“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments, and the tendency of people to disparage statistics that do not support their positions.

The term is part of a phrase attributed to the 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, among others, and later popularized in the United States by, among others, Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The phrase is not found in Disraeli’s works nor is it known within his lifetime and for years afterward. Many coiners have been proposed. The most plausible, on current evidence, is Charles Wentworth Dilke (1843-1911).

In the business of marketing, the first stage is to look for data that would be in alignment with the PURPOSE. It is not an effort at ascertain the “FACTS”, for the sake of  arriving at the “TRUTH”. The purpose colours one’s collection of data, interpretation and the formulation of the hypothesis and final presentation as the TRUTH. Many business consulting agencies have cropped up proffering advice to its clients, and such “Advice”  becomes the bedrock of the Company’s strategy. The latest assault carried out by Gillette in the marketing of its shaving products follows the above mentioned path. TIMES OF INDIA, dated 25/11/09 (Bangalore Edition) has front-paged the following news item.

A survey was carried out by AC Nielsen and Gillette Mach III and it was reported that Indian women in the metro cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkatta and Patna praised actors Shah Rukh Khan and Shahid Kapoor in clean shaved faced looks. Only 8 % of the women said that they loved Shah Rukh Khan’s unshaven look in “Chak De India.”

In the report, Patna has been included in the list of METRO CITIES of India. This is the first time that i am intimated that Patna has become a METROPOLITAN city!!! Besides this glaring non-factual assertion, the report generalizes the “PREFERENCE OF INDIAN WOMEN.”  If they had left out Madras, i’d have been happy. I know for a fact that Shah Rukh Khan is not a celebrity in Chennai as much as even the second grade Actors and Actresses of the Thamizh cinema,  leave alone the big names like Rajnikanth , Kamal Haasan, Surya, Dhanush, Simbu etc. In the list mentioned above except for Surya and Dhanush all the other  actors sport a moustache. To bring in Shah Rukh Khan into the assessment in Chennai is ill-fitting to the core.

WHAT WOMEN WANT, is a package deal. Women using their influence subsequent to the acquisition of a boy-friend/husband could always influence the man to doff or don a mooch. It is not that important, that the mooch is an integrally inalienable part of the chosen  man. It is AT WILL that it could be removed or sported.

I see this whole exercise by AC Nielsen and Gillette Mach III as nothing but CHERRY PICKING of the sampling lot by AC NIELSEN to support the business of its client Gillette! I reproduce herebelow the stated objectives of AC NIELSEN from its own company profile available in the internet:-

Our full range of modelling & analytical services integrate information from multiple sources and transform data into strategic insights and tactical recommendations. Data sources include detailed retail measurement information, consumer purchasing information, media measurement information, customised research and virtually any other source that can be quantified from a client’s own or other external sources.

These recommendations given to their clients get bandied about as TRUTHS, and even become the pillars of the arguments of some half-baked TRUTH SEEKERS.

The statistical data collected, collated, analyzed and disseminated as TRUTHS are nothing but the lowest  for of LIES, as DISRAELI had so rightly said more than a century back. Only a JEW could have said that. A Mark Twain could have popularized it, in the American tradition, but it is the JEW who himself is surrounded by the LIE MANUFACTURING Caiaphases who could have been this perceptive in distilling the essential TRUTH.

Let us look at the whole assertion logically. Would GILLETTE have gained if AC NIELSEN had come up with a report that bearded and moustached individuals fared better with the fair sex? I suppose not. Therefore buttress a pre-desired objective with half-baked REPORTS and use the money muscle to get them published in the Newspapers.

TRUE EDUCATION IS ALSO TO DISTINGUISH FACTS FROM DATA, AND SEE THE MIND OF THE HANDS THAT FEED THE CONSULTING AGENCIES!!

In the light of the recent Channel 4 documentary on Britain’s “Israel Lobby”, Professor Geoffrey Alderman writes on CIF Watch about British anti-Semitism and Britain’s only Jewish Prime Minister, who believed in Jesus, in order to illustrate a point.

Alderman writes:

In 1876 Bulgarian Christians rebelled against their Ottoman oppressors. Tsar Alexander II determined to exploit this crisis to further Russian influence in south-east Europe. Benjamin Disraeli, the British prime minister, determined to stop him. At a peacemaking congress held in Berlin in 1878 Disraeli sided with Muslim Turkey against Christian Russia, and made it clear that he would only agree to recognise the independence of Bulgaria, along with Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro, if the Christian (and pro-Russian) leaders of these countries agreed to recognise and respect the rights of minorities – in particular Jewish minorities.

The anger of Disraeli’s arch-rival, William Ewart Gladstone, knew no bounds. “I deeply deplore [he proclaimed] the manner in which what I may call Judaic sympathies … are now acting on the question of the East.”  Because, of course, Disraeli, though then a Christian, had been born a Jew and had never ceased to advertise and be proud of his Jewish origins. Gladstone decided to make political mischief out of this fact. He – and a group of leading intellectuals and socialists – jumped eagerly upon an anti-Semitic bandwagon: Jewish interests, they alleged, were undermining British politics and subordinating British interests to international Jewry’s Jewish preoccupations.

Alderman is right to mention the Jewish identity of those Jews who believe in Jesus, and right to mention that discrimination against them is often anti-Semitism.

Posted by Yeze.

“How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence.”  -Benjamin Disraeli

“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.”  -Linda Solegato

“You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.” -Abraham Lincoln

Lately I have gotten my hands dirty with the art of gardening.  We have two huertos here at the albergue, one smaller one in which the kids and Susannah, one of the volunteers, do much of the work, and a  larger one that is handled more so by one of the workers (Marcos) and myself.  We have an assortment of plants, from tomatoes and lucuma, to lettuce, cilantro, and pepinillo!

At first gardening just bugged me because it seemed like its only component was weeding the soil; not the most exciting part of your day.  But then it revealed itself as more detailed and delicate, and I have since realized it as an intrinsically beautiful process.  Each plant has its own specific needs and requires a particular type of care.  For example, something I recently did was help set up an apparatus so that our pepinillo plants could grow vertically.  Another example:  I constructed a sort of shield for various avocado plants.  And of course, the watering must be monitored, along with fumigation, nutrient intake, and freedom from weeds.

But the benefits one reaps from gardening are numerous.  Besides from the physical and economical advantages (and not to mention the quality of the fruit and vegetables), there is an internal blossoming that occurs inside the gardener.   The process of tending to the land, caring for it, monitoring it, and seeing the joyous result of the fruit of the labor (chiefly the work of the earth) evokes a desire to continue in this inherently glorious undertaking.  Just as the plants are on their way to maturation, a seed has been planted inside of me and a love for gardening is being cultivated.

It really is a bit uncanny the process of gardening because it is a delicate, internal joy one receives, as if it unlocks something deep inside of you.   I believe that God created us as well as the plants and animals.  We were created by Him the Creator.  Therefore, perhaps when we lend our hands in growing these plants, we access another trait of the Creator who formed us.

Gardening can certainly be likened to our interaction and hearts for the children here.  We try to train them, discipline them, provide for them and love them so that they grow up well, and we see the progress bit by bit.  Recently I’ve begun to tutor an 11-year old boy named Samir.  Samir is smart kid that has some issues with exerting himself and anger.  He also is a very closed person in that he has a hard time accepting love and believing that people want the best for him.  He and I usually start things off with some sort of recreational activity, move onto his homework, occasionally do a little pleasure reading, and then close in prayer.  The first time with him was very tough, as he didn’t want to cooperate and just shut down.  However, praise God, our time together has been developing, and though my hope is that our relationship deepens, we enjoy more quality time together, he’s generally happier, his behavior has improved, and he’s been doing better in school.  Just like a plant, the fruit can be seen bit by bit.  However, there is still a long way to go, and I would appreciate keep us in your prayers.

It’s no coincidence we can learn a lot from plants.  Jesus also talks about them quite a bit, including in His explanation of the parable of the sower and abiding in Him as He is the true vine.

I’d like to share with you an anecdote that serves as another example of growing up.  Recently Marita, an energetic and rambunctious girl here, slammed a door in her casita, and Rosario, a sprightly housemate of Marita’s, happened to be right by.  Well, Rosario was left with a significant cut on the eye brow and had to go to a clinic to get stitches.  However, her brother Pedro bubbled with wrath as a result of this accident and frankly wanted to knock Marita out.  I talked with him that night and he was running on strict emotion, his anger taking the driver’s seat.  Thank God, he didn’t go after her, and the next day I got to have a good conversation with him.  He no longer wanted to hit her, and we talked about how anger can overcome you.  I empathized with him, sharing that I’ve experienced the same flooding sensation of fury, and we talked about how Jesus wants us to offer the other cheek instead of hitting back.  It was amazing to converse with him about an important subject and see the night and day change in him from less than 24 hours before.  He even expressed that this albergue is a blessing.  Pedro has a good heart that is blossoming, and it is in moments like these that you see the fruits of the labor being done here at Hogar de Esperanza.

That’s it for this post folks!  Please keep us all here in your thoughts and prayers, we are always in need of the latter!

And of course, enjoy some photos!

Istnieją trzy rodzaje kłamstw: kłamstwa, okropne kłamstwa, statystyki.

“I Feel An Unusual Sensation- If It’s Not Indigestion, I Think It Must Be Gratitude.”- Benjamin Disraeli

Follow Me On Twitter   Browse The Blog    Yesterday’s Words

In honour of halloween, if I am arsed by then, I will go paint the town red dressed as the Victorian Disraeli. Or Byron. That in mind, here’s a theme song for the weekend from Brixton house duo, Basement Jaxx, from their latest album “Scars”. It’s their latest single, “My Turn” featuring Dev ‘Lightspeed Champion’ Hynes in a mindblowing, aural and visual explosion of a video helmed by Tomek Ducki.

Don’t you just love hearts and labourer bears darling?

Nothing is so irretrievably missed as daily opportunity” [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach].

Today’s going to be a big day for you!  Are you ready?

In a minute!  There are clothes to iron and floors to mop and carpets to sweep and dishes to wash.

Seriously!  As soon as I write this note and clean the desk and pay this bill.

Can’t you see I’m busy?  The dog needs walked and the lunches need packed and the account needs balanced.

Can you call back?  My show is on. It’s time to exercise. The weeds need pulled. I have baking to finish.

Can this wait? I need to run to the store and check my email and return a call.

And at some point . . .
today’s opportunity tires of the excuses,
stops knocking,
and walks down the street.

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes” [Benjamin Disraeli].

Are you ready for your opportunity to arrive today? It may blow in like a hurricane or sit hesitantly in the corner. It could arrive through a friend or be tossed your way by a foe.  Comforting news or a tragic report. Family member or stranger.  Headline or classified. Email or telephone call.

It is your chance to put your courage to the test, show your strength, be compassionate, think creatively, solve problems, devise solutions, lend a hand, speak your mind, take a stand, believe you can.

Don’t miss it — your opportunity is on the way and “nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity” [H. Jackson Brown, Jr.].

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna

]]> http://directoryofquotes.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/quotes-on-life-30/ Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:40:15 +0000 Chitraparna http://directoryofquotes.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/quotes-on-life-30/

We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.

- Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli
Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.

I have been rather remiss with my responsibilities in blogging, so far as I have been too immersed reading a book by Richard Aldous, “The Lion and The Unicorn”- an interesting account of the utterly intoxicating relationship between William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli under the setting of Victorian England at its peak. As I was perusing the internet however, it would be rather inappropriate if I didn’t share this find from Slate, a Magnum photo essay detailing vivid red dresses and clothes in full splendour and colourful pageantry.

Notwithstanding my passionate devotion to Liverpool and a seemingly kitsch tolerance for fellow Red Chris De Burgh’s well…”Lady In Red”, I have always been fascinated by girls dressed in red, especially in proper cloaks or as today’s fashion would suggest, red hoodies. Whether it may be in an Argentinian tango clothed in wine and another dancer in red or a Sunday morning in a New York street, my attention has always been captured, enraptured by red clothing. Even in  my dreams, I have always been haunted by a lady in a red cloak, chasing stars underneath a fantastic sky (I have even painted a picture of it- see below). I don’t know- perhaps as my name suggests, I have always been a wolf, teased by and teasing at the same time, a distant muse in red.

A painting I did as a cover for a long missing book of short stories I wrote.

Anyway, here it is:

http://todayspictures.slate.com/20090930/

Title: The Founding
Author: vvj5
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 475
Characters: Queen Victoria, Benjamin Disraeli
Setting / Era: Victorian London

I should definitely apologise for this – a short daft, fic featuring no canon characters by me. But it definitely counts as historical. Want to know how on earth Queen Victoria set up a secret government agency? Here’s my take…

The source of the phrase “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics,” is unknown although American author Mark Twain and British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, among others have been cited. Wikepedia has a nice entry on the phrase itself for anyone interested.  I think the phrase needs a revival, just in terms of its use as applied to discussions about health care reform.  No matter what one’s opinion on how to, or even if the country should reform our health care system, somewhere in their argument you most likely find statistics.  These statistics will be assumed to be false by people holding an opposite opinion, even if the statistics point to some truth that ought to be considered in our national discussion.

Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee rejected not one, but two proposals by votes of 15-8 and 13-10 to put a Public Health Insurance Option into legislation under consideration. Their reasoning: a government run plan would pose too much of a threat and too much competition to the private sector.  Say what?

All I could think of was the phrase “Lies, Damn Lies…” and this cartoon:

The claim that a public health insurance option will ruin private insurance is bogus.  It’s a smoke screen and a straight out lie to allow for-profit insurance companies to keep a monopoly on an industry that is completely broken and puts profit above people’s needs.  The people who would most benefit from a public insurance option are people least likely to vote and show up at town hall type meetings, because they are too busy working to keep a roof over their heads and so resigned to a government and a society that won’t help them and doesn’t care about them that they don’t spend what little time they do have to themselves fighting corporations such as health insurance companies.

Take note of this report on NPR (a public media outlet that hasn’t put private media out of business):

Of the 100 congressional districts with the highest percentage rates of uninsured people, 53 are represented either by Republican lawmakers who are fighting the overhaul, or by conservative Blue Dog Democrats who have slowed down and diluted the overhaul proposals.

One leader of the Blue Dog effort is Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, the coalition’s chief health care negotiator. His 4th Congressional District covers southern Arkansas, a rural area with a high poverty rate. In his district, more than one out of five residents under age 65 lacks health insurance. That’s 30 percent higher than the national average.

Health care proposals from the White House and House Democratic leaders aim to help the uninsured in several ways. One possibility is a “public option” — that is, a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. It would be financially self-sustaining, while giving the uninsured a low-priced alternative to the private companies, and shaking up the near-monopoly that insurance companies enjoy in places like rural Arkansas.

But in June, Ross and the Blue Dog Coalition held up the House bill for two weeks. They wanted the measure to promote co-ops instead of a public option, an approach that more liberal lawmakers dismiss as unworkable.

In his public appearances, Ross speaks passionately about the need for a health care overhaul. Last month, he told a town hall meeting in Arkadelphia, Ark., “I was negotiating 10 hours a day with everybody from the president to the speaker to the majority leader to the chairman of the committee. I wasn’t negotiating to kill the bill. I was negotiating to give us the kind of common sense health care reform that we need and that reflects Arkansas values.”

The meeting was a chance for Ross’ constituents to be heard. It ran well over the two-hour time limit, but mostly, there was only the familiar bickering about illegal immigrants and the role of government. Just three people without insurance asked questions.

“Many of those individuals who would need a public health care option are those who are not likely to be able to take two hours out of their day to go to a public event like that town hall,” says Kevin Motl, a history professor at Ouachita Baptist University who attended the meeting. “They were too busy earning hourly wages and trying to keep roofs above their children’s heads. Those voices are not going to be present in that discourse.”

Why has the Sunflower Chalice turned into a blog on health care reform lately? A couple of reasons: A week doesn’t go by that I don’t hear another story about how our health care system is failing someone I know personally, causing  physical and financial hardship, not to mention the emotional and spiritual cost that I sometimes know about and sometimes don’t know about.  This doesn’t even take into account what I deal with as a minister of a congregation.  Another reason is that, this year, as last, I am going to be spending time blogging about some matters of the spirit on another website, this one connected to a new adult lifespan religious education program in my congregation, as well as another spirituality blog about my experience in spiritual direction (that I am writing anonymously).

“Hey, Silvio, look at Jerry here, prancing around in his coat with his purse. Yup, he’s a dandy. He’s a real fancy boy.”
- Cosmo Kramer

Anyone else  underwhelmed by the Sartorialist book when they acually had the damned thing in their hands rather than floating on a screen surrounded by hyperbolic promo blurb? Are Scott and the majority of the book’s male subjects the 21st century incarnation of a dandy? As elegant as these character are, things done changed. Buoyed by the impending Seinfeld ‘non’ reunion and deflated by the diminutive stature of said tome, the concept of dandyism has been on my mind.

The approach to elegance isn’t quite as extreme as it should be. I was first introduced to the notion of a dandy in his more fantastical sense when I was handed an archaic Terry’s chocolate box filled with cigarette cards. For the uninitiated, the act of smoking in the UK was once enlivened by the addition of themed cards in sets of, say, fifty – like cancer-causing Pokemon.

Themes could range from cricketers of the time, to planes to historical matters. The box contained at least a whole tumour’s worth of completed subjects. There’s a certain brilliance in such crude attempts to add extra value to cigarette purchases. If the nicotine didn’t grab you, the collector mentality would.

My childhood favourite was a set from 1932 entitled ‘Dandies’ from the Player’s cigarette brand – I can only imagine that other more pertinant subjects were already covered, hence the slightly more offbeat choice of topic. I was mesmerised by the collection of cards that appeared to depict little more than a bunch of men dressed like idiots. But the images are superb. Mainly because someone (the mysterious C. Clark) was clearly commissioned to paint each subject. Nowadays, were such items allowed, it would be an afternoon on Photoshop or a photographic approach…actually, let’s face it, the glory of an item like this set is its labour-intensive nature.

Paintings plus concise copy on the rear of each card? It’s got to take time. With dandies presented through the centuries in all their finery, there’s clearly points when the magnitude of the task created limitations – there’s some fictional characters thrown in, like ‘Pickwick Papers’ characters, and when desperation struck, some scenarios have been added in lieu of a specific historical figure – possibly fictional.

I’m particularly fond of the ‘A Dandy To The Last’ card, where a foppish character requests that an executioner doesn’t get fingermarks on his cravat before he meets his maker. That’s sartorial commitment.

But what was their purpose? Were they there as the antidote to the grey UK between world wars? Were they intended as figures of mockery by a working class consumer, or were they aspirational characters at the time, in contrast to the difficulties of the era. In the case of the scarf preoccupied chap heading to his doom, it’s about as extreme an example of clean living in difficult circumstances as I’ve ever seen.

Given the state of the nation back then, what, regardless of historical context would seem like a lot of work for something so disposable, just seems totally gratuitious. Which in a lot of ways reflects the attitude of characters depicted, meaning that, thematically, all that presumed toil makes a certain sense.

It’s a shame that because it ends its timeline at the end of the 19th century (with a Pearly King and Queen), the next generation of dandys like aviator and sharp dresser Alberto Santos-Dumont who helped add a spot of refinement to dandyism at the turn of the 20th century never get a look in. But if someone instigated a follow up like Topps sequel ‘Mars Attacks’ cards with ‘Dinosaurs Attack’, who’d be ripe for inclusion? I don’t think Schuman’s mob would be in the running, but these chaps certainly might be.

]]> http://clancycross.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/daily-quotes-919/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:06:58 +0000 Clancy Cross http://clancycross.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/daily-quotes-919/

“Action may not always bring happiness but, there is no happiness without action.” Benjamin Disraeli (1804- ), British politician, novelist, essayist.

]]> http://unclerave.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/sunday-cryptoquote-spoiler-092009/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:28:35 +0000 unclerave http://unclerave.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/sunday-cryptoquote-spoiler-092009/

“Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much are the three pillars of learning.“   — Benjamin Disraeli

I think that pain and suffering go more towards building character, than to learning.  Suffering greatly tends to obscure objectivity, which can only hinder true learning. —   YUR

How fair is a garden amid the toils and passions of existence. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

In case you were wondering, yes, we will be open this Saturday, September 5 from 12 noon-3pm. 

We’ll be baking delicious cookies and delightful garlic & sea salt gluten free breadsticks.  

Our new and improved front door even has an open sign that appears during retail hours.  It’s a smallish sign, but definitely says OPEN. 

A large and flashing neon message board/open sign will be installed soon, weather permitting.

Because the front door can be difficult to open, here are some tips that may help -

How to open front door

• Turn doorknob to left.
• Pull door to open.
• Try again.  The door sometimes sticks.
• The secret of success is constancy to purpose.  ~ Benjamin Disraeli

-Linda

I will not go down to posterity talking bad grammar.

—Benjamin Disraeli

I never deny; I never contradict; I sometimes forget.

—Benjamin Disraeli

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.

—Benjamin Disraeli

Olen aloittanut loman jälkeiset työt valmistelemalla koulutusta, jossa pohditaan tulevien  yrittäjien kanssa yrittäjyyden arvoja ja etiikkaa. Aiheen valmistelu nykäisi minut miettimään omaa työskentelyäni ja sen tarkoitusta. Jo aikanaan Benjamin Disraeli pysäytti minut. Hän nimittäin on todennut viisaasti, että suurin hyvä, minkä voit tehdä toiselle, ei suinkaan ole rikkauksien jakaminen hänen kanssaan. Se on hänen omien rikkauksiensa paljastaminen hänelle itselleen.

Mikä onkaan  sen parempi ohjenuora koulutushommissa ja työnohjauksessa – vaan miten vastuullista ja vaikeaakin se välillä on. On osattava luopua omasta tähteydenkaipuusta ja siitä, että voisi loistaa estradilla omilla oivalluksilla. On osattava asettaa nuo oivallukset taustalle työvälineiksi. Niin ihanaa kuin kaltaiselleni suulaalle ihmiselle onkin  kertoa tarinoita ja avata aiheita esimerkein, niin se ei saa muodostua sisällön pääasiaksi.  Minun tehtäväni on kiteyttää ja kirkastaa aihetta sen verran, että osallistuja saa riittävästi evästä omaan pohdintaan ja kulloinkin käsittelyssä olevien teemojen työstöön.  Pääsee siis kaivamaan esille omia aarteitaan, joista minulla ei on vain kalpea aavistus, jos sitäkään. On myös muistettava, että ajattelu tarvitsee tilaa. Se tarvitsee virkistäviä ja mieltä avaavia kysymyksiä. Parhaimmillaan voin olla katalysaattori, joka pistää osallistujan prosessin liikkeelle.  Osallistuja on siis se todellinen tähti.  Koska olemme täällä toisiamme varten, tehdään toisistamme tähtiä ja autetaan aarteiden löytämisessä!

“You will never go any higher than you thinking.”
- Benjamin disraeli