Acts 15. 5 - 11. Salvation.

5) Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7) After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9) He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11) No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Birdies In My Garden. (Well ... perhaps not.)

 

Buzzwords For Leftists. Know Them And Stay Informed.

Michael Deacon

How to speak woke: a glossary of the modern Left.

Your essential guide to all today’s hottest progressive buzzwords

This is everything you need to know Credit: Martin Pope/Getty Images

Have you ever wanted to be a Labour MP, Left-wing pundit or progressive activist? If so, you’ll need to learn the language first. Because, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, such roles entail the use of all manner of fascinating jargon.

Here, then, is your essential guide to the modern Left’s favourite words and phrases – and what they really mean.

Culture warrior. Anyone who attempts to resist, or even to question, Left-wing efforts to impose radical change on our culture. As in: “I’m sick of Right-wing culture warriors trying to claim that convicted rapists should not be placed in women’s prisons just because they’ve put on a pair of pink leggings and some lipstick.”

Diversity. Conformity. As in: “Here in the arts world, we think it’s vital to promote diversity. And that’s why all of us, regardless of our ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation or gender identity, hold identical opinions about every political issue.”

Divisive rhetoric. Any statement which is factually true but politically inconvenient. As in: “By informing the public that Afghan men are over 20 times more likely to commit sex crimes than British men, the Tories are engaging in the most appallingly divisive rhetoric.”

Dog whistle. Any mention of a subject that the Left a) doesn’t want to talk about, and b) thinks no one else should be allowed to talk about. As in: “Drawing attention to the rape of thousands of working-class girls in dozens of towns across Britain is a racist dog whistle.”

Genocide. Fighting back when someone starts a war with you. As in: “Israel is committing genocide. Just like the Allies committed genocide in the Second World War, by bombing Germany.”

Marginalised. Celebrated. As in: “Trans people are one of the country’s most marginalised groups. As you can tell from the fact that an LGBTQIA+ Pride festival is held somewhere in Britain almost every single weekend between February and November.”

Our communities. All communities except the British. As in: “The sight of a British person flying the British flag in a British town can be extremely distressing to our communities.”

Satire. Topical comedy which fearlessly holds the Government’s critics to account. As in: “Led By Donkeys produce the most brilliantly coruscating satire. It’s about time someone was brave enough to make fun of Liz Truss.”

Weaponising. The use of any fact which undermines the Left’s position. As in: “Nigel Farage is weaponising the murder of Henry Nowak by shamefully letting the public know that, in March 2025, the National Police Chiefs’ Council published a Police Anti-Racism Commitment which said officers should not treat everyone ‘the same’ or be ‘colour-blind’.”

Woman. Man.

Hmm. Maybe. But ...

 Should Britain copy Singapore’s crime crackdown?

 

Singapore has announced that any bus passenger blasting out music from his or her phone will be fined S$500 (£295). Quite right, too. But, while there is much to admire in Singapore’s famously stringent approach to tackling antisocial behaviour, I must confess that some of its laws puzzle me. Consider the following. If you fail to flush a public lavatory after use, you will be issued with an on-the-spot fine of S$150 (£89).

 

In principle, I support the authorities’ stance. But I do have one small question.

 

How exactly do they monitor this particular crime?

 

Do they, for example, station an armed guard inside every lavatory cubicle in the land, 24 hours a day, to check that each user in turn observes the correct flushing procedure, and immediately fine any who fail to do so? That would certainly add new meaning to the old Scottish expression “gardy loo”. Incidentally, imagine if that was your job.

 

“Evening, darling. Good day at work?”

 

“Not really, no.”

 

Alternatively, perhaps they use cameras. Deep inside every public building, crack security men surveil vast banks of screens, and occasionally bark: “Non-flusher in Cubicle 7! Send in the SWAT team!”

 

As I say, I don’t know the answer, because I’ve never been to Singapore. But now I think about it, maybe it’s best if I never do. Here in Britain, our buses may be bursting with obnoxious yobs. But at least, when you answer nature’s call, you can be reasonably sure that MI5 isn’t listening in.

War With Iran?

 

They were the unimaginably horrifying crimes the Iranian regime tried to hide from the world. The deadliest massacre of protesters in modern history saw tens of thousands of citizens beaten, shot and mutilated under the orders of the late Ali Khamenei. Between December 28 and January 9 it is estimated more than 30,000 people were slaughtered for daring to stand up to their leaders and demand a better life - free from the repression in which public executions, sexual violence and state surveillance were a daily occurrence.

This Blogger stated - after previous massacres - that he would support a war against this evil clique. There was a caveat. I stated that no war should be entertained as an idea UNLESS there was a clear intention TO WIN IT!

Well?

Opus Dei? - Oh Dear!

 https://www.dailymail.com/crime-desk/article-15826939/slave-Opus-Dei-endured-hell-trapped-secretive-Catholic-cult-Da-Vinci-Code.html?ico=top-stories-crimeDesk_desktop

Just The Sort Of Illegal Immigrant Our Nation Needs!

        228

Shocking moment migrant leaves child in the sea during horror Channel crossing.

Shocking video footage showed a man carrying a child into the water, only to abandon...

God's Promise.

Birdie.

 

How Did The Romans Lose Their Much Used Recipe For Concrete?

 The Romans lost the recipe for their durable concrete because the collapse of the Western Roman Empire ended large-scale monumental building projects, disrupting the informal oral traditions and mentorship chains that passed down specialized construction knowledge. 

Reasons for the Loss.

Decline of Imperial Funding: Without emperors funding massive public works, the demand for high-grade hydraulic concrete plummeted.

Disrupted Supply Chains: Builders outside of Italy lost access to crucial local materials, such as pozzolana (specific volcanic ash from the Bay of Naples), forcing them to use weaker substitutes like crushed brick.

Loss of Oral Tradition: Practical knowledge was shared through hands-on apprenticeship rather than precise step-by-step chemical manuals, meaning the techniques faded when building activity slowed.

RediscoveryWritten Records Found: The exact proportions and principles were partially recovered in 1414 when the manuscript De Architectura by Vitruvius was rediscovered.

• Modern Science: Recent studies by institutions like MIT News revealed that the secret self-healing properties came from "hot mixing" quicklime, creating tiny lime clasts that react with water to seal cracks over time. 

Concrete, meanwhile, is in huge trouble in the UK. The prices for energy are so high that most cement companies are in danger of going under.

Naturally, as usual, this is Labour's fault. Sadly, they are sticking to their plans for Net Zero over a ridiculously early timeplan. They are not even overturning past Tory folly. BTW, did you spot that remark blaming  'decline in Imperial Funding' above?

From Lepra.

I hope you are well. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) released their annual global leprosy statistics. The figures give a mixed picture at the midpoint of the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–2030. Reported new cases fell by 3.1%, from 172,717 in 2024 to 167,356 in 2025. But this headline figure does not tell the whole story. The picture among children is particularly concerning. 8,344 new child cases were reported in 2025, representing 5% of all new cases. 284 children developed Grade 2 Disability in 2025 compared with 256 in 2024, an increase of around 11%, across 33 countries. Children developing leprosy is already an indicator of recent transmission. When a child develops ‘grade two disability’, it suggests that diagnosis has been delayed long enough for visible impairment to occur. At Lepra, we believe that active-case finding is key to early detection and treating cases before lasting disabilities develop. You can read our full breakdown of the WHO’s global leprosy statistics, here. When children are affected by leprosy, it can not only affect them physically but socially and emotionally. They can face isolation at school, from friends and even family. A new study published by Lepra and research partners concerns stigma and discrimination among children affected by leprosy. The study has found that misinformation and poor knowledge of the disease remain some of the main drivers behind the stigma and discrimination faced by children affected by leprosy. The review provides a strong evidence base which will help to shape the future of programme design and public health interventions, which aim to remove the barriers to treatment for children, young people, and in turn, the wider community. You can read more information and find a link to the study, here.

We understand that elimination is not only about the reduction of new cases, but also our commitment to the countless people who are living with the consequences of the disease. With your support, we can continue to make sure that people affected by leprosy have access to early diagnosis, treatment and the vital support which helps reduce the long-term impact of the disease. Thank you, Maria del Mar Marais Head of Programme Management, Lepra UK Donate today and make a difference tomorrow Copyright © 2026 Lepra, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have either asked us to send you news and updates on our website or Just Giving, or because you have been identified as having legitimate interest in the information contained within this email. This is in accordance with GDPR. Lepra is a registered charity. Register Charity Number 213251 (England and Wales), SC039715 (Scotland). Our mailing address is: Lepra 28 Middleborough Colchester, Essex CO1 1TG United Kingdom Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Patron: His Majesty King Charles III Vice President: His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO Registered charity number: 00213251 (England and Wales) SCO39715 (Scotland)