Saturday, October 14, 2006

[family feud] philanthropy or misanthropy

John Jacob Astor

Interesting to see the arcane crew in the news. Anthony D. Marshall, 82, [son of the socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor] with his wife, Charlene, 61, will have to pay more than $1.3 million, return valuable artwork and jewelry, and give up his role as steward of his mother’s financial and health affairs as part of an agreement announced yesterday to settle a legal dispute involving the Astor fortune. J. P. Morgan Chase and Mrs. Astor’s longtime friend Annette de la Renta will serve as her permanent guardians. Mrs. Astor, 104, has been in fragile health for several years. Philip Marshall, 53, who had enlisted the help and testimony of David Rockefeller, Henry A. Kissinger and others as he sought to wrest control of Mrs. Astor’s affairs from his father, had his own blunt remarks: “We are overjoyed with today’s outcome, which puts Friday the 13th in a new light,” he said, presumably in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 13 families. Here is one history. And here is another.

[grameen] the other side of the coin

This blog tries to put two sides if there are two to put. Tim Worstall has put the other side of Grameen [earlier post below] in stating: Grameen Bank - with the Nobel Peace Prize going to Muhammud Yunus and the Grameen Bank we're seeing pieces all over the papers trying to explain the success. Unfortunately, all too many are missing the point. Like this in The Times. He then goes on to say why this ain't so hot. He also posted a piece above it called Morons out there and I have to confess I anxiously looked to see if he might have been referring to me.

[peru] shining path lovers get life

Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman [71] and second-in-command longtime lover Elena Iparraguirre, 59, have been found guilty of aggravated terrorism and sentenced to life in prison. The former philosophy professor stated: “I am a revolutionary combatant and totally reject being a terrorist.” The Shining Path enjoyed bombing electrical towers, bridges and factories, assassinating mayors and massacring villagers, shooting and hacking children to death their speciality. “They killed them with machetes, stones, axes — and for those who did not die in agony in this way, they even put them into a vat of boiling water,” said Ignacio Tacas, a 35-year-old farmer. Guzman’s team would then celebrate the bloodshed in songs and slogans, declaring that blood was necessary to “irrigate” their glorious revolution. Needless to say, these were not your usual terrorists but more in the Al Quaeda, Abu Ghraib, Taliban, Beslan, Janjaweed tradition and their name, an open variant of Illuminatis, Enlightenment, Lucis [check with the UN about them] and various other offshoots, is a good indicator of their boss.

[workplace] mcjob or mcfuture

When Douglas Coupland coined the phrase McJob in his 1991 book Generation X, it needed little explanation and it’s a term McDonald's has been fighting for years, often applied to the service industry as a whole which accounts for 82% of the total number employed in the UK last year. The Brighter Futures report says though, that far from being brain-dead dropouts, youngsters in the industry see it this way: 90% show high levels of engagement; 85% said job was better than they'd expected; 83% had seen positive change in themselves since starting work and 74% saw a long-term career at McDonald's. Of course, low initial expectations could account for this and the survey was commissioned by McDonald's and yet it was independently run. The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) disagrees and says the results are flawed. One young male employee concludes: "While other business wouldn't have given me a chance, I showed I was willing to work and they rewarded that. They realise it's not in their interest to hold someone back who wants to do well." Whom to believe? [Based on a report in BBC Online from June 2006 – link now lost, sorry.]

[dannatt] remarks taken out of context

Tony Blair says he is in full agreement with comments his army chief made in a newspaper interview about British troop deployments in Iraq. Blair - who said that he drew his conclusion about the interview after reading the full transcript of it - said Friday some of Dannatt's remarks may have been taken out of context. "Now, in terms of what he (Dannatt) was saying about Britain coming out of Iraq, he was saying exactly the same as we've all said. I know you guys like to portray it as if our policy is to remain in Iraq forever, it isn't. It's to withdraw," Blair told a press conference. Dannatt denied attacking government policy, insisting he meant a phased pullout of British forces over two or three years. I continue to say Dannatt's remarks have been taken out of context. Tony Blair's reasons for accepting this are his own.

[2006 nobel peace prize] muhammad yunus

Muhammad Yunus gave a $90 loan to a Bangladeshi villager, which pulled her out of a cycle of poverty and into business. She used the money she borrowed from Garmeen in 2001 to buy egg-laying chickens, and parlayed her investment into a business that today sells construction materials. She's not alone. Yunus' micro-credit has spread around the globe and is said to have helped at least 100 million people take their first steps out of poverty. "Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty," the Nobel Committee said in its citation in Oslo. The 65-year-old Yunus said he would use part of his share of the $1.4 million award to create a company to make low-cost, high-nutrition food to sell to the poor at a nominal price. The rest would go toward setting up an eye hospital for the poor. But Grameen is not without critics, many of whom focus on the bank's high interest rates. Its business loans carry a rate of 20 percent, significantly higher than the 10-15 percent charged by commercial banks.

[talking shop] we’re visiting you next week

Our President and my Minister [for Trade] are coming over your way next week, those of you in London, for an Investment Summit and to have a chat with Ian McCartney, Lord Walker and others. So if you see them out for their morning constitutional around the streets of Mayfair, say hello and maybe you know some good tearooms in the area to have a natter about trade, investment and Wigan Rugby Club. They'll no doubt have some EU identities with them as well at the time so make sure you take enough cash. I’m currently preparing for this event so posting might be light today.

Friday, October 13, 2006

[us blogs] feminism and pornography – strange bedfellows

This one’s a bit complicated for non-American bloggers: There’s a blogger, right? He, a male; he’s pro-feminist and he’s a cartoonist. But he’s losing the feministi readership [I think] and so he has to think quickly – throw himself on the mercy of the feminists? Advertise? What? He cuts a deal with a pornographer and he uses one part of his site and the pornographer the other. To get to this you must go through some links: the allure of turning Internet pimp. Now Vox Day has run the piece and commented: ... demonstrating yet again for those who have not yet figured it out that feminism is nothing more than a tool used by corrupt men to make use of maleducated women who are silly enough to believe in the magic fairy unicorn with the rainbow-colored horn named "Empowerment". Has to be one of the more classic comments I’ve seen on the illogicality of feminism .

[hm revenue] bureaucratic highhandedness crushes builder

Mr. Eugenides has drawn our attention to a particularly nauseating and egregious piece of bureaustuffup: Last week a High Court Judge ruled in a test case that Cumbrian Builder, Neil Martin had suffered from maladministration and incompetence at the hands of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (The Revenue) in failing to provide him with correct documentation under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS Scheme). Without a Certificate his company’s cash flow was massively disrupted. Despite findings that, the Revenue had delayed for 52 days and given him bad advice, he found that it owed no duty of care in negligence and were effectively immune from legal action. Neil Martin was not entitled to one penny to compensate him for the Revenue’s blunders which had caused financial ruin. Eventually he was compensated £55, which Mr. E calls a particularly sick joke. I have a similar tale about Royal Mail but let’s just stick to this one first. Would you look at Mr. E’s article in full and then carry something on your site? Then we can get the message out.

[cleese] gutless radio these days

John Cleese has told a radio conference in Sydney that networks were too willing to play safe with the programs they put to air. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love radio. But it has certainly lost its willingness to go with its gut instinct on what makes good radio," said Cleese, who started writing for radio in the '60s for shows such as I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. "There is too much reliance on marketing rather than taking chances with new, edgy talent. And the worst thing is, I don't know how it can be reversed." Cleese said both television and radio relied too much on marketers. "This is a major problem around the world," he said. It leads to restrictions on programming and prevents radio from being the brilliant and vibrant medium it can be. The only advice I can give is for radio stations to take a chance with young talent and give them their head. Cleese said the BBC's anarchic The Goon Show, made in the 1950s and starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe, was the best radio comedy show in history.

[oil] over $59 a barrel

Oil prices rose above $59 a barrel Friday after Norway ordered production shut down at two offshore platforms, reducing flows by about 10 percent from the world's third-largest oil exporter. A decline in U.S. inventories of distillate, which includes heating oil, also played a part in the rally of more than $1 a barrel, and traders continued to watch OPEC for any sign that the cartel will cut output. Saudi Arabia _ the largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries _ has yet to publicly confirm repeated statements from OPEC's president that members are "nearing consensus" on how to divvy up a 1 million-barrel-a-day reduction. Light sweet crude for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange gained $1.42 to $59.28 a barrel. In London, November Brent crude on the ICE Futures exchange rose 99 cents to $59.73 a barrel. If you read the earlier article, you know how Bush is trying to get America thinking ‘alternative’ to oil. This so blatantly holds a muzzle to the consumer's head that I'm amazed there's no outcry. Or are the exporters actually altruistically forcing the consumer to stop polluting the atmosphere?

[dannatt] closer to the truth than most

Lieutenant General Sir Richard Dannatt

Certain things in Sir Richard’s statement struck me – he warned against a spiritual "vacuum" in the UK that he believes is posing a threat to a society no longer bound together by the Christian religion, and complained that the treatment of wounded soldiers in NHS hospitals breaks the unwritten "covenant" between the nation and its armed forces.

Sir Richard added, "It is said that we live in a post-Christian society. I think that is a great shame. The broader Judaic-Christian tradition has underpinned British society. It underpins the British Army."

This is very much what Minette Marrin has been writing about and which this blog strongly endorses.

Unfortunately, certain of my fellow bloggers, of humanistic, leftist and atheistic leanings might not pick up on these words as central to the issue and might concentrate on the 'attack on Blair angle'; I have read many of their solutions for society’s ills and though I respect these men and women as people, yet Sir Richard’s take is closer than anything else I’ve read of late.

[hurrah] here comes the snow

I adore the snow and so this was welcome news, even if it did cause chaos: Between 7 and 10 centimetres of snow fell in most areas around Buffalo, with some spots receiving 14 centimetres or more later in the evening. 94,000 in western New York were left without power as the ‘unprecedented' October snowfall hit, downing tree limbs and power lines Thursday night. In the 137 year weather service record the Buffalo area has had only two “snowier” days. Erie County and Genesee were among the hardest hit areas, with total accumulations of 15 to 30 centimetres possible by Friday morning and 80 per cent of the roads are impassable. Buffalo schools are to be closed today.

[israel] the anomalies of horseracing

Most forms of gambling are illegal in Israel so it was an eye-opener when they opened a racing track at Gilboa. Only problem is that you can’t place a bet and to add to the irony, the racehorses are Arabian. The $US20 million track is now open but legislation to permit betting is still in the pipeline at the Knesset. Stay tuned.

[the web] google page ranking

This Google page rank thingy has me puzzled. The ones you’d expect to be up there are up there – the Worstalls, Dales, Pollards, Voxes and so on and the ones you’d expect to be nowhere, such as yours truly, are nowhere. That's understood. Interesting that, from my sidebar, Norman Geras was the most widely read site and two who hardly ever post were both running at about 30%. One of these can be understood because of the quality of his occasional pieces and because he's always commenting on other sites but the other is a puzzle. And the one whose rank I simply can't understand is a high-quality blogger whom I know has many comments and yet the site registers zero on the Google Bar. How can that be?

[true tales] the case of the boy who would paint

We tend to guard that which we don’t have, be it love, time, money or whatever and closest to my heart is Bryson’s tongue-in-cheek definition of Paradise: Blank spaces in my Diary. The theme in my work this week was scheduling blank spaces at certain times in the schedule and disguising them as time commitments, then treating them as sacrosanct and one thing which arose from all this was the case of the Boy who Painted. My friend is a busy man who works an average twelve to thirteen hours a day and each hour needs to pay for itself. Therefore travelling, for example, is lost income. He made the mistake of showing one client his late-evening painted ceramics and, fascinated, she asked if he could spend some time with her little son, teaching him the art. You see the dilemma of course. What to do? How to gently refuse? He chose not to refuse and perhaps this was wise because the spin-offs might be far more than a happy child and satisfied altruism – things like this have a habit of snowballing, his reputation would be enhanced and for the cost of a lost hour, he might become a more desirable business partner as the story gets round. At least it seems that way to me.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

[george bush today on energy] just the words spoken

"Energy is -- look, let me just put it bluntly: We're too dependent on oil. Now, see, low gasoline prices may mask that concern. [I fret that the] low price of gasoline will make . . . us complacent about our future when it comes to energy. I want to tell you that I welcome the low gasoline prices. However, it's not going to dim my enthusiasm for making sure we diversify away from oil. We need to diversify away from oil for economic reasons. We live in a global world. When the demand for oil goes up in China or in India, it causes the price of crude oil to rise. And since we import about 60 percent of the crude oil we use, it causes our price to go up as well, which means the economy becomes less competitive. And then, of course, there's the national security concern for oil. Why? Well, we get oil from some countries that don't particularly care for us. And we will continue to research to make sure America's less dependent on foreign sources of oil. I believe wind power has got the opportunity to help. All we need is to put a couple of windmills right there in Washington, D.C. and we'll be less dependent on foreign sources of energy. Nuclear power is renewable, and there are no greenhouse gases associated with nuclear power. One of the problems we've had is that nobody wants to build any plants. They're afraid of the cost of regulation and the litigious nature that surrounds the construction of nuclear power plants. [Now I have to leave to] get my limousine filled up by hydrogen."

[ashes] a top order of left-handers

Interesting piece by Tim de Lisle: Since the final Ashes Test of 2001, Australia’s first-choice opening pair has been two left-handers: Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. They have never been in danger of being mistaken for two peas in a pod. Hayden is huge and takes a big stride forward, Langer is little and mainly moves sideways, so bowlers have to change their length every time the two of them take a single, just as they would have to change their line for a right-and-left combination. England’s own top order now consists of three left-handed openers. Alastair Cook has come in at number three to replace Michael Vaughan, and, in all but place, he is the classic left-handed opener – watchful, well-organised, sometimes crabby, powerful square of the wicket, strong against pace, not so hot against spin. The question is whether a bevy of left-handers can take the Ashes. I always thought a right-left combination worked better at throwing the bowlers off their line.

[awful day] is it all worth it

The internet and telephone bills came today, hitting me right in the solar plexus. ‘No matter,’ I muttered to myself, on the road to the day’s commitments. ‘No matter – if people are visiting and they like the posts, then it’s all worthwhile, isn’t it? And numbers have been steadily increasing too – a bit.’ In the early evening, back home again, curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to know if there’d been any e-mails and any comments. There had been. Checked the visitors for the day and the jaw dropped, as I slumped into a chair – there’d been almost no one, especially from the UK, my home ground. Internet bill of wal-mart proportions and no one’s reading anything. Despair. Disillusionment. ‘Well, I’ll still post,’ I thought. Ha! Blogger’s decided to play up again. Now I go searching for a razor. Then I notice that the people who have visited are the important ones – the good people, so to speak. Wistfully, I ask the blogger’s eternal question, ‘Is it quantity or quality we seek in our visitors?’

[ny plane crash] huge tactical response a little too late

A small plane crashed today in New York City, disappearing from radar screens as it flew north up the East River. At some stage the Cirrus SR20 single-engine plane turned, banking steeply and started heading south. Anthony Francavilla was working on the 28th floor of a building on 72nd Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side when he heard an engine splutter three times. "You could tell it was really straining," he said. He believed the plane dodged one building and was trying to turn towards the river when it hit the 40th floor — 30 floors above street level — of the Belaire residential and hospital building across the street. The accident triggered a full-scale response from emergency services, and the immediate fear in many New Yorkers' minds was: is it happening again? Within 30 minutes fighter jets had been scrambled over New York and Washington. Six ships armed with heavy weapons were deployed around Manhattan. The President was briefed. In this tragedy I’d like to ask one question – how would this massively impressive tactical response have helped? I mean, how could that have prevented the tragedy? If it had been terrorism, wasn’t it just a little too late?

[france] furor over turkey’s genocide of armenians

The European Commission has condemned a French parliament vote in support of a law criminalising denial that Armenians suffered genocide by the Ottoman Turks, saying the move is likely to hinder open dialogue on Armenia in would-be EU member state Turkey. You follow all that? Armenia says Ottoman Turks in 1915 killed around 1.5 million of its citizens, something Turkey has always strongly denied. Discussion of the issue in Turkey has been all but non-existent, with people pursuing the topic falling foul of article 301 of the country's penal code which punishes "insulting Turkishness." UK liberal Andrew Duff said, "How can the EU expect Turkey to develop its laws and practice on freedom of speech when France, one of [the EU] founding members, is going in the opposite direction?" But the deputies hit back. "Turkey is not in a position to give us a lesson on the repression of public opinion," French deputy Patrick Devedjian stated. Don’t know what to think about this one.

[anna politkovskaya] unanswered questions

The Times today reported that on Friday, the day before her murder, Anna Politkovskaya told Radio Liberty that she was working on a piece on how the Russian-backed Chechen regime was using torture. Her newspaper, the bi-weekly Novaya Gazeta, said today that everyone was asking whether her death was linked to her announcement … [but some] thought it could have been connected to any number of her stories. The issue has overshadowed a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Germany. I asked around and many think there’s something very strange about it all. It was too open, too obviously going to lead to an outcry, too quickly going to turn her into a martyr. Contract killing it certainly was but there were other ways to deal with her. Look at Khodokorvsky, for example. The jury is really out on this one.

[downunder] worst drought ever

A farmer ploughing through a dust-cloud in the Wimmera region

Even if rain comes to Australia's parched rural regions, it will be too late for crops in Victoria and Western Australia, according to Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello. In the worst drought since records began, hundreds of farmers will be left dependent on government assistance and Mr Costello flagged new measures to make it easier for farmers to claim drought relief, in a season when many are likely to have no farm income at all. He also signalled a turning point in Australia's economic cycle, saying the record commodity prices that have powered the economy since 2003 have now peaked, and will fall in the next two years. Mr Costello said this would end the huge revenue windfalls for the Government, but give welcome relief to households, retailers and the economy, with petrol cheaper and less pressure on inflation — and hence, implicitly, on interest rates. But the Treasurer saw no relief ahead from the drought. He warned that it would be "very severe, worse than people have anticipated". Australia has always faced drought and bushfires as its main natural hazards but that doesn’t make it any easier.

[hitchcock] a must see for devotees

If you’re a Hitchcock devotee [can you name a right minded individual who isn’t], then Norman Geras some days back linked here and here for a must-not-miss series of cameos on the Master and some articulate commentary. What was your favourite Hitchcock? Rear Window, Vertigo? Mine was always The Birds, for personal reasons.

[oil&gas] russia goes it alone

This was always on the cards. If western companies ever thought they would get their hooks into the Russian oil and gas fields, they were misunderstanding the Russian character. The truth is that the Russians knew they had to invite in western expertise to get things off the ground and in an analogous minor venture from the nineties – a crystal company based in Vladimir - the west discovered early on the nature of the relationship. Things have moved on from there; Russia has joined the global economy and learnt western marketing but they also learnt the hard way not to relinquish control to multi-nationals [I won’t name the particular two companies] and that’s what’s behind this move this week. Russia is proud of its advances and earlier, a bold statement about going it alone would have been greeted with derision on both sides but now the question is more, ‘Are they too early in doing this?’ rather than, ‘Should they do it?’ They were always going to do it.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

[in brief] thought for the day

If the luscious Ségolène Royal becomes the next French President and if either Condi or Hillary do the same in the US and as Angela Merkel is already in, international summits might just become very interesting indeed. Somehow, Gordon or David would seem a trifle out of place.

[ségolène royal] mon opinion est celle du peuple français

Instantané: La candidate socialiste à l'investiture a présenté plusieurs propositions pour relancer l’Europe. Elle a cependant refusé de donner sa position sur la Turquie et sur la refonte des institutions. Critiquée par ses rivaux pour son inexpérience en matière de politique étrangère, Ségolène Royal a voulu démontrer le contraire mercredi, en abordant les questions européennes. «Je veux débloquer l’Europe et sortir la France de l’isolement», a-t-elle expliqué, en «réalisant l’Europe par la preuve». La présidente de la région Poitou-Charentes a répété qu’elle était opposée à l’idée d’un «mini-traité» pour relancer la réforme des institutions, défendu par Nicolas Sarkozy, mais elle est restée évasive sur la question des institutions européennes.

[iraq] 600 000 death estimate - accurate or flawed

Researchers, criticised for their death estimates two years ago, say that more than 600,000 Iraqis have suffered violent deaths since 2003. "This clearly is a much higher number than many people have been thinking about," said Gilbert Burnham, lead author and professor at Johns Hopkins University. "It shows the violence has spread across the country." Most deaths reported in the study are military-aged men but he said it was impossible to differentiate between civilians, insurgents and Iraqi security force members. Human Rights Watch's Middle East division executive director, Sarah Leah Whitson, said she had no reason to question the estimate but Michael O'Hanlon, a Brookings scholar who compiles civilian casualty estimates, said the survey method was flawed. "The study is so far off they should not have published it. It is irresponsible," he said. "Their numbers are out of whack with every other estimate." The Johns Hopkins estimate is based on a survey of 1849 randomly selected households in Iraq.

[lloyds] not all that meets the eye

Oh they love the subterfuge, the hidden little costs, don’t they? Black Quill exposes Lloyd’s latest little scheme: If they [customers] become overdrawn by less than £10 without permission they are not charged the usual £30 fee, although they do pay interest at 29.8 per cent. However, from November 1 Lloyds is removing the fee waiver for all customers except those with a fee-charging Premier or Platinum account. It is also abolishing the £10 buffer for all customers, so anyone who goes into the red or exceeds their agreed overdraft limit by just 1p once a year will be hit by a £30 fee. Lloyds calls this an overdraft excess fee. Needs no comment from me.

[west ham] magnusson considering buying

West Ham’s new ground

This is more like news: Eggert Magnússon, head of Iceland’s football federation (KSÍ), is considering buying English football club West Ham. Telegraph.co.uk reports that Magnússon, who is also a member of the UEFA executive committee, and his partners have made a formal takeover approach, offering a provisional GBP 75 million (EUR 110 million, USD 139 million) for the East London football club. The club’s future has been uncertain for a long time. The Icelandic businessman and football lover told Morgunbladid that the deal is still in the beginning phases. He thinks West Ham is a great football club with a lot of history, an excellent manager, players and supporters. He makes an offer and this is termed ‘considering’? Also, the Nordic god Thor, wasn't his team called the Hammers?

[suicide] iceland marches against it

Perfect example of Icelandic news being serious enough by its own lights but always having that strange edge to it: Close to 500 marched the streets of Reykjavík last night, to show support in the fight against suicide. The march ended with a candle floating in the Reykjavík pond in memory of those who have taken their own lives, RÚV reports. This year’s slogan is ‘Growing knowledge – more hope: Together we strengthen mental health and reduce suicide’. Minister of Health, Siv Fridleifsdóttir, opened a conference on it and she said mental health is of great importance and deserves much attention. This was reported by mbl.is. I have visions of a cadet reporter asking her, ‘Is mental health important?’

[four faces] whose is the odd one out

Leaving aside Katherine Hepburn for the moment and concentrating only on the men, there are quite a few ways to choose who is the odd one out but only one in this jumbled sentence – unjumble it to find out: yob orggee is het yoln onn-canmeria.

[c of e] moral equivalence of the very worst kind

Jonathan Petre has it completely right in the Telegraph: Church backs legal rights for parents who live in sin, against Archbishop’s wishes. And I’m speaking as an insider, having co-habited more than once and having certain views about those times. However, for one of the major world churches to actually come out and officially condone the practice is awesome in its awfulness. This is moral equivalence in its very worst manifestation and directly contradicts bible teaching, which the commission supposedly is aware of. Not supposedly actually, for JC said that where there is wheat, there also are tares [weeds]. This has always been and the Christian church has been infiltrated and undermined for millennia. Perhaps one of the worst was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ‘Christianity is the most materialistic of religions’ in 1939. Actually, it is not materialistic at all and JC made it clear that one must have no thought for the morrow and to put aside worldly things to follow Him. This commission is not following Him and in the polarity of Christianity, if it’s not following Him, then it’s following the other one.

[literature] do you know your fiction

Bonus point # Who is this man?

The following are examples of some of the odd incidents and episodes that often occur in the fictional world. Now, identify the works from which they come [half a mark each] plus their authors [the other half mark]: 1. An Irishman becomes so familiar with his bicycle that when cycling at speed the atomic structure of his body fuses with that of the bicycle frame. The other nine questions are here.

[blog focus] consistency of style

Two bloggers many would know

One criticism my best friend made, in terms of style, was that I had none. What he meant was that, because I included such a wide range of topics, those who were interested in only two or three of these e.g. ceramic painting, had to take pot luck on whether there’d be an article on this topic or no. With a specific ceramics site or a specific Conservative Party site, you always know what you’re getting and some people prefer it that way. The most popular blogs do sell the one idea or at least one theme runs throughout e.g. economics. I suppose I try to sell variety but surely you can get this by simply surfing. Why come to my site at all? And what do the other bloggers sell? I tried to determine this by looking at eight or nine blogs - here.

[far-east] giant diamond found in china

The Chinese government has announced that the fourth biggest diamond ever found in China, weighing 101.47 carats, has been discovered in Mengyin County of Shandong Province, during ore dressing in one of the Group's mines on May 27. The diamond, now in the Central Bank, is yellowish, translucent and described as an oblong octahedron, the color and clearness up to the quality of a finished diamond, according to an assessment made by the National Gemstone Testing Center. A diamond of this size and quality was an extremely rare find anywhere in the world, explained the Center. In 1983 a diamond weighing 119.01 carats was also found in Mengyin. The Industry Group's general manager, Tan Zhongming, said that this discovery displays China's technical sophistication in diamond exploration, mining and dressing. [

[china] nourishing obscurity until the time is ripe

Had an e-conversation with Dymphna about China. She recommended Bill Gertz: In from the Cold [hard copy]and I referred her to this. I took the point of view that war will never happen because by then China will have the hegemony. The idea is that the USA will gradually ebb, as all hegemonies ebb and China, through a series of alliances, will silently move in to fill the vacated place. This is the whole rationale behind the term nourishing obscurity. More on this on Sunday.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

[sats] and other nasty tests

Americans like tests so much that they have structured society around them. Newborns are greeted into the world with the Apgar test to measure activity, pulse, reflex, appearance and respiration. Getting a 3 or below is like getting an F. Soon to follow are assessments that compare them with their peers. Are they crawling, sitting, walking at the correct age? Four-year-olds are tested in literacy and math in Head Start programs, and kindergartners undergo tests to see who is "gifted." Americans embrace tests because they are entranced with objectivity -- or at least the appearance of it, experts say. No topic in education sparks as much debate and division as testing -- especially standardized testing. Pat Wyman, an instructor at California State University at East Bay and author of "Learning vs. Testing: Strategies That Bridge the Gap," says students should just learn how to deal with tests -- of all kinds.

[diversity] the deception of multi-culturalism

Vox Day has done it again, this time on one of the horror stories of modern society – multiculturalism: A bleak picture of the corrosive effects of ethnic diversity has been revealed in research by Harvard University's Robert Putnam, one of the world's most influential political scientists. His research shows that the more diverse a community is, the less likely its inhabitants are to trust anyone – from their next-door neighbour to the mayor ... This was then answered by a commenter, damaged justice: There is a vast difference between biological/ecological diversity and cultural diversity. The former is a net positive in any event, otherwise we would all mate with immediate relatives like so many British "royals". The latter is only a positive when it comes about voluntarily, rather than coercion, and when there are enough shared similarities between the varying cultures.

[black quill] when the spam-watchers are spammed

Black Quill must be on speed because he’s turned heavy hitter. On spam-watchers spammed: A UK company called Spamhaus keeps IP lists of spammers that ISPs and others can use to help filter out spam. In their fight they fingered e360 as a spammer. e360 went to law, not difficult in the US as we know, and the mighty Illinois court ordered Spamhaus to shell out $11.7 million to e360 uncontested. Do read the whole piece here. This has a personal interest because I'm having troubles with g-mail, who are rejecting my e-mails on the grounds that I'm spamming people. If they went after actual spammers and left me alone I'd be a lot happier.

[olives] danger time for the over-ripe

Too ripe! Too early! The cry from the olivesphere has gone out. L’Ombre has drawn our attention to the critical problem facing olive lovers - the overly ripe olive problem. Here’s the nub of the matter: "Our local mill is off on its hols until October 22 and will not, I believe, be accepting olives for crushing until at least a week after that. Unfortunately, while we still have quite a few green olives, we also have a fair number of rather riper ones." What can one do? Blogosphere – will we descend on L’Ombre en masse to help him out?

[john major] much maligned, sound mind

Tim Montgomerie says: Sir John Major yesterday delivered a blunt warning to Conservative right-wingers: back David Cameron and his return to the centre ground of British politics, or face a fourth general election defeat. I’m not going to be popular for saying this but I always thought Major was much maligned and ran quite a good ship. Wikipedia further says of him: Major took his campaign onto the streets, famously delivering many addresses from an upturned soapbox, as in his Lambeth days. This "common touch" approach stood in contrast to the Labour Party's more slick campaign and it chimed with the electorate. Another one of this ilk was Harry S Truman, in the US, though a different character of course. Spitting Image did for John Major in the end and I, for one, felt that was a pity. He also fought intense disloyalty. In his own words, concerning the critics: I could name eight people – half of those eight are barmy. How many apples short of a picnic? [1993]

[stress] to expand your business, go to sleep

Take someone like Tim Worstall, whose natural tendency is to help those with initiative but through experience knows what he can and cannot do, this side of sanity. What I find with many of my clients is that they can’t relax, due to their inability to say ‘no’, fearing they’ll miss out on a chance or feeling guilty about taking time off. Perfect case in point was the lady who departed just now – running business, family and various side ventures and with a little child she can never say no to. Not even once. She’s sleep deprived. The experts say, ‘Be a little more selfish,’ but I don’t think there’s anything selfish about saying no – it’s simple logic. Analogy – on the aeroplane, when they do the safety routine at the beginning, over whose face do you put the air-mask first – yours or your child’s? To be at your best for the others in your life, you must take care of your own sanity first and this involves scheduling ‘non-meetings’ in your diary and having your secretary [wife or whoever] enforce them. The next task is to throw fear and guilt. If you can’t do that, you’re headed for low productivity, an early grave or both. If you can, your new-found bounciness will be infectious and your business surely will expand.

[sleep & stress] you can’t afford to ignore this

If you are the here, there, everywhere type – then you can’t afford to ignore relaxation. I wrote on this some time ago. Now there is a survey touching on it: Most Australian bosses believe a nap in the middle of the day helps productivity, helping workers stay more alert after a sleepless night and potentially saving companies millions. John Banks, director of recruitment and human resources company Talent2, said today lost productivity through lack of sleep was costing companies a fortune. One study in the United States showed that $18 billion a year in lost productivity could be attributed to sleep deprivation. Female bosses were more understanding of the effects, with 72 per cent saying they would allow the midday siesta, compared with 67 per cent of male bosses. Mr Banks said : "I've spent a lot of time in Spain and Italy where the siesta is alive and well and the shops shut in the early afternoon then re-open around 6pm at night and go until midnight." A better idea I've studied is for 20 minute naps strategically scheduled for certain times of the day. There is evidence that it is the way to go. But it must be both scheduled and sacrosanct.

[north korea] move over usa, here comes china

Although President George W. Bush has delivered a stern warning to North Korea over the consequences of its nuclear test, analysts say the US has few options but to rely on its international leverage, which has been severely weakened by the war in Iraq. Sad to say but the other world to that with American influence is now beginning to thumb its nose, to mix analogies, at the leader of the pack. Iraq has certainly reduced America’s options and the sad truth is – America has virtually no influence beyond economic sanctions. In Bush’s own words – we’ve sanctioned them until – we’ve – we’ve run out of sanctions. But nourishing their obscurity in the wings is China. Was there ever a less trustworthy country – gun-running behind their smiles, giving tacit approval to North Korea through their inaction, then a light slap on the wrist to the tin-gods. I’m sure China is sure the hegemony is shifting.

[james bond] politically incorrect internal memo

Quite revealing little snippet: Eon went looking for a younger replacement and several successful actors were ruled out, according to a leaked Eon memo, which stated that Eric Bana was “not handsome enough”, Hugh Jackman “too fey”, Colin Farrell “too sleazy”, and Ewan McGregor “too short”. Now that last is not politically correct. Shouldn't that be: ‘libidonously challenged’, ‘not of this world’, ‘non-elevated’ and the already established ‘vertically challenged’? Just so they wouldn’t feel sad?

Monday, October 09, 2006

[canada] minister says europe has the cushy job in afghanistan

Canada's Defence Minister, Gordon O'Connor, said Sunday that those NATO countries with troops deployed in relatively stable parts of Afghanistan — including Germany, France, Spain and Italy — must lift the restrictions that prevent their soldiers from taking on the more dangerous tasks being shouldered by Canadians. It's a problem that one former Canadian military leader says threatens the future of the 57-year-old North Atlantic Treaty Organization — an alliance founded on the principle that an attack against one of its members is an attack against all. Some of the large European countries with troops in the safer northern and western regions will not allow their soldiers to move into the danger zones when they are needed, even on a temporary basis. And some are not permitted to fight at night. I always thought the Canadians were a little too open-hearted and naïve - they actually go to fight, rather than to say they have a 'presence' there.

[new caledonia] sure looks like an island to me

HHS took exception to my calling New Caledonia an island: New Caledonia is an archipelago, and the main island is called "Grande Terre". New Caledonia is not as island, as your question stated. So there. To HHS: the Concise Oxford defines archipelago as: Sea with many islands, group of islands. Now for a start, no one would define New Caledonia as a sea and secondly, most know New Caledonia as an island nation, in the same way as New Zealand. That doesn't mean they don't know there are other islands scattered about and these were mentioned. Would you define Australia as an island or as an archipelago? Most would accept Indonesia as the latter but in the case of Australia and New Caledonia, the main island dominates too much to be defined other than as an island. So as stated above: sure looks like an island to me. Having said all that, I do agree with HHS's sentiments to the extent that it would have been better to have called it an island state.

[anna politkovskaya] sorry but it simply isn't so

Ellee Seymour wrote yesterday about Anna’s killing. I prefaced my remarks by indicating that I felt it was terrible. However, as a journalist, does she want a blogger to tell it as it is or should I ride a wave of incorrect information? The Washington Times wrote not long ago: Slaying of Russian reporter jolts nation The slaying of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya sent shock waves across Russia yesterday and raised fresh doubts about press freedoms under President Vladimir Putin. Rubbish! I’ve lived here all day today, went to the uni, spoke with Russians all day in Russian and not one – not one – raised the issue. This is not correct what the western press is saying. And Putin's assurance to Bush was more a response to the west than to his own country who largely know it wasn't him.

[north korea] the inevitability of it all


North Korea's was underground but the result was similar

The Telegraph* called it this act of madness by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. It’s not madness – it is cold, it is calculated and it’s like a group of little boys wanting to see what an explosion looked like; it is like a group of driven men bereft of concern for the world at large; it is like every homeboy who wants ‘respect, man’. It is like a group of intelligent morons. They will not be dissuaded. Like Stalin when he was asked to be careful not to offend the Pope: ‘Oh, how many divisions does he have?’ The Telegraph continues: So Mr Kim - beloved of his badly misled people - can expect to find himself even further isolated from the community of world nations in the immediate future. Does anyone seriously think he cares? [* Sorry, went to put in the link and suddenly they'd taken the story away.]