Who We Are:

A Line Boutique is changing the traditional face of retailby focusing on providing solution-based styling services within the four walls of traditional retail stores. Dubbed "the Elyse Walker of Denver," (Zoe Report) the driving force behind A Line is transparency and authenticity. A Line is not a retail store, but a women's empowerment company. We want all women to simply try less and feel confident, relevant, seen, and powerful through the vehicle of fashion. We know firsthand the power of clothing. Its not just about great product but the power of transformation and empowerment offered in well-styled and well-tailored garments. Its about self-expression and creating a community of support and celebration for women, their lives, and how they evolve.

Job Description:

Account Manager Stylists at A Line Boutique are far from your typical retail employees. Account managers are the vital element in delivering a superior and distinctive customer experience while driving maximum sales results. The personal, mission-driven, and account focused sales approach used by A Line account management stylists offers a unique retail environment that cultivates a culture of community, trust, and empowerment. A Line account manager stylists work to offer expertise and directive sales to their clients on how to make the best choices for their lifestyle and to make shopping a truly effortless experience. They are driven and motivated to achieve outstanding results through a service-centric sales model by constructing a customized sales approach for each customer. This self-motivated sales professional will also constantly clientele to enhance relationships with repeat customers, while continuously providing the highest level of service to every customer.

Job Qualifications:

Job Requirements:

Compensation:

Read the original post:
Account Manager/Senior Stylist job with A Line Boutique | 148923 - The Business of Fashion

Subscribe Now Get The Financial Brand Newsletter for FREE - Sign Up Now Using special software to comb through social media discussions, researchers at The Economist find that traditional banks enjoy solid reputations for trustworthiness, safety and being, well boring. By contrast challenger banks and fintechs get cast in a sketchier light, but consumers crave the financial empowerment features that their accounts offer.

By Steve Cocheo, Executive Editor at The Financial Brand

The good news out of the social media world for traditional banks is that people see them as trustworthy providers of many services and substantial perks.

Unfortunately, thats also a great description of a grandparent.

Fintechs, on the other hand, are seen as a concern when it comes to security and privacy, but they are seen as offering financial empowerment, and besides, they are cool.

Thats on the other end of the popularity scale from grandma and grandpa, and kind of like that exciting friend from high school you wouldnt trust with your credit card.

Digital and traditional banks are engaged in a fierce battle for customers, states a white paper from The Economist Intelligence Unit. Key to this battle between old and new is whether innovators can scale up and broaden their appeal faster than incumbents can innovate.

In research sponsored by Temenos, the Economist Intelligence Unit developed a natural language processing model that read and digested over ten million online conversations in English about finance and banking appearing on the social platform Reddit from 2013 to present. (Most were from people in the U.S. and the U.K.)

Reddit was used as a proxy for all social media conversations about personal finance because its structure best matched the way the research units software worked. (The first chart included below shows the 2018-2020 portion of that analysis.) Reddit, symbolized by an stylized icon of an alien with a single antenna and red-orange circles for eyes, is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website founded in 2005. It is organized around communities of interest and members can vote entries up or down, which affects placement in the community as well as potential appearance on the front page. InfluencerMarketingHub.com ranks it #9 of social platforms in its list of 77 social media sites that marketers should know. It has 1.9 billion monthly visitors, versus #1 Facebook, which has 2.6 billion.

The research was conducted to take a reading on consumer attitudes towards the new players versus the traditional ones before more of the challengers develop primary banking relationships with consumers, according to Alexa Guenoun, Temenos President of the Americas, Global Head of Partners and Member of the Executive Committee.

( sponsored content )

Broadly, the research found that the specifics of traditional institutions usual lineup of products and services doesnt get discussed much in the social platform conversations.

They have basically become commodities and people dont talk about commodities, explains Guenoun. They tend to discuss what they can accomplish with the commodities the car they are going to buy with a car loan, rather than the car loan itself. In a sense, predictions that banking products will become embedded in other transactions may already be a reality in many consumers minds.

The most popular topic for consumers discussing the offerings of traditional banks is credit cards, but often it is not the basic card functions themselves but the loyalty programs that the issuers offer. These made up nearly one out of four social conversations concerning banks, far ahead of many more basic matters.

Here traditional banks benefit from their age and experience, having built up significant loyalty with customers (whose perks accumulate over the years), and leveraging the reputation and reliability needed to strike commercial partnerships with companies in sectors like air travel and hospitality, the report states.

During the COVID-19 period some credit card brands pivoted travel and other loyalty perk programs towards more practical and immediate incentives to fit the times. Its conceivable challenger banks could bring much more personalization and adaptation to the efforts. Some have already started offering points programs.

The second-ranking topic that people discussed in regard to traditional banks was safety. Many researchers have found that online safety is a key concern for consumers these days and people discuss it on social when something in the news brings it back to mind.

While customers of traditional banks talk about safety, the study found that theres a degree of confidence in the traditional players that consumers dont yet have in many of the challenger banks.

Concerns about safety, security and privacy occurred twice as often in regard to challengers as about traditional institutions, as shown in the third pair of bars in the chart above. Many prominent challenger banks have slipped up on security and reliability, including through service outages and glitches, the report notes.

Clearly they are going to have to address the security issue soon because consumers are showing that it is a concern, says Guenoun.

Read More:

REGISTER FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR

The Future of Modern Digital Interactions in Banking

Join Cale Johnston, CEO, ClickSWITCH and Nathaniel Hartley, Co-Founder & CEO, MANTL to learn how modern digital interactions are shaping the banking experience.

TUESDAY, November 10TH at 2pm (ET)

While theres more trust in the traditional players, when it comes to financial empowerment, that is, taking control of ones money life, banks hardly come into the picture, as the second chart shows.

Guenoun says this goes back to the issue of banking services being seen as commodities.

While community banks may bring some of this to consumers through personal contact and confidences, Guenoun says that bigger banks have to learn how to get into their customers lives.

Right now, except for the very wealthy, she suggests, larger traditional banks give an impression of arms-length attitude.

They are essentially saying, Im giving you a card, Im giving you a checking account, Im giving you a mortgage and now youre on your own, Guenoun explains. And thats why people are disengaging. They want something more interesting and they want their provider to be more involved they want guidance. Thats why they are turning to challenger banks and fintechs.

What the social monitoring indicates is that the providers that offer the tools and then help people use them to achieve their financial goals are the ones that get discussed.

While traditional banks both large and small have been introducing financial management apps at an increasing pace many of them described in articles appearing on The Financial Brand, the fact that the fintechs and challenger banks seem to resonate more with consumers on social suggests that more aggressive marketing may be in order.

Guenoun notes, too, that as more fintechs and challenger banks obtain charters Varo Money becoming Varo Bank is one example, and in late October 2020 SoFi received approval from the Comptrollers Office for a full-service national bank charter the line between the two industries will blur. (Varo is a Temenos customer.)

She points out that Varo Bank straddles both worlds. Through the new charter and federal deposit insurance it has taken on the trustworthiness of traditional banks. And yet it continues to retain the appeal of financial empowerment that was the hallmark of Varo Money, its predecessor.

They are certainly trying to mix both, says Guenoun, and they are clearly targeting a younger population. And I think these are the ones who are going to thrive in the next few years.

This article was originally published on October 29, 2020. All content 2020 by The Financial Brand and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

See how savvy financial services brands are adopting data-centric marketing strategies to elevate customer experiences, improve marketing ROI and gain an edge over the competition.

Read More

( AROUND THE WEB )

Expert opinions, 2020 spending trends, and consumer research come together in The Ultimate Guide to the New World of Banking.

Read More

Customer behavior is changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, learn how your branch can increase revenue and maximize customer experience with online appointment scheduling.

Read More

Join the most innovative financial institutions and technology leaders from across the country as they come together for growth.

Read More

Nov 05

Nov 10

Nov 17

Nov 24

With consumers seeking relationships from their bank or credit union, learn how to look at branching opportunities as a way through the COVID crisis.

Read More

View post:
Fintechs Draw Increasing Attention in Social Media Banking Chats - The Financial Brand

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK Thought leaders from across the Triangle and beyond are gathering virtually to discuss issues confronting women in these days of COVID-19 and beyond at the second Triangle Tech X conference.

Maureen McQueen, senior vice president, Global Services & Operations of MetLife, which is helping put on the event, talked with WRAL TechWire about the event and the issues being discussed. More than 50 speakers are participating.

World Economic Forum graphic

Its clear that while progress has been made in some areas like people, culture and content production, women still face challenges with advancing in technical areas like cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence. Theres a combination of challenges to work through, ranging from higher education in STEM fields, management practices that may not be as inclusive, and recruitment strategies that need to be evaluated. MetLife employs more than 2,500 employees in North Carolina itself, and weve seen first-hand the impact women in STEM roles have.

The challenges are where the opportunities lie, to bridge the gap in tomorrows workforce. Todays leaders have the chance to develop a more focused agenda, that will not only increase the current talent pool but also the pipeline, from what women can access and pursue in terms of their education, to holding more C-suite and Board positions around the world.

Maureen McQueen

Earlier this year, MetLife became the first US-based insurer to sign the United Nations Womens Empowerment Principles, a series of commitments created by U.N. Women and the U.N. Global Compact to promote gender equity in the workplace and society. While progress has been made, we know that theres still more work to do. Im exciting to be a part of MetLife and its journey to create change that will truly have an impact on society and the economy at large.

MetLifes second annual Triangle Tech X event is important because its an opportunity to bring together top executives and thought leaders to focus on commitment to bring equity to all and diversify the workforce. It is a call to action to bridge a critical gap in the workforce and our economy. Its exciting to be a part of this event and I look forward to the ideas and actions being shared over the three days.

We want to come away from this event with solutions and concrete actions to break down the barriers and obstacles women face in their careers, particularly those in STEM roles. Creating and strengthening the support systems and tools for women to advance their participation and leadership in tomorrows jobs is imperative. Acting on this with purpose, transparency and measurable objectives is a key objective of the event.

In the insurance sector, technology is critical enabler of the business, presenting us with an opportunity to break down barriers for current and future female talent. As Michel Khalaf, CEO & president of MetLife, has stated, empowering women is a key element of our business strategy.

As we want Triangle Tech X to be a premier technology conference, we were thoughtful in inviting speakers and companies from areas that have a voice in this important journey. Our speakers are from the technology sector, academia, charitable organizations & community service, with the majority based in the Triangle Park region.

As the host of the event, MetLifes leaders made a huge commitment to join Triangle Tech X to not only share our companys commitments to gender equity but collaborate with other leaders to hold each other and ourselves accountable to this commitment and progress. We are thrilled to have MetLifes female executive group and Board of Directors sharing their experiences and insights during the sessions.

Our event speakers are living this cause daily, be it through creating jobs, building awareness or providing the necessary support to women already in or entering the workforce.

It is a bitter-sweet moment. Having the event take place in-person would have increased the chance for those personal connections, which are important. However, that approach would have limited us to hosting 200-300 people. Through the virtual format, we were able to expand our outreach to many more participants and attendees, with virtual chats, online Q&A, and social media discussions.

See the original post here:
Women talking, addressing toughest issues they face at Triangle Tech X conference - WRAL Tech Wire

PayCaptain launches to radically improve the payroll process It helps employees understand and control their earnings via an app Employers can support employees to take control of their finances to achieve greater financial resilience It supports employer brand and value proposition enabling new and innovative pay and reward strategies Yapster, the workplace messaging app, goes live this month

London, 27 October 2020. A new payroll app called PayCaptain has been launched to put employees in control of their pay including tools and guidance for financial wellness.

PayCaptain, which has been piloted since the summer, also helps employers innovate with the latest technology and banking. It combines payroll, banking and wellness tools, allowing employers to support and empower their employees to take control of their finances to achieve greater financial wellbeing. It enables companies to be more strategic and creative in rewarding and paying their employees.

Yapster, the workplace messaging app, goes live this month with PayCaptain. Rob Liddiard, CEO of Yapster, said: "We're excited by PayCaptain's vision to turn pay from a functional, routine process into a driver of empowerment and engagement. PayCaptain will run as a Yapplication within our own app, so that soon all Yapster users will be able to plan income and spending, work with PayCaptains banking services and get financial guidance easily".

PayCaptain supports employees in a unique way. It has a personalised education feature to build financial resilience as well as smart AI chatbots to guide employees about their payslip. Any queries that cant be helped by AI are seamlessly transferred to a company-branded payroll team. An employees earnings can be split between multiple bank accounts, perhaps to cover savings, bills and day to day living. PayCaptain Personal and Savings Accounts can also be opened from the app and company-branded Visa debit cards can be issued. It has a Money Planning Tool to plan income and spending in one place, plus employees can access accrued earnings for free with a pre-planned automatic weekly advance of up to 200 a week.

For employers, PayCaptain has compliance and resilience at its core. It combines payroll, banking capabilities and wellness tools, allowing employers to support and empower their employees to take control of their finances. It embraces open banking, modern messaging and faster payments removing the need for BACS. PayCaptain is an automated payroll process and outsourced payroll bureau service which can replace or enhance legacy payroll and payment processing systems. It allows the complete payroll process to be on brand and aligned with company values.

Simon Bocca, CEO and Founder of PayCaptain, explained:

PayCaptain has been developed with the latest technologies to radically improve the payroll process for employers and employees. It puts employees in control of their pay which supports financial wellbeing and reduces the negative effects of financial stress in the workplace. Almost eight in ten UK employees take their money worries to work, affecting their performance, according to the Close Brothers Financial Wellbeing Index so its no surprise that the negative effects of financial stress can impact the employer too.

Payroll is such an important part of peoples lives, yet employers and employees have been using the same payroll mechanics for years. Legacy technology isnt good enough for todays needs. We want to give people control over the money they earn, creating a way for payroll to be on-company brand and in line with their values, just like so many other elements of the employee experience.

Stuart Hall, non-executive director of both PayCaptain and The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, said:

PayCaptain is breaking the payroll trend, introducing new ideas and ways forward that havent been seen before. It not only means employers can simply keep up with legislative changes, it will elevate the payroll process. Indeed, it means payroll people can help the financial wellbeing of employees too. Payroll professionals have been looking for new processes for years and PayCaptain is ready to challenge the market.

PayCaptain means the experience of paying people and getting paid has dramatically improved.

For more information, go to http://www.paycaptain.com or email hello@paycaptain.com. Follow PayCaptain on Twitter @PayCaptain, or LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/paycaptain

Ends

For media enquiries, please contact Kay Phelps, kay@paycaptain.com or call 07710 043244.

About PayCaptain

PayCaptain has been created to make payroll better. It combines payroll, banking and wellness tools, allowing employers to support and empower their employees to take control of their finances to achieve greater financial wellbeing.

Payroll with PayCaptain: Transforms the experience of being paid for employees Helps payroll professionals to add greater value to their company with smart and intuitive technology Enables employers to ensure payroll is on brand and aligned with company values.

PayCaptains aim is to improve the financial resilience of the nation and reduce the negative effects of financial stress in the workplace. It is setup to be a B Corporation and everything it does aims to deliver positive outcomes for customers and their employees.

PayCaptain works with some of the UKs best financial advisory services to provide support alongside PayCaptain generated personal finance guidance.

PayCaptain is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as an EMD Agent of PayrNet. We provide payment services, facilitate business transactions and currency exchanges. Money held in PayCaptain accounts are safeguarded with regulated credit institutions in the UK in accordance with e-money regulations and all card transactions are processed by the Visa network and are protected by Visa Scheme rules.

Simon Bocca former COO and founding team member of global Hospitality HR & Payroll Technology company, Fourth.

Stuart Hall is a company director with 45 years experience in Payroll and HR. He joined the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals board of directors in 2017.

See original here:
First payroll system with financial wellbeing and banking capabilities launches today - ResponseSource

The Speaker of Nigerias House of Representatives, FemiGbajabiamila,has expressed the readiness of the House of Representatives to resolve the strike issues of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and empower Nigerian youths.

Thisstatementwas made by the Speaker during a meeting in his office, with a group of young lawmakers under the aegisof Young Parliamentarians Forum of the National Assembly.

READ: Update: Buhari seeks power to freeze accounts, clamp down on money launderers

READ: ASUU strike may be called off soon Dr. Chris Ngige

The Speaker reiterated that some of the demands of the youth following the #EndSARS protests would be addressed constitutionally, as part of the decision was to reform the Police, in a quest to accommodate a better and more reformed Police.

On youth empowerment, the Speaker said a lot still needs to be done, he explained further that no Nigerian government has done more than what the present administration has done.

READ: Ebonyi State Government proscribes ASUU, other unions in the state university

Speaker of the House of Representatives, while speaking on the determination of the House Representatives on youth empowerment, said,

All of us, every segment of the government, especially the House of Representatives, before the protests took the initiative, debated motions and took far-reaching decisions on the floor. We gave ourselves 30 days, and since then, weve been working night and day, especially with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

READ: #EndSARS: Governor Uzodimma approves N2bn for youth empowerment after talks with protesters

We thought the best way to go about it is to amend the Police Service Commission Act and that has been done, and the report has been concluded. Soon, it will be published and be on the floor.

We are determined to resolve the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) matter, and if we can resolve two out of three issues, I think we would have gone a long way to help the lecturers who are on strike.

READ: CBN reveals framework for the N75 billion Youth Investment Fund

Theres a bill on vocational education, I think from the 8th Assembly that was even my bill. Well pick it up again and pass it to you (Young Parliamentarians Group) to polish it up and add it to whatever ideas you have.

While speaking on the giant strides by the current administration in terms of youth empowerment, the Speaker said,

I make bold to say that no government, in Nigerian history from inception, and I stand to be corrected, has put in as much in youth empowerment as this present government.

READ:CBN offers corps members loans for a 7-year tenor

Facts dont lie, a government that has devoted N500bn to youth empowerment every year. Theres Trader Moni, N-Power, and several others they are all there. This government has done a lot about youth empowerment and is ready to do more. We can never be bereft of ideas.

Continue reading here:
House of Reps determined to resolve ASUU issues and empower youths - Gbajabiamila - Nairametrics

Where can we find the wisdom needed to deal with growing cultural strife and political conflict? An upcoming conference of Ayn Rand scholars looks to the Age of Enlightenment for inspiration and solutions. The event, Ayn Rand Conference USALive, will be hosted online November 6 and 7, 2020.

The conference aims to be especially relevant to students, young people and relative newcomers to Objectivism. The online format will make it easy to communicate directly with speakers, via Zooms chat and Q&A modules. And in a nod to the Enlightenment eras drawing rooms full of interesting thinkers, the conference will feature virtual salons hosted by speakers and ARI staff breakout rooms where participants can interact with a speaker of their choice.

Whats more, the first talk will be open to the public, broadcast live on ARIs YouTube and social media channels. The remaining talks, Q&A and social events will be open only to registered conference attendees.

Those familiar with some of the ideas and ideals of the Enlightenment will hear fascinating insights into the strengths and weaknesses of those ideas that Rand identified and addressed in her own writings. Scheduled presentations include talks by experts in Objectivism who regularly speak and write about Rands philosophy and its application to todays big questions:

As a preview of the whole conference, heres a short video by ARIs chief philosophy officer, Onkar Ghate, on the historical importance of Enlightenment ideas:

Register today at this link. Students can inquire about significantly reduced pricing here.

If you value the ideas presented here, please become an ARI Member today.

View post:
Explore the Enlightenment with Ayn Rand Scholars - New Ideal

In his celebrated Letter from Birmingham jail, written in 1963 while in prison for having taken part in a banned march against segregation, Martin Luther King Jr describes receiving a letter from a white brother in Texas who had told him that all Christians know that the coloured people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. Such an attitude, King wrote, stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills.

I was reminded of that line as I read Priya Satias Times Monster. For its the same irrational notion about the flow of time against which Satia, professor of international history at Stanford University, argues.

Times Monster is a book about history and empire. Not a straightforward history, but an account of how the discipline of history has itself enabled the process of colonisation, making it ethically thinkable.

Satias story begins with the Enlightenment, when the traditional idea of time as cyclical unwound into a linear vision of history, which came to be seen as something that moves irresistibly forward. History became something that humans made but also that made humans. Humans and history were both seen as possessing agency. This allowed history to exercise the power of moral judgment. Morality was defined in terms of the progress brought about by the unfolding of history. History revealed the institutions and the peoples that had become obsolete. Obsolescence, novelist Amitav Ghosh has observed, is modernitys equivalent of perdition and hellfire. The most potent words of damnation in the modern world, Ghosh has noted, is the malediction of being on the wrong side of history.

The Enlightenments obsession with progress, combined with an unshakable attachment to moral universalism, Satia suggests, helped normalise the violence of imperial conquest. Colonialism came to be seen as morally just, a means of bringing progress to non-European peoples, freeing them from their own barbarism.

Liberal imperialism was inherently contradictory, both demanding and denying freedoms and liberties. So John Stuart Mill, in his classic book On Liberty, could argue that despotism is a legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians, provided the end be their improvement. Those who had not sufficiently progressed along the path of history should not be treated like fully civilised peoples. The historians craft, Satia suggests, proved essential to smoothing over such contradictions, allowing the sheer brutality of the British empire to be glossed over as the collateral damage of necessary progress.

Times Monster is a coruscating and important reworking of the relationship between history, historians and empire. It is also a frustrating account. The thread running through Times Monster is the need to understand the catastrophic consequences of rooting ethical claims in particular historical narratives. Satia castigates historians Thomas Macaulay, James Mill and John Robert Seeley, among others for having acted as handmaidens to imperial power. In the final chapter, though, she worries that historians have in recent decades become sidelined by political leaders and that new kinds of experts economists and political scientists have taken their place, experts who seem even more willing to be bag carriers for the powerful.

Historians who are critical of imperialism must, Satia insists, assert their expertise on policy matters against the monopolistic claims of social scientists, to help shape contemporary foreign policy. Many historians were, she observes, opposed to the Iraq war, but were too far removed from the sources of power to have any influence. She even calls on historians to reprise the Enlightenment project of arriving at (new) judgments of value through history. Todays historians, in other words, should continue the practice of using history as a means of deriving moral norms, but with different norms, a morality that supports the powerless rather than the powerful. Its a demand that might seem obvious, but its also one that cuts against the grain of much of the argument in previous chapters which has condemned the very act of using the lessons of history to craft moral norms.

Satia wants also to ditch a linear view of history and to reconsider history as cyclical, if not aimless. The fatal flaw with Enlightenment-derived notions of history, she argues, is that they place humans rather than biology, geology and astronomy at its centre. In fact, the idea of humans making history, rather than simply being made by history, was one of the great leaps in Enlightenment thinking. The problem was that history also came to be seen as something that automatically progresses, that there was, in Kings words of criticism, something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. This was a vision of history that allowed certain peoples and nations to be damned as backward or obsolete and provided moral justification for colonialism. Yet replacing it with a conception of history as circular, which by definition abjures the possibilities of permanent change, a notion of history that is defined more by biology, geology and astronomy than by human activity, would not, it seems to me, be much of a gain.

Times Monster helps lay bare the discipline of historys collusion in empire. It also reveals, however, perhaps unwittingly, what remains valuable in Enlightenment ideas of history and of humanity.

Times Monster: History, Conscience and Britains Empire by Priya Satia is published by Allen Lane (25). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

See the article here:
Time's Monster by Priya Satia review living in the past - The Guardian

Abraham was the first Jewish luminary. And we can all take a page out of his playbook.

The story of Abrahams life is primarily told in two portions of the Torah, Lech Lecha and Vayera. In the first portion of Abraham's story, Abraham comes across as a deeply spiritual person. The Torah tells how he traveled the land and of the altars he built for Gd in every place that he went. Toward the end of the first portion, Gd introduces a new idea to Abraham. No longer will it suffice for Abraham to be a spiritual person. From now on, Abraham's task will be to connect the spiritual with the physical. Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself, fulfilling Gd's commandment My covenant will be in your flesh. From here on, Abrahams mission is to teach how the spiritual covenant must express itself in the tangible physical world.

The second portion, Vayera, opens with Abraham, on the third day after his circumcision, sitting at the opening of his tent seeking guests. Its an exceedingly hot day, and theres no one in sight, yet Abraham sits there, waiting and hoping to find someone to invite into his home. As the Torah tells us:

Now the Lrd appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot. And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.

The opening phrase is the Lrd appeared to him. As a result of this Divine revelation, Abraham reached a greater level of kindness. Typically, a kind person will express kindness when he or she sees someone in need, or at least someone who can receive the kindness. In this scene, Abraham was sitting at the opening of his tent looking to express kindness even when there was no one in sight who was in need of kindness. Abrahams heart was overflowing with love. For the more Abraham experienced the presence of Gd, the more he transcended himself and sought to connect and share with other people.

The verse continues, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot. The literal translation of the verse is he was sitting at the entrance of the tent like the heat of the day. Not in the heat of the day, but like the heat of the day. The verse implies that Abraham himself was like the heat of the day. Abraham was like the sun, spreading warmth, love and enlightenment.

Many spiritual seekers seek to escape worldly distractions and seek enlightenment in solitude. The more enlightenment they experience, the more removed they become from the rest of society. But Abraham taught us that the closer one comes to spirituality, holiness and transcendence, the more the person will sit at the opening of the tent, seeking to express kindness even when the need is not immediately present before him or her. The closer one comes to Gd, the more he or she will be like the heat of the day, like the sun, expressing warmth and friendship to all.

The rest is here:
How to Be a Luminary - Torah Insights - Parshah - Chabad.org

The reproduction of Charlie Hebdos cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recently was no surprise. What was frustrating though was French President Emmanuel Macrons open endorsement of them and his claim that Islam is in crisis. He has made orientalist, neo-colonial statements such as, I want to build an Islam in France that is compatible with the Enlightenment.

The first thought that came to my mind when I listened to him was clash of civilisations. A few months ago I had a discussion with a Muslim academic in the US who insisted that we should stop teaching Samuel Huntingtons controversial and reductionist theory to students. Clash of civilisation, she claimed, reinforces the rigid and mythical boundaries of East vs. West, Muslim vs. Christian and Us vs. Them. Her argument, in which I saw some value, was that migration and globalisation has blurred the boundaries between the East and West and that religion and culture cannot be related to a particular civilisation any longer. Islam is found in the West, and the West and its values can be found in those living in the East. Macrons latest speech and support of blasphemy made me realise that maybe it is not so much about the clash but the politicisation of civilisations and their ideologies.

This is not the first time that blasphemous acts have targeted Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in Europe and elsewhere. A decade ago a Danish newspaper published similar cartoons and outraged Muslims around the world. This is all about freedom of expression, we are told, but if it is apparent to any reasonable person that derogatory remarks or acts against Islam, the Quran or the Prophet will prompt a strong reaction from Muslims, why does the cycle keep repeating? Why do the advocates of free speech light the flame and then express surprise that a fire follows thereafter? Why do they feel the need to offend simply because they can? At this point it seems almost intentional. It has become a means to express dominance through which the superiority of the Western philosophy and beliefs is being asserted upon Muslims. And I say Muslims because it is we who have been singled out for enlightenment by Macron and those like him.

READ: France recalls envoy in Turkey

As a Western-educated academic from and working in the Middle East, I have for long been frustrated by the Eurocentric approaches of political and social theories. They are not only being taught in institutions globally, but also provide the framework for international politics which reinforces power hierarchies and justifies neo-colonialism.

The whole rhetoric of Charlie Hebdo, which was emphasised aggressively by Macron, was framed within the concept of freedom of expression. He claims that this is one of the main values of the French Republic. To be free in France, he said, means to have the freedom to believe or not to believe. But this is inseparable from the freedom of expression. This deification of freedom of speech is actually a politicised myth. If it is as logical and rational in France as Macron claims it to be, then why is denial of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide banned in France? Or insulting the French flag and national anthem? Freedom of speech in France is not without ideological connotations.

To contextualise my position, Europes history of attacks on the Prophet and Islam predate the concept of free speech itself. It is rooted in the religious, ideological and political history of Medieval Europe and Christianity over a millennium; I do not have the space to explain the details here.

A turning point in modern European history, the so-called Enlightenment, not only established a Eurocentric approach to modernity, rationality and logic, but also further institutionalised the language of hatred against Islam. Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire and Kant who are hailed as the founders of human rights used offensively vicious language to describe the Prophet. These celebrated intellectuals and their philosophies inform constitutions and political structures in the West and other parts of the world. Enlightenment philosophers established hierarchies in knowledge production. Kant, who glorified moral philosophy to which Macron referred in his speech, was also a racist. Hence, this philosophy of logic, reasoning and human rights is inherently flawed because it is exclusive to European experience. There is no universal here. We have to look at who established these universal concepts. Marx, Burke and Mill, for example, saw colonialism as modernising the backward and viewed the non-Western world as barbaric and savage, and yet their work is taught in academic institutions all over the world even as we also try in theory at least to build more equal and tolerant societies.

Morocco: Hashtag calling for boycott of French products trends on Twitter

My point is that Macron and his ilk are a result of socialisation through structures within which the racist and orientalist ideologies produced by the Enlightenment were politicised and normalised. To find solutions to this hatred and marginalisation of certain religious groups, we need to look at the root cause, which lies within the fundamental philosophy of these states and their structures.

The French presidents anti-Islamic rhetoric is also, inevitably, linked to his re-election campaign strategy. Such a populist approach appeals to the right wing. Having said that, his political motives have manifested in hate speech towards Muslims in general, not just in France: Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, claimed Macron, and so he wants to liberate Islam in his country. His neo-orientalist approach builds on the popular nationalist debate on what it means to be a proper French citizen. You dont choose one part of France, he insisted. You choose France The republic will never allow any separatist adventure. He claims repeatedly that he is a proponent of secularism and aims to defend the republic and its values and ensure it respects the promises of equality and emancipation. Through his attempts to fight Muslim separatism in France, he has in fact further politicised religion and, ironically, marginalised Muslims.

France has a long history of colonising Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East. French colonialism was ruthless as it sought to wipe out indigenous cultures and create replica French citizens. It has never apologised for the thousands of people killed and exploited in this colonial process. Today, enlightened France is, like many other countries in the West, once again trying to assert its hegemony on the Muslim world through ideological rather than physical means or legal sophistry.

READ: Macrons anti-Islam remark against principles of French Revolution, says Brotherhood leader

When Macron went to Lebanon in the wake of the massive explosion that devastated Beirut in August, he was in full European saviour mode; he professed his love for the Lebanese people without acknowledging the damage that French colonialism did to their country. Such double standards also apply to his endorsement of blasphemy when the target is the man held dear by all Muslims around the world as well as their faith. He demands that French Muslims must respect the values of the French Republic but he has no respect for Islam or Muslims. His is the language of domination and the assertion of neo-colonial power.

The issue here is not just the framing of blasphemy within the concept of freedom of speech. It is the hegemony of Eurocentrism and hypocrisy within which selective freedom of speech is promoted. It is the politicisation of the larger ideologies of universal enlightenment, nationalism and secularism. As fascism and populism are on the rise in Europe, such ideological clashes may become more frequent and worse in their impact. Instead of working to combat the real crisis of structural, systematic and ideological racism in France, though, Emmanuel Macron would rather reform Islam.

Anyone offended by the Charlie Hebdo cartoons should be asking what solutions or alternatives we have to these inherently biased political and social ideologies. What exactly are we being asked to boycott, and why? Can a protest boycott of material goods conquer the structural and systematic flaws in international political philosophy? Maybe not, but it will at least draw attention to the latter, and thats as good a place as any to begin this important discussion.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

Read more:
The politicisation of civilisations and ideologies: Macron, Charlie Hebdo and blasphemy in France - Middle East Monitor

I could have never dreamed my life would be so good," the 41-year-old father of two, who by tradition uses only one name, said in comments translated by a local official. Foreign journalists can only report from the region on trips organized by the government.

Asked about the Dalai Lama, Tibets 85-year-old spiritual leader now living in exile and condemned by China as a separatist, Sunnamdanba said: I never met him and I dont understand him."

And Buddhism, the religion that has for more than a millennium been the foundation of Tibetan culture? I spend most of my time and energy now on work and making a living," he said. Theres less time to spend on religion."

Why hang a portrait of President Xi Jinping in your living room? None of this could have happened without the party."

Legitimacy to Rule

For China, showcasing Tibetans singing the Communist Partys praises helps affirm its legitimacy to rule the region, something thats weighed on Beijings ties with the West since a failed uprising in 1959 forced the Dalai Lama to flee and set up a government-in-exile in northern Indian. Its become more important recently as politicians in the U.S., Europe and India accuse China of using forced labor, detentions and re-education campaigns to assimilate ethnic minorities in its borderlands.

The Trump administrations newly appointed special envoy for Tibetan issues met with the head of the exiled Tibetan administration this month, generating outrage from China. India, which only recognized Beijings sovereignty over the area in 2003, also recently venerated a Tibetan soldier who died fighting against China this year in the worst fighting along the border since a 1962 war.

Tensions have risen in other areas as well. Earlier this year, a Chinese government effort to make Mandarin Chinese the language of instruction at schools in a region inhabited by ethnic Mongolians sparked street protests. And in Xinjiang, a province directly north of Tibet, outrage over Chinas move to detain more than a million minority Uighur Muslims in re-education camps has led some U.S. lawmakers to push for the actions to be declared genocide."

Xi has personally defended the moves in Xinjiang, saying they are necessary to stem terrorism and improve the lives of people. In comments last month, he called the partys policies completely correct," urged more economic development and pushed for more nationalism in education to allow the sense of Chinese identity to take root in people."

Sinofication of Buddhism

At a meeting on Tibet issues in August, Xi told officials to actively guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society, and promote the Sinofication of Tibetan Buddhism."

In Tibet, often called the Roof of the World" because of its high elevation along the Himalayas, ethnic Tibetans comprise about 90% of the 3.5 million people spread across an area the size of South Africa. Their language bears no relation to Chinese, most are Buddhists, and many consider the Dalai Lama their spiritual head -- if not their political leader.

In 2008, deadly riots erupted in Lhasa, leaving at least a dozen dead. A spate of self-immolations by ethnic Tibetans followed a few years later, with the Dalai Lamas followers and human-rights activists attributing the actions to government oppression. Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama for fomenting the unrest, and that sentiment continues to be expressed by officials today who see religion as the root cause of some of Tibets biggest challenges.

Due to some outdated conventions and bad habits -- particularly the negative influence of religion, people put more attention on the afterlife, and their desire to pursue better living this life is relatively weaker," Tibet Governor Qi Zhala told reporters at a briefing that was part of the trip. Therefore, in Tibet, well need to not only feed the stomach, but also fix the mind."

Tibetans are allowed to continue with religious practices only under strict controls: Those who openly show reverence and support for the Dalai Lama can face harsh punishment.

This Is How You Control Tibet

Now they want Buddhism to be taught in Chinese language," Lobsang Sangay, president of Tibets exiled government, told a seminar in Washington on Sept. 28. This is how you control Tibet and this is how you control the Himalaya belt. This is how you control Asia."

But Beijing is also investing heavily in Tibet, betting that new roads, jobs, better housing and improved access to education and healthcare will bring stability to the region. Its also counting on modern life to erode the sway that religion has had over Tibet since the seventh century.

A gift makes you indebted to the giver," said Emily Yeh, a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who is the author of the book Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Development." The bottom line is loyalty to the state and the party."

Tibet is crucial to Beijing for strategic purposes. Its mountainous terrain abuts a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) border with countries including India, Nepal and Myanmar, forming a natural security barrier. Beijing has recently reinforced troops stationed in Tibet as it prepares for a long winter in its high-altitude standoff with India.

To govern a country, its necessary to govern the border," Xi told the Tibet symposium in August, where the party set policy directions for developing the region. To govern the border, its required to stabilize Tibet first."

Family Relocations

For Xi, the key to snuffing out calls for independence in Tibet and strengthening Communist Party rule is delivering economic growth in one of Chinas poorest regions.

Since 2016, China has spent more than $11 billion on poverty alleviation efforts in Tibet. Authorities say theyve pulled 628,000 people above the countrys absolute poverty threshold, which Beijing currently defines as those with annual earnings of less than approximately $600 -- or $1.64 a day.

Those efforts have included building roads to far-flung villages, securing safe drinking water and providing access to health care. But theyve also fueled concern about the loss of Tibetan culture, in particularly due to widespread relocations of families.

Sunnamdanba is among roughly 266,000 Tibetans who have been relocated to new villages over the past five years as part of Xis poverty alleviation campaign. He said his family now makes about $13,000 annually, four times what it used to make in a good year, from his job as a security guard, his wifes work as a cleaner and renting out three rooms in their new home to Chinese tourists.

The governments stance that it hasnt forced anyone to move as part of the poverty alleviation drive was backed up by an ethnic Tibetan researcher who studies relocations in the region. Asking not to be named for fear of retribution, the researcher said he is aware of villages where only two out of 120 households took up the offer to be relocated.

However, a new drive by the government to move 130,000 people from fragile ecosystems at high elevations has been less flexible. According to the researcher, villagers in these locations arent given a choice.

I Believe in the Party

Those presented to reporters on the trip appeared happy to change locations. Among them were 35-year-old Luoce, who used to graze animals on his grassland some 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) above sea level, where he says the thin air gave him nosebleeds.

In 2017, he moved to a so-called relocation village and now works as a security guard and firefighter. His earnings have tripled thanks to his wages and various government subsidies, including one he receives to not graze animals on his land for environmental reasons. Luoces goal is to give his seven children the education he never received.

I believe in the party and in science more than I believe in religion," he said through a government translator.

Still, a poorly executed relocation program could also leave people worse off and foment the very kind of instability improved economic conditions were meant to prevent.

A notable example of this occurred in Inner Mongolia about a decade ago, when provincial authorities relocated herdsmen from the steppe to so-called milk villages. Chinas dairy industry imploded shortly afterward following a tainted milk scandal, forcing many of the herdsman to eke out a living doing odd jobs.

Disadvantaged Underclass

Large-scale resettlement involves major changes to social structures, family links, culture, lifestyle, communities and class structure, according to Robbie Barnett, who headed Columbia Universitys Modern Tibetan Studies Program until 2018 and has written about the region since the 1980s.

Its impossible to overstate the enormity of these new forms of development and economic policy in Tibet and Tibetan areas, particularly resettlement," he said. To put it at its crudest, the risk is that, while some will prosper, many farming and herding communities will be transformed into a dislocated, disadvantaged underclass."

Officials interviewed during the reporting trip spoke extensively about that risk, and highlighted two solutions: Teaching Tibetans new skills to make money, and expanding education.

Outside Shigatse, Tibets second-largest city, low-income families are growing mushrooms -- something Tibetans havent traditionally done -- and then selling them to a government-financed company. More than 600 kilometers away in Nyingchi, authorities are planning to spend more than $100 million on a vocational training center designed for students who failed a test to continue onto high school after compulsory education in Tibet ends after grade nine.

One of those students is Suolanyixi, the 19-year-old son of pepper farmers. Hes already mastered the cappuccino in his quest to become a professional barista, and hopes to one day land a job at one of the roughly half-dozen five-star hotels in Lhasa.

And while none of the other students whove studied coffee making at the school has ever gotten a job outside of Tibet, Suolanyixi is not ready to rule out the thought -- something that would further the Communist Partys goal of integrating the region with the rest of China. Maybe if I am lucky," he said in fluent Mandarin Chinese.

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters

* Enter a valid email

* Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Follow this link:
China wants to build a Tibet with more wealth and less Buddhism - Livemint