The Clash of Culture and Genetics

DNA research, and the inexpensive access to DNA tests, can be a sobering discovery to many. When everything you thought about yourself, your family, and your culture is appropriated and not factual, people can react with denial or with a new sense of discovery.

When I had my own DNA tested, and then my mother's, I was shocked to find that we are of 100% Northern European descent, with a very rare mitochondrial haplogroup. My mother told me we are Jewish on the maternal side; we are not, although she still stands by that. My maternal grandmother told me that we have Native American on the fairly recent maternal side, but as a genealogist I've been unable to find it (admixtures in the past few hundred years won't show up on the deep DNA tests, I'm told). So, what is TRUE when  DNA, familial stories passed down through the generations, intermarriage between different groups, and the culture we practice and pass down to our kids is thrown in the same pot and stirred?

A mystery! That's what!

Razib discusses this on his blog Gene Expression.

"There is also a general insight. How can a people “forget” their past origins? How can they create entirely fictive genealogies? As economists would say: incentives matter. Many human populations emerge through a process of genetic amalgamation, but cultural identity is not governed by the laws of segregation. Cultural identity and memory can rupture and shift far more rapidly because the laws of cultural inheritance are more plastic and protean. There was a clear folk migration of massive numbers of Germans into what became England, but their history and folkways were adopted wholesale by the native peoples whom they conquered. This sort of process likely has occurred many times across human history."

And from the comments, poster AG adds:

"I was indoctrinated by my family as pure blood Northern Han who are proud of people as origin of Han culture. I believe the family tale without any doubt until modern ancestry genetic analysis comes. DNA analysis indicates my 90% mongol ancestry.
When I studied the hometown village history, it all made sense now. The very village was established right after fall of Mongol Yuan dynasty. Many Mongol soldiers served under Ming (Han) emperor were settled in the region and converted into farmers as Han people. Mongol names and intermarriage were forbidden under Ming laws.
Mongols are not very ethnic centritric in the first place. We are happily embracing inter-ethnic marriage and new ethnic identity."

How the UK suddenly got a new Prime Minister - explained for Americans

To give you a lift from the doom and gloom that is encompassing the United States in recent weeks, here is one of the funniest (and in actual fact pretty accurate) descriptions of how the UK suddenly ended up with a new Prime Minister without trying very hard at all.

It basically boils down to a bloke called Graham. And nary a cup of tea in sight until Mrs. May met the Queen. And even then I'm not quite sure... 

Enjoy!

Hi America! So you might have heard that today the UK gets a new prime minister. This has happened much quicker than we expected and has taken lots of people by surprise.

 You know how your presidential elections take about three years? This is not like that.

Maybe you’re thinking, Oh, that’s probably because the British sorted it out without any fuss in their quaint, traditional ways. There was probably tea involved. Haha NOPE.

 No tea has played a significant role…yet.

As we explained recently, ever since we voted to leave the EU, everything about our country has become ridiculous and confusing.

So here’s what happened: David Cameron was our prime minister. He’s from the ruling right-wing Conservative party, aka the Tories – think the Republicans, except they all went to Oxford University and like posh things, like drinking port and having money.

He called a referendum on whether we should be in the EU, just to try to calm down the Europe-hating right wing of his party, but he then proceeded to lose it, plunging the country into economic and constitutional turmoil. So he resigned.

NOW HOLD UP, YANKEE FRIENDS. When our prime minister resigns, it’s not like a president resigning! We don’t directly elect our prime minister – instead, we elect members of parliament (MPs), and whoever can ~command a majority~ of MPs gets to be PM. Which basically means it’s the leader of the largest party.

As result, the country doesn’t get to elect a new prime minister when the old one goes, and we don’t have a vice president who can step in right away and Biden things up a bit. Instead, it’s up to the ruling party to pick a new leader. In this case, that’s the Conservatives.

(Don’t worry, guys, this seems weird but it’s happened loads of times before.)

So far so good... Go and read the rest!

But wait! There's more, further down :-D

And then at 12.15pm, Andrea Leadsom announced that she…was dropping out of the race.

This confused the hell out of everybody, because the Conservative party rules weren’t entirely clear on what happens when a candidate drops out at this stage. Does one of the defeated candidates come in to replace them? Do they have to start the whole process again?

So what actually happened was that in the end, the decision about who’d be our next prime minister basically came down to this man, who is called Graham Brady and is the chair of something called the 1922 Committee.

The 1922 Committee may sound like it’s some kind of league of supervillains, but it’s actually an organisation of Conservative MPs! So it actually is kind of like a league of supervillains, amirite?! LOL jokes.

At 12.30pm, dear old Graham came out and told the press that the Conservative members didn’t need to have an election after all, because Theresa May was the only one left. And that’s how Britain found out it had a new prime minister: with a man called Graham awkwardly explaining rules to some people kneeling on the ground.

So yeah: around 90 minutes after launching her campaign to be prime minister, Theresa May was announced as the next prime minister, making it possibly the shortest and most successful political campaign in history.

There's lots of stuff at this point about Brexit. But back to the PM...

Anyway, this all happened on Monday. Unlike in the US, where you get a nice leisurely three-month changeover period, the removal van turned up at Downing Street the next day to cart all of David Cameron’s shit away.

Brutal.

But hold up! Theresa May doesn’t officially become prime minister until today. If we knew she was the last candidate standing on Monday, why didn’t she just become PM right away?

Well, because in order to become prime minister, there’s one thing that needs to happen. GUESS WHAT IT IS? Yes, that’s right, they need to go have tea with the Queen! Because this is Britain.

And they couldn’t do that on Monday, because the Queen wasn’t in London. Lol we’re not even kidding.

All this political drama would make you thirsty for a nice cup of tea though, wouldn’t it? Finally, tea is involved in this story.

I knew you'd love this story.

And for dessert, please welcome Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. The luvvies are aghast at this inappropriate appointment. After all he insulted Barack Obama in a newspaper column, calling him "incoherent, inconsistent and downright hypocritical...a part-Kenyan President.", compared Hillary Clinton to a "sadistic nurse in a mental institution" and wrote a very rude limerick about Turkish President Erdogan.  And he's very pro-Israel. Who better to fill this important post?

I'm having a field day reading Twitter responses to Boris's appointment. They are a treat to behold. Here are a few:

Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. Never let it be said Theresa May doesn't have a sense of humour. #Cabinet

— Elizabeth Windsor (@Queen_UK) July 13, 2016

RNC could always draft new UK Foreign Secretary @BorisJohnson at the Convention - he's a natural-born US Citizen https://t.co/gr0AjTEuhb

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) July 14, 2016

New British Foreign Secretary #Boris Johnson, has an 'infectious" enthusiasm for #Israel and is an outspoken friend https://t.co/jkkzLQll93

— Lenny (@LennyBoyUSA) July 14, 2016

For the first time in a long time I'm looking forward to following British politics. Looks like it's going to be a wild (and fun!) ride.

What's Not To Like?

From the Daily Mail:

Earlier this month, senior Tory Cabinet ministers published six pieces of legislation they hoped to pass to restore Britain's border controls and end the supremacy of EU law following a Brexit. 

Michael Gove, Chris Grayling and Boris Johnson set out what is effectively a manifesto for a 'government in waiting'. They pledged that the new laws would be in place by the next General Election in 2020.

Finance Bill: This would abolish the 5 per cent rate of VAT on household energy bills. Paid for by savings from the UK’s contributions to the EU budget. 

National Health Service (Funding Target) Bill: Requirement that by the next general election, the NHS receives a £100 million per week real-terms cash transfusion on top of current plans. Paid for by savings from the UK’s contributions to EU budget. 

Asylum and Immigration Control Bill: Ends the automatic right of all EU citizens to enter the UK by the next election. Criminals refused entry and a ‘non-discriminatory’ Australian points-based system, based on skills, introduced for those wishing to enter from inside and outside the EU. 

European Union Law (Emergency Provisions) Bill: This would end the European Court of Justice’s control over national security, allow ministers to remove EU citizens whose presence is not conducive to the public good – including terrorists and serious criminals – and end the growing use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to overrule UK law. 

Free Trade Bill: The UK would leave the EU’s ‘common commercial policy’. That would restore the UK Government’s power to set its own trade policy. UK would take back seat on the World Trade Organization. 

European Communities Act 1972 (Repeal) Bill: Ensures the European Communities Act 1972 – the legal basis for supremacy of EU law – is repealed. EU Treaties will cease to form part of UK law and European Court’s jurisdiction will end. UK would cease to contribute to the EU budget. EU law to be transferred into domestic law with Parliament choosing what to keep, remove or amend.

(Emphasis mine.)

I wonder how many people in the "Remain" camp realised exactly how much British sovereignty was ceded to the Union.

Okay, who wants to start the UN exodus...anyone?

Hell, Yes!

Oy, can't hardly believe it.  So happy.  Go Britain Go.  Let's bring back the British eccentricity and uniqueness as shown in these videos.  Brilliant stuff.

Land of Hope and Glory (which will actually mean something now, after 40 odd years of "Common Market" crap.)



Rule Brittania (Yes!)



And my personal favourite, Jerusalem:



Can't resist one more:

I Vow To Thee My Country

All Eyes Are Upon You

Today our British cousins will vote on whether they will stand as Free Men or be forever the slaves of the globalist EU puppeteers. Stand strong cousins!

Invictus

Thanks to selsey.steve for bringing this wonderful story to us. Warning: Have lots of Kleenex on hand.

 

Eurosceptic Wins Big

UKIP wins their first seat in UK House of Commons in a by-election.  The General Election is scheduled for May 7, 2015. 

Could this be the start of an outbreak of common sense somewhere in the world.  Please.  Pretty please.

Um...What?

Can someone please explain to me why England is begging to hang on to Scotland?  Isn't Scotland the Detroit of the British Empire? Any illumination you all can give me would be greatly appreciated. I'm lost.

Bureaucracy Run Amok

Ha ha, from my FB page. This letter (real or not) explains many of the reasons I haven't renewed my UK passport for a couple of years.

This, apparently, is an actual letter received by the UK Passport Office.

Dear Sirs,

I'm in the process of renewing my passport, and still cannot believe how is it that Sky Television has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a bleeding satellite dish from them back in 1988, and yet, the Government is still asking me where I was bloody born and on what date.

Do you guys do this by hand? My birth date you have on my pension book. It's on all the income tax forms I've filed for the past 30 years. It is on my National Health card. My driving licence. My car insurance. On the last eight damn passports I've had. It's on all those stupid customs declaration forms I've had to fill out before being allowed off the plane over the last 30 years. All those insufferable census forms.

Would somebody please take note, once and for all, that my mother's name is Mary Anne, my father's name is Robert and I'd be absolutely astounded if that WOULD ever change between now and when I die!!

I apologise, I'm really pissed off this morning. Between you an' me, I've had enough of this bullshit! You send the application to my house, then you ask me for my bleeding address!! What is going on? Do you have a gang of neanderthal arseholes workin' there? Look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I don't want to dig up Yasser Arafat, for shit sakes. I just want to go and park my arse on some sandy beach somewhere.

And would someone please tell me, why would you give a shit whether I plan on visiting a farm in the next 15 days? If I ever got the urge to do something wierd to a chicken or a goat, believe you me, you'd be the last fucking people I'd want to tell!

Well, I have to go now,'cause I have to go to the other end of the poxy city to get another fucking copy of my birth certificate, to the tune of £30. Would it be so complicated to have all the services in the same spot to assist in the issuance of a new passport the same day? Nooooooooooooo, that'd be too damn easy and maybe make sense. You'd rather have us running all over the fuckin' place like chickens with our heads cut off, then WE have to find some arsehole to confirm that it's really me on the damn picture - you know, the one where we're not allowed to smile?! (bureaucratic fuckin' morons) Hey, do you know why we couldn't smile if we wanted to? Because we're totally pissed
off!

Signed An Irate Citizen

P.S. Remember what I said above about the picture and getting someone to confirm that it's me? Well, my family has been in this country since 1776 ... I have served in the military for something over 30 years and have had full security clearances over 25 of those years enabling me to undertake highly secretive missions all over the world. However, I have to get someone 'important' to verify who I am - you know, someone like my doctor .. WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN FRIGGIN` PAKISTAN!

‘We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so."

Wow, just wow. David Cameron really grew a pair the last two weeks. First he told the EU to p**s off and now he blasts The A of C.

Well done Cameron.

David Cameron last night called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead a return to the ‘moral code’ of the Bible.

In a highly personal speech about faith, the Prime Minister accused Dr Rowan Williams of failing to speak ‘to the whole nation’ when he criticised Government austerity policies and expressed sympathy with the summer rioters.

Mr Cameron declared Britain ‘a Christian country’ and said politicians and churchmen should not be afraid to say so.

He warned that a failure to ‘stand up and defend’ the values and morals taught by the Bible helped spark the riots and fuelled terrorism.

Linky

Let's Form a Company to Import These to North America!

I remember seeing these things when Fay and I were in England two years ago. I thought they looked, er, odd. I guess they don't just look odd....

Meanwhile, Across the Pond...

I don't know if you all are au fait with events in Europe, but David Cameron has refused to accede to the demands of the Continent*, to the joy of some and the consternation of others.

This Is No Ordinary Love

A love song to the city of my birth. This week has been devastating. I'm wrecked.

Keep Aaron Cutting

This has to be one of the most heartwarming stories to come out of the London riots.

Thank you Bjorn, Sophie and Omid, great job. And H/T to Alison on FB.

You have to watch this video of Aaron, 89 years old and a true British character! He even flirts with the lady who is interviewing him.

And, he has fabulous skin! Ladies, be sure to listen to his skin care tips, LOL!

Keep Aaron Cutting from BBH Barn on Vimeo.

If any one needs a translation, let me know! Oh and the PayPal donation link works (at least it did for us in Canada).

Don't Stop Believin'

I'm not a "Glee" fan. But if miming & dancing to the show song arrangements brings humour and joy to our* troops I'm all for it.

Herewith, the 7 Commando Battery of the British Army amusing themselves in Afganistan.

You go guys, and stay safe, and most of all THANK YOU!



*By "our" I mean all the Western alliance soldiers, especially British, Canadian & American.

Hearts be still ladies!

More Sphincter Speak

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican church, is a deluded nutcase.

In fact, instead of the honorific "Your Grace" he should be addressed as "Dis Grace".

Dieu et mon droit... et mes peeps... sont dans la maison!

This made me smile.

This Too is London

Amateur photographer Alex Saberi has captured some amazing photos of wilds of England - in the middle of London!

(Richmond Park really does seem to be pretty close in!)

HT: Instapundit.

Big Society and its Enemies

David Cameron has been promoting an idea: rather than looking at the State to run every service in Society, perhaps Society should look after itself without the parental supervision of the State.

Hence, Big Society - i.e., the antithesis of "Big Government".

(For the US crowd, the phrase will resonate a little too closely to Johnson's "Great Society", but the meaning is precisely the opposite.)

For those of us who are cheering on the freshmen Republicans in the House to enact the same kinds of "draconian" cuts that Cameron has, this cautionary piece in the Financial Times is worth reading:

Scott of the Antarctic

Letters of Note has a captivating letter from Scott to his wife. It was written over several days as Scott realised that he would not make it out alive.

Truly fascinating stuff. Stiff upper lip doesn't even begin to describe the bravery.

Dear it is not easy to write because of the cold — 70 degrees below zero and nothing but the shelter of our tent — you know I have loved you, you know my thoughts must have constantly dwelt on you and oh dear me you must know that quite the worst aspect of this situation is the thought that I shall not see you again — The inevitable must be faced — you urged me to be leader of this party and I know you felt it would be dangerous — I've taken my place throughout, haven't I? God bless you my own darling I shall try and write more later — I go on across the back pages.

Minus 70? And to think that last week I was moaning and complaining and whining because it was minus 7(C).