Iceland is going to take a whole new approach to stem its economic woes: it's calling in the lesbian air hostesses to the rescue. We all know that no-nonsense policies, sensible footwear and potluck dinners will save the day, so we wish Ms Johanna Sigurdardottir all the best. Don't let the slurry epithets, such as "Prime Muncher", divert you from the job. But please don't stimulate your economy by increasing the whale catch.
January 31, 2009
Iceland rocks
As the international recession rumbles on with most government officials everywhere scrambling to get rescue and bail out packages out on the market - greatly upsetting freshly minted presidents as the loot disappears into merchant bankers' pockets as "bonus" payments - the New Zealand Treasury's advice to the new National Government was elegant and simple: do nothing (except tax cuts for upper incomes). Hardly innovative as they advised the same thing in the 1930s and see what happened then (the 1930s Labour Government wisely ignored that advice, and so did Roosevelt and Hitler, each in their own way and with differing aims).
Iceland is going to take a whole new approach to stem its economic woes: it's calling in the lesbian air hostesses to the rescue. We all know that no-nonsense policies, sensible footwear and potluck dinners will save the day, so we wish Ms Johanna Sigurdardottir all the best. Don't let the slurry epithets, such as "Prime Muncher", divert you from the job. But please don't stimulate your economy by increasing the whale catch.
Iceland is going to take a whole new approach to stem its economic woes: it's calling in the lesbian air hostesses to the rescue. We all know that no-nonsense policies, sensible footwear and potluck dinners will save the day, so we wish Ms Johanna Sigurdardottir all the best. Don't let the slurry epithets, such as "Prime Muncher", divert you from the job. But please don't stimulate your economy by increasing the whale catch.
January 28, 2009
Going global at the bottom of the world
New Zealand is 12th in the world of most globalised countries and is the highest ranked country in the Asia Pacific region. The KOF Index in Switzerland released its rankings and has Belgium at the top.
In the economic globalisation stakes we are 15th. In social globalisation, 12th, but only 57th in political globalisation (mainly because we don't have embassies in every country and don't take part in many UN missions - hence the low scores of many small nations).
New Zealand made the greatest progress over the year among the most globalised countries, up 8 places.
Background:
The KOF Index of Globalisation measures the three main dimensions of globalisation:
* economic
* social
* and political.
In addition to three indices measuring these dimensions, it calculates an overall index of globalisation and sub-indices referring to
* actual economic flows
* economic restrictions
* data on information flows
* data on personal contact
* and data on cultural proximity.
Data are available on a yearly basis for 158 countries over the period 1970-2006.
In the economic globalisation stakes we are 15th. In social globalisation, 12th, but only 57th in political globalisation (mainly because we don't have embassies in every country and don't take part in many UN missions - hence the low scores of many small nations).
New Zealand made the greatest progress over the year among the most globalised countries, up 8 places.
Background:
The KOF Index of Globalisation measures the three main dimensions of globalisation:
* economic
* social
* and political.
In addition to three indices measuring these dimensions, it calculates an overall index of globalisation and sub-indices referring to
* actual economic flows
* economic restrictions
* data on information flows
* data on personal contact
* and data on cultural proximity.
Data are available on a yearly basis for 158 countries over the period 1970-2006.
Nude teen, freshly showered, bashes policewoman
From the NZ Herald:
"A policewoman is in Middlemore Hospital with "horrific injuries" after being bashed up by a naked teen in Pakuranga yesterday."After a hard day's work of robbing the local grocery store twice with a toy pistol, the officer and a male colleague arrived at his house, the boy was in the shower.
"He fled wearing only a towel. They chased him, splitting up as they ran. When the policewoman tried to stop the teen, he whacked her many times in the face."It's unclear from the reporting whether he had lost his towel by then.
"Police dogs caught the boy, who was by then naked, in a property neighbouring a reserve at the end of Pandora Place."I would appeal to you readers what would be an appropriate sentence for this naked mayhem. Mine, as always, would be to publish his appearance on arrest, as a public service and as a deterrence. Not that it would deter the more exhibitionistically inclined criminals, of course, but it would give the jailbirds a preview of things to come.
January 21, 2009
Exit stage left GWB
Now that US president #43 has finished his job, our thoughts go to what his legacy will be. A big part of any former president's claim in history is his presidential library.
In the case of GWB it's a straightforward thing: there will be only one book on the shelf.
In the case of GWB it's a straightforward thing: there will be only one book on the shelf.
January 14, 2009
Entropa
Europeans being able to laugh at themselves? Perish the thought!A new art installation to celebrate the Czech presidency of the EU at the Commission building in Brussels is causing some controversy, apparently, because it dares to play with European stereotypes.
You can see all Entropa artworks here [PDF, 5.7MB]. The assembled work of all entries looks a bit different from the individual artists' notes.
I quite like some of them, especially the Dutch Mosque minarets set in a drowned polder, Polish monks erecting the gay flag Iwo-Jima-style and Sweden portrayed as a flat pack purchase from Ikea.
Belgium is inevitably a yummy box of chocolates.
January 13, 2009
Golden Stud 2009
Time to vote for the Golden Stud 2009, a pageant for male sportspeople, following in the wake of previous years' Golden Stud which was for football players only.
You can choose from 7 entrants from a a variety of sports disciplines, lovingly photographed according to the Classical Greek athletic principles.
Voting form is here.
My favourite is cyclist Greg Van Avermaet, but don't let my lechery prohibit you from voting for any of the other buff bare boys.
January 12, 2009
The appalling bus ride
When you come across subtle racism you don't often tend to notice it immediately, but when you're confronted with a blatant example, it tends to blow me away.
And that is what happened last night on the 6.45pm Onetangi bus.
The bus driver - Alan Davies who last year stood unsuccessfully for the community board and often makes submission at Waiheke community board meetings and is the Waiheke Island Grey Power branch chairman - took it on himself to check everybody's credentials to see whether they qualified for a discounted bus fare. So far so bureaucratically good, I hear you say. There was a mix of Waiheke high and Australian students wanting to get on, they did without trouble and got a student fare after showing their student ID.
When we got to the Red Cross, a Japanese student showed his Japanese student card but Mr Davies was unimpressed and insisted on a full fare, saying: "Only New Zealand high school student cards are valid for discounted fares". The student was bemused, got off the bus and decided to walk instead. Note that the Australian students earlier at Matiatia had no problem (they were young and pretty, always a good tactic).
Then at Blackpool, a mother and daughter got on and the daughter told Mr Davies she was a Waiheke High student but didn't have her student card on her. He let her board at a discounted fare without a murmur.
So do I conclude that Mr Davies is doing a sterling job in keeping the Yellow Peril off our Waiheke buses (and isn't that what we fought for in the War?) and can use discretion and racist attitudes in determining who rides on his bus and at what price?
Hence I have laid a formal complaint with the Waiheke Bus Company about this.
UPDATE 28 JAN: The Waiheke Bus Company management finally replied to me saying they "have spoken with the driver concerned and are happy with the outcome." No specification what the "outcome" was. It certainly wasn't giving him the sack because I have seen him drive a bus last Monday.
And that is what happened last night on the 6.45pm Onetangi bus.
The bus driver - Alan Davies who last year stood unsuccessfully for the community board and often makes submission at Waiheke community board meetings and is the Waiheke Island Grey Power branch chairman - took it on himself to check everybody's credentials to see whether they qualified for a discounted bus fare. So far so bureaucratically good, I hear you say. There was a mix of Waiheke high and Australian students wanting to get on, they did without trouble and got a student fare after showing their student ID.
When we got to the Red Cross, a Japanese student showed his Japanese student card but Mr Davies was unimpressed and insisted on a full fare, saying: "Only New Zealand high school student cards are valid for discounted fares". The student was bemused, got off the bus and decided to walk instead. Note that the Australian students earlier at Matiatia had no problem (they were young and pretty, always a good tactic).
Then at Blackpool, a mother and daughter got on and the daughter told Mr Davies she was a Waiheke High student but didn't have her student card on her. He let her board at a discounted fare without a murmur.
So do I conclude that Mr Davies is doing a sterling job in keeping the Yellow Peril off our Waiheke buses (and isn't that what we fought for in the War?) and can use discretion and racist attitudes in determining who rides on his bus and at what price?
Hence I have laid a formal complaint with the Waiheke Bus Company about this.
UPDATE 28 JAN: The Waiheke Bus Company management finally replied to me saying they "have spoken with the driver concerned and are happy with the outcome." No specification what the "outcome" was. It certainly wasn't giving him the sack because I have seen him drive a bus last Monday.
January 06, 2009
The Tzipi & Ehud Show
What a depressing start to the new year with all the usual suspects putting a dampener on the festivities.
It's hard not to be moved by the suffering in Gaza, but it is hardly new news. The really depressing part is that extremists on both sides are actually benefitting from all that blood and guts fest.
It brings out the cynic in you when thinking about how electoral campaigns are fought in supposedly the only democracy in the Middle East: Tzipi and Ehud only have to make sure that they drop the biggest bombs to show Bibi they have bigger swinging balls than he has, to make the electorate come running to their banner.
Perhaps if Helen Clark had started bombing Tama Iti's hideout in the Ureweras, or built a wall around South Auckland and sent in some tanks until the local criminal classes promise to stop burgling Epsom homes, she'd still be Prime Minister!
And it's also depressing that the other side is a bunch of fundamentalist maniacs who would rather shoot me (or hang me Iran-style), so I can't feel sorry for them either.
And to make you reach for another anti-depressant (or a good Waiheke wine) a new president in America won't make a jot of difference. Obama's appearance before AIPAC during the campaign made it more than clear that nuancing America's backing for Israel is one change he can't even believe in.
It just means that the Israeli elections are actually far more relevant and important in future Middle East (and world affairs) than an administration change in Washington. Tzipi is busy writing Hillary's future speeches.
The only solution is to secularize the whole area, get rid of fundamentalist Jewish and Islamist Governments and turn them into two civilised, non-sectarian, non-religious democracies, like they did eventually in Europe after the religious wars. Mixing religion and politics is constantly being proven to always be a lethal cocktail.
If you want to support peace movements, here's one: Peace Now.
It's hard not to be moved by the suffering in Gaza, but it is hardly new news. The really depressing part is that extremists on both sides are actually benefitting from all that blood and guts fest.
It brings out the cynic in you when thinking about how electoral campaigns are fought in supposedly the only democracy in the Middle East: Tzipi and Ehud only have to make sure that they drop the biggest bombs to show Bibi they have bigger swinging balls than he has, to make the electorate come running to their banner.
Perhaps if Helen Clark had started bombing Tama Iti's hideout in the Ureweras, or built a wall around South Auckland and sent in some tanks until the local criminal classes promise to stop burgling Epsom homes, she'd still be Prime Minister!
And it's also depressing that the other side is a bunch of fundamentalist maniacs who would rather shoot me (or hang me Iran-style), so I can't feel sorry for them either.
And to make you reach for another anti-depressant (or a good Waiheke wine) a new president in America won't make a jot of difference. Obama's appearance before AIPAC during the campaign made it more than clear that nuancing America's backing for Israel is one change he can't even believe in.
It just means that the Israeli elections are actually far more relevant and important in future Middle East (and world affairs) than an administration change in Washington. Tzipi is busy writing Hillary's future speeches.
The only solution is to secularize the whole area, get rid of fundamentalist Jewish and Islamist Governments and turn them into two civilised, non-sectarian, non-religious democracies, like they did eventually in Europe after the religious wars. Mixing religion and politics is constantly being proven to always be a lethal cocktail.
If you want to support peace movements, here's one: Peace Now.
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