Friday Morning Ramble: So I found this stuff on the internet …

It’s Friday, and you know what that means …

So David Cunliffe’s Labour wants to boost teenage and Maori unemployment, make it harder to employ new-starts, and harder to make money from any employees. That would be the effect of their “wages and work” policy announced Wednesday.
Labour promises $2 boost in minimum wage – NZ HERALD

“But I am still left wondering what the IP stands for and how it proposes to effect change if its candidates are elected.”
Eye Candy, Window Dressing and Deep Pockets. – Pablo, KIWIPOLITICO

“If one of the the points of a public broadcaster is to provide basic factual information to voters prior to an election, so that they can then make up their own minds about what policies are the appropriate responses to the current state of the world, then TV One failed magnificently with Nigel Latta's infomercial [on inequality].”
Whole Latta Derp – Eric Crampton, OFFSETTING BEHAVIOUR

“When they say ‘all water bodies,’ they Greens  really mean only those in the countryside because they do not wish to alarm their core urban constituency.”
The Greens are disingenuous with their 'swimmable' rivers policy because urban rivers are under the most stress, whereas 'they really mean only those in the country' – Ian MacKenzie, INTEREST.CO.NZ

Politicians are going wowser this campaign. I hope they don’t not-drink and drive.

“As an economist, I’m nervous that the motorway spend-up will have perverse economic effects, driving up prices and crowding out other activity. When I went to look at the data, I found reasons to worry.”
The inflationary impact of road spend-ups – TRANSPORT BLOG
Rescuing defeat from the jaws of recovery – NOT PC, 2008

“You mean, when we amalgamated all the councils, we would save money?”
Auckland "Black Budget" No Obstacle for Len Brown – WHALE OIL

Sue Bradford wonders why there are no left wing think tanks in EnZed. Problem might be the eighth word in that sentence.
State of the left in Aotearoa/NZ – DOUBLE STANDARD

So, who exactly is farming fish?

“What is happiness and does the welfare state help or hinder our pursuit of happiness?”
The Debt Dialogues [Episode 19]: Tara Smith on Happiness – ARI

“Before the advent of workplace safety regulations, factories with poor working conditions were often economic springboards of prosperity in the developed world.”
Think Sweatshops are Exploitative? Got 10 Minutes? – ON LIBERTY STREET

“Whenever I talk to people [in government], one of the phrases that comes up again and again is that ‘politics is a game of inches.’ But what determines the goal posts? What determines over the long run what is politically feasible? The answer is: the fundamental ideas that shape people’s political thinking.”
It's Time to Debate the Safety Net – VOICES OF REASON

Q: “Think this green icon's Aspen luxury home (above) is as efficient and autonomous as he makes it out? What do you think is missing from stories like this, and what kind of premises are they operating on?”
Power Surge: “Carbon Legacy” Babies and Amory Lovins’ Footprint on the Colorado Coal Grid – Alex Epstein, CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS

“Because   there   is   no   good, cheap   green   energy,   the   almost   universal  political  choices   have   been   expensive   policies   that   do   very   little.”
Bjorn Lomborg’s Senate testimony – JUDITH CURRY.COM

"There is compelling evidence that weather has become less extreme in recent decades even as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen. There’s been no increase in global temperatures for 17 years. How can recent weather events be attributed to something that isn’t happening?"
Actually understand climate change – LAS VEGAS SUN

"The anti-GMO fear-mongering is not based on science, but on the dogma that man should not "play God" by trying to improve nature - and that if he does, his hubris will lead ultimately to disaster. But there's no evidence of this pending disaster, so activists have resorted to fear tactics and the strong arm of the government to drive people to reject a successful technology and the foods improved with it."
What GMO Labels Really Tell Us – Amanda Maxham, POLITIX

Moral clarity on Greenpeace's attack on Shell and Lego.
Greenpeace’s campaign against Shell, Lego—and human flourishing - Janna Woiceshyn, PROFITABLE AND MORAL

“More attempts to fudge the numbers by the warming alarmists. Such scientists are the real deniers of facts.”
Molehill of Antarctic Ice Becomes a Mountain – Patrick Michaels & Chip Knappenberger, CATO INSTITUTE

"If you can't explain the 'pause', you can't explain the cause."
Updated list of 29 excuses for the 18 year 'pause' in global warming – THE HOCKEY SCHTICK

A 125 year-long timeline showing how environmental scientists, and the media, are seemingly always touting climate disaster, be it cold or warm. 
A brief history of climate panic and crisis… both warming and cooling – WATTS UP WITH THAT

“A business in which every single model overshoots reality is not science.”
Study: Climate Models Overestimated Global Warming For The Last 55 Years – Michael Bastach, DAILY CALLER

“While proclaiming victimhood,[the left] detest and vilify any experts who express doubts that we face an imminent climate Armageddon… They use hysteria and hyperbole to advance claims that slashing fossil fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions will enable us to control Earth’s climate – and that references to computer model predictions and “extreme weather events” justify skyrocketing energy costs, millions of lost jobs, and severe damage to people’s livelihoods, living standards, health and welfare.”
Who’s really waging the ‘war on science’? – Paul Dreissen

Yes, mainstream environmentalism is “moderate.” If by “moderate” you mean moderately Stalinist.
Green Groups Vow to End Capitalism – BREITBART

In this episode of Power Hour, Alex Epstein talks with climate scientist Dr. Tim Ball on the process by which climate science is misrepresented to the public.
Power Hour: Tim Ball on the Corruption of Climate Science – Alex Epstein, CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS

“The natural and angry human reaction to such scenes is, ‘What monsters did this?’ But the rational response should also be, ‘What is the full context of this suffering and death?’”
Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Corpses, and Context – Ed Hudgins, SOLO

“The thinning line between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism … ”
Anti-Zionism And Anti-Semitism – Andrew Sullivan, THE DISH

“From reading the international and national news you would probably never have known that , over 700 people were killed in Syria at the hands of jihadists and pro-Assad forces.”
Over 700 Syrians Were Killed Last Week. But Jews Didn't Do It, So the Media Doesn't Care. – BREITBART LONDON

“But if we are calling for ‘proportionality’ from Israel, then I’d like to ask a question: what would a proportionate response actually look like?”
Israel's critics don't want a proportionate response in Gaza. They want no response at all – Dan Hodges, TELEGRAPH

 

“We must note that Hamas is no longer carrying out resistance as a constant, ongoing strategy to liberate the land, but rather is conducting 'seasonal resistance' to achieve certain political ends at specific times. Its primary goal is to preserve its control in the Gaza Strip…”
Egyptian Columnists: Gaza Conflict Is Over Rafah Crossing – MEMRI

“And here is an explanation of Hamas's script for how it wins this conflict.”
Does Obama Realize the Stakes in Gaza? – Jonathan Tobin, COMMENTARY

“Reporter Nir Devori of Channel 2 and analyst Ehud Yaari confirmed the carnage was most likely the result of a failed Fajr rocket launch — aimed at central Israel … “
Hamas hits Shifa Hospital (with playground update) – POWERLINE

“”On Tuesday, he tweeted that the deaths of Palestinian children on a playground caused by rocket fire were the result of a misfired Hamas rocket. ‘Misfired rocket killed children in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris,’ Barbati wrote. Significantly, Barbati tweeted this only after he had left Gaza. In the same tweet he wrote, Out of Gaza far from Hamas retaliation.’”
Honest journalist tweets with good reason, "Out of Gaza, far from Hamas retaliation' – POWERLINE

“Palestinians have no idea how much better off they will be if Israel finishes Hamas and other terrorists in West Bank and Gaza.”
Hamas Mass-Executes 25 Palestinians… Media Silent – CONSERVATIVE TRIBUNE

Defining-down success is crippling Israeli action, and encouraging continual conflict.
Defeating Hamas vs. “Mowing the Grass” – Elan Journo, VOICES FOR REASON

Brendan O'Neill's 2006 essay on how Western activists infantilise Palestinians.
Oh Palestine, let us mother you! – Brendan O’Neill, SPIKED

“MEMRI is announcing a new section on MEMRI.org focusing on the current Gaza conflict. The section contains articles, analysis, and video clips from the past two weeks, and is constantly being updated with the latest content.”
Announcing Section At MEMRI.Org On Current Gaza Conflict – MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSITUTE (MEMRI)

“Anyone killed or martyred is to be called a civilian from Gaza or Palestine, before we talk about his status in jihad or his military rank. Don’t forget to always add ‘innocent civilian’ or ‘innocent citizen’ in your description of those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza….”
'Innocent Civilians' Hamas Style – MEMRI

Send this to John Minto.
So You Want to Boycott Israel? Here's A List of Products and Services You Need to Start With... – PREPPERCHIMP

“Wow, the deafening silence and solidarity from the sisterhood is overwhelming. Perhaps the feminists are, as Rand remarked, too busy protesting against being used as sex objects when its obvious that they are in no such immediate danger. Where all all those lefties so concerned about children overboard or "evil Monsanto seeds" now?
Iraqi jihadists order genital mutilation of all women – TIMES LIVE
ISIS demand four million Iraqi women undergo genital circumcision – BEN SWANN.COM

““It’s like a subway under Gaza,” he said.”
NYT: The tunnels of Gaza – BLAZING CAT FUR
A spoof guide to Hamas tunnels – BLAZING CAT FUR

“Unless someone has made lots of money hiring lawyers and lobbyists instead of researchers and developers, wealthy people got rich by creating a whole lot of value for a whole lot of people. Thus, the absence of super-wealthy people would actually be a bad sign for the rest of us—especially the poor. Indeed, it would indicate one of two things: Either very little value had been created (fewer good things in our lives, like iPhones and chocolate truffles) or the government had engaged in radical redistribution, removing significant incentives for people to be value creators and stewards of capital at all."
Cliché #1-- Income Inequality Arises From Market Forces and Requires Government Intervention – FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

“Thomas Piketty's destructive program of confiscatory taxation of income and capital derives from his lack of essential knowledge in the areas of the theory of capital, profit, and saving.” Essential reading if you don’t wish to share his ignorance.
Piketty's Capital: Wrong Theory Destructive Program [Kindle Edition] – George Reisman, AMAZON

“Our main claim in this article is that monetary policy has converged into a blend of two theoretical approaches, despite there being three established schools of thought. We feel that there is room at the top table of policy debate for more explicit attention to Austrian ideas, and will survey emerging and prevailing attention amongst policy commentary.”
Is there room for Austrian ideas at the top table? – Anthony Evans, COBDEN CENTRE

“…a constant dilemma faced by prop suppliers in Hollywood: the necessity to skirt the line between strict counterfeiting laws and producers’ demands for incredibly realistic money.”
The Business of Fake Hollywood Money – PRICEONOMICS

The 2008 Wall Street meltdown is long forgotten, having been washed away by a tsunami of central bank liquidity. However …
David Stockman On The Real Evil Of Monetary Central Planning – David Stockman, ZERO HEDGE

“Murray Rothbard was a great economist, and a disaster when it came to politics.”
Murray Rothbard on Organized Crime – Per-Olof Samuelsson, HOUSE AT POS CORNER

“One lesson that people should not take away is that the 1995-96 shutdowns themselves were a political disaster for Republicans.
Lessons from the last government shutdown – PEW RESEARCH CENTER

“The problems of our centrally planned dollar cannot be fixed by changing who is in charge of central planning. They cannot be fixed by changing the "rules", "framework", or "model" used to centrally plan. The central planners are damned if they do impose a regulation, and damned if they don't. My articles on Forbes this weekend illustrates just such a dilemma in Money Market Fund regulation.”
Will New Money Market Rules Break Money Markets? – Keith Weiner, FORBES

The outbreak of World War I, one-hundred years ago this week, didn't just kill millions and impact the relationship between the nations of the world—it also had a profound effect on the relationship between citizen and State.
When the Lamps Went Out – FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

“It's not that the nation is ignoring the centenary, but there are several reasons why the commemoration is low-key compared with Britain.”
Remembrance of the First World War is subdued in Germany – TELEGRAPH

“A recent article in The Economist reported a link between socialist upbringing and dishonest behaviour, but failed to explain why this link exists. Guardian Syndrome may provide an answer.”
Cheating Commies and Guardian Syndrome – FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

“The idea that men are naturally more interested in sex than women is [so] ubiquitous that it’s difficult to imagine that people ever believed differently.
The Demand and Supply of Sex – MARGINAL REVOLUTION

“Looks like someone has finally decided to strike back against the obnoxious French knights of Monty Python and the Holy Grail…”
British Inventor Builds Giant ‘Fart Machine’ to Fire at France – POWERLINE

 

How to Rule Souls. Ellsworth Toohey explains to Peter Keating…

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the Onion is publishing solid economic analysis, and the New York Times is printing Krugman's stale economic jokes.”
Scientists: Rich People, Poor People May Have Shared Common Ancestor – THE ONION

“Music: Ways of Listening is to listening what Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book is to reading — a timeless, yet remarkably timely meditation of a skill-intensive art we all too frequently mistake for a talent or, worse yet, a static pre-wired capacity.”
How to Listen to Music: A Vintage Guide to the 7 Essential Skills – BRAIN PICKINGS

But what if your team has no fans?
VIDEO: Korea's Hanwha Eagles have robots for fans who can't attend – CBS SPORTS

The trouble with watching the Atlas Shrugged movie is that the Atlas Shrugged movie makers don't understand Atlas Shrugged.
Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged' vs. 'Atlas Shrugged Part 3' – CAPITALISM MAGAZINE

But turns out the Lego movie-makers know more about how economies work than those who think they can make them work. Take your kids too.

Did you know Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, met and interviewed Raymond Chandler, creator of Philip Marlowe? Thoughts on thrillers,heroes, literature and drinking soon followed.
Raymond Chandler in conversation with Ian Fleming: Rare BBC interview – SOUNDCLOUD

Did you know Frank Lloyd Wright was not just an architectural genius but an automobile aficionado? And the automobiles he loved the most were British sports cars. Like this AC Roadster:

[Hat tips Marginal Revolution, On Liberty Street, Geek Press, Rio Norte Line, For The New Intellectual, History News Network, Catallaxy Files, Thomas Pilchard, Robert Tracinski, The Ayn Rand Institute, Jim Matzger, Yaron Brook, Keith Weiner, Peter Namtvedt, Kenneth MacKenzie, Gena Davidovich, Michael Neibel, Scott DeSalvo, Hilton Wayne Holder, FEE, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, Lindsay Perigo]

Thanks for reading.
Have a great weekend!
PC