Eng Vs. USA = DRAW, ITV = FAIL

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Michael

England have made a mediocre start to their world cup campaign with a draw with the USA at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg.

Our new captain, the paragon of virtue that is Steven Gerrard, opened England’s account in the Rainbow Nation, with a cracking 4th minute goal, which unfortunately I missed, but I will tell you about that later. Rob Green had a howler allowing Clint Dempsey to score an equaliser in the 40th minute.

England had a very good first half, every time we got forward, we looked like we could score, and  frankly by half time we should have had 3, the Yanks back line looked very confused, almost like they had never played with other before, but we failed to convert those chances to goals, I personally think we should have started with Crouch rather than Heskey, then maybe we would have gotten some of those goals. When Crouch came on, he began to have a impact, but he didn’t have enough time to turn the game around. Don’t get me wrong Heskey had a good game, but he is not a great striker, but might be better redeployed into a midfield role.

In the second half, our midfield fell apart, there was a lack of disipline and professionalism there, Carragher and Gerrard began to resort to thug tactics, very rough tackles and picked up yellow cards, and kept risking getting a second and reducing us down to 10 men. The midfield really let us down today, we missed Gareth Barry and Joe Cole, who really should have been playing today.

Rooney looked a bit lost, when he plays for Manchester United, he knows he has Scholes and Valencia looking to give him a good ball. But tonight he looked like a loner, Gerrard, Lampard & Wright-Phillips didn’t even looked up to pass him the ball. How frustrating. We have the world’s best centre forward and he can’t weave his magic because of the poor midfield. But he still got a few chances that almost got past Howard, if we can just get the supply to him right, then he will score some crackers.

And as for Lampard and Gerrard, why oh why can they not play together, its madness. Aaron Lennon had a really good game setting up two very good chances, one for Heskey and one for Lampard, and for me, he was my man of the match.

Personally I would drop Gerrard as captain, I have never rated him as Liverpool captain. He is too aggressive and a thug, he is a very poor captain. For me John Terry should never have had the armband removed, and this shows why he needs to be reinstated. He was able to control the team and kept them well disciplined, and at the same time, I never, ever, want to see Lampard and Gerrard playing together for England again. We have gone for years seeing how they simply cannot play together, they have no chemistry, and just don’t understand how the other plays.

Lets be honest, England played well individually, but didn’t play as well as a team, particularly in midfield, and I think our drop in performance compared to our qualification campaign is mostly down to John Terry no longer having the armband, and whilst I could make excuses for us in the warm-up games, I can’t make excuses this time. But at the same time, the USA are no longer the minnows they once were, the MLS, and the way its run has really helped the USA develop a very good generation of players. The development of what they call “soccer-specific stadium” and reasonable wages encouraging the development 0f local talent and if they keep it up the USA can develop into one of the strongest teams in the world.

Well for fans of omens, will know that in 2006, Italy started out with a 1-1 draw against the USA, and in 1966, we drew our first game with Uruguay, so you never know.

ITV = FAIL

As for ITVs coverage, well what a disaster, I am lucky enough to have a HD Satellite box, so I was really looking forward to watching the world cup in HD. Well this game was shown on ITVs newly launched ITV1 HD channel, and 4 minutes into the game, it cut to a Hyundai advert and came back with an SD picture, where we were able to see Gerrards goal celebration!!! See below:-

What a disaster, it did switch back to HD for about 7 minutes and then resumed SD again for the rest of the match. A very very poor performance, and the apology was terrible, Adrian Chiles apologised for some interruptions, I would hardly call having an ad break just as England score thier first goal of the World Cup an interruption, I would calling its a disaster. But what can we expect from a lowbrow channel like ITV?

ITV have the next England game, so lets hope they sort this out for next time.

Come on England!

Michael

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Greenwashing

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Michael

As part of my personal challenge to live a more ethical life, I have found that one area where I can really have a big impact is the way I wash my clothes, the choice of detergent, fabric softener, temperature of the wash, etc.

Biological Detergents

Fifty years ago, the laundry detergents we used, caused rivers to froth up with soapsuds and the massive amounts of potassium caused huge algal blooms, which used up all the oxygen in the rivers killing the fish and plants that would normally have lived there. But the industry got wise and these days its no longer a problem, there is a lot of emphasis placed on biodegradability, so any off the shelf products is pretty eco-friendly.

One of the major controversy’s with laundry detergents is the use of enzymes in biological laundry detergents, enzymes are catalysts which are often called natures miracle workers, because they help to break stuff down. Think back to the basic biology experiment that all British children taking their GCSEs do with salivary amylase, where they study the factors influencing the rate by which salivary amylase hydrolyses starch into disaccharide maltose.

Anyway enzymes are great in laundry detergents as they allow the breakdown of dirt and stains at lower temperatures than would otherwise be possible, in fact using them in temperatures above 40°C, will cause the enzymes to become denatured and the detergents become ineffective. Brilliant, well you would think anyway, but unfortunately there are a lot of people, particularly here in the UK, who are foolish enough to think that enzymes are unnatural and blame them for various aliments from respiratory problems to eczema! Now science says otherwise, in fact in May 2008, there was a brilliant article published in the British Journal of Dermatology that said:-

“ultimately, the balance of all the enzymes in laundry detergents are not a cause of either skin irritation or skin allergy … the supposed adverse effects of enzymes on the skin seem to be a consequence of mythology”

Now you would think that would put the matter to bed, but unfortunately it does not, there are still a mass of silly people who constantly blame biological detergents for any and all skin problems under the sun, and consequently purchase non-bio detergents which need to be washed at a higher temperature, using more energy! The most ironic thing of all is that the enzymes are harvested from micro-organisms such as bacteria, they are perfectly natural!

Concentration

The next biggest factor in my choice of detergent is the concentration of the product, the more concentrated the product is, the less you need to use for a single wash, and therefore there is less waste, less packaging and less CO2 emissions from transport.

Up until recently the most concentrated products were liquid tablets, which came in dissolvable packets, and powder tablets, but in the past couple of years, there have been “small & mighty” super concentrated liquids and gels, both of which are extremely concentrated.

Surfactant

Surfactants are an essential ingredient in laundry detergent, and they work by lifting the dirt off the clothes and stop it settling back down again. When I was at school we were taught about how surfactants, were badly affecting frogs and causing them to die.

Once again the detergent industry has changed, and now uses a more biodegradable surfactant, but that’s also a big problem, generally that surfactant is palm oil. The bulk of the palm oil we use comes from vast plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, an awful lot of it is provided by a company called Sinar Mas, which is responsible for destroying lush rainforest that was once home to tigers, elephants, butterflies and most significantly the Sumatran orangutan, which is now on the verge of extinction thanks to our massive use of palm oil in products such as chips, lipstick, shampoo, chocolate, soap, ice cream and laundry detergents to name just a few.

The palm oil industry is trying to develop ways to farm it in a sustainable matter, thanks to pressure from groups like Greenpeace, but progress is slow, but large companies like Unilever and Kraft do seem to be keen to address the problem. But they could do with a kick up the bum to get them to do it quicker!

Some Like It Hot

80% of the CO2 emissions of doing our laundry is the result of the actual use of the washing machine, and much of this is the sheer amount of energy it takes to heat the water. During my lifetime, the recommended temperature for washing clothes has fallen from 90°C, to 60°C, then to 40°C, and these days 30°C is considered best. Much of this is due to improvements in laundry detergents as well as mass adoption of biological detergents, and today some of the super concentrated liquids and gels will work at 15°C cold washes, which means that there would be no need to heat the water at all.

My Choice

So what do I use, well, I have a criteria when buying my laundry detergent, and it goes like this:-

  • biological
  • highest concentration
  • packaging containing a high proportion of recycled materials and that can be recycled itself
  • sustainable surfactant
  • ability to wash at a low temperature
  • cost

My personal choice would be the biological detergent made by Ecover, given the companies dedication to the environment, even going so far as to build a fantastic eco-friendly factory in Belgium. But its only available from Waitrose and their online delivery service Ocado, which means I have to go very much out of my way to get it. And the cost is well, high, its £5.69 for a bottle which will do 21 washes, and this is where my budget dictates my choice. Simply put, its a price I cannot afford to pay, so unfortunately I am unable to buy Ecover,

Many people recommend Bio-D and Faith in Nature, however, these detergents are not biological, and so need a higher temperature to work, they are as expensive as Ecover, and in my experience far less effective, due to the lack of enzymes.

So I make a compromise choice, I buy Surf Small & Mighty, I know its made by Unilever who are a big evil company, and it has palm oil from what is currently an unsustainable source. However its highly concentrated, which means you need less, there is less packaging and it needs fewer lorries to transport it to the stores, it packaging is also recyclable, and it is very good at a 15°C cold wash. It costs about £5.51 for a 1.47l bottle which will do 42 washes, so its friendly on the wallet as well.

Its defiantly a compromise choice, if my bosses ever decided to give me a nice payrise

(highly unlikely), I would be buying Ecovers detergent.

Other Stuff

When it comes to fabric conditioner its another story altogether, Ecovers conditioner is quite affordable at £3.00 for a 1l bottle, and that goes quite a good way, plus our lovely Riverford delivery folks, Ian & Gwen refill a 1l bottle for £2.50, saving me a little money and also reusing the bottle. We used to use Tesco Naturally Fabric Conditioner, which was Tescos own brand Ecover knock-off, it had a nice smell, and was equally as recyclable, and at £1.00 for a 750ml bottle, it was very good value. But my issue with it was that it was a cop-out by Tesco, it was one line out of many that was eco-friendly, so why couldn’t they all be?

Now when it comes to the really tough stains, my mother would have reached for bleach and all sorts of other harsh and nasty chemicals, but not me, no I reach for my trusty Ecover Stain Remover stick! To be honest I rarely use it, only when I get some serious dinner medals is it called upon, it was an impulse buy, when I was buying some of Traidcrafts Fairtrade rice from the One World Shop at the Church of St Thomas the Martyr.

As well as using products that are as eco-friendly as possible, we also try to make sure we only wash a full load for energy efficiency, wash on a 15°C cold wash, and when the weather is nice, we use solar energy to dry our clothes! Or in plain English, we put the laundry on the line rather than use the tumble dryer, and even in the nasty winter weather, we have a clothes horse!

And as for ironing, well ironing sucks, I mean it sucks on an epic level and wastes a lot of energy! So I don’t iron, I try to fold my clothes when I put them in the wardrobe, or hang them up, I fail miserably at it and my clothes are generally speaking pretty badly creased, but hey, at least its low energy!

So that is that, what a boring blog post eh!

God Bless

Michael

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Geek Porn!

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Michael

Yay Structural Tags in HTML5, Check out this filth!!!

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Another Pointless Michael Botterill Site</title>
</head>
<body>
<header>
<h1><a href=”#”>Summat cathcy that grabs your attention!</a></h1>
</header>
<nav>
<ul>
<li><a href=”#”>Home</a></li>
<li><a href=”#”>About</a></li>
<li><a href=”#”>Kittens</a></li>
<li><a href=”#”>Contact</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<section>
<article>
<header>
<h1><a href=”#”>Title</a></h1>
</header>
<section>
<p>Lorem ipsum…</p>
</section>
</article>
<article>
<header>
<h1><a href=”#”>Title</a></h1>
</header>
<section>
<p>Lorem ipsum…</p>
</section>
</article>
<article>
<header>
<h1><a href=”#”>Title</a></h1>
</header>
<section>
<p>Lorem ipsum…</p>
</section>
</article>
</section>
<footer>
<p>Copyright © 2009 Do Not Copy Sucka</p>
</footer>
</body>
</html>

Whoop!

Michael

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The Sandalwood Effect

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Michael

Being green is defiantly not easy, or at least that’s what I am finding when it comes to deodorant. And being a large man, I do tend to sweat a lot, so its quite important that I do use something to stop me smelling. In the past I have generally used Lynx, partly because I particularly liked the Africa version and partly because it was an easy and lazy option. But our council do not recycle the cans, so I have decided to hunt down a better, more eco-friendly alternative.

As well as that I also want to reduce the use of aluminimum on my skin, its often used in deodorants to block pores and I figure that this can’t really be all that good for me. Over the past couple of months, I have pretty much used up my entire supply of canned deodorants, there is still a half full can of Right Guard at work, but that’s only used on a rare occasion.

So I have several options as far as I can find, spray, powders, sticks, bar, roll-on & crystals. So far I have tried out a spray and a bar. The spray I purchased was from Body Shop, and cost £4.00, its not too bad actually, the fragrance isn’t fantastic, but it’s not terrible. It has lasted quite a while, but I do find myself having to spray 3 or 4 times a day, which can be a pain, but that could be down to me being a big fella. The bottle is plastic and fully recyclable it’s made with Peruvian maca root which is supposed to energise me, while helping boost vitality, not sure about that, but on a hot day it does help cool my skin down and is quite soothing on my skin.

The other option I have tried is a deodorant bar, in particular Aromarant which is sold by Lush for £4.00 per 100g. This one uses sodium bicarbonate to absorb odours and sandalwood to make me smell nice. Well it does smell nice and it seems to do an ok job of absorbing the sweat, my only negative comment would be that its not suitable to use when wearing white and it will leave some rather nasty looking brown marks on your shirt!

None of these options so far, feels, natural. Its hard to get used to not spraying on some Lynx, but my search is really just starting. I am not sure if either of these is right for me, I think I would be happy with them, but I think I need to explore some of the other options first. The problem I have with the two above, is that neither of them are actually antiperspirants, which in the summer months will be important.

I will keep looking and I will keep you updated with how my search is going, if you have any suggestions, they would also be greatly appreciated.

God Bless,

Michael

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Giving Unfair Trade a Grilling!

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Michael

Its been a glorious weekend here in Newcastle, unlike last year it really looks like we are going to have a barbeque summer! But is there a way to have a lovely barbeque and not feel guilty about the working conditions of the charcoal producers, well guess what there is.

Traidcraft & The Co-Op have teamed up to offer Fairly Traded instant barbeques, using FSC certified charcoal from Namibia, which has been produced from bushes and trees such as the acacia tree which is essentially a weed growing on farmland. By removing these trees the land can be used for agriculture, and the wood is baked in portable kilns, provided to the producers at no cost, and converted into charcoal.

This means that around 2000 producers, have got contracts, access to healthcare and education and are paid three times the national minimum wage in Namibia, and of course with the added Fairtrade premium the rest of the community will benefit.

Now in all fairness I must point out that these products don’t actually carry the Fairtrade mark, but this is because the Fairtrade Foundation and the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation have still to set standards for certifying charcoal. But given that this is Traidcraft and the Co-Op we are talking about, I think we can trust them.

Anyway you can pick these barbeques up as a three pack directly from Traidcraft for £7.99 or buy two for £4.00 from selected Co-Op food stores, go ahead, its well worth that little bit extra money, and you won’t feel guilty when you chomp on some burgers!

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Funtunfunefu-Denkyemfunefu

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Michael

So I was scoffing a lovely bar of Divine Chocolate, and noticed a nice little something in the wrapper. Wrappers of Divine Chocolate are covered in Adinkra symbols, traditional signs which symbolise virtues, folk talks, proverbs, animals and even historical events.

Inside the wrapper was a little explanation of one of the symbols used on the wrappers, its called Funtunfunefu-Denkyemfunefu, and it means “Democracy and unity in diversity”. A very Bahá’í concept, and something which I try to live my life by.

So when your picking a bar of chocolate, try and pick Divine, not only is it Fairtrade, but its also very Bahá’í inspired as well!

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Fair Kicks & Penne!

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Michael

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately but things have been really hectic, so I haven’t really had time to do much.

Anyway the change to a more ethical lifestyle is going really well, I recently used up all my old pasta and have now changed to Fairtrade Pasta from Traidcraft. Now its not cheap, a pack of Tesco own brand is around £1.00, but Traidcrafts Fairtrade Pasta is £2.09 from ethicalsuperstore.com, or if you buy it directly from Traidcraft it costs £10.50 for 6 bags which works out at £1.75 per bag of 500g.

Nicely enough the One World Shop inside the Chapel of St Thomas the Martyr sells individual packs for £1,75 saving me the postage costs, and also giving me an excuse to go for a walk, after all i really do need to lose some of the puppy fat! Anyway I got a couple of bags of Penne as its my favorite shape, I know it tastes the same but I like playing with the tube on my tongue!

What’s different about this pasta isn’t the wheat, its like most pasta made with durum wheat, and is made using a traditional method in Italy. What makes it different is the fact that 20% of it is made with Fairtrade quinoa from the Bolivian Andes.

Now quinoa is an interesting crop, it’s a traditional cereal grown on the high slopes of the Andes Mountains. Now unlike wheat or rice, quinoa is what’s called a complete protein, which means it contain all of the eight essential amino acids, in fact its pretty unique in the plant kingdom in that respect. This means that quinoa is perfect for veg*ns, as they can use it to make sure they are not lacking in any amino acids, which can be problem for some veg*ns. You may have heard it referred to as a ‘Supercrop’, the UN have even talked about using it to replace rice in emergency food aid as it could be far more effective at relieving hunger.

I must admit I was quite skeptical; I have never really tried quinoa once before at a music festival, but frankly it was dreadful. On reflection its quite possibly the fact that it had been standing for some time and had some many spices on it that my tongue felt like it had 3rd degree burns! But I was pleasantly surprised; it tastes just like normal pasta, and is extremely lovely. It might be expensive, but its a price worth paying especially as I know the extra money is going to really make a difference in someone else’s life. So I urge you to give it a try.

Kicks

Yesterday the postman brought me a wonderful item, a Fairtrade Football! Seriously, how great is that! Its fantastic I say. Footballs have long been considered a very unethical product, they are very labour intensive and often child labour is used.

The football I received is from ETHLETIC, who also make rugby balls, volleyballs, basketballs and netballs. The rubber they use is also FSC certified which makes it extra ethical. The ball I have normally costs £19.95, its nothing special as far as footballs go, but its a decent ball, a bit more expensive than a ball from a big brand, but the added bonus is that the extra money goes back to the workers who stitch these balls together by hand in Pakistan.

Over the past month or so with the World Cup rapidly approaching I have noticed footballs on sale in places like Tesco, Waitrose, The Co-Op etc, which is only natural, but all of these footballs have been quite cheap and are not Fairtrade, even the ones on the Co-Op. As well as that i live next to St James Park in Newcastle, and a quick peek in the club shop shows that none of their balls are Fairtrade either.

Ok I know its early days as far as Fairtrade footballs goes, but I think that it needs a high profile convert, either a Premiership club, which these days Newcastle are again, a national team, like England, or even a major tournament like the World Cup, Olympics or European Championship. If one of these makes the switch, I expect many of the rest will follow. Its too late for the World Cup, but maybe we should consider starting some sort of campaign, targeting a club or event to ask them to make the switch, to set an example.

Maybe the 2012 London Olympics would be perfect for this, what do you guys think, let me know.

Anyway, my footballs fate is to be used for the North East Bahá’í Summer School, and will then be donated to the local Bahá’í Junior Youth Group, who will certainly make better use of it than me!

God Bless

Michael

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Recipe:- Rastafarian Rice & Peas

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Michael

Rice & Peas is a traditional Rastafarian dish, though to really east rasta, that is to be ‘irie’, at one with nature, you shouldn’t use any additives or processed foods. Which should mean no canned beans, and defiantly no salt. True ‘ital’ cooking also shuns metal pans and utensils, this recipe would not be considered ‘ital’ by the strictest Rastafarians, but its still very nice.

Ingredients

  • 250g brown Rice
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon died thyme
  • 400g can black-eye beans, drained

Wash the rice well and place in a large saucepan with the coconut milk, thyme and 300ml of water.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Add the beans, season to taste and cook together for a further 10 minutes until the rice is tender.

Add the beans, season to taste and cook together for a further 10 minutes until the rice is tender.

Now just serve it up and enjoy!

Now just serve it up and enjoy!

Its absolutely lovely, very simply and easy to make. If you find it a bit bland, you can always flavour it with a bit of Reggae Reggae Sauce, which personally I think is the perfect way to eat this.

Bon Appetit

Michael

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Fairtrade – A Bahá’í Perspective from the Writings

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Michael

For Fairtrade Fortnight, my local Bahá’í Community used our monthly open evening to hold an event called “Fairtrade – A Bahá’í Perspective”. We invited along a guest speaker from Traidcraft who gave a wonderful presentation on what Fairtrade is and how it works.

After our lovely guest speaker gave her presentation, I gave mine, which was an exploration of how the writings of the Faith, support Fairtrade.

I won’t explain how it works, I doubt that I could explain it better than the Fairtrade Foundation, or Traidcraft could. But I will provide the writings I used (and some I didn’t) for the evening, I know its late, but I have finally gotten around to it in time for World Fairtrade Day which is on 8th May.

I have also made it available for download here.

We have heard exactly what Fairtrade is, but how does it work from the Bahá’í perspective, and how do the Writings support the case for it, in 1998 the Bahá’í International Community said:-

“The failure to place economics into the broader context of humanity’s social and spiritual existence has led to a corrosive materialism in the world’s more economically advantaged regions, and persistent conditions of deprivation among the masses of the world’s peoples. Economics should serve people’s needs; societies should not be expected to reformulate themselves to fit economic models. The ultimate function of economic systems should be to equip the peoples and institutions of the world with the means to achieve the real purpose of development: that is, the cultivation of the limitless potentialities latent in human consciousness.”

Bahá’í International Community, 1998 Feb 18, Valuing Spirituality in Development

The heart of what Fairtrade is all about is the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, which is a core principle of the Faith, Bahá’u'lláh taught us that economic injustice is a moral evil, in particular he wrote:-

“O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH!

The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.”

Bahá’u’lláh, The Persian Hidden Words No. 54

“O CHILDREN OF DUST!

Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth.”

Bahá’u’lláh, The Persian Hidden Words No. 49

“Be generous unto them whom ye find in manifest poverty. O ye that are possessed of riches! Take heed lest outward appearance deter you from benevolent deeds in the path of God, the Lord of all mankind.”

The Compilation of Compilations Volume I, p. 513

We Bahá’ís believe that productive work is a form of worship and Bahá’u’lláh instructs us to work:-

“Please God, the poor may exert themselves and strive to earn the means of livelihood. This is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed. “

Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 202

But he says “strive to earn the means of livelihood”, now an awful lot of the world live in poverty, because we won’t pay a little bit more for our tea, coffee, sugar etc., and these people are working and are trying to earn a livelihood. But because of our insatiable demand for cheaper and cheaper products, they are denied the ability to earn a fair income, and Fairtrade products look to redress that.

“They who are possessed of riches, however, must have the utmost regard for the poor”

Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 202

“Service to the friends is service to the Kingdom of God, and consideration shown to the poor is one of the greatest teachings of God.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 2

The human and material resources at our disposal must be used for the long-term good of all, not for the short-term advantage of a few. This can be done only if cooperation becomes the basis of organised economic activity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that cooperation gives life to society just as the life of an organism is maintained by the cooperation of the various elements of which it is composed:-

“…the base of life is this mutual aid and helpfulness, and the cause of destruction and non-existence would be the interruption of this mutual assistance. The more the world aspires to civilization the more this important matter of cooperation becomes manifest.”

Bahá’u'lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 108.

Fairtrade is about justice, its about fairness, so lets look at what the writings have to say about justice:-

“If thine eyes be turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee and cleave unto that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.”

Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 64

“O SON OF SPIRIT

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.”

Bahá’u’lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words No. 2

“And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u'lláh is justice and right. Until these are realized on the plane of existence, all things shall be in disorder and remain imperfect.”

`Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 290

As Fairtrade has a guaranteed price for the crops produced, so workers can be paid a wage which will allow them to support their families and plan for the future, `Abdu’l-Bahá said:-

“Workmen should receive wages which assure them an adequate support, and when they cease work, becoming feeble or helpless, they should receive from the owner of the factory a sufficient pension. The wages should be high enough to satisfy the workmen with the amount they receive, so that they may be able to put a little aside for days of want and helplessness.”

`Abdu’l-Bahá, Baha’i World Faith – `Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 281

Fairtrade also address how employers should treat their employees, clearly we do not want the people who work on the plantations where are tea is grown to be abused and given few if any rights. `Abdu’l-Bahá also spoke about labour rights, he was quite clear that disputes between employer and employee are not merely private matters, but affect the entire public, and thus laws and regulations should be put in place to protect all.

“The rights of the working people are to be strongly preserved”

`Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 43

One of the ways that Fairtrade helps to empower worker is through the establishment of co-operatives, something which `Abdu’l-Bahá alluded to when he said:-

“The owners of properties, mines and factories should share their incomes with their employees and give a fairly certain percentage of their products to their workingmen in order that the employees may receive, beside their wages, some of the general income of the factory so that the employee may strive with his soul in the work.”

`Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 43

“According to the divine law, employees should not be paid merely by wages. Nay, rather they should be partners in every work.”

Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha’u'llah and the New Era, p. 145

I will finish with a passage from `Abdu’l-Bahá in which he likens the whole earth to a single family, and personally I think this is what sums everything up just nicely

“Although the body politic is one family yet because of lack of harmonious relations some members are comfortable and some in direst misery, some members are satisfied and some are hungry, some members are clothed in most costly garments and some families are in need of food and shelter. Why? Because this family lacks the necessary reciprocity and symmetry. This household is not well arranged. This household is not living under a perfect law. All the laws which are legislated do not ensure happiness. They do not provide comfort. Therefore a law must be given to this family by means of which all the members of this family will enjoy equal well-being and happiness.

Is it possible for one member of a family to be subjected to the utmost misery and to abject poverty and for the rest of the family to be comfortable? It is impossible unless those members of the family be senseless, atrophied, inhospitable, unkind. Then they would say, “Though these members do belong to our family — let them alone. Let us look after ourselves. Let them die. So long as I am comfortable, I am honored, I am happy — this my brother — let him die. If he be in misery let him remain in misery, so long as I am comfortable. If he is hungry let him remain so; I am satisfied. If he is without clothes, so long as I am clothed, let him remain as he is. If he is shelterless, homeless, so long as I have a home, let him remain in the wilderness.”

Such utter indifference in the human family is due to lack of control, to lack of a working law, to lack of kindness in its midst. If kindness had been shown to the members of this family surely all the members thereof would have enjoyed comfort and happiness.”

`Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 38

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What is the Bahá’í view regarding politics?

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Michael

Bahá’ís take their civic responsibilities seriously and uphold the authority of established governments through loyalty and obedience to the laws of their country.

While participating in elections for their government, they abstain from partisanship, and so do not join political parties or factions.

Bahá’ís may serve their government in administrative posts but do not accept political appointments or run for elected office.

Such service reflects the practice within the Bahá’í community, which holds elections for its administrative councils that are entirely without nominations or campaigning.

God Bless

Michael

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