Politics and Project Management, a Lesson in Leadership
We all know that the more power you have, the better you are able to get the job completed. The problem is most project managers have lots of responsibility, but hardly any authority and since most projects exist outside core business structures, they are forced to develop other methods of influence.
One unspoken evil that is often ignored on project management training courses is the politics of project management. While most of us view politics with disgust; there is no refuting that effective project managers are often seen as those who are equipped and able to employ fitting political strategies to further their project goals.
“In a Perfect World the Best Workers Would Be Promoted on Merit Alone and the Best Ideas Would Be Adopted Regardless of Personal Interest – but We Do Not Live in Utopia”
Have you ever included ‘office politics’ as a risk on your risk register? Probably not. Though, consider the potential implications of ignoring the ugly stepchild of project management?
“The Objective of Office Politics Is to Manipulate a Situation in Order to Achieve an Outcome That Will Benefit One Individual or Group at the Expense of Other Individuals or Groups.”
While it is unlikely that ‘office politics’ would be listed directly as a risk on your risk register, it is quite likely that one or more of the outcomes of it would. As a result, if you want to survive and prosper in the real world you need to combine good work with smart politics to ensure your own success and that of your projects. The biggest mistake a project manager can make is to assume that politics in project management doesn’t exist. After all, politics is human nature and has played an integral part in history since the dawn of civilization.
In a group where working interactions are fraught with tension and individuals have their own personal agendas or want to be “top dog” personal conflicts will often get in the way of the project aims. Issues between members of the team become the over-riding concern both for the individuals afraid and sometimes even the project manager. Meetings can consist of jostling for power or simply trying to justify your position and when that happens progress on the project will undoubtedly suffer.
For most project managers, playing politics is a form of slow, soul-destroying torture where logic, self-control, transparency and trustworthiness are replaced by deception, concealment, and sabotage. However, ignoring the external and internal politics surrounding your project or organization is dangerous. Successful project managers need to understand organizational politics and how to make them work for project success.
In the case of project politics you can use these key techniques in a constructive manner:
Carefully Manage Your Own Conduct
- The first rule is to at all times act in a way that commands respect and beyond that, respect others. That means not gossiping, spreading rumors or getting sucked into interpersonal conflicts and arguments. Maintain your honesty!
- Be positive as a positive outlook is a choice that you can always make and remain professional.
- Be confident and firm but not hostile and make sure you take organizational perspectives, not a personal one when voicing objections or giving criticism.
- Always assume things will be disclosed, so don’t rely on confidentiality.
- Over time you will learn what works in your organization’s culture and what doesn’t. Try to watch other people and identify successful behaviors that you can model to navigate the political minefield.
Review the Organization Chart
- Sit back and watch for a while. Identify the real influencers, those who are respected, champions, those who have authority but don’t use it, the mentors and last but not least the true brains behind the organization. Then re-map the organization chart in terms of political influence as politics will often bypass the formal organization chart.
Understand the Social Network
- Once you know who’s who in the organization, you have to understand the social networks. This involves identifying who gets along with whom, groups or cliques that have formed and ongoing interpersonal conflicts. Over time you will learn who has the most trouble getting along with others and the basis for the interrelationship whether it be friendship, respect or manipulation, including how the influence flows between all parties.
Build Good Relationships
- Now you need to build multiple networks but avoid aligning yourself with one group or another this way you can keep your finger on the pulse of the organization.
- Don’t be afraid of politically powerful people and instead, develop relationships that cross the formal hierarchy in all directions.
- Build your relationships on trust and respect and avoid empty flattery.
Use Your Social Network
- You will need to learn to use your social network to stay clear of negative politics. You can do this through positive political action.
- Use your network to gain access to information, build visibility of your achievements and improve difficult relationships.
- Attract opportunities where you can shine and seek out ways to make yourself, your team and your boss look good.
Counteract Negative Play
“The Expression, Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer” Couldn’t Be Any Truer When It Comes to Office Politics.”
- Your mapping of the organization will help you to identify those people who use others for their own political purposes, and not for the common good. Know that these people typically have low self-worth (that’s why they rely on destructive politicking to get ahead). Always be very careful what you say to them. Understand what motivates them, their goals, and how to avoid or counter the impact of their politics
- Remember loyalty is not a reliable factor in the workplace!
“It is easy to become a target if you’re ambitious or if you strive for change. One of the biggest mistakes we make in our career is to assume that everyone likes progress. This is not true’Å —’Å many are content with the status quo and will defend it with their life.”
Projects are rarely easy and office politics can compound other sorts of problems that arise so they need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly.
Story of ‘Samson’ Comes to Sight and Sound Theatres (Interview)
Sight & Sound Theatres rarely do anything small. So no surprise that its new show, “Samson,” is on an epic scale.
“This is our 27th original production,” Josh Enck, president and chief creative officer of Sight & Sound, told the crowd of almost 2,000. “And this is our 40th year. We started in 1976 and we are (now) the largest faith based theater in the world.”
Sight & Sound tells Bible stories. In the past, they’ve tackled the stories of Moses, Jonah, Noah, Daniel, Joseph and Ruth. Shows generally run a year and the tourism here gets a boost every spring when Sight & Sound opens a new show.
“It’s the biggest tourist attraction in the county, with an average of 800,000 people visiting the theater each year according to Sight & Sound.”
Plenty of souvenirs will be sold. The gift shop is filled with all things “Samson,” from magnets to T-shirts to mugs to water bottles.
How highly anticipated has this new show been?
When the “Samson” title was announced almost a year ago, more than 50,000 tickets were sold within 24 hours. A number of “Samson” shows are already sold out.
So how epic is “Samson”?
Well, the stage is so huge it requires three stage managers (most shows only use one).
The cast numbers 54 actors, 34 live animals are featured and more than 7,000 yards of material was used for the costumes. Bringing it all together has taken more than three years.
“Jeff Bender, the writer, producer and director of the show noted just how many people were involved when he joked, “What you are about to see here has so many finger prints on it, a CSI agent couldn’t figure out who’s responsible for it.””
And the tweaking continued almost to the end. “We had a pretty long night this week,” said Kerry Ashton, the production stage manager, who oversees the cast and the stage managers. “Mostly we were (tweaking) the lighting, staging and set changes in order to draw focus (on the right things).”
“Considering just how huge everything is, the team did a masterful job of guiding the audience where they wanted them to look. And the show glided along beautifully on opening night.”
The show is filled with a gentle humor, and a comforting Christian message that we all make mistakes in our lives, but if we turn to him, God will love us. It is a gentler message than shows in the past, which sometimes contained some fire and brimstone. There are solid performances by Michael Niederer as Samson, Johnny Russell as the nasty Philistine, Commander Gaza and Tricia Bridgeman as Samson’s mother.
“We have a lot of additional aspects with special effects, with stage combat, with stunt falls that are all a part of the show,” “Samson” actor Michael Niederer said, “so, it’s been amazing to bring it together and finally have it in front of an audience and they really seem to be eating it up.”
10 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About Animals
Here, I offer ten amazing facts about animals that should affect how we think about them and how we treat them.
1. God communicates with animals
This is the best explanation for the migration of the animals to Noah’s ark. In Genesis, God told Noah to build an ark in order to save himself, his family, and the land-dwelling creatures from the coming flood. However, he didn’t tell Noah to go out and round up the animals. He told him to bring them into the ark (Gen. 6:19), which meant to simply receive them. When it was time for the flood to begin, the text says the animals “went into the ark to Noah” (Gen. 7:9). The only explanation for the actions of the animals is that God drew them to the ark. God communicated with them directly, and they responded.
Another example of God communicating with animals can be found in the experience of the prophet Elijah. When Elijah fled from Ahab, king of Israel, he went to an area east of the Jordan River. The Bible says God commanded ravens to bring him food while he was there, and they did (1 Kings 17:4-6).
These examples don’t tell us that God is in regular communication with the animals, but they make clear that such communication has occurred. It is certainly plausible that God interacts with animals more than we realize.
2. God cares about the well-being of animals
We often quote Matthew 10:29-31 to emphasize God’s concern for humans. In this passage, Jesus helped his listeners grasp the extent of God’s concern for them: If God cares about the death of a common bird, he certainly cares about the needs of humans. That isn’t all we learn from this passage, however. Jesus also gave us insight into God’s attitude toward animals. True, humans are “more valuable” than a common little bird, but Jesus didn’t say that animals have no value to God. In comparison to humans, the little sparrow has little value, but God still values the life of that little sparrow enough to be moved by its death.
It isn’t just that God notices the sparrow’s death, like one might notice that the wind is blowing. Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that God is emotionally invested in that sparrow. He cares about what happens to it; he just cares more about what happens to people. Once we acknowledge that God is emotionally invested in birds, i.e., animals, as well as humans, we are now talking only about a difference in the degree to which he is, not whether or not he is.
The story of Jonah also offers insight into God’s concern for animals. After Jonah preached and the people of Nineveh repented, Jonah expressed his displeasure at God’s decision not to send destructive judgment on the people. In confronting Jonah about his hard-hearted attitude, God reminded Jonah that not only have 120,000 people been spared, “many animals” were also spared (Jonah 4:11). The well-being of these animals mattered to God.
In addition, Scripture teaches that God is personally involved in feeding the animals. Psalm 104:14 is instructive here. It says God “causes” the grass to grow for the cattle. The Hebrew text uses the causative form of the verb “to grow” to reveal this. God isn’t simply passively watching nature take care of its own. Verse 21 continues this theme when it says the young lions “seek their food from God.” Pulling these individual examples together, the psalmist speaks of animals in general, saying, “They all wait for You (God) to give them their food in due season” (v. 27).
3. God enjoys animals
In Psalm 104:31, the psalmist declared, “Let the Lord be glad in his works.” Clearly the statement speaks broadly of all that God has created, but it is preceded by a long description of God’s interaction with animals–wild goats, rock badgers, beasts of the forest, young lions, animals both small and great (see vv. 18-30). In a few more verses, the psalmist used this same word translated “glad” to describe his own joy in God. He said emphatically, “I shall be glad in the Lord” (Ps. 104:34).
It isn’t difficult to fathom that animals bring God joy when we consider the joy we get from watching our own children. We even enjoy watching animals with whom we have no creative connection. Given that, it is understandable that the one who created all things would enjoy them.
4. Animals reveal God’s sovereignty
When Job complained that God had mistreated him, God pointed to creation to help Job understand his sovereignty. Animals figure prominently in his response to Job’s attempted indictment. God reminded Job that it is he who provides for the animals (Job 38:39-41). He appointed them their place in creation (Job 39:6). God also pointed out that he is more powerful than the feared Behemoth and Leviathan by the very fact that he is their creator (Job 40:19; 41:10). While they may be beyond Job’s reach, they are not beyond God’s.
In response, Job acknowledged God’s sovereignty. He said, “I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). The fact God used examples from the animal world to convince Job of his sovereignty suggests strongly that this is part of God’s intended purpose for his creation of animals. God has built wonder into animals, and by design, they point humanity to him as the great and only sovereign.
5. Animals bring glory and praise to God
In Psalm 148, the psalmist called on everything to praise the Lord. He included in this call sea monsters, beasts, cattle, creeping things and birds (vv. 7, 10). The final verse of the final psalm of the entire psalter reads: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 150:6). Even though they don’t do so with words, animals still bring glory and praise to God.
By their very existence animals: (1) Point to God as creator. Animals are as much the product of God’s creative energy as any other part of creation. (2) Point to God as love. God loves life so much he creates it in seeming endless variety. (3) Point to God as designer. Animals fill a crucial part of the symbiotic relationship between all of creation. (4) Point to God as artist. Animals are a living display of the natural beauty God has built into creation.
6. Animals are reasoning creatures
Some deny that animals are capable of reasoning. They prefer to credit instinct for their decision making skills. They believe that animals are “as smart as they need to be” to survive. I believe this is simply not accurate. Animals are smarter than they need to be. I have witnessed my dogs on many occasions trying to communicate with me. They make up for their lack of language by finding other ways through their reasoning abilities to communicate their will.
In the Bible, God reveals animal intelligence through the unusual encounter of Balaam with his donkey (Num. 22:21-33). In that incident, the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way and moved aside. Balaam became angry with the donkey because it wouldn’t obey him. Yet the Angel of the Lord credited the donkey’s quick thinking for Balaam’s deliverance. He declared, “The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you” (v. 33). The donkey recognized the danger and made a decision to get out of the way of the Angel, whom Balaam couldn’t even see.
Furthermore, we have all seen animals use tools to get food. They don’t need to use tools to eat. They have sources that don’t require the use of tools, but they have the reasoning capacity to know that a tool will help them get food. Also, we have all seen animals run from danger. How does an animal know it’s in danger? It must understand something about life in order to seek to protect itself. We credit reason for human responses to avoiding danger. Why wouldn’t we credit animals with reason when they do the same thing?
We cannot completely eliminate the concept of instinct as we think about animals, but at the same time, we shouldn’t rule out the evidence that animals are also capable of reason.
7. Animals may have a more acute awareness of spiritual reality than we realize
The incident of Balaam and his donkey brings into focus another insight about animals. It reveals that it is possible for animals to see angels (Num. 22:21-33). In that incident, Balaam was spared death at the hands of the Angel of the Lord because Balaam’s donkey “turned aside” when it saw the angel. The text does not say the Angel of the Lord revealed his presence to the donkey. It tells us simply that the donkey saw the Angel.
Humans see angels when the angels want to reveal themselves. The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord without his self-revelation. In fact, judging from the Angel’s comments to Balaam (see v. 33), the donkey was actually acting contrary to the Angel’s intentions. We could understand it if the Angel said he wanted the donkey to help Balaam avoid the fate he had planned for him. But the text does not say that. A plain reading of the text suggests that the donkey was actually frustrating the plan of the Angel. The donkey saw the Angel without the Angel’s assistance.
This conclusion gains further support when we see that the Lord had to empower the donkey to speak (v. 28). If Moses recognized the need to tell the reader the Lord empowered the donkey to speak, he could just as easily have said the Lord enabled the donkey to see the Angel of the Lord. Yet, he doesn’t tell us that.
While we should not attempt to develop a major doctrine around this single event, it still raises significant questions about our understanding of the relationship of animals to the spiritual world.
8. Animals have the capacity to enjoy life
The psalmist was lighthearted when he described the joy animals feel. In Psalm 104, he said God formed the sea creature Leviathan “to play” in the sea (v. 26). The Hebrew word translated “play” occurs fairly regularly in Scripture. King David used this word to describe his celebration as the ark of God was being brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:21). He was ecstatic. The psalmist said this beast of the sea can also be ecstatic.
The book of Job supplies additional insight. There, God, himself, described the joy animals experience. He mentioned the ostrich flapping its wings “joyously” (Job 39:13), and the beasts of the field “playing” in their surroundings (Job 40:20).
This isn’t some foreign concept to us. We have all seen animals playing. The testimony of Scripture and our own experience remind us that animals are more than automatons driven by instinct. They are beings with the capacity for joy.
9. Animals teach us about the nature of justice
In Robert Bolt’s play, A Man for All Seasons, Sir Thomas More delivers a brilliant summation of God’s purpose for creating the angels, animals, plants, and humanity. Regarding animals, he observes God created them “for their innocence.” It is difficult to find a better description of animals than this. Animals appear to lack the capacity for moral reflection. They simply do what they do. Scripture supports this understanding. It was humans who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not animals (Gen. 3:1-7).
This observation of animal innocence is not only important for our understanding of animals. It also helps us understand our sense of justice. When we ask why we are offended by cruelty to animals, we recognize we are reacting to an innate sense within us that is repulsed by wanton violations of their innocence and vulnerability. This recognition helps us understand some of our motivations for our criminal justice system. When we punish acts of aggression against our fellow humans, we are responding to violations of their innocence and vulnerability. Such violations should be punished. Our sense of justice demands it.
Furthermore, we learn about divine justice from animals. Israel’s biblically mandated practice of substitutionary atonement provides this lesson. Scripture teaches that rebellion against God is sin. God’s holiness demands a penalty in response to this rebellion. In other words, God requires justice. Either the guilty person or an acceptable substitute must answer for human sin. God created the sacrificial system in Israel to help his people understand this reality. He commanded that this system regularly kill innocent animals in order to satisfy the demands of his divine justice (Lev. 16:1-34). The innocent animals would bear the sin of the people. This bloody display served as a symbol for what was yet to come–when the innocent Son of God would offer himself as the true, eternal, substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of all humanity (Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 10:1-18).
10. Animals belong to God
Psalm 24:1 states without reservation–“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.” This fact is repeated regularly in Scripture. While God commanded the first man and woman to “rule over” every living thing (Gen. 1:26), He was not relinquishing ownership of every living thing.
In fact, God did not relinquish ownership of anything (Col. 1:16; Rom. 11:36; Heb. 2:10). He put the man and the woman in the Garden to “cultivate it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). He even gave humans authority over it, and after the Flood, he gave us all of the rest of creation for food. But none of this assignment of authority and power included a transfer of ownership. Humans serve a stewardship role toward creation, not an ownership role (Gen. 2:15). This stewardship pertains to everything and is intended to include an attitude of respect (Lev. 25:3-5; Num. 35:33). The animals are subject to humans, but they are not ours to do with as we will. They belong to God (Job 41:11; Ps. 50:10-11).
Conclusion
The reader will no doubt notice that most of my biblical references are from the Hebrew Scriptures. When one looks to the New Testament for evidence of the place of animals in God’s creation, there is less to work with. There are good reasons for this dearth. First, the New Testament is built on the revelation before it. It assumes the foundation of the Hebrew Scriptures. So, there is no need to repeat what has been previously stated. Unless the New Testament affirms that its teachings supplant the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures, we are to accept their infallible guidance and truth as we do those of the New Testament. Second, the New Testament is dealing principally with the establishment of the church. The writings that comprise it are mostly related to the immediate demands of this endeavor.
Drawing from this entire biblical witness, we can make some important conclusions about how to think about animals. First, we must recognize that animals may very well be co-inheritors with us of the new creation. When we consider that animals were part of God’s original design for his creation, it is plausible that they are part of his eternal design, as well. In his letter to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul said all of creation was subjected to the corrupting effects of the Fall and that the day is coming when it too shall be freed from this corruption (Rom. 8:18-22). There is no reason to suspect that animals are not part of this vision of a redeemed creation. The prophet Isaiah saw a day when humans and animals would live once again in perfect harmony (Is. 11:6-9). The Apostle Paul may be telling us this is a vision of eternity, not only of the millennium.
I’ll confess that I am not one who believes that animals go to heaven when they die. I don’t see any biblical evidence for this. But given these statements from Isaiah and Paul, we should give more consideration to the place of animals in eternity. They may not be the same animals we have come to love in our lifetimes, but it seems they have a future beyond the Fall. Whether we are talking only about the millennium or about all of eternity, animals deserve to be treated with the dignity such a future bestows.
Second, we must lose some of our anthropocentric view of creation and replace it with a theocentric view, where God is engaged with all of creation, not only humanity. While a theocentric view of creation should not cause us to equate humans with the rest of creation, it should cause us to treat the rest of creation with more respect. God is interested in all of creation, not only humans. After the Flood, he covenanted with all flesh on the earth, including the animals, never again to destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9:11-17). The fact that God would enter into a covenant with the animals tells us something of his love for them. We, therefore, should be more concerned about all of creation, including animals, too.
Third, these biblical truths about animals mean we should be engaged in activities that help the rest of creation fulfill God’s design and interest in it. Possibly, we don’t know all that means. For example, who would have guessed that God would use the ravens to feed his prophet? He might very well be doing similar things in some part of the world today. Consequently, we should help to empower creation, not as its slaves or its equals, but as its caretakers.
Fourth, we must abandon unbiblical notions about animals and embrace a more biblical view of our animal co-inhabitants. The Bible compels us to develop a better appreciation and respect for them. I’m glad science is revealing many enlightening truths about the animal world. But it is clear that Scripture has already revealed much of what science is discovering. Animals are much more complex than they at first appear to be. We should do all we can to better understand them and their place in God’s creation. It will not only be good for them, but us as well.
God put animals on the planet and gave them a mandate as well. Part of the human calling is to help them fulfill this mandate in a way that enables them to reach their full potential in creation. They not only enrich our lives. They point to the creator of all things. Animals are not only worthy of our respect. They deserve it.
Paginated Post: 9 Best Places to Go Camping Around the World
Zero Inbox: The Power of a Fresh Start
Project Graham: The Ugly Face of Road Safety
Super Prisons to Replace Victorian ‘Hell Holes’, But Would God Use Prisons to Rehabilitate?
Former Argent partner Tony Giddings has been confirmed as development adviser on the £1.3bn “Super Prisons” programme, the first of which is already being built in Wrexham.
Chancellor George Osborne and Justice Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the major new prison reform programme including plans to build 9 new prisons in last year’s spending review, with five of the new prisons to be open before the end of this parliament. The government will also expand existing prisons in Stocken and Rye Hill.
Giddings said “he was hoping to instil the Argent ethos of “more collaboration” with construction suppliers into the government’s approach to procuring prisons.”
Giddings will provide support in the provision of management, technical capability, and systems to manage the planning, design, procurement, and delivery of the construction of the new prisons.
Giddings said “He understood the £1.3bn of funding was ring-fenced and highly unlikely to be threatened by recent political and economic turbulence.” and “admitted the prisons programme timetable was “challenging”, with sites still to be acquired, but he said the aim was to be on site with at least some by the end of the year.”
The new programme will apparently modernise the prison estate to make it even more efficient, safer and focused on supporting prisoner rehabilitation while selling aging, inefficient prisons on the prime real estate to free up land for new homes.
But would God Use Prisons to Rehabilitate?
Imprisonment is littered throughout Scripture. As a young man, Joseph was thrown into prison in Egypt (Gen. 39:20). Samson, after having his eyes put out, was made to work in a grinding mill prison house of the Philistines (Jdg. 16:21). Jeremiah spent many of his days in the “court of the prison” (Jer. 32:2).
The modern prison system borrows ideas from the Catholics and Quakers—two different sects of Christianity. But does this mean prisons are biblical? Not exactly, the above examples all occurred in nations not governed by God.
Britain’s Old Prison System
Britain used to punish criminals through swift execution of verdicts, which were generally performed publicly to bring shame and humiliation to the perpetrator and prevent similar crimes from occurring. Typical sentences involved being whipped or a stint in the stockades.
Jails did exist, but they were only used to hold criminals awaiting trial and sentencing. However, the elite in the UK soon saw this system as archaic and inhumane and was determined to improve it through a complete overhaul.
In this newer system, men were placed in a tiny cell and given only a Bible to read. This marked a move toward imprisonment as the primary form of punishment.
Not Much Has Changed in Modern Prisons
Today’s prisons have three basic objectives: punish a criminal by taking away his time, remove him from society (in an attempt to reduce crime as well), and rehabilitate inmates to become functional members of society upon release.
The problems inherent with this system have remained the same for years: recidivism (repeated relapse into criminal acts), overcrowding, cost and, most telling—despite the large amounts of funding—the utter inability of the system to contain crime.
It is claimed that super-prison development will also allow over 3000 new homes to be built, boosting house building in urban areas and helping thousands of working people achieve their dream of owning a home. The Victorian prison site at Reading will be the first to be sold.
By investing in the prison estate, the government said it will reduce running costs in prisons by £80 million a year. The new prison investment will also fund video conference centers, allowing up to 90,000 cases to be heard from prison instead of court.
According to Justice Secretary Michael Gove, “currently half of criminals re-offend within one year of being released, and nearly half of all prisoners go into prison without any qualifications.”
The Government has also claimed that the prison programme will reduce reoffending through creating the physical conditions for Governors to achieve improved educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes, and aims to reduce the cost of transporting prisoners between courts and prisons. This builds on the probation reforms undertaken in the last Parliament, which will reduce the costs of the system and reinvest them into extending probation support to 45,000 short-sentence offenders for the first time, to tackle reoffending.
“We will be able to design out the dark corners which too often facilitate violence and drug-taking.” stated Michael Gove
Around 10,000 prison places will move from outdated sites to the new prisons, significantly improving rehabilitation.
There is little doubt in most societies and religious traditions that prison is necessary for this sin-sick world, however, this is still not what God intended.
While modern prisons are plagued with mounting problems, God’s Way involves swift sentencing and swift punishment.
“God” of Modern Prisons
There is one future case, though, in which God will use a sort of “supermax prison” for His own purpose. A sentence for someone He deems unfixable—but whose imprisonment will yield tremendous results!
The Brexit Vote Is Set to Cause a Second Revolution in the City of London, But What Would Jesus Do?
On the morning of June 24, the world awoke to a changed Europe. For over 40 years Britain has been part of the European Economic Community and then the European Union.
The leave-vote has caused an “immediate and profound” economic shock in the UK. This has, in turn, had a devastating effect on a number of businesses in the last month.
Christianity in the UK is split, confused, scared of the future and fighting with itself – much like the rest of the country. So what happens now?
David Cameron said “It Was A “Self-Destruct Option” for the Country, Whilst George Osborne Said It Will Tip the UK Into a Year-Long Recession, With up to 820,000 Jobs Lost Within Two Years.”
Brexit campaigners believe that British voters have taken a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore Britain’s sovereignty. However, the Brexit job losses have already begun. A number of construction firms and management consultants throughout England have been forced to downscale and many feel as if they are desperately clinging on, waiting for things to get better. Tech companies are also putting projects on hold, which means a slowdown in hiring of software developers, IT architects, and project managers, according to Robert Grimsey, director of Harvey Nash.
If your Facebook feed looks anything like mine, you’re seeing a lot of anger. Remain voters are furious, accusing the Leave campaign of lies and the Leave voters of xenophobia, ignorance, stupidity and worse. Of course, it’s not just the people who voted to stay who are angry. Reports of racist attacks are rising too.
What would Jesus do?
Jesus might have been the Prince of Peace, but he also knew how to get mad. His outbursts against corruption, hypocrisy and bad leadership are hair-raising. We’ve heard a lot of arguments from the UK’s political parties this month, but no one has actually made a whip and driven their opponents out of the House of Commons (so far, anyway).
The people of Britain voted for Brexit in a decision which will transform this nation and Europe forever.
As a former consultant, I want to consider how management consultants, in particular, can continue to not just survive but thrive in these difficult financial times.
At first glance, the prognosis might seem gloomy. The International Monetary Fund has predicted that Brexit will lead to a British recession, which would inevitably hit poorer people hardest. But snap reactions from the markets aren’t a reliable guide to long-term economic effect. And just as British trade didn’t begin in 1973 when Britain entered the EU, it won’t end in 2016 with Britain’s vote to leave. Many smaller nations trade successfully without participating in wider trading blocs; the world’s fifth-biggest economy will be able to do the same.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Tim. 2:1, 2)
1. Embrace the Change and Innovate
There is ongoing uncertainty over what will happen once Britain leaves the EU because it needs to make new trade agreements with the rest of the world.
The secret to success in a recession is innovation. It’s time to improvise, adapt and overcome. In fact, in a study by Forrester, 70% of business executives said that in a recession, innovation is a top priority. However, to successfully innovate, companies have to be open to the idea of change – and that’s why the success stories of the recession are the innovators who are open to change.
This is the best time to change, but how? If you find yourself desperately treading water in an attempt to keep staff occupied in the wake of stalled projects, don’t panic. You will have to make some changes, improvise, adapt and seek out the advantages to overcome. It really is a sink or swim mentality.
2. A Long-Term View of the Financial Game
Successful companies look for ways to reduce costs creatively. Start by reviewing your financial model. Review existing contracts and seek to add value and expand. If your biding on a 3-year contract, do you really need to make a profit in year 1. Wouldn’t it make sense to take a long-term commercial view and instead seek to win a contract at cost in order to retain talent as recruiting new employees is so expensive? You can then concentrate your efforts on developing strong client relationships, building trust, performing well and adding value. Pay much more attention to critical components of your client’s operations activities that may often appear to be mundane. This will invariability enable you to make further recommendations that are approved and generate profit in future years.
“In the Corporate World, There Is a Growing Recognition That Strong Relationships With Customers Can Form the Bedrock of Future Innovation.”
Consider though that whilst it is a knee-jerk reaction to cut costs, try not to rely on this as your only business tactic as your competitors will be doing exactly the same thing. The way to succeed in the current market is to be a leader, not a follower, so ensure you have a carefully prepared game plan.
Look at what makes your propositions unique? What do you offer that no one else can? How do you add real value to your customers, rather than just a half-price bid? Focus on what your competitors aren’t offering, and vigorously market it.
3. Be Clever With Your Marketing
Your marketing strategy is more important than ever before – Think creatively and find different ways to grab people’s attention and keep them coming back for more.
4. Leading With Clarity and Commitment
Don’t lie to employees and hide the magnitude of the situation. Honesty is the best policy. Business functional leads at these firms should establish concrete milestones to gauge progress toward clear goals. You can inspire employees not only with motivational messages, but also through incentives such as wage hikes, and investment in developing talent. This approach is as crucial as improving processes and deploying new technology. Though this may sound like a platitude, management must treat employees with respect and dignity if they want exceptional performance and occasional sacrifice during tough times.
5. Embrace the Power of Online
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool through which to reach your target audience. You should start to unlock the power of blogging, building a solid readership and becoming a thought leader in your industry using websites like LinkedIn. As your readership continues to grow, so will your social media following – and by communicating frequently with your followers and potential customers online, you have more chance of drumming up more business and closing that deal. As the economy improves, your loyal followers will stay with you.
These five practices are of equal value for organisations to remain competitive in the long slow climb toward economic recovery.
Although times are very tough for organisations recently, there is light at the end of the tunnel – and those who have been clever and innovative in their business strategies will continue to thrive long after the Brexit recession.
Britain will almost certainly have a new Prime Minister and their first job will be forming our new relationship with Europe.
Learning from the lessons of 2014, UK churches also have a crucial role to play following the EU referendum vote. But it is about more than a church service of unity. Reconciliation requires accepting the hurt and the pain but also working to rediscover and celebrate the image of God in each other.
The Wyndham Road Project, Southwark
A portable, demountable or transportable building is one of the many pre-fabricated house types which can be put to good use when planning constraints will only allow short-term development. Modules and components can be taken apart and transported to a new location. Even elements such as foundations can be easily removed using demountable technologies. In Australia the word “demountable” in particular refers to portable classrooms.
Prefab Housing Has Been Heralded as the Future of Building and the Solution to Resolve Housing Shortages in the Uk.
The Wyndham Road Project
Britain’s Second demountable multistorey housing development
Britain’s Second demountable multistorey housing development
Client: Hyde Housing Association
Architect: PCKO
Principal Supplier: BUMA
The Wyndham Road project, incorporating 18 flats for key workers, was completed in summer 2005, designed as part of RAPID (Response to Accommodation Pressures through Innovative Design), Hyde’s response to the Government’s initiative to increase the supply of new housing through use of innovative technology.
This Scheme on Wyndham Road, South-east London, Was the Second Buma-built Project in the Uk.
The scheme comprised one and two-bedroom flats, built around three independent staircases, designed to modern, high-quality standards. Demountable construction is designed to accommodate any future changes to the urban fabric, therefore addressing the issue of urban sustainability and required flexibility. Demountability was built in right through to the foundations with the use of screw piles to hold up the structure.
The development could then be dismantled in 9-10 days and erected on an alternative site, remodelled or recycled, as required. Elevations finished with lightweight metal cladding and insulated render incorporate full-height glazing and feature sliding shutters of galvanised steel and timber, painted in vivid colours, giving the building a unique identity. The building was designed as 3-storey but could have been extended to 4-storey by adding additional volumetric components.
Atkins Appointed as Sustainability Adviser for Major Regeneration Project in the UK
Atkins has been chosen as the sustainability consultant to develop an environmental sustainability target for Old Oak Common, a £26bn urban redevelopment in London.
“Gentrification has profoundly influenced religion. In the context of Christianity, of course, gentrification takes on a new, existential dimension.”
At five times the size of the King’s Cross redevelopment, Old Oak and Park Royal is London’s largest opportunity area and urban regeneration investment project with an estimated worth of £7bn per annum to the UK economy. Old Oak and Park Royal has the potential to create up to 25,500 homes and some 65,000 jobs, constructing a transport hub to link Crossrail, National Rail and High Speed 2.
Atkins will create a set of sustainability targets to be used for the development in partnership with Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and its cost control and project management advisor Faithful+Gould. The sustainability targets will be based on six core themes comprising urban form and public space, transport, energy, waste and materials, water, and access to nature, watercourses and green spaces.
Flexibility and adaptability will be a key focus area when developing the sustainability targets together with the combination of green infrastructure with urban planning and design, and the role of fast developing smart technologies.
“The Sustainability Targets Are Expected to Be Used for Anything up to 20 to 50 Years’ and Will Involve a Sensible Combination of ‘Open-Minded Thinking with Real-World Analysis.”
Sean Lockie, sustainability director at Faithful+Gould, said: “Old Oak and Park Royal is a massive opportunity for London to do things that haven’t been done before. “It means creating a vision which sets out clear goals, such as being healthy to live in, flexible over time, affordable, comfortable, and being energy and resource efficient, and then taking a systematic approach to delivery. “We’ll need to come up with some new business models to achieve this but in doing so we have a great opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Atkins will lead stakeholder engagement workshops with the OPDC, designers and the local authority until August 2016 and is set to deliver its sustainability report to the OPDC in September 2016.
“Is urban regeneration about more than the material?” It’s about a piece of heaven on earth ”¦ where true expressions of what Jesus did or how he lived actually articulates itself into society.”
Brexit and Christians: Did God command the UK to leave the EU?
Christians overwhelmingly voted in favour of leaving the European Union last Thursday but the aftershocks will not only impact heavily on UK economic growth, but also on any foreseeable infrastructure developments due to the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote to leave, an industry source has warned. Polling from Lord Ashcroft showed that nearly six in ten of those who identified as Christian voted for Brexit.
Although numbers have fallen, 93 per cent of Christians in the UK are white. By contrast two-thirds of British Muslims are from an Asian background. And Lord Ashcroft’s poll showed that 67 per cent of Asians and 73 per cent of black people voted to remain compared to 47 per cent of white people.”
The assumed time frame for the UK-EU divorce terms to be agreed is two years which has left many businesses anxious and investors unclear of what the future may hold.
The conclusion of a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center in the US suggests that in the UK, the proportion of the population identifying themselves as Christians was approximately 64% in 2010.
The Knock-On Effects of the Brexit Vote
All Brits must now confront the truths about the forthcoming EU DIVORCE. Don’t kid yourself. Separation always harms both parties. However, what does this mean for investment in the capital project wise? Well, the Brexit verdict will impact construction projects as follows.
Osborne Said “It Is Very Clear That the United Kingdom Is Going to Be Poorer,” on a BBC Radio 4 Programme.
1. Access to Foreign Labour
The first most important issue is access to labour. A core principle of the EU is the right of free movement, which has made immigration between member states somewhat easy and stress-free. The construction industry relies heavily on overseas workers to fill both skilled and non-skilled job roles, and a significant percentage, predominantly within the London market, come from continental Europe.
“Across the UK, Nearly 12% of the 2.1 Million Construction Workers Come from Overseas, Official Statistics Indicate Largely from the EU.”
It’s logical that with an EU DIVORCE those skilled individuals will instead travel to France, Germany, or Spain, where the right of free movement still exists.
David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments Plc the UK’s largest homebuilder said, “an EU DIVORCE would lead to a shortage of construction staff, and impair the UK Construction Industries ability to build houses.”
The free movement of labor in the European market has been seen as a positive for many. However, it’s also possible that a skills shortage may result in increased investment in training and upskilling of local workers to fill the gaps. This could also result in higher wages being demanded by those workers who are in the UK labor market which individual labors would no doubt welcome, but which in turn could escalate the cost of projects.
Migrant construction workers who have arrived in the UK in the past 10 years. – Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) 2014:
Poland: 30,120
Romania: 24,842
Lithuania: 7,569
India: 7,704
Bulgaria: 5,443
Latvia: 3,830
South Africa: 1,316
Hungary: 1,448
Australia: 937
2. Investment in the Capital
Another major concern is the investment in the UK. The EU presently makes it easy for companies in different countries to do business with, and invest in, one another.
European manufacturing giants Airbus has voiced concern about investing in the independent UK. Likewise, German firm Festo has said German companies should be cautious about investing in Britain. And let’s not forget that Germany is the financial driving force of the EU.
On the other hand, Lord Bamford, the Chairman of JCB is however persuaded that an eventual EU DIVORCE could reduce the costs of administration so much so that the costs of leaving the EU will be covered.
3. Prestigious Projects
An enormous question mark hangs over prestigious projects such as a third runway for Heathrow which has now been delayed again in wake of Brexit fallout and the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset which is now “extremely unlikely”.
There are also growing suspicions about the future of less well-known operations such as the London Gateway port in Essex, operated by Dubai’s DP World, which opened in 2013 and is still only half complete.
This new outbreak of ambiguity is also likely to engulf many other scheduled construction projects in the UK.
4. EU Legislation and Regulation
A significant amount of EU legislation is now rooted in UK law and affects construction. The EU DIVORCE would not instantly result in less regulation. By way of example, the CDM regulations basically enacted EU Directive 1992/57/EEC and there is no indication that the regulations or health and safety in the construction cycle will be swept away because of the leave vote. The UK may now choose to reduce the scope of this and other dictates or, abolish them completely. However, one thing is for sure, this will not happen overnight.
5. Imports and Exports
The supply of goods and services for the construction industry is a key driver of growth in the UK. The UK is at least partly dependent on imports from the EU, particularly Germany, Italy and Sweden.
In 2014, 53% of Goods and Services Were Imported into the UK from the EU.
The degree to which these may be affected depends upon the post-Brexit model.
6. Exchange Rates
Can Sterling’s Recovery Continue with Brexit Looming? From the moment the EU leave vote was announced, the Pound Euro exchange rate has been volatile.
Pound Euro Exchange Rate Reaches 1.2150 – Half-Way Recovered to the Week’s Opening Levels
In a trade where margins are tight, there is heavy dependence on the import and export of goods and services, currency fluctuations will have a major fiscal impact on construction projects. Whereas the inclusion of exchange rate phrases in constructions contracts is always an option, it does mean companies will need to undertake an additional level of strategizing, prior to planning or otherwise undertaking construction projects in the immediate future.
7. Access to Finance
The availability of money is often a pre-requisite for construction projects. Access to money can control whether or not a specific projects can proceed from design to construction.
Currently UK small and medium enterprises have access to SME financing which will at some point no longer be available once the EU DIVORCE is complete.
Standard & Poor’s stripped Britain of its “AAA” credit rating reducing it to “AA”. Fitch Ratings also downgraded its ranking for Britain’s creditworthiness by one notch.
It is therefore clear that the UK’s connection with the EU enhanced its creditworthiness. The looming EU DIVORCE is quickly changing all that. The cost for developers of finding finance for construction projects will no doubt also increase as lenders seek to impose higher interest rates.
The results of an imminent EU DIVORCE are complex and widespread and something that the wise business should be planning for now. There will be significant insecurity for businesses in the months, if not years, resulting from the vote to leave.
This failure to convince Christians of either the economic, spiritual or cultural benefits of the EU was disastrous for the Remain campaign and has changed the face of the UK forever.
European Court of Human Rights: Same-sex ‘marriage’ is not a human right
STRASBOURG, France, June 29, 2016 (Godinterest) Unanimously, the World Court of Human Rights has established, verbatim, that “there is no right to homosexual marriage”, making it clear that homosexual partnerships do not, in fact, equal marriages between a man and a woman.
The 47 judges of the 47 countries of the Council of Europe, which are members of the full Court of Strasbourg (the world’s most important human rights court), issued a statement of great relevance that has been surprisingly silenced by information progressivism and its area of influence.
In fact, unanimously, the 47 judges approved the ruling that “there is no right to homosexual marriage” as announced June 9 in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and closed out a discussion dating to 2004.
The court’s decision was in response to an unlawful same-sex “wedding” conducted June 5, 2004, by Noël Mamère, mayor of the French city Bègles and a member of the Green Party and based on a myriad of philosophical and anthropological considerations based on natural order, common sense, scientific reports and, of course, positive law. Within the letter, in particular, the judgment was based on Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Mamère had advocated same-sex “marriage” since 2002 and chose to approve the 2004 “wedding” despite 4,000 letters sent to him. “I take the risk, I accept to be a provocateur,” Mamère said. The “marriage” was canceled shortly after and the mayor was suspended from office for one month.
This month, 12 years after the incident, the European Court has put an end to the matter with a ruling that is equivalent to the articles of human rights treaties, as in the case of 17 of the Pact of San Jos and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this historic but not disclosed, Resolution, the Court decided that the concept of family not only contemplates “the traditional concept of marriage, that is, the union of a man and a woman”, but also that they should not be imposed on governments to “obligation to open marriage to persons of the same sex”.
As for the principle of non-discrimination, the Court also added that there is no discrimination, since “States are free to reserve marriage only to heterosexual couples.”
The decision of the European Court for Human Rights should bring to a halt pressure exerted by the ILGA and similar groups, especially in Eastern European countries, who fight for legislation that recognizes the uniqueness of a marriage between one man and one woman.
7 Secret Things You Didn’t Know About Successful Procurement Teams
Some senior members of staff see procurement expenses as a necessary evil and overlook any efficiency improvement methods for this sector. This is not an uncommon way of thinking, as procurement and the supply chain is a massive part of any company’s costs and can total up to 70% of an organisation’s total spend.
These managers are missing out on effective changes that can shift procurement to a significant supplier of growth and profit for any business.
Follow these 7 steps to improve your procurement team.
1. Embrace Change
It’s so important for procurement managers to embrace and invest in technology changes currently taking place in the industry.
Managers should hold a full assessment of deficiencies in their processors and search for technology that meets the needs of the business, rather than fitting the business around new technology. For example, if you are having trouble with historic and retrospective analysis, invest in predictive analytics.
2. Consider Outsourcing
Outsourcing may not be an avenue you have ever considered in regards to procurement, even though it happens all the time with HR and IT departments. Even so, many procurement managers are still apprehensive to apply it to their supply chain.
Outsourcing certain aspects of procurement can be a way of improving existing systems and processors rather than a cost reduction measure. It can also allow your business to access highly skilled procurement experts when it would be counter-productive to hire someone internally. These individuals are often very focused on delivering results, and if you plan outsourcing correctly, the increase in productivity will outweigh the costs of outsourcing.
If a procurement manager feels like there are areas in the business where costs can be cut, it might be worth bringing in a consultant. There are also outsourcing services that offer expert domain knowledge and vendor contact opportunities.
3. Ensure Your Supply Chain Is Properly Staffed
The efficiency of a supply chain is very much dependent on the quality of its staff. As a procurement manager, it’s important to ensure that the supply chain is staffed with highly skilled individuals, and that these staff have regular access to education and training.
Procurement professionals will be tasked with a wide variety of roles, including:
- Planning delivery timetables
- Ensuring stores have enough stock
- Overseeing the arrival of shipments
When hiring employees, it’s important to ensure they have skills such as communication, attention to detail and teamwork. They must also be willing to learn and improve throughout their career.
4. Create Risk Management Policies
One of the key ways of making a procurement team more efficient is to prepare for the unexpected. Procurement managers should establish proper levels of control to manage risk and ensure that all these policies are periodically reviewed. These risk management fail safes should include:
- The financial impact a risk might have
- The likelihood to the risk occurring
- A priority list for managing risks
All staff members should be aware of these risks, and the processes in place if the risks occur. For example, if a major supplier goes out of business, your staff should be aware that there is a process for contacting secondary suppliers so you are never left without stock.
5. Establish Relationships with Key Suppliers
Staff who deal with suppliers on a daily basis need to have brilliant relationship building skills. Procurement employees need to work closely with suppliers to try and keep communication consistent and amicable, even if issues arise at either end.
Suppliers can help procurement teams reach their performance goals, and they are often very knowledgeable, with expertise to share about their products. Procurement teams can learn a lot from them, like the audience, seasonality and key selling points of products; it’s worth working on these relationships.
6. Stick to Ambitious but Manageable Targets
If a team has a tough but not unattainable goal to work towards they can prioritise, measure and focus on their tasks with a clear end in mind. This helps staff members feel more motivated and gives meaning to their work.
There will also be a sense of achievement when the targets are met, bringing your team closer together and improving teamwork.
7. Efficiency Is Attainable
The creation of a brilliant supply chain depends on your company’s understanding of procurement, along with the procurement team’s estimation of the total costs associated with each supplier and their contacts.
With help from technology, outsourcing, a great team and strong relationship building skills, your procurement team should improve its efficiency and business impact.
Let Our Advance Worrying Become Advance Thinking and Planning: 20 Project Management Quotes to Live By
Job stress or work stress is not always harmful, but it should be kept within limits. Within a limit, work stress forces us to stay on track. However, if your one of those people who think that stress doesn’t matter? That high-stress levels are somehow something to be endured? think again. Statistics Canada found that 62% of highly stressed workers described work as their main source of stress in a 2010 study, similarly, stress has been proven as a risk factor for numerous diseases, for example, Health Canada reports that stress is a known risk factor for heart disease and it has been proven that stress is a major cause of absenteeism.
Similar to fear, stress has a biological purpose and is very useful. After stressful stimulation inside the body, chemicals are released that result in a fast heart rate, sweating and tightened muscles. However, if the body is exposed continuously to these natural responses, it will not only impact your cognitive and behavioral performance, it can also have a negative impact on your personal health, wellbeing, and family life.
Here are 20 timeless thoughts on stress and how to handle it from the people who came before us (and some from people who are here with us now).
- “I woke up this morning. A lot of people didn’t.” ~ George Burns
- “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” ~ Marilu Henner
- “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” ~ Proverb
- “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.” ~ Bruce Lee
- “If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.” ~ Kris Carr
- “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”~ Ovid
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James
- “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “Planning lies with men; success lies with heaven.” ~ Chinese proverb
- “Long-range planning works best in the short term.” ~ Euripides
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” ~ Hans Selye
- “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” ~ Thomas Edison
- “Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.” ~ Roger Von Oech
- “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. “~ Lily Tomlin
- “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.” ~ Tom Krause
- “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”~ Bertrand Russell
- “I feel that the most important requirement in success is learning to overcome failure. You must learn to tolerate it.”~ Reggie Jackson
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
~ Henry Ford - “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
~ Bill Cosby - “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”~ Robert Eliot
- “Managing to have a sense of humour makes it a lot easier to manage people.” ~ Steve Wilson
- “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”~ Winnie the Pooh
- “When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall
What is your favorite quote on stress and how to overcome it? Feel free to share the best one(s) you have found in this article or in your life in the comments section below.
Farmers Put the Plow down for More Productive Soil
There is a new movement sweeping the world leaving fields untilled, ‘green manures’ and other soil-enhancing methods with an almost evangelistic fervor.
Green Manures Are Fast-growing Plants Sown to Cover Bare Soil. Often Used in the Vegetable Garden, Their Foliage Smothers Weeds and Their Roots Prevent Soil Erosion
Soil is the ‘Skin of the Earth’ and the resource which serves as the basis for food security. Repeated plowing exacts a price but nature can heal if we give her the chance.
Soil-conservation farming is gaining converts as growers increasingly face extreme weather, high production costs, a shortage of labor and the threat of government regulation of agricultural pollution. Government surveys suggest that the use of no-tillage farming has grown sharply over the last decade, accounting for about 35 percent of cropland in the United States.
Tillage degrades soil, killing off its biology, including beneficial fungi and earthworms, and leaving it naked, thirsty, hungry and running a fever. Degraded soil requires heavy applications of synthetic fertilizer to produce high yields. And because its structure has broken down, the soil washes away easily in heavy rain, taking nitrogen and other pollutants with it into rivers and streams. Soil health proponents say that by leaving fields unplowed and using cover crops such as ‘green manures’ , which act as sinks for nitrogen and other nutrients, growers can increase the amount of organic matter in their soil, making it better able to absorb and retain water. Each 1 percent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre.
No disruptive technology is required to restore soil because our forefathers have the answer.
No disruptive technology is required to restore soil because our forefathers have the answer.
No disruptive technology is required to restore soil because our forefathers have the answer.
No disruptive technology is required to restore soil because our forefathers have the answer.
Even farmers who enthusiastically adopt no-till and other soil-conservation methods rarely do so for environmental reasons; their motivations are more pragmatic.
No Disruptive Technology Is Required to Restore Soil, Our Forefathers Have the Answer
The value of green manure was recognized by farmers in India for thousands of years, as mentioned in treatises like Vrikshayurveda. In Ancient Greece too, farmers ploughed broad bean plants into the soil. Furthermore, Chinese agricultural texts dating back hundreds of years refer to the importance of grasses and weeds in providing nutrients for farm soil. It was also known to early North American colonists arriving from Europe. Common colonial green manure crops were rye, buckwheat and oats.
One of the toughest things about learning to do no-till is for farmers to unlearn all the things that they thought were true.
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to our top stories.
