FRIDAY MORNING RAMBLE: Edition #4711

"Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King, Jr

“I'm pretty sure I heard that the price to pay out all the red zone residents in ChCh 100% on land of their valuation (on land that could not have been insured for under the EQC provisions, and was made worthless by govt edit) was 24 million. That sounds like a bargain compared to the 36 million we threw into the sea at San Francisco.”
Red-Zone Promise 'Reckless' – Brownlee – STUFF

“When land use restrictions are wrong, it's hard for anything else to be right.”
When land rules are wrong, everything's wrong: episode 13 (or thereabouts) – Eric Crampton, OFFSETTING BEHAVIOUR

The stupidity is worldwide. “New South Wales Premier Mike Baird claims there is “a massive housing boom” underway in Western Sydney, explaining that he has “released” land sufficient for 6,600 new houses. Talk of a boom is decidedly relative.”
The Regulators White-Anting New Homes – Roger Franklin, QUADRANT

“Back in April, Shane Jones announced that he would be quitting Parliament to take up a position as a "Pacific Economic Ambassador", which the Herald noted had been "created by the National Government especially for him." Turns out: literally.
The Jones appointment – NO RIGHT TURN
The Jones appointment II – NO RIGHT TURN

“There's a confusion in our society that we'd
like to clear up. Disagreeing with someone and
being offended are two totally different things.”
- Stop Apologizing USA

June 1914 was not uneventful, nor was the war sparked by history’s most ill-fated assassination.
The Great War's Legacy, a Century On – Adam Allouba, LE QUEBECOIS LIBRE

These kids could work for the NSA. Or Chinese security.
Chinese Teens Have Found Remarkable High-Tech Ways To Cheat On Tests – BUSINESS INSIDER

Australian groupthink has still failed to register slowing Chinese growth, and its implications.
China’s Australia adjustment – MACROBUSINESS

“The only thing I can say for sure is that the science of CO2 is irrelevant to both Al Gore and Clive Palmer. Everything else is a paradox. We’re not being told everything.”
Colour me skeptical – the Gore and Palmer paradox – JO NOVA
Did Al Gore get played? – Sinclair Davidson, CATALLAXY FILES 
Disarray! Chaos! History! – TIM BLAIR’S BLOG

“Climate burnout is fast approaching.”
Like global temperature, ‘climate jobs’ seems to have peaked and are heading downward – WATTS UP WITH THAT

“Some segments of the Internet are abuzz with the claim by climate change skeptic Steven Goddard (Tony Heller) over at his Real Science blog that NASA/NOAA have been jiggering the numbers so that they can claim that warmest years in the continental United States occurred recently, not back in the 1930s. Folks, please watch out for confirmation bias.”
Did NASA/NOAA Dramatically Alter U.S. Temperatures After 2000? – Ronald Baily, HIT & RUN

"Vladimir Putin’s government has ‘engaged actively’ with green groups and protesters in a sophisticated operation aimed at maintaining Europe’s reliance on energy exports from Moscow, said Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen."
Putin has spy plot to halt fracking in UK – MAIL ONLINE

“Don't blame Putin for anti-fracking protests - UK and EU politicians have funded greens for years.”
Don’t blame Russia for the anti-fracking panic – SPIKED

“I have a question, directed to anyone who uses the term "illegals" to refer to people, where the illegality is not any act per se, but a human being as such.
Does the term apply in these other cases:
- illegal drivers who exceed the speed limit
- illegal drinkers who didn't wait their turn to be 21
- illegal homeowners who build an addition without a permit
- illegal employers who violate something in labor law
- illegal manufacturers who are not in full compliance with regulation
and the best for last...
- illegal earners who don't pay every penny of tax owed”
- Keith Weiner

“India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just given … an object lesson in the art of good governance: never treat with an enemy whose sole purpose is to destroy you. This applies, of course, to militant Islamism.”
India's Government is Standing UP to the Green Bullies -- Why Can't Ours? – James Delingpole, BREITBART UK

“Juan Williams: "This whole idea that we're now to Watergate and burning tapes ... I mean that ... you'd have to ... that's quite a leap for me."”
I.R.S.gate – SMALL DEAD ANIMALS

“A thorough indictment of Obama's Syria non-policy.”
The Consequences of Syria – Michael J. Totten, WORLD AFFAIRS
Operation Empty Chair – SMALL DEAD ANIMALS

“The middle of this long piece gives the goods on how Obama let Iran take over Iraq.”
What We Left Behind in Iraq – Dexter Filkins, NEW YORKER

Which weapons of mas destruction? Oh, those ones.
Saddam’s WMDs: The Left’s Iraq Lies Exposed – FRONT PAGE

“"It's like, we really need a Copernican revolution in development."
William Easterly on the Tyranny of Experts – Russ Roberts, ECON TALK

“It appears that they were traders.”
How Did This Ancient Civilization Avoid War for 2,000 Years? – iO9

Professor Richard Epstein assesses the impact of Thomas Piketty’s recent bestseller, Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century, on the inequality debate.

“"Open immigration does not mean that anyone may enter the country at any location or in any manner he chooses; it is not unchecked or unmonitored immigration. Nor does it mean that anyone who immigrates … should be eligible for … citizenship—the proper requirements of which are a separate matter. Open immigration means that anyone is free to enter  … providing that he … passes an objective screening process, the purpose of which is to keep out criminals, enemies …  and people with certain kinds of contagious diseases. Such a policy is not only politically right; it is morally right.”
Immigration and Individual Rights – Craig Biddle, OBJECTIVE STRANDARD

“Glad to see a corporation respond to anti-capitalistic rhetoric.”
New York Times Columnist Couldn’t Have Expected Walmart’s Epic Response to Hit Piece – THE BLAZE

The continuing importance of Magna Carta.
The beginnings of England’s political success – Robert Henderson, LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE

“Let me give you a tip on a clue to men's characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonourably; the man who respects it has earned it. Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil.” -  Ayn Rand
Chelsea Clinton, $10M Apartment, $3M Wedding, $600K Job: I Just Don't Care About Money – FOX NEWS

“How do so many Muslims keep misunderstanding Islam and concluding that it commands them to “fight those who do not believe in Allah” (Qur’an 9:29)?”
Islamic violence inexplicable — but for the Koran – THE PRODOS BLOG

Aiming to reduce per capita alcohol consumption in the belief that this will inevitably reduce heavy and harmful drinking ignores the vast and many differences between heavy drinkers and average drinkers.
Punishing the drinking majority – Christopher Snowdon, IEA

“In June 1930, U.S. President Herbert Hoover signed into law the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which took a recession and quickly made it a deep depression. Hoover also doubled the income tax in 1932 and imposed so many other costly measures on the economy that Franklin Roosevelt's running mate in the 1932 election accused him of "taking the country down the path to socialism." Did your teachers or textbook authors tell you Hoover was a practitioner of free markets and laissez faire? Ask them why they would promote such atrocious falsehoods.”
Great Myths of the Great Depression (PDF and Audio) – Lawrence Reed, F.E.E.

“Who has won the UK austerity debate?”
The economic recovery in the United Kingdom – Tyler Cowen, MARGINAL REVOLUTION

“I'm reading John Allison's The Financial Crisis, a free-market take on the collapse that precipitated the Great Recession.  He's been discussing the moral hazard of deposit insurance, a difficult topic for me.”
Regulatory failure – GRIM’S HALL

“The only thing that can be said about Janet Yellen’s simple-minded paint-by-the-numbers performance yesterday is that the Keynesian apotheosis is complete. American capitalism and all political life, too, is now ruled by a 12-member monetary politburo, which is essentially accountable to no one except its own misbegotten doctrine that prosperity flows from the end of a printing press.”
The Keynesian Apotheosis Is Here; But Blame The Final Destruction Of Sound Money On The Bushes – David Stockman, CONTRA CORNER

GDP down, but “markets” are up?
These fake rallies will end in tears – Detlev Schlicter, THE SCHLICTER FILES

“Forty years ago, during the week of June 15-22, 1974, the Austrian School of Economics was reborn during a conference in the small New England town of South Royalton, Vermont.”
The Rebirth of Austrian Economics – Richard Ebeling, HEARTLAND BLOG

So, what’s this Austrian economics stuff all about, and why do I talk about it so damned much?

“Ancient Athens's economy: With two exceptions, as free as contemporary Hong Kong or Singapore.”
Measuring institutional quality in ancient Athens – JOURNAL OF INSITITUTIONAL ECONOMICS

“I like the fact that this list includes "Quantum Mysticism" and ‘toxins.’”
10 Pseudo-Science Theories We'd Like to See Retired Forever – iO9

“PLAYBOY: How would you describe your politics?
OLDMAN: I would say that I’m probably a libertarian if I had to put myself in any category. But you don’t come out and talk about these things, for obvious reasons.”
PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: Gary Oldman – PLAYBOY

“The Pope won't get it, but a few Catholics might.”
Dear Pope Francis: I Confess My Sin – Robert Tracinski, THE FEDERALIST

“First of all, the data backs up my point. I have facts out the waz. Your data are flawed, old, biased or incomplete. The people who collected your data are in prison for fraud or took funding from an evil billionaire who lives in a castle on a mountain where there is always lightning. My facts are bulletproof. They were gathered by humble grass roots researchers who love America and hate cancer.”
Why You Are Wrong – THE HUMOR COLUMNIST

“Onkar Ghate answers the nonsense about Ayn Rand and social security.”
The Myth about Ayn Rand and Social Security – Onkar Ghate, VOICES FOR REASON

“In 1962, in answer to the question "Will you tell us briefly, what is Objectivism?" Ayn Rand recorded a short, 8-minute introduction to her philosophy.”

An important guide to following that soccer competition, if you must. Readers are advised however that simply  cheering on their team is sufficient. Anything else is optional. [Click to enlarge.]

“Simply put, engineers make things. But is finding that "new" invention a massive mental leap from point A to point B, or are there scores of unnoticed intermediate steps in between?”
Psychology researchers explore how engineers create: It's not so much 'eureka' moments as it's the sweat of one's brow – SCIENCE DAILY

“Exclusive interview with an invading army of architecture drones.”
Will Drones Soon Replace Architects? – ARCHITIZER

“Opening the Nest platform to outside developers will allow Google to move into the emerging market for connected, smart home devices. Experts expect that this so-called "Internet of Things" phenomenon will change the way people use technology in much the same way that smartphones have changed life since the introduction of Apple's iPhone seven years ago.”
Google announces new forays into smart homes at I/O – CBS NEWS

Bring on the Shipstones! “We’ve seen so many press releases over the years for  new battery technology that seems almost to good to be true. Here’s hoping this one isn’t one of those.”
New battery technology will be great – if it is viable – WATTS UP WITH THAT

“An artist is not paid for his labour but for his vision!”
- James Whistler

“So, you’ve probably seen a pair of Vibram FiveFingers toe shoes. You may even own a pair, or, like me, eight. And you may have also have heard that Vibram have settled a class action suit for $3.75m… If you bought a pair of FiveFingers after March 2009, you’re part of the class, and you may already have received notice. You can check the settlement website to see the eligibility criteria and file a claim. But before you do, here are a few things you should know.”
The Vibram Settlement -

“The concept ‘depression’ started out as a term used by psychiatry to designate a clinical syndrome or condition. In other words, it was supposed to describe the abnormal, the unusual, or the not-to-be-expected. Nowadays, however, everyone and his brother, his sister, her daughter, and first cousin are all depressed.”
Please, Let’s Stop Using the Word “Depression”! – DR MICHAEL HURD

“Both sex and masturbations lower blood pressure.” True story.
Masturbating is good for your health, improves eyesight – MALEMA

“To Wright's way of thinking, any building, if properly designed, could be a temple.”
The Triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright – SMITHSONIAN MAG

Some Jaguars from ARTCURIAL's July 5th sale at the Le Mans Classic. So, which one’s your favourite?

“It seems as though the “craft brewing” industry has wasted many hours/days/weeks debating over exactly what craft beer is… We should really be trying to define the types of breweries and the liquid produced by the big multinationals.”
Don’t Define Craft Beer – Define Industrial Beer – Luke Nicholas, LUKE’S BEER

“Craft beer’s often over hopped, brilliant in it’s clarity and full of cheerful, artificial carbonation. It’s the Oaked Chardonnay of the age. Its a wake up call for the palette. It’s big, bold and totally awesome. But I do wonder if something else is happening, slowly following our dining preferences.”
Wild Beer - ow yer – Joel McFarlane, BREW NATION

[Hat tips Geek Press, Stephen Hicks, Archinect, OMGFactsSex, Econlib, Tamela Lewis, Marcus Chown, Jonathan Finegold, IPEA - Think Tank, Jim Matzger, Human Ability, Jnette Saxby, Robert Tracinski, Justin Templer, Hilton Wayne Holder', Mark Tammett, Greg Davis, Classic Cars magazine, Jeff Perren Novelist, Yaron Brook, Architizer', Lawrence Reed, David Knowles Art, FEE]

Thanks for reading,
Have a great weekend!
PC