Mark Steyn, one of my favourite writers, has a great column here about the left in the US and their attitudes towards freedom of speech.
When someone is opposed to say, health care or government spending than they're pilloried, both by the members of Congress and also by the media. When an islamic organisation makes a death threat against the South Park guys Comedy Central responds by censoring their work.
Mark Steyn: Tea Party the new front in 'war on terror'
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It's a great article, probably my favourite line is this:
Everybody knows that when you say "I'm becoming very concerned about unsustainable levels of federal spending" that that's old Jim Crow code for "Let's get up a lynching party and teach that uppity negro a lesson."
Enjoy
Dr Harry
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
So recapping what we know for sure..... you can't rule out the possibility that I'm awesome
Edit - You need to click on the cartoon to see all of it
The Chinese paradox...
As many people may have heard, the Chinese have vast reserves of foreign currency which they are holding onto and may use to buy the ENTIRE WORLD (or something like that).
At the moment, those reserves are apparently in the order of some $1.4 trillion US. In other words, an awful lot of money.
This article is a great read explaining why the Chinese are doing what they're doing and what the ramifications are.
Basically, the Chinese are getting lots of foreign currency, because they're selling lots of stuff overseas. The vast majority of this currency is being put into safe, long term investments, such as treasury notes and bonds, the majority in US dollars.
By doing this, they are deliberately keeping themselves poor (at least functionally) and ensuring that they stay competitive on a world stage. As an added benefit, the vast amounts of US dollars the Chinese hold are helping to hold up the US economy by keeping the dollar strong and interest rates low. If the Chinese stopped pumping in all this cash the US govt would have to borrow from elsewhere, probably at much higher rates.
By keeping the dollar strong and rates low the Chinese are in effect subsidising the American people (to a significant amount) and thereby enabling them to buy yet more stuff, from the Chinese.
Of course, this isn't much fun for all those poor Chinese people who would quite like some of that money to be spent at home, on things like, say, heaters in schools in areas with blizzards in winter.
However, the Chinese are now in a quandry. If they start pulling their money out, the value of the dollar will fall, thereby lowering the value of the rest of their investments. Not only that, the Chinese currency would rise, making it harder for exporters and the ramifications for govt spending and the economy in the US would be huge. Suddenly the Americans wouldn't be able to buy as much stuff from the Chinese. This ends up in a huge downward spiral.
So rationally, the Chinese can't do anything because they're stuck.
Except, lets face it, people aren't rational, especially crazy, paranoid communist party members convinced that the US is out to get them. Forget the GFC, apocalyptic world economy collapse anyone?
It's a fascinating article, you should definitely read it.
cheers
Dr Harry
At the moment, those reserves are apparently in the order of some $1.4 trillion US. In other words, an awful lot of money.
This article is a great read explaining why the Chinese are doing what they're doing and what the ramifications are.
Basically, the Chinese are getting lots of foreign currency, because they're selling lots of stuff overseas. The vast majority of this currency is being put into safe, long term investments, such as treasury notes and bonds, the majority in US dollars.
By doing this, they are deliberately keeping themselves poor (at least functionally) and ensuring that they stay competitive on a world stage. As an added benefit, the vast amounts of US dollars the Chinese hold are helping to hold up the US economy by keeping the dollar strong and interest rates low. If the Chinese stopped pumping in all this cash the US govt would have to borrow from elsewhere, probably at much higher rates.
By keeping the dollar strong and rates low the Chinese are in effect subsidising the American people (to a significant amount) and thereby enabling them to buy yet more stuff, from the Chinese.
Of course, this isn't much fun for all those poor Chinese people who would quite like some of that money to be spent at home, on things like, say, heaters in schools in areas with blizzards in winter.
However, the Chinese are now in a quandry. If they start pulling their money out, the value of the dollar will fall, thereby lowering the value of the rest of their investments. Not only that, the Chinese currency would rise, making it harder for exporters and the ramifications for govt spending and the economy in the US would be huge. Suddenly the Americans wouldn't be able to buy as much stuff from the Chinese. This ends up in a huge downward spiral.
So rationally, the Chinese can't do anything because they're stuck.
Except, lets face it, people aren't rational, especially crazy, paranoid communist party members convinced that the US is out to get them. Forget the GFC, apocalyptic world economy collapse anyone?
It's a fascinating article, you should definitely read it.
cheers
Dr Harry
Kicking Ass...
So I saw Kick Ass last weekend. I probably wouldn't have written about it, but I saw the above review and thought what the hell?
I really enjoyed it, there were bits I found quite funny (generally violent bits where people die in unfortunate ways) and lots of great action. However, the movie is billed as an "action/comedy" when in reality it's more a tarantino-esqe gore fest, with a bit of pathos thrown in and a few laughs (for some members of the audience).
I really enjoyed it, but if you don't like blood (and lots of it) and violence in general, than steer clear.
The future is here...
And it looks delicious!
Now I don't really eat much at major chain restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks et al), basically because I think the food mostly tastes pretty crap. However, I would definitely eat one of these babies. I might even come back and have a second one! (I have McDonalds every year or two and realise again that the reason I don't eat it is that it tastes so poor).
Couple other things of interest.
Came across some articles by a guy who writes for The Village Voice in New York. Going through his archives there's a great article about gangsta rap and the impact of crack crime and rap culture on young unemployed black men in the ghetto. While it's written in 2003 it's still got some great points about the glorification of gang violence and drug dealing in rap culture, even though much of that lifestyle has disappeared, while the young black men remain unemployed.
There's another great one from the same guy, published in Time magazine, about computer gaming and World of Warcraft in particular. Now, I've never played WoW, but I have played another MMORPG, back before WoW emerged on the scene. One of the reasons that I never signed up was because from all accounts I could find, it took the things that most people do in these games, such as grinding (killing lots of the same monsters to raise your level) and hanging out in safe zones, and made that the point of the whole game. The idea is, if that's what most people do, lets just give them that. Fair enough, it worked for them, as an 8million strong subscriber base will attest to.
However, enough bashing of WoW, the really interesting part of this post is looking at the reasons why people play such games. And the main ones are being able to interact with people, to form communities and do activities, and to have a feeling of accomplishment, of having done great feats, conquered foes and achieved significant goals. I can totally relate to that and still have great memories of running around a virtual world, being scared silly by things that could destroy me in an instant and the excitement of achieving major quests.
Couple more links, if you haven't seen The Escapist and you like video games, than you should. He might rant on a bit, but his reviews are quite good and funny as well. For those who hate his style, his description on Wikipedia will make you feel much better.
Last but not least, a quick piece from the US about teacher unions and their various failings. There's some similarities with Oz and there's some differences, but generally I agree with the point that unions care more about teachers than they do students (as they should, that's their role) and that we need to find some way of recognising those better teachers rather than paying all teachers identically, no matter their ability or location. Why does a crap teacher in an easy school get paid exactly the same as an amazing teacher in a difficult school when they both have the same experience?
That being said, I think NAPLAN is crap and almost useless as a diagnostic tool for individual students and the idea of relying on it for anything at all seems to be quite pointless.
Harry out!
Now I don't really eat much at major chain restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, Hungry Jacks et al), basically because I think the food mostly tastes pretty crap. However, I would definitely eat one of these babies. I might even come back and have a second one! (I have McDonalds every year or two and realise again that the reason I don't eat it is that it tastes so poor).
Couple other things of interest.
Came across some articles by a guy who writes for The Village Voice in New York. Going through his archives there's a great article about gangsta rap and the impact of crack crime and rap culture on young unemployed black men in the ghetto. While it's written in 2003 it's still got some great points about the glorification of gang violence and drug dealing in rap culture, even though much of that lifestyle has disappeared, while the young black men remain unemployed.
There's another great one from the same guy, published in Time magazine, about computer gaming and World of Warcraft in particular. Now, I've never played WoW, but I have played another MMORPG, back before WoW emerged on the scene. One of the reasons that I never signed up was because from all accounts I could find, it took the things that most people do in these games, such as grinding (killing lots of the same monsters to raise your level) and hanging out in safe zones, and made that the point of the whole game. The idea is, if that's what most people do, lets just give them that. Fair enough, it worked for them, as an 8million strong subscriber base will attest to.
However, enough bashing of WoW, the really interesting part of this post is looking at the reasons why people play such games. And the main ones are being able to interact with people, to form communities and do activities, and to have a feeling of accomplishment, of having done great feats, conquered foes and achieved significant goals. I can totally relate to that and still have great memories of running around a virtual world, being scared silly by things that could destroy me in an instant and the excitement of achieving major quests.
Couple more links, if you haven't seen The Escapist and you like video games, than you should. He might rant on a bit, but his reviews are quite good and funny as well. For those who hate his style, his description on Wikipedia will make you feel much better.
Last but not least, a quick piece from the US about teacher unions and their various failings. There's some similarities with Oz and there's some differences, but generally I agree with the point that unions care more about teachers than they do students (as they should, that's their role) and that we need to find some way of recognising those better teachers rather than paying all teachers identically, no matter their ability or location. Why does a crap teacher in an easy school get paid exactly the same as an amazing teacher in a difficult school when they both have the same experience?
That being said, I think NAPLAN is crap and almost useless as a diagnostic tool for individual students and the idea of relying on it for anything at all seems to be quite pointless.
Harry out!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The boys fight back...
Football so far...
So the AFL has had an interesting start to the year. Generally speaking, most of the outcomes so far have been pretty expected. Probably the major shocks have been the form of Fremantle (great) and Adelaide (awful). Sydney has also been going quite well, probably much better than expected.
For me, the big disappointment has been Collingwood. Last week they weren't able to beat a St Kilda that was missing Riewoldt and Koschitzke. Not only that, but the Collingwood forward line is looking seriously ineffective. Their defence is great, their midfield looks great but their forwards (Cloke, Didak, Anthony, Davis) need to actually do something. Unless they can turn things around (which lets face it, is possible, Collingwood regularly do that) than the flag is beyond them this year.
So, a new look at how we can expect things to turn out this year.
Bulldogs
St Kilda
These guys seem to clearly be ahead of the pack so far
Geelong
They're the wounded champion (think Essendon in 2001 or Brisbane in 2004) but they still have the ability to put the hurt on. Do they have what it takes to win another flag?
Collingwood, Hawthorn, Brisbane
These teams are all strong, and potentially top 4, but they're not firing 100% at the moment. They do have the teams to bust anyone though, they just need to sort themselves out.
Sydney, Fremantle
Sydney has been the surprise packet, winning games and looking quite solid. Do they have the chops in their backline to match it with the big boys though? Fremantle have been amazing. I have massive wraps on Matthew Pavlich and it's nice to see them finally be good at the start of a season. If they can win on the road (especially now that teams realise they're a serious threat) than who knows where they'll end up.
Essendon, Carlton, Port?
These guys have the game to take it to the big boys, but aren't balanced out, either lacking key players or having very young lists. They might make up numbers in the finals but realistically they can't win a flag.
West Coast, Adelaide
West Coast have been doing alright (apart from not winning) and have a couple of genuine A-listers (Kerr and Glass, Cox if he's uninjured), but they're not going to win a flag anytime soon. Who wouldn't like Natanui in their team for the next 10 years though? Adelaide are just too old. They're structured and well drilled but just seem past it. The worst thing is that without their old midfielders they'd be even further in the hole! They definitely should be higher than this (expectations were top four) so they should turn things around, maybe.
North Melbourne, Melbourne
North Melbourne have lost their forward and have an old and inconsistent midfield. They should win a few games, but it's not going to be a fun year for their supporters. Melbourne has a very young list. They've shown that when they put in a full effort they can have a real dip, but they're necessarily going to be inconsistent because of the youth of their list.
Richmond
What can I say, they're screwed.
Obviously things are going to change, especially this weekend with the Hawthorn/Collingwood match, but that seems to be the state of play at the moment.
cheers
Harry
Edit - Bulldogs/Brisbane is going to be fascinating as well!
So the AFL has had an interesting start to the year. Generally speaking, most of the outcomes so far have been pretty expected. Probably the major shocks have been the form of Fremantle (great) and Adelaide (awful). Sydney has also been going quite well, probably much better than expected.
For me, the big disappointment has been Collingwood. Last week they weren't able to beat a St Kilda that was missing Riewoldt and Koschitzke. Not only that, but the Collingwood forward line is looking seriously ineffective. Their defence is great, their midfield looks great but their forwards (Cloke, Didak, Anthony, Davis) need to actually do something. Unless they can turn things around (which lets face it, is possible, Collingwood regularly do that) than the flag is beyond them this year.
So, a new look at how we can expect things to turn out this year.
Bulldogs
St Kilda
These guys seem to clearly be ahead of the pack so far
Geelong
They're the wounded champion (think Essendon in 2001 or Brisbane in 2004) but they still have the ability to put the hurt on. Do they have what it takes to win another flag?
Collingwood, Hawthorn, Brisbane
These teams are all strong, and potentially top 4, but they're not firing 100% at the moment. They do have the teams to bust anyone though, they just need to sort themselves out.
Sydney, Fremantle
Sydney has been the surprise packet, winning games and looking quite solid. Do they have the chops in their backline to match it with the big boys though? Fremantle have been amazing. I have massive wraps on Matthew Pavlich and it's nice to see them finally be good at the start of a season. If they can win on the road (especially now that teams realise they're a serious threat) than who knows where they'll end up.
Essendon, Carlton, Port?
These guys have the game to take it to the big boys, but aren't balanced out, either lacking key players or having very young lists. They might make up numbers in the finals but realistically they can't win a flag.
West Coast, Adelaide
West Coast have been doing alright (apart from not winning) and have a couple of genuine A-listers (Kerr and Glass, Cox if he's uninjured), but they're not going to win a flag anytime soon. Who wouldn't like Natanui in their team for the next 10 years though? Adelaide are just too old. They're structured and well drilled but just seem past it. The worst thing is that without their old midfielders they'd be even further in the hole! They definitely should be higher than this (expectations were top four) so they should turn things around, maybe.
North Melbourne, Melbourne
North Melbourne have lost their forward and have an old and inconsistent midfield. They should win a few games, but it's not going to be a fun year for their supporters. Melbourne has a very young list. They've shown that when they put in a full effort they can have a real dip, but they're necessarily going to be inconsistent because of the youth of their list.
Richmond
What can I say, they're screwed.
Obviously things are going to change, especially this weekend with the Hawthorn/Collingwood match, but that seems to be the state of play at the moment.
cheers
Harry
Edit - Bulldogs/Brisbane is going to be fascinating as well!
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