges mainstream economic theory, which looks at poverty in terms of income and its assumptions about individuals' preferences that are deemed in mainstream economic theory to lead to personal well-being (Van Til 2008:86-87). Sen's theory of capabilities recognises the need for one to function in a community, the factors that impact on the functioning of individuals in order for a person's capabilities to function as human agency. I can explain this further by saying that the capability of a person must function in the transformation of an economy and society if human agency is related to the functions of the capabilities. Capabilities theory and agency are, therefore, related. Clearly, in dialogue with black ethics, and the loss of the sacramental view of work, umsebenzi, what the crucial functionings a black African person have lost in order to gain the capability to work is a crucial question. Employment and agency are more clearly related. The agency of a black African person under colonialism and apartheid is essentially a component in dealing with unemployment. I am not imposing this view on the NDP; these sentiments are triggered by its stated use of the capabilities theory. Employment must thus give the workers the capacity to function for the transformation of society and their liberation.
Unity, active citizenship, economic growth, capabilities of the people, the state and strong leadership are priority pillars of the Plan's success. I have identified the challenges that the NDP seeks to respond to and some of the theoretical assumptions that undergird its approach. This is how far I think we should go regarding what I have designated the 'grammar' of the NDP. Clearly, as we go on with this point, the question about the compatibility of 'language' and its 'grammar' is pivotal in democratic discourse. Are the theoretical assumptions of the NDP, its metaphysics, compatible with the language and the metaphors selected? Whose language? Whose metaphors and grammar? Let us keep this question in mind. I propose that we glance at chapter 3 of the 'National Development Plan: Vision 2030', the main document.
It is entitled: 'Economy and Employment.'8 The NDP seems to suggest that economic growth is the central tenet, if not a prerequisite for dealing with unemployment in South Africa. The NDP proposes active labour market policies, especially for the youth. Accordingly, it is envisaged that 24 million people will be employed in 2030. What is termed a 'social compact' is uppermost in the actions that are required to support the goals of the plan. It is also encouraging to note that phrases such as 'full employment, decent work and sustainable livelihoods' are used (NDP executive summary 2011:90). The chapter nonetheless makes a strange statement about what it designates 'realistic salaries'. It seems to suggest that workers should not as a result of their lack of requisite skills demand high salaries that are unrealistic. I read this in this manner because it also combines this notion of 'realistic salaries' with labour bargaining. Labour relations and bargaining processes have immense implications for the relationship between employers and employees.
The overall tactical approach of the NDP is summed up in the assertion that all the aspects of the plan are conditional upon the achievement of the projections made in the document (NDP executive summary 2011:91). This in one way or another suggests that, according to the NDP, employment is related to all the aspects that are envisaged in the plan. But let us turn the question around to clarify the point I am making. If there is no economic growth as projected in the NDP, the problem of unemployment will certainly not be resolved, or the targets envisaged in the plan might not be attained. For this reason, one should be compelled to look closely at the tight choices the Commissioners make in the light of the three scenarios they paint in this chapter. The selected scenario on the basis of which the entire plan is projected requires a lot for its goals to be attained. For example, there is talk of reducing the cost of production. There are structural challenges that must be tackled. There will be a need to promote exports, a need to promote employment in labour intensive industries. There will be a need to give attention to the capacity of the government. Implied in this plan is that even leadership in South Africa has a negative impact on the creation of employment.
In my view, the NDP, whilst employing the language of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, spends more time on the economic tactics that seemingly become a sine qua non [an essential element or condition] for employment creation in South Africa, let alone the fact that 90% of the jobs envisaged in 2030 will be domestic and in small businesses, if my reading is correct. That the success of employment creation must be dependent on all the tactics proposed in the plan is a bit worrisome. It points to the fragility of this promise. The metaphysics of economic growth therefore bears examination. But what do others say about the NDP before we evaluate its metaphysics?
Public views on the NDP
In the Business Times section of the Sunday Times of 24 November 2013, Ray Hartley raises an important question about what has become known as 'jobless growth' in South Africa. This notion signifies the growth of the economy which has not yielded much when it comes to employment creation. According to Hartley, some of the policies that were adopted in post-1994 South Africa account for this. The Labour Relations Act of 1995 is one such example, Hartley argues. He says:
It sought to award workers the 'victory' they had fought for during the struggle years when labour law favoured business. The problem is that the LRA went too far the other way, making the labour market 'inflexible', a way of saying that it made it so much harder for employers to manage and fire workers that they simply avoided hiring them in the first place (Hartley 2013:3).
To support his argument, Hartley (2013) appeals to a number of reports: the International Monetary Fund's report, Econometrix, the policy research organisation led by Neil Rankin at the University of the Witwatersrand, and Goldman Sachs. The motivation of this analysis by Ray Hartley seemingly is the fact that parliament has passed amendments that have made the Labour Relations Act even more inflexible. For this reason, Hartley argues, there will be more job shedding as a result of these amendments.
This is ostensibly lamentable, according to him, given the fact that:
The government itself has pointed out a need for greater labour market flexibility. It did so in its 1996 Growth Employment and Redistribution strategy, in its 2006 Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative and in last year's National Development Plan. (Hartley 2013:3)
As is evident in the sentiments expressed by Hartley above, there has been a thread of this notion of market flexibility throughout the economic policy dispensation of our land since the demise of Apartheid: from Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA) and the current NDP. In other words, this policy trajectory is not only similar in its commitment to economic growth, one could safely surmise, but also similar in so far as market flexibility - the lifting of restrictions on 'labour brokers' - is concerned, conditions apparently required for job creation. Yet there is no denying the fact that economic growth has not led to job creation in South Africa, at least not in so far as it has been portrayed as a panacea to the challenge of unemployment.
Let me hasten to say that it is a well-known fact that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and one of its affiliates, the National Union of Metal Workers (NUMSA), currently the largest of the affiliates in this federation, are diametrically opposed to the economic policy framework of the governing African National Congress (ANC). COSATU has been opposed to GEAR since 1996. NUMSA's Central Committee produced a document dubbed 'The national development plan: Mixed bag, downright neoliberal?' in 2013. One of the main points that the union movement is making is that there is no ideological difference between the NDP and the DA with regard to economic policy. Regarding economic growth, COSATU proposes a different approach altogether, where collective and public forms of economic ownership must be given credence if the history of dispossession is to be redressed. According to this view, some of the mining and petro-chemical industries must be controlled by the state in order for redistribution of power to be attained. The argument is that the NDP is not framed to enhance economic ownership and redistribution of wealth in South Africa.
Full employment, the union movement argues, must derive from a reconceptualisation of the Expanded Public Works Programme in such a way that it acts as an 'employer-of-last-resort', (NUMSA 2013:24-25). Indeed, this view is diametrically opposed to the ANC's economic policies since 1996. This is symptomatic of a long ideological battle within the tripartite alliance of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and COSATU since the demise of apartheid. We now look briefly at the ecumenical views on the current global economic system.
I have essentially presented two important views about the public debates on this matter. One is that within the very trajectory of economic policies adopted since 1994 there has been jobless growth. The other view rejects the policy framework adopted since 1994 and argues from a different ideological perspective with a different set of beliefs. At this point, therefore, I need to introduce Terreblanche's (2012) views on the NDP as I opened up this discussion of the NDP with his views. Terreblache (2012:118) argues that the goals of the NDP might simply remain 'fairy-tale targets' if it fails to provide concrete answers to how these targets will be achieved. He argues that:
the ANC government and the ANC-controlled bureaucracy are far too weak and far too myopic - and also far too corrupt - to take the initiative in the planning of a developmental state, and they have not, in any case, the capacity to call the capitalist/ corporatist sector effectively to account. (Terreblache 2012:121)
Clearly, Terreblache (2012) is suspicious of the success of the NDP. I conclude this section by citing what he claims could be the problem:
When reading the NDP (and being overwhelmed by the multiplicity of targets set for 2030), one cannot but be suspicious. The members of the NPC ought to know that it is not possible to reach all the targets it has set by 2030. Why has the NPC formulated so many targets and with such sincerity if they cannot be realised in time? I suspect that the NDP is actually a carefully crafted ideological propaganda document. This version of ideological propaganda could be called the 'ideology of targetism'. (Terreblache 2012:122)
Jobless growth is still a problem after 20 years of democracy. This must surely mean that there is a problem at the foundation of the notion of economic growth.
But there is an alternative voice: since 1994, the unions have argued against having a conservative economic framework in South Africa. The NDP is now even dubbed a propagandist instrument for an ideology of targetism. I conclude this conversation with an ethical evaluation of the metaphysics of the current economic order.
The myths of neoliberal economics
A plan is always the best thing to have, no matter how bad it might be. That there is a plan to deal with our challenges in South Africa must be applauded. Nevertheless, the rupture of the sacramental view of work, is what this plan must respond to. It is important to observe that the NDP does not clearly engage the contestations around the notion of globalisation. Rebecca Peters identifies theories of globalisation that are dominant and also looks at the theories of globalisation that resist neoliberalism. In her critique of neoliberal globalisation she says:
The vision of the good life offered by neoliberalism is indeed attractive and highly sought after by many people around the globe. Individualism, prosperity, and freedom are three values that in and of themselves have a great deal of merit. The problem is that this particular vision of the good life imagines as its primary constituent that illusive Homo economicus we encountered earlier - an atomistic, male individual who exists outside of time and space, with no obligations to family or community that might impinge on his freedom to pursue prosperity through hard work. Unfortunately, as we have seen throughout this study, this idealized vision of life simply does not correspond to the reality of global economy or to the lives of the majority of the world's workers. (Peters 2004:175)
The charge that the NDP is located within the neoliberal framework of economics places its assumptions about work within the quandaries of the illusive homo economicus [economic human]. Dwight Hopkins (2001:8) is correct when he says '... globalization of monopoly finance capitalist culture is itself a religion'. This has also been punctuated by the ecumenical perspectives I suggest we now consider briefly.
There are two important documents that have shaped ecumenical discourse in relation to the dominant paradigm of economics in the past decade or so. The first is called, 'Alternative globalization addressing people and earth' (AGAPE ), put out by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and which was presented in the General Assembly of the WCC in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2007. Initially launched in Harare, at the WCC Assembly in 1998, AGAPE underwent a process, according to Mshana and Peralta (2013:vii), that sought to respond to this question: 'How do we live our faith in the context of globalization?'). Importantly, through this process, the WCC, whilst distinguishing various forms of globalisation, has made it clear that global capitalism and its dominant neoliberal agenda is pernicious and threatening to life. According to Mshana and Peralta (2013:viii), the AGAPE call in Porto Alegre came 'at a time when the unfettered market too was virtually the image of God and when the role of governments to enforce regulations to protect public goods was severely weakened'.
The 'virtual image of god' is the most important point for us. Jung Mo Sung supports this point when he challenges the modernist model of anthropology; particularly what he says designates the 'secularization of myth' where religious language and secular language cease to be different. Jung (2011:253-254) says the problem is caused by an incorrect sense of incarnation where human beings now want to become God, 'the foundational myth of the modern West, underlying all other myths'. This distortion of the doctrine of the incarnation of God is at the root of the myths created by modernity, where a human being is ultimately deified, thus destroying the boundaries that pre-modern societies and indigenous civilisations such as the African one continue to impose.
In collaboration with the then World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) (now the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), these ecumenical bodies, the WCC and the Council for World Mission (CWM) gave birth to what is called the Oikotree movement with the sole purpose of putting justice as a matter of faith. The Accra Confession that was adopted by the WARC in Accra, Ghana in 2004 is one such attempt at engaging the neoliberal parading from the point of view of faith.
In the Oikotree movement's statement, discussed in Johannesburg in 2013, these words are important for our purposes:
We reject the production of structural unemployment and precariousness of work that continues to reduce workers, particularly women, to modern slaves on the altars of capitalistic accumulation and the shrines of transnational industry. (Oikotree Global Forum 2013:vi)
The current dominant global economic model has usurped a place that belongs only to God. It is perpetuated as a virtual 'image of god' with myths that have distorted our self-understanding and limits as human beings. In this context, unemployment is created and produced structurally. As Carlos Larrea (2014) puts it:
The market mechanisms behind the process of global economic growth have not only deepened this growing exclusion, but they have also profoundly damaged the capacity of nature to sustain growth. (p. 5)
It has become common knowledge that: 'the poorest half of the world's people possesses barely 3.7 percent of its wealth, and the poorest 10 percent has access to barely one thousandth of the world's riches' (Larrea 2014:4).9
Brendan Peacock and Business Times staff, in the Sunday Times of 01 December 2013, argue that the richest 100 people in South Africa enjoy an amount of wealth that is equivalent to more than 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa. What I also find interesting in this article is the fact that the growth in salary averages is acknowledged, placed at 7.6%, yet the authors say that 'salaries of the rich have soared' (Peacock 2013:1) and that the list of the 100 richest remains dominantly white and male (ibid:2). One person's salary (David Hathron's) is 'nearly 400 times that of an average South African' (ibid:1).
The chasm between the rich and the poor in many countries that have adopted an economic strategy of growth is morally unjustifiable. This chasm, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 'has in turn impacted the employment relationship and the protections it traditionally offers' (2012:8). Even more worrisome is the second point that needs to be made: on average, only between 8% and 9% of wealth transfer could change the picture of poverty, or even eradicate it completely. About Ecuador, for example, Larrea (2014) concludes that:
it would be enough to transfer no more than 9 per cent of national income to the poor in order to eliminate poverty and 2 per cent to eliminate extreme poverty. (p. 11)
I argue that labour is central to the objectification of human dignity (Dussel 2003:43). In line with the ILO's agenda, employment should be placed at the heart of economic and social policies, especially for those who are unemployed (ILO 2012:32). As a category that is so intrinsically related to human dignity, work cannot be subsumed under any economic model or economic policy and this is a general thrust that one finds in Christian traditions of work and those of other religions. The liberation paradigm therefore proceeds from this understanding in its analysis of poverty (Dussel 2003:45). Poverty is not an accident. Umsebenzi as the flipside of colonialism and apartheid shows this vividly. Musto Marcello's (2008:8ff.) point that capital did not start the world from the beginning should always be remembered. The capitalist mode of production is not absolute, it is historical. Anything to the contrary is a myth.
Is it the intention of the NDP propaganda to maintain modern slavery through the ideology of targetism? Modern slavery is a service that honours a pernicious economic system that operates virtually as God's image. The black African ethics of work cannot accept that taxation alone can address the injustice caused by the alienation of work from its sacramental relationship with the rest of life. From an African perspective, God, being and spirituality are components of work, umsebenzi in South Africa, that remain trapped in a logic whose history is the violation of the individual. The conditionality of the NDP is too tight to offer any hope of its success. It evokes the thoughts contained in Luke 18:25: 'Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God'. That is a matter of faith.
Competing interests
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
Bediako, K., 1995, Christianity in Africa: The renewal of a non-Western world, Orbis, Maryknoll. [ Links ]
Bujo, B., 2011, Foundations of an African ethic: Beyond the universal claims of Western morality, Pauline Publications, Nairobi. [ Links ]
Cannon, K.G., 2011, 'Racism and economics: The perspective of Oliver C. Cox', in K.G. Cannon, E.M. Townes & A.D. Sims (eds.), Womanist theological ethics: A reader, pp. 3-21, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville. [ Links ]
Dussel, E., 2003, Beyond philosophy, ethics, history, Marxism and liberation theology, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Oxford, New York. [ Links ]
Everett, W.J., 1988, God's federal republic: Reconstructing our governing symbol, Paulist, New York. [ Links ]
Finn, D., 2013, Christian economic ethics, Fortress Press, Minneapolis. [ Links ]
Habermas, J., 1981, The theory of communicative action: Reason and the rationalization of society, vol. 1, transl. T. McCarthy, Beacon, Boston. [ Links ]
Habermas, J., 1987, The theory of communicative action, Lifeworld and system: A critique of functionalist reason, vol. 2, transl. T. McCarthy, Beacon, Boston. [ Links ]
Hartley, R., 2013, 'The truth about jobless-growth', Sunday Times, Business Times, 24 November 2013, pp. 3-4. [ Links ]
Hopkins, D., 2001, 'The religion of globalization', in D. Hopkins, A.N. Lorentzen, E. Mendieta & D. Batstone (eds.), Religions/globalizations: Theories and cases, pp. 7-32, Duke University Press, Duke. [ Links ]
International Labour Organisation, 2012, Convergences: Decent work and social justice in religious traditions: A handbook, ILO Publications, Geneva. [ Links ]
Jung, M.S., 2011, 'Greed, desire and theology', Ecumenical Review 63(2), 251-262. [ Links ]
Larrea, C., 2014, 'Inequality, sustainability and the greed line: A conceptual and empirical approach', in R. Mshana & A. Peralta (eds.), The greed line (Draft), pp. 1-28, WCC Publications, Geneva. [ Links ]
Marcello, M. (ed.), 2008, Karl Marx's Grundrisse, Routledge, London/New York. [ Links ]
Masoga, M.A., 2012, 'A critical dialogue with Gabriel Molehe Setiloane: The unfinished business of the African divinity question,' Studia Hisotiriae Ecclesiasticae XXXVIII, 323-344. [ Links ]
Mshana, R. & Peralta, A. (eds.), 2013, Linking poverty, wealth and ecology, WCC Publications, Geneva. [ Links ]
Meeks, D., 1989, God the economist: The doctrine of god and political economy, Fortress, Minneapolis. [ Links ]
National Planning Commission, 2011, 'NDP executive summary', viewed n.d., from http://www.npconline.co.zaTerreblanche, S., 2002, A history of inequality in South Africa 1652 -2002, UKZN Press, Scottsville. [ Links ]
Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S., 2013, 'The entrapment of Africa within the global colonial matrices of power', Journal of Developing Societies 29(4), 351-353. [ Links ]
NUMSA, 2013, 'The national development plan: Mixed bag, downright neoliberal?', viewed n.d., from http://www.numsa.org.za/ [ Links ]
Oikotree Global Forum, 2013, 'Global Kairos faith stance', Oikotree Movement, Johannesburg. [ Links ]
Peacock, B. & Business Times staff, 2013, 'Shoprite boss tops rich list as South Africa's wealthiest get even wealthier', Sunday Times, 01 December, pp. 1-2. [ Links ]
Peters, R.T., 2004, In search of the good life: The ethics of globalization, Continuum, New York, London. [ Links ]
Sen, A., 1999a, Commodities and Capabilities, New York, Oxford [ Links ]
Sen, A., 1999b, Development as Freedom, Oxford, Oxford [ Links ]
Terreblanche, S., 2012, Lost in transformation: South Africa's search for a new future, KMM, Sandton. [ Links ]
Tsele, M., 1994, 'Ethics in black theology', in J. De Gruchy & C. Villa-Vicencio (eds.), Doing ethics in context: South African perspectives, pp. 125-137, Orbis, Maryknoll. [ Links ]
Van Til, K., 2008, 'Human nature and human needs in recent economic theory', in D. Hicks & M. Valeri (eds.), Global neighbors: Christian faith and moral obligation in today's economy, pp. 65-88, Wm. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan. [ Links ]
Vellem, V., 2002, 'Ikhaya: The use of the African concept of home in public life with special reference to Kayamandi', Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of Cape Town. [ Links ]
Wenzel, J., 2009, Bulletproof, UKZN Press, Scottsville. [ Links ]
Vuyani Vellem
Private Bag X20
Hatfield 0028
South Africa
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Received: 06 Dec. 2013
Accepted: 05 June 2014
Published: 19 Nov. 2014
1. For an argument about 'Black ethics as critical ethics' see Tsele (1994:125-137). There are other important works that are not in the text, whereas some in the text critique economics at a foundational level. Douglas Meeks's (1989) God the economist: The doctrine of God and political economy, and, in particular, the Accra Confession, broadly describes the ethical liberation approach that I assume in this work.
2. Some of the best examples of the use of the oikos concept are found in the writing of Everett (1988) and Meeks (1989). The concept has also gained currency in the ecumenical movement and in other parts of the world such as Korea, where there is an ostensible oikos movement (cf. also Vellem 2002).
3. One remembers how Jürgen Habermas (1981; 1987) views public life, namely his tripartite division of politics, economics and lifeworld as distinct spheres but parts of the whole of public life. The components of an African home could similarly be used to differentiate spheres as parts of the whole public life and the cosmos heuristically.
4. I need to make a further point that my intention here is to apply my understanding of African ethics more than give an exposition.
5. Masoga (2012) himself acknowledges this in the same article on pages: 323-334.
6. These were: (1) Too few people work; (2) The quality of school education for black people is poor; (3) Infrastructure is poorly located, inadequate and under-maintained; (4) Spatial divides hobble inclusive development; (5) The economy is unsustainably resource intensive. (6) The public health system cannot meet demand or sustain quality; (7) Public services are uneven and often of poor quality; (8) Corruption levels are high; and (9) South Africa remains a divided society (NDP executive summary 2011:15).
7. Let me make a note on a few of these problems so as to clarify what I mean by this. Employment in South Africa was racialised, cheap, docile and migratory. It is not just about unemployment, which has, indeed, become so high in the post-1994 South Africa, but a combination of these factors. Education and the Soweto uprising in South Africa, or even the models that were adopted as far back as the times of Steward of Lovedale in South Africa, are equally not a new challenge that is devoid of racial, economic and cultural dimensions. The spatial divides or, better still, the colonial and apartheid geographies, the economics of racial enclaves, health, public service and corruption all constituted some of the key grievances that justified the struggle for liberation. So they are not new challenges, this must be emphasised. This is the language of the struggle. The approach to dealing with these challenges was also manifest in the different positions that were assumed by various strands in the struggle for liberation, either ideologically or tactically. What, then, informs the approach of the NDP amidst these latent approaches from the liberation struggle is more important than the diagnosis of these problems.
8. I do not intend to repeat what is in the document itself, but to move on the questions that come to mind reading this section of the NDP.
9. The logic of this argument is similar to what Rogate Mshana and Park Seong-Won have designated in the AGAPE process and the Accra Confession as the 'champagne glass economy'. In this global reality of the distribution of the global wealth, 20% of the wealthiest enjoy 83% of the global wealth, 20% of the middle ladder enjoy only 11% of the global wealth, whereas 60% of the poorest of the world enjoy only 6% of the global wealth. There are different statistical values that express these disparities, but the point is that the inequality of wealth distribution in the world is so enormous and shameful that the current economic global order is left to persist to our own peril, including the mutilation of the whole of creation.


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Windows 10 VPS With DDoS Protection
Most people think of DDoS as someone elses problem, until it happens to them. But, in as far as a ddos protected vps, and for those who don't understand what it really means, DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service attacks. A VPS is sometimes considered a hybrid between a physical dedicated server and a virtual server.
However, when it comes to a ddos protected vps, for Forex Trading, this basically takes things a step further by adding a layer of protection for the individual's Forex trading needs, as well as any website against DDoS attacks. For those who want to shield themselves from Distributed Denial of Service attacks, this type of ddos protected vps hosting is the right choice to consider because it offers plenty of benefits that improve Trading protection.
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Traders, as well as small or mid-sized companies will definitely benefit from a ddos protected vps, because many of them don't really have the budget or expertise in having their own physical dedicated servers to contend with. As this will require maintaining physical machines and hardware, but also employing IT professionals. On the other hand, a ddos protected vps, can provide anyone Forex Trader, with the protection and hosting power they need without the extra costs involved in maintaining their own physical Network.
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Everyone who considers using a ddos vps will basically have a much stronger protection from disruption resulting from attacks against their Trading platform or network. But the really sad part of it all, is that the majority of websites out there don't really take advantage of this type of protection yet. Also when a website is used in order to handle a lot of traffic or monetary transactions on a daily basis, it becomes imperative for the success of the business to use a ddos vps service as soon as possible. This often gives the vps user or Forex Trader, peace of mind and will undoubtedly enhance the users comfort level.
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In the majority of cases, those that select a shared hosting plan will be unable to take advantage of the same freedom and control they would if they'd select a ddos protected vps hosting plan. On top of that, there seem to also be some hosting services, that restrict various Forex based programs, so they cannot be run in a shared hosting environment. Using a ddos vps, Forex Traders, will always have and maintain the ability to install demanding, Forex based programs, because they'll be given complete access to the ddos protected vps.
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One of the many advantages of choosing a cloud based ddos protected vps hosting environment, is that it will allow a Forex Trader, to easily scale theirvps hosting solutions to satisfy their Forex based, trading or business needs. As a result, a person will only pay for the resources they use and will not be charged for what they do not need. There's also a greater possibility of saving on time and increasing overall profits. another point to consider, is to start with the lowest amount of needed bandwidth and storage space, and then expand their ddos vps hosting space only when their forex business needs require them to do so. Considering ddos protection, is really the best way for any forex trader or business, to protect their server against distributed denial of service attacks and maintain smooth access and functionality at the same time, with minimal expense. And as their demanding forex trading needs grow, they can easily choose to expand their ddos protected vps resources.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ashburn Garden Wreath Flat Notes - NAVY
Ashburn Garden Wreath Flat Notes - NAVY
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Cote D'Azur Padded Triangle Bikini
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McClatchy, media partners confirm deal to sell Cars.com
The five media companies that own Cars.com confirmed an agreement today to sell the highly successful auto shopping website to one of those owners, Gannett, in a deal that values the service at $2.5 billion.
Gannett will pay McClatchy, Tribune, Graham Holdings Company and A.H. Belo a total of $1.8 billion for their shares. The deal also enables McClatchy, Belo, Tribune Publishing and The Washington Post to keep using the website for their auto sales for the next five years.
The sale, rumored for weeks, provides Gannett with sole control of a profitable digital site and gives the sellers an infusion of cash at a time of high valuations for Internet ventures. McClatchy, for instance, will take away $640 million for its 25.6 percent share and net $406 million after taxes.
The companies said this is a good time to sell Classified Ventures, the parent company of Cars.com, and celebrated the success of the joint venture that has become the nation's second-largest auto selling site.
"Cars.com is a shining example of what the newspaper industry can accomplish working together. We joined forces and from scratch developed a highly successful Internet company,'' said McClatchy CEO Pat Talamantes, who added:
"This transaction will provide funding for the continuing digital transformation of McClatchy, including the ability to find other exciting digital investments. It will allow us to continue to pay down debt and will generate liquidity for other uses.''
Cars.com, which has 10 million monthly unique users and lists 4.3 million new and used cars from 20,000 dealers, has grown steadily since its creation in 1997. The sale comes seven months after Cox Enterprises paid $1.8 billion for a 25 percent share of Autotrader.com, the leading auto site with 14 million unique users a month.
The companies will continue working with Cars.com under a new, 5-year affiliate agreement that gives them exclusive sales of Cars.com products and services in their local markets. They include McClatchy, which operates newspapers and websites in 29 markets; Tribune Publishing, which includes the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune; The Washington Post; and the Dallas Morning News.
Bloomberg News, which first reported the deal on Monday, said the affiliate agreements will continue to provide profits to the sellers, resulting in a lower sale price from an initial expectation of $3 billion. Gannett said it will finance the purchase through cash on hand and by issuing bonds.
The company also announced it would split into two publicly-traded entities, one focused on digital and broadcast, the other on publishing.
"One of the most smartest things Gannett is doing is not putting any debt on the newspaper operation they're spinning off," said Craig A. Huber, an independent media research analyst at Huber Research Partners. Gannett is following the script of other media companies that have separated their print and broadcast holdings. These include Belo, News Corp, Tribune, which finalized its similar split on Monday, and Scripps/Journal Communications, announced last week. For McClatchy, said Huber, the deal allows the company to work off more of its high debt. The sale of an important asset at a time when valuations are high makes sense, and the $406 million in estimated after-tax proceeds from the sale, he said, will help knock down the $1.3 billion of net debt on the Sacramento, Calif.-based company's balance sheet. "It's kind of like selling your wife's wedding ring, your very best asset, but it gives them breathing room to pay down debt," said Huber. "It's a good thing for McClatchy."
Shares of Gannett, McClatchy, and A.H. Belo were up in after-hours trading Monday as news of the deal spread. McClatchy gained the most -- up 21% to $5.50 initially and settling at 13% late Monday.
McClatchy has sold a number of assets in the past year, including its stake in the Apartments.com website, the Anchorage Daily News and McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, a joint wire service now operated by Tribune.
A company spokesman said the timing of the sales were coincidental and did not represent any change in strategy.
The Cars.com sale is expected to close before the end of the year.


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Let us now praise a famous book – perhaps the most influential ever written in the English language. But here's the root of the matter: There's a fly in the ointment. To everything there is a season, and for some today the sway of this once mighty orator has shrunk to something akin to a still, small voice.
The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible celebrates 400 years in print this year. Its impact is pervasive and almost impossible to fully calculate. The KJV, also often called the "authorized version," has embedded itself into the very "DNA of the English language," as one writer describes it. At least 257 common phrases (the previous paragraph is stuffed with five of them) in use today come from it, one scholar has calculated.
The effect of the KJV on the way people write – and think – can be seen in works from the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. to the spare prose of Ernest Hemingway to Milton's "Paradise Lost" to the text of Handel's oratorio "Messiah" to the style Herman Melville employed in "Moby Dick."
Melville's novel "is more than just this story of some people sailing and a whale. It's a grand, almost religious, allegory because it's written in a language that's scriptural, which is [the King James Bible]," says the Rev. Ephraim Radner, professor of historical theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto.
Over the years, ovations for the KJV have piled up. "To read it is to feel simultaneously at home, a citizen of the world, and a traveller through eternity," former British poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion enthused. Even skeptical, acerbic writer and literary critic H.L. Mencken, no friend of religion, praised the King James Bible as "probably the most beautiful piece of writing in all the literature of the world."
But, as the KJV itself might say, "how are the mighty fallen" (II Samuel 1:27). Today hundreds of new English translations abound, as modern readers seek writing devoid of "thees" and "thous" that they hope will be easier to understand. The KJV has been surpassed as a mainstay of Protestant congregations by 20th-century translations such as the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version. They're joined by many others, including "themed" Bibles aimed at children, teens, environmentalists, patriots, or just about any identity group.
Some versions, often called "dynamic equivalencies," don't attempt a literal, word-for-word translation, instead conveying what the translator sees as the sense of the text in everyday English. Even looser translations, called "paraphrases," take more liberties as they try to capture the spirit of the passage using modern idioms (compare three translations of Psalm 1 on the facing page).
"We are now in an era in which there is no common translation" of the Bible, says Mr. Radner. The KJV has become "a literary relic," he says, used principally by only a few denominations. "The mainline churches don't use it at all," he says. "In fact, it's considered a little bit of an oddity."
"It's a fait accompli. The King James has lost its dominance in the life of the church," adds Thomas Kidd, senior fellow at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. "We can never go back to the one translation."
Scholars have welcomed many newer translations, which are able to draw on new biblical research and better source materials – manuscripts unknown four centuries ago, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
But what's lost, Dr. Kidd adds, is the sense of one common text whose words help form a common vocabulary for Christians and the culture in general. In many churches, "When there's a Bible reading from the pulpit or in Sunday school many of the people who are following along [in their own Bibles] are not reading from the same translation anymore," he says. "It didn't used to be like that at all."
The KJV's 400th anniversary is a bit like the birthday celebration of a beloved elderly relative, says Timothy Beal, a professor of religion at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland and author of "The Rise and the Fall of the Bible." "There's this little poignancy in the celebration that maybe this isn't going to go on forever."
The KJV represents "the flagship" of "book culture, the print culture, and our modern idea of the book," Professor Beal says. "And that culture is in its twilight."
While the KJV is readily available online in digital form, "When we think of the King James Bible I don't think it's the image of an iPhone. It's that black, leather-bound book," he says. "We have this idea of it being intact and whole and going from Genesis to Revelation. In the digital world ... that's not the way we read texts."
The KJV was compiled from 1604 to 1611 by about 50 clergymen-scholars working in six groups at the behest of England's King James I, who hoped that having a common "authorized" translation would help heal the religious strife threatening to tear apart his country. It drew heavily on previous English translations, especially the work of exiled scholar William Tyndale, who had translated most of the Bible into English in the early 16th century.
"[W]e never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one," wrote the translators in a preface to the first edition (no longer included), "but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one.... [T]hat hath been our endeavor, that our mark."
It is translation, the preface goes on to say, that "openeth the window, to let in the light; that breaketh the shell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aside the curtain, that we may look into the most Holy place."
Indeed, the KJV was not a translation at all, but a revision. "It was a patchwork quilt, with the finest elements of its former voices stitched together," says David Teems, author of "Majestie: The King Behind the King James Bible."
In a society in which literacy was still largely confined to an elite, the KJV was meant to be read aloud, to be heard and, with its rhythmic cadences and use of repetition, remembered. What the translators sought was not only accuracy – based on the manuscripts at hand – but euphony, harmoniously combining words to be pleasing to the ear. The members of the committees read their proposed translations aloud to one another.
The result was remarkable text.
"Suddenly God was accessible," Mr. Teems writes. "No longer hidden or obscured, he seemed to genuinely care. Worship was no longer the remote procession of mystical events."
The writing styles ranged from earthy and sensual to lofty and poetic – the same wide range exhibited by Shakespeare who, during the same period the translators were toiling in anonymity, wrote some of the greatest plays in the English language, among them "King Lear," "Othello," and "Macbeth."
For Beal, modern translations, while essential to scholars, can reduce a passage "to a simple, straightforward meaning when the text isn't simple and straightforward: It's poetic. Poetry is rich and complex and poly-vocal: It has many different voices and images for different readers – many different possible meanings."
The language was often elevated, but for a purpose. "It might not be the way you talked in the marketplace, it was the way one talked religiously," Radner says. "It was the way one prayed. It was the way one preached." A barely educated Methodist preacher in the 18th century knew the Bible by heart and "could be extraordinarily rhetorically sophisticated by having learned and memorized the King James Bible," he says.
Radner, an Episcopal priest who has returned to using the KJV alongside the Revised Standard Version, says some looser modern translations pose problems. "You're never really sure how close these are to the actual words and sentence structure of the originals," he says. "You can be sure that the KJV tries very hard to do that. That's one reason why it's still useful."
At solemn occasions, many people unfamiliar with the KJV – or any Bible – want to hear from it. Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...") is a favorite at memorial services. "Modern language is very easy to read but in some people's minds takes away the power of those Elizabethan words that made it come alive," says Gary Davidson, senior vice president and Bible group publisher at Thomas Nelson Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., the leading publisher of the KJV. The 23rd Psalm, in the KJV, "just does something to your spirit when you hear it," he says. A more modern translation "leaves you a little flat, if you ask me."
Though sales of other Bible translations dipped last year, Mr. Davidson says, the KJV saw an 11 percent increase. "There's still a huge following," he says. "It's really near and dear to the heart of many people."
For Michael Hamilton, chairman of the religion department at Principia College in Elsah, Ill., the KJV represents "home base."
"It's the Bible that I use every day," he says. "It becomes part of you. Somehow its words and its phrases become part of your vocabulary of thought. It's the Bible that, if I read another translation, I always refer back to. [I want to know] 'how does the King James Bible say this?' "
No matter what translation readers use, Bible readers should feel assured that they will find the inspiration they seek, Davidson says. "The Holy Spirit will help you understand. That's what inspires you, the Holy Spirit. The words come off the page and you apply them to your life."
To receive Monitor recipes weekly sign-up here!
Different translations of a Bible passage can lead to quite different reading experiences. Compare these three translations of Psalms 1:1-3, for example:
The King James Version (1611):
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Contemporary English Version (1995)
God blesses those people who refuse evil advice and won't follow sinners or join in sneering at God.
Instead, the Law of the Lord makes them happy, and they think about it day and night.
They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves. Those people succeed in everything they do.
"The Message" (1993)
How well God must like you – you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.


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Nominate 'em here! August 7 and 21. Please make sure to include the page number.
This post will close on Sunday the 22nd.
Nominate 'em here! August 7 and 21. Please make sure to include the page number.
This post will close on Sunday the 22nd.
How about Popovers (p. 213). It looks to be an easy recipe, and a nice way to honor Marion Cunningham, who left us this month at age 90.
Popovers sound super!
Cheese and Tomato Galette, page 429
Popovers, page 213 sound good, too. I hadn't heard that Marion Cuningham had passed. How sad.
I'm with Paul..Popovers to honor Marion Cunningham pg 213
Phylloccine Ice Cream Sandwiches pg 405-406
August 15th is Julia Child 100th birthday (I ve just read it). Are we going to make something special?
I nominate croissants! (sorry, don't have page #s right now)
and something with berries
Berry galette page 377 since berries are still in season
Blueberry muffins page 208
I also vote for Berry Galette p377 and Blueberry Muffins p208..
I suggest making buttery doughs like croissants or brioche during spring/fall so, no matter where you are, the weather is mild.
Popovers p.213
Mocha Chocolate Chips p.330
Cheese and Tomato Galette, p. 429
Nectarine Upside Down Chiffon Cake – pp. 241-243
Popovers p.213
Berry Galette p377
I'd have to go with the berries! Berry Galette pg 377 & Sweet Berry Fougasse pg 194.


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Buffalo Billswww.buffalobills.com
Fearless Forecast
Bucky Brooks
The Bills' free-agent spending spree pays off with Mario Williams and Mark Anderson spearheading a championship-caliber defense, but the inconsistent play of Ryan Fitzpatrick will keep them out of the postseason tournament.
Prediction: 9-7, second in AFC East
Daniel Jeremiah
The Bills spent a lot of money in free agency to upgrade their pass rush; pricey additions Mario Williams and Mark Anderson should provide an immediate boost. If they can get steady play from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, they'll be in the mix for a wild-card berth.
Prediction: 8-8, second in AFC East
Adam Schein
I'm buying Buffalo. I think Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Mark Anderson will form the best defensive line in the entire league. Fred Jackson and Eric Wood are healthy after being injured during last year's second-half fold.
Prediction: 10-6, third in AFC East
Steve Wyche
The front four will help a potentially explosive offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick has to cut back on interceptions.
Prediction: 10-6, second in AFC East
The Bills believe Williams should help -- significantly -- a defense that couldn't stop the run or keep opponents from scoring. Williams' vow: he'll get into the offensive backfield and his D-line mates will meet him there. That would work.


text:
Goessel musicians honored
More than 35 high school and junior high students from Goessel earned regional band and choir honors with selection into top South Central Kansas Music Educators Association groups.
Goessel students earning band recognition in grades 9 through 12 included Mark Schmidt, Georgia Thiesen, Grant Flaming, Erin Brubaker, Jake Herrel, Alicen Meysing, Reece Hiebert, Zach Wiens, and Ben Wiens.
Goessel Junior High band honors went to Shelbi Stultz, Lanna Wagner, Tiana Base, Eden Hiebert, Olivia Duerksen, and Colton Lare.
High school students earning choir honors were Page Hiebert, Tyler Schulz, Alyssa Booton, Anna Wiens, Makayla King, Sarah Booth, and Gentry Thiesen.
Goessel Junior High students attending the SCKMEA choir festival Nov. 3 included Jennifer Meysing, Riley Jarvis, Autumn Strecker, Kaytlin Shipp, Joshua Schmidt, Miguel Guerrero, Kenny Hammond, Rhett Makovec, Audessi Unruh, Stephany Meyer, Julianna Schrag,, Kendall Hiebert, Nathaniel Dudte, and Christopher Strecker.


text:
National Public Library Initiative Aims to Build American Literature Collections and Enhance Public Discussion Programs
Carnegie Corporation of New York, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Library of America, and American Library Association launch Millennium Project for Public Libraries
Millions of Americans will soon have access to writings by many of this country's greatest authors through a national library initiative called A Core Collection for America's Libraries-The Millennium Project for Public Libraries. More than 800 libraries will receive the 50 most recently published volumes of The Library of America's distinguished American literature series.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has been awarded a $1 million grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to help budget-strapped public libraries add high-quality literary editions to their collections and expand opportunities for educational programs within their communities. Other partners in the initiative include The Library of America (LOA) and the American Library Association (ALA). The libraries that receive the 50 most recent LOA editions will be selected in an open competition administered by NEH.
"The National Endowment for the Humanities has long supported The Library of America's effort to publish our literary heritage, and it is a special pleasure now to help get the volumes into the hands of readers through libraries that otherwise could not afford them," NEH Chairman William Ferris said. "The humanities are for everyone, and the wider availability of The Library of America volumes will provide new opportunities for the enjoyment and appreciation of great American literature and strengthen the community role of libraries as educational centers."
"Andrew Carnegie began his philanthropic life by offering communities the opportunity to build libraries that would open the doors to learning, an experience that had made the difference for him as a young man," said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. "With this grant to smaller and rural libraries we commemorate that tradition begun by Carnegie 100 years ago. We also keep alive the mission he gave the Corporation: to advance and disseminate knowledge and understanding."
Urban, suburban and rural libraries are all eligible to apply to the Millennium Project. Criteria for eligibility include size of a library's book acquisition budget, size of population served and public programming services provided. Libraries must make a commitment to provide public programming organized around the LOA volumes. Public programming activities, organized by ALA, would consist of reading and discussion programs, lecture series, exhibitions, or readings by local talent from the volumes followed by discussion of the works, or a combination of these formats. ALA will advise libraries that receive the award about program organization, training and presentation.
Application guidelines and a program description will soon be available on this website.


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About Me
Copyright Text
Blog Layout Created By Fiona Devil Artwork by ©Arthur Crowe
Blog Archive
- ► 2012 (30)
- ▼ 2011 (52)
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31 January 2011
Oh Happy Day
11:34 PM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
Items Needed:
This tutorial was written for those with a working knowledge of Paint Shop Pro.
Paint Shop Pro (I used PSP X, but any version will work just fine).
Animation Shop or Photoshop.
Im using the fabulous scrap kit Happy Days by the wonderful CBJ. You can purchase it HERE. Thank you Jo for this gorgeous kit.
You will need two or three tubes one close up and one or two other tubes by the same artist.
I chose Elias Chatzoudis. You will need a licence to use his artwork. You can purchase them HERE.
Filters - I used Xenofex 2 - Constellation & Texture Effects - Weave.
Mask of choice
Lets Begin:
Open a transparent 500 x 500 image
Copy and paste a frame to your canvas. I chose the Flower Doodle Frame 2. Select your Magic wand tool and select inside the frame. Go to selections - Modify - Expand - Expand by 3. Leaving the inside of the frame selected, place your tube in the centre and highlight the tube.
Select Selections - Invert - Hit your delete key. This will remove the excess tube from your tag. Selections - Deselect.
I used Paper 9 for the rectangle. Close off the foreground colour and make your rectangle as large as you need it.
Once you have your rectangle to the size you need. Apply your filter.
Effects - Texture Effects - Weave - with the following settings - Gap 1, Width 4, Opacity 14, Fill gaps ticked, Weave & Gap colour #FFFFFF
Place elements on your tag where they look the best.
Add your © layer to your tag.
Merge your layers together - Layers - Merge - Merge Visible.
Once you have your tag has been merged. Go to Layers - New Raster Layer - Blend mode normal.
Move this layer to the bottom of the layers pallette and name it background.
Select a contrasting colour from your tubes and highlight the background layer on your layers palette. Select the paint tool and flood fill your background layer with your contrasting colour.
Now go to Layers - Load/Save Mask - Load Mask from Disk. Apply your mask and merge group.
Highlight the mask layer and duplicate it twice so that you now have three layers with the mask on it.
Now go to Effects - Plugins - Xenofex 2 - Constellation with the following settings.
Close off the first layer and then select the second mask layer. Change the Random Seed. Close off this layer and then select the last mask layer changing the Random Seed again.
Duplicate your tag layer two times and move them so that there is a mask layer under each one.
Create a new layer and flood fill with White. Duplicate this layer two times and place under each layer of your tag.
If you want to keep it as a static tag skip the multiple layers and merge and save as a JPG or PNG. Add your name and you are done.
To animate your tag, save your tag as a PSD file so you can open it in Animation Shop.
Open Animation Shop and open your tag.
You should have three frames, now save as a GIF.
You have finished.
Thank you for trying my tutorial.
This tutorial was written by me on Monday 31st January 2011 and any similarity to any other tutorial is purely unintentional.
Tutorial by ©FiDevil Tutorials
Masks 12 - 23
11:26 PM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
I was sitting playing in PSP and these masks just seemed to fall together. I hope you can use them. If you use them in tutorials, please send them to here to download them. Thank you.
Mask 12
Mask 13
Mask 14
Mask 15
Mask 16
Mask 17
Mask 18
Mask 19
Mask 20
Mask 21
Mask 22
Mask 23
To save these masks, click on the mask you would like, once it has expanded to the correct size, Right Mouse click and Save As
Labels: Masks | 1 comments
22 January 2011
New tag I made
12:04 PM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
This is a new tag I made on Sunday using the gorgeous scrap kit Whispered Garden by Foxys Designz
Labels: Tags | 0 comments
10:37 AM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
New forum set made using Angels Designz scrap kit Wicked in Green
I had fun using this kit. This kit is one of a series of 4. Angel also has Wicked in Black, Pink and Purple.
Labels: Tags | 0 comments
18 January 2011
10:56 AM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
I really should get my butt into gear and start writing more tutorials and making more tags. I have been very busy lately with helping some friends out with the closing down of one part of their business. I cant do an aweful lot for them but I am able to scan documents into their external hard drive and then back it all up on dvd so that they can delete their personal stuff off their work computers. These friends have been managing a 5 star Resort nearly 2 hours away from where I live. It is really a hard job. I get to relax in the pool after work and sit in an air conditioned office all day scanning. How hard can it get?
The only drawback is that I have to be away from home while Im here so I really miss my hubby and my little baby my dog. I have a black toy poodle who is the child I will never have and he brings such joy to my life and is sooooo attentive and loving. He accepts me for who I am and will be there if I need a cuddle.
The only drawback is that I have to be away from home while Im here so I really miss my hubby and my little baby my dog. I have a black toy poodle who is the child I will never have and he brings such joy to my life and is sooooo attentive and loving. He accepts me for who I am and will be there if I need a cuddle.
16 January 2011
Bitch Squad
4:25 PM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
I wrote this tutorial for those with a working knowledge of Paint Shop Pro.
This is all my own work and any similarity to other tutorials is purely by chance.
You will need:
Paint Shop Pro - I used PSP X but any version will work just as well. You can download a trial version HERE
Tube of choice. I used the marvelous artwork of Ismael Rac. You need a licence to use his artwork. You can purchase the tube HERE
Filters Used: Eye Candy Gradient Glow
Scrap kit of choice. I used this awesome scrap kit called The Bitch Squad by Angels Designz. You can purchase the kit HERE
Font of Choice - I used 2Peas Raspberry
Lets get Started
Open a 500 x 500 blank canvas transparent background.
Open the AD_MeshBacking. Copy the mesh and paste onto your blank canvas. Reduce by 80%.
Next go to Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur Radius set to 8.00
Open AD_Frame3 and copy the frame and paste into your tag. Reduce by 75%. Select your Ellipse tool. Select the circle.
Select your colours having your Foreground colour set to a colour to either match the frame or your tube.
Effects - Texture Effects - Weave, Set to the settings seen below.
Add your tube of choice. Place between the frame layer and the circle background. Remove any extra tube that is showing outside the frame.
Select the elements you want to put on your tag and position where you like.
I used the AD_Frame as a background image, I like to place the elements on the tag and move them around till Im 100% happy with them.
I next selected the AD_Frame2 and reduced by 75%. I then selected the inside of each frame with the magic wand and then selected to add a new Raster layer.
Go to Selections - Modify - Expand - 2 pixels (See image below)
Grab your flood fill tool and fill the new raster layer in the selections of the frame with a colour complimenting your choice of tube.
I then added more tubes in the frames by ©Ismael Rac and then removed any part of the tube outside of the frame with my eraser tool.
Add the © to your tag and position on the tag where it is clear to see.
Add your name to your tag. You can apply an effect like I have. I used Eye Candy - Impact - Gradient Glow.
Position where you like it on your tag and then save your tag as either a PNG or JPG file.
Thank you for trying my tutorial.
Tutorial written Thursday 13th January 2011
By ©FiDevil Tutorials
09 January 2011
Secret Garden
1:12 AM | Posted by Fiona Devil | | Edit Post
You will need:
Paint Shop Pro - I use PSP X but any version will work just as well or you can use Photoshop - I used CS5.
Animation Shop or Photoshop. I used Photoshop as the animation isnt as grainy once it is saved.
Filters Used: MuRa's Copies & Eye Candy Gradient Glow.
I'm using the wonderful artwork by Ismael Rac, you can purchase his fabulous artwork HERE
Scrap kit of choice. I used the gorgeous scrap kit Secret Garden by CBJ. You can purchase the kit HERE
Font of Choice - I used Rat Infested Mailbox.
Mask of choice. I used two for a different effect.
Remember to Save often
Lets get started:
First off start by opening a new image 500 x 500 with a white background
Open a new Raster layer and apply a background colour as a new layer, I used #6c9d63.
Apply your mask of choice. I used a mask from giZZy, and another that I found somewhere but can no longer find online.
If you own this mask, please let me know so I can credit it correctly.
Open the Secret Garden Blue Rose and copy the tube and close the original. Reduce the flower by 30%. Copy and paste to your palette.
Open the Secret Garden Dust. Copy and paste to your palette, arrange where you like it.
Now go to Effects - Plugins - MuRa's Copies with the following settings.
Place elements on your tag where you like. I placed the gems strategically around the flower frame I created.
I merged them together and then multiplied twice. Close off the other two layers and select the first layer.
Using your picture tube tool, select a coloured or white twinkle of choice. Apply your tube where you want the gems to twinkle. Only do one or two.
Close off this layer and select the next layer. Do the same but apply the twinkle to alternate gems. Do the same for the third gems.
Paste your tube to your tag. Then apply the copyright. I used Pixelette to write the © on my tag.
Close off the tube layer and gems. Merge your bottom elements together, leaving the tube layer and the gems layers closed off.
Duplicate the tag back twice.
Unhide the tube layer and elements you want to be on top. Copy this layer twice.
Arange the tube layer to be on top of each tag back layer. Merge the elements and tube layers together.
You now should have three layers in your layers palette.
Once your tag is merged with three final layers in the layer palette, add your name to the tag, applying to each layer.
Use a colour to compliment your tag. I used #17470d. Then applied a Gradient glow to the font as a final touch.
Save your tag in PSD format or if you dont want to animate, save as a JPG or PNG.
Now to animation shop. Open your tag in Animation Shop and select all frames. Go to Animation - Frame Properties - Set speed to 20. Now save your tag.
If you would like to animate your tag in Photoshop. Open your tag in PS.
Your screen should look like this.
On the bottom of your screen, you should have the Animation Frames showing. If these aren't showing. In the menu bar,
select Window and make sure there is a tick next to Animation. The Animation window should be at the bottom of your screen now if it wasn't before.
In the bottom right hand side of your screen there should be an arrow pointing down. Click on this
You will now see a box pop up as seen below. Select Make Frames From Layers.
Your tag will now appear in the bottom window in the amount of frames required.
Highlight all three or however many frames you have. Select the first frame, hold down your shift key and click the last frame.
Now click on the small arrow under the first frame. This will bring up the timing frame to select the speed of your animations.
Once you have selected the timing you like, I have selected 2.0 which is 2 seconds per frame. Click on the first frame again.
Now go up to File - Save for Web & Devices. Select the settings shown below.
On the bottom of this screen you will see a play button. Click this to see if your animation is slow enough or fast enough.
Once you have the speed right. Click Save. This will save your tag with animations.
You are now finished.
Thank you for trying my tutorial.
This tutorial was written by me on January 8th 2011.
Any resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental.
©Fi_Devil Tutorials
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text:
- Description
The Akorner XL offers the same trademark elegance and excellent sound quality as the Podium XL, but in a convenient corner-fitting unit. Manufactured using the same 40mm thick solid hardwood plinths and 46mm² legs, it's as sturdy and strong as our full Podium range.
As with all our products, each rack is individually handmade in our workshop with a modular design which can be adapted with new tiers or different leg lengths as you change or add to your AV equipment over time.
Pair with the optional cable management system (from £85) that keeps your TV and other AV cables tucked away tidily and safely.
Key Features:
Modular construction - add new tiers and change leg lengths as your system grows and changes
Choice of 5 hardwoods: Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Cherry or Maple
Choice of 2 Oak finishes: Black or White
Maximum 150kg load per tier.
Removable, solid 46mm hardwood legs for future expansion.
Any leg length available at no extra cost.
Choose from matching or black legs.
Isolating spikes with matching floor protectors are included. Available in stainless steel or black
Customisable - this rack can be any width or depth you require
External (WxD): 1100x400mm
Internal (WxD): 988x400mm
Rear Internal Width: 648mm
Important notes:
Don't forget that the leg length includes the isolation spike.
If adding optional isolation plinths and cable management, remember these are made in 22mm thick oak. This is available in the following stains: natural, black, white, cherry, walnut or mahogany. Please note that the stains will not be an exact match to the other solid hardwoods.
This rack can be bolted rather than spiked. If you require this, please state in the comments box as the checkout.
- Additional Information
Width 1100 mm Depth 400 mm No. of Tiers 3 Hardwood Cherry