Friday Morning Ramble–06.05.16

 

Clearing my tabs again …

“Gareth Morgan’s “Foundation” was at it again last week. Attacking personal freedoms to achieve the society Gareth wants. ‘Instead of a facile debate over whether a sugar tax would work or not, we should be discussing which we value more – living in a free society where you can eat what you like and burden the state, or whether we value having a healthy, productive society. …”
Morgan Foundation attacks personal freedom ... again – LINDSAY MITCHELL

"Another nasty and stupid Government scheme bites the dust." We hope.
'Social Bond' programme stalled by negotiations – RADIO NZ

“As for the Prime Minister’s final claim, that the New Zealand economy is doing ‘incredibly well,’ words almost fail me.  At a cyclical level, our unemployment rate at 5.7 per cent is still uncomfortably high (and much higher than it was when the government took office…).  Productivity growth remains mediocre at best, and there is no sign whatever that New Zealand is making up any of the ground lost relative to other OECD countries in the last 50 years or more… it is the continuation of a long slow relative decline. [T]he insouciance in the face of all this underperformance almost defies belief.”
“Quality problems” – CROAKING CASSANDRA

“The young, the renters, the new arrivals disproportionately choose not to vote, and so they get done over in the political process.  House prices stay high as a result.
    “I’ve never found the story particularly persuasive [however].”
Does voter turnout explain dysfunctional housing supply markets? - CROAKING CASSANDRA

“New Zealand should take a lead from this on several grounds.”
Changing the Game in Australia: Federal Government Looks at Local Infrastructure – Phil McDermott, CITIES MATTER

[PS: “London's high living costs saw the number of 20-somethings fall by 3%, between 2011 and 2014 -poor land use blamed.”]

The only thing approaching housing affordability in NZ is rent. True story.
A housing rental crisis? – LINDSAY MITCHELL

Niko Kloeten: “Must be all those first-home buyers trying to save for a house...”
Big drop in Sky subscribers – STUFF

Tairawhiti gets the prize for most benefit babies in the cuontry. “Tairawhiti is Gisborne northwards. Almost one in three children born in 2015 would be on welfare either immediately or shortly thereafter.”
Where the benefit babies are born – LINDSAY MITCHELL

Not for the first time, Greenpeace misses its target.
Greenpeace states its business with six tonnes of dairy waste – NZ HERALD

Confirmed!
All Blacks deliberately 'poisoned' at 1995 Rugby World Cup, says former Nelson Mandela bodyguard... – NZ HERALD

Implications here for land taxes, and those who analyse them: “…mainstream economists tend to think of marginal land earning zero rent, because that is the only logical conclusion if we divide the spectrum of land fertility into infinitesimal units. But in the Austrian approach — characterised by purposeful choice, rather than indifference — somebody will obviously bring a parcel of land into cultivation only if it offers a prospective rent (however small).”
Rothbard on Land Prices – Roberty Murphy, MISES DAILY

Every industry gets worse when government gets involved … (this shows the case of Health in the US; same graph could be drawn for every industry in every place …)

Meanwhile, in London: “… the Labour Party’s best buddy of a who’s who of islamofascism, has beaten the château bottled shit on the far left green lunatic fringe of the Tory Party…”
Anti-Semitic apologist for terrorists voted Mayor of London, again – Perry de Havilland, SAMIZDATA
[Background] Three elections, none are likely to please: Part 1. London election – LIBERTY SCOTT

“What has happened to Turkey? How has the country of Ataturk become the country of Erdogan? Turkey reflects a Middle East in cultural regress. But it's also an indictment of Western foreign policy…”
    “The post-Pax Americana world doesn't bode well for Europe.”
Turkey's return to illiberalism should worry us – DOUGLAS CARSWELL

“…the pathological love that many intellectuals felt for an evil system, and how we've still not had an adequate public accounting for the crimes of 20th century intellectual apologists for Marxist regimes.”
May Day: The Conspiracy of Silence Around the Romance of Evil – Michael Strong, A THOUSAND NATIONS
Victims of Communism Day – WASHINGTON POST
On May Day, Remember the Victims of Communism—and Condemn the Evil Ideology – OBJECTIVE STANDARD
Why Socialism is Morally Wrong: The Basis of Property Rights – OBJECTIVISM FOR INTELLECTUALS

Pre-war Vienna. Fascinating place, fascinating time, “fascinating history with many implications.”
1913: When Hitler, Trotsky, Tito, Freud and Stalin all lived in the same place – BBC NEWS

“Beck talks about fatalism and determinism. If this borderline delusional prattle is the alternative to progressivism and socialism, then progressivism wins, hands down.”
Glenn Beck is Going Bonkers – Michael Hurd, LIVING RESOURCES CENTER

Check your premises: “The political terms ‘right’ and ‘left’ have been with us since the French revolution when members of the National Assembly divided into supporters of the king to the president’s right and supporters of the revolution to his left. Today, the right is traditionally represented by different groups of conservatives—compassionate, neo, fiscal, social, religious, etc.—and the left by miscellaneous groups of, you guessed it, leftists—liberals, social democrats, progressives, socialists, and so on.
    “However, as with most things political coming out of France, the left/right designation has caused more harm than good. It represents a false dichotomy between slightly different versions of collectivism...”
Focus on Right and Wrong, Not Right and Left – Anders Ingermarson, SEPARATE

 

“These are the times
that try men’s souls.”
~ Thomas Paine, The American Crisis’

The pundit’s pundit writes: “For a candidate like Trump to win the nomination, it means that several things have gone wrong — both for the Republican Party and in the assumptions we made about how party nominations work. The other day, I summed up the three most important such factors as follows…
Why Republican Voters Decided On Trump – Nate Silver, FIVE THIRTY EIGHT

So what now for principled American voters? Choose your weapons.
Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton: America now faces a truly appalling choice – Allister Heath, TELEGRAPH
Vote Libertarian? – Monica Beth, FACEBOOK
A Standard to Which the Wise and Honest Can Repair – TRACINSKI LETTER
#NeverTrump and #NeverHillary: The most self-loving way I can think of not to vote for slavery-by-proxy – Greg Swann, SELF ADORATION
A closing political statement – Robert Bidinotto, FACEBOOK
An “Extinction Level Event” – Paul Blair, FACEBOOK
Against Trump – Brendan O’Neill, SPIKED

So that didn’t take long. (Bernie for VP?)
Donald Trump say he’s open to higher minimum wage, goes after Bernie Sanders supporters – WASHINGTON TIMES

“With the protest movement known as ‘Trumpism,’ we are witnessing the final collapse of conservatism — the political view that has loosely animated the Republican party since the 1950s. This is a profound shift in American political culture. It is the kind of thing only history — properly pursued — can explain. So it’s time for me to launch my new [online] present-centric^TM lecture series…”
Present-Centric(TM) History of the Republican Party is First in New Series – Scott Powell, POWELL HISTORY

A teenager summarises US voters’ choices:

 

"Once upon a time, nearly everyone was environmental."
Environmentalist — becoming a dirty word - JO NOVA
Hey, Environmentalists – Stop Being Such Dicks – ECOMODERNISM

Who would have thunk it, eh?
Study: Increase In CO2 Is Literally Making The Earth Greener – DAILY CALLER

“One of the first glaring claims Gore makes is about Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. He claims Africa’s tallest peak will be snow-free “within the decade.” Gore shows slides of Kilimanjaro’s peak in the 1970s versus today to conclude the snow is disappearing. Well, it’s been a decade and, yes, there’s still snow on Kilimanjaro year-round. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure this out. One can just look at recent photos posted on the travel website TripAdvisor.com.”
The snow job of Kilimanjaro – Steve Kates, CATALLAXY FILES

Problems for the Unreliables.
Top 11 problems for wind and solar - CFACT

“But my fundamental, experienced sense of the world was based, unsurprisingly, on what I saw: a mix of farms, forests, towns and suburbs, with the occasional patch of wilderness or big city, and beaches somewhere along the edge. That's the world that many other Americans know, too; for many of us, indeed, it is the world.
    “It was certainly my world. Or at least it was until I became a long-haul pilot. Suddenly, as part of my work, I started spending long hours over Siberia, the Sahara, northern Canada, and central Australia, over tundra or taiga, deserts or towering snowy peaks, over vast lands that are only barely inhabitable…”
I fly 747s for a living. Here are the amazing things I see every day. – VOX

Bjorn Lomborg: “The World Bank’s self-proclaimed “new course” toward focusing on global warming over poverty reduction is an alarming development for the planet’s poorest.”
Dear World Bank, poverty is more urgent than global warming – Bjorn Lomborg, LINKED IN

“If you’re worried that the politically-correct Social Justice Warriors will destroy this country -- don’t be.We predict they will destroy themselves long before they have any shot at performing their crybully coup d’etat. (Why, with Hillary Clinton as their latest victim, they’ve already begun to eat their own.)”
How to Be Politically Incorrect – Chris Campbell, LAISSEZ FAIRE TODAY

Proponents of e-cigarette bans have little interest in health. Except perhaps their own.
There Might Here Be Both Bootleggers and Baptists – Don Boudreaux, CAFE HAYEK

 

"Ayn Rand contends that intellectuals failed to grasp the source of
businessmen’s productivity and the destructive effects of collectivist
schemes implemented by government coercion. By failing to uphold
the value of individual liberty, intellectuals paved the way for
authoritarian states and the decline of freedom in the twentieth century."
~ Comment on ‘The Intellectual Bankruptcy of Our Age’ by Ayn Rand

This trumps politics. But politics has caused it.
Hillary/Trump will be the least of your worries. America has economic diarrhea – COBDEN CENTRE
Is the US Economy Heading for Recession? – TELESUR TV
Ultra Petroleum Files for Bankruptcy, Citing $3.9 Billion Debt – BLOOMBERG

"Somebody must have reinstated Paul Krugman’s passport. He was recently back in Japan to meet with the world’s leading economy-wrecking triumvirate —-Prime Minister Abe, BOJ Governor Kuroda and Finance Minister Taro Aso—–to dispense some desperately needed advice.
    "Japan is on the verge of a second recession during Abe’s tenure despite [because of?] his plunge into full frontal Keynesian stimulus.  But since March 2013 when Kuroda cranked up the BOJ’s printing press to white heat, two main things have happened. The BOJ’s already bloated balance sheet has exploded by 2X and the flat-lining Japanese economy has continued undulating to nowhere."
What Comes Next——Krugman’s Fiscal Equivalent Of War - David Stockman, CONTRA CORNER

Andrew Sheldon: “There seems to be an anarchist streak among Australian nanny statists.”
Australian entrepreneur revealed as the creator of Bitcoin – HERALD

There are some issues…
A brief guide to everything that’s annoying about Apple- GUARDIAN

“In their efforts to jam the square peg of financial theory into the round hole of human nature, economists have perpetrated some pretty stupid things. But few of them are dumber than the efficient market hypothesis.”
When the game changes: Making money in a ZIRP world – Tim Price, COBDEN CENTRE

“Children are not the only ones who like Myths. A few economists like them too.”
5 Myths Many Economists Believe – Don Boudreaux, CAFE HAYEK

“As the U.S. slides into protectionism and xenophobia, let's remember this. Free trade encourages true friendships.”
The Moral High Ground of Free Trade – Stephen Hicks, SAVVY STREET

Now this interactive map below is really cool. “UCL's Energy Institute has created an mesmerising time lapse of global shipping, plotting every single commercial cargo ship's position, speed, and route around the globe for one year.
    “The most incredible thing about this story, this symphony of human activity, is that there is nobody in charge, nobody planning it, no central intelligence telling people to move this or that from here to there. And yet it happens anyway….
”The beating heart of global civilisation.”
An Awesome Map of World Trade and Shipping – Daniel Bier, FEE

Created by London-based data visualisation studio Kiln and the UCL Energy Institute

 

"When children understand that they don’t know everything, and when they know where to look for answers to their questions, they can start to acquire knowledge faster, without repeating the same mistakes over and over again."
Infants Understand More Than You Think, Study Shows – TIME

"Every time we say 'be careful' we express, quite clearly, our lack of faith in our children's judgement, which too often becomes the foundation of self-doubt."
Eleven Things To Say Instead Of "Be Careful" – TEACHER TOM’S BLOG

“Kylie D'Alton, the blogger behind how we montessori, shares her experiences of parenting the Montessori way.”
The mother-of-two who uses the Montessori approach to raise her kids – MAIL ONLINE

The child’s work, from 0 –3 (very different to 3-6 … )

The Child's Work from Montessori Guide on Vimeo.

 

“But there is no reason why colleges and universities should have a privileged status in society, one that entitles them to use the state to plunder people through taxation in order to provide a welfare dole to the school.”
End welfare for colleges and universities – Jacob Hornberger, HORNBERGER BLOG

“It can almost seem like entrepreneurs are a breed apart. But they’re not. All of us are born with the ability to take risks, think creatively and challenge the everyday way of doing things. And as hokey as this can sound, we would all do well to tap into those traits in both our lives and our careers, whether we work for ourselves or not."
What Entrepreneurship Can Teach Us About Life – Stephen Hicks, WSJ

Shakespeare is everywhere!

 

 

What every mug punter has been asking themselves this week.
Should you have bet on Leicester City? – STATS CHAT

Office jargon? Being self-employed, I’m mostly mercifully unaware. (But let me mount an argument for ‘synergy’ … )
A brief history of office cliches – WE ARE MEL

“For writers, readers, and writer-wannabes (doesn't that cover almost everybody?), some great quotes from a screenwriting guru.”
Robert McKee Quotes (Author of Story) – GOOD READS

Mythology and religion were the first (primitive) philosophy.
Phylogenetic analyses suggests fairy tales are much older than thought – PHYS.ORG

 

 

“Few people have had as monumental an impact on American architecture as 20th-century luminaries Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. Often overlooked, however, is their intense rivalry…”
Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson’s Rivalry Is Chronicled in a New Book – ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

Interesting idea.
Instead Of Renting An Apartment, Sign A Lease That Lets You Live Around The World – FAST COEXIST.COM

Great story. Now sadly illegal. “Three enterprising youngsters throw in their desk jobs to design and build a house on a steep Whanganui hillside.”
A Whanganui house designed and built by recent graduates - HOMESTOLOVE.CO.NZ

Outrageous claim. Outrageous house!
A Complete Guide to LACMA's First Piece of Architecture, the Most Spectacular House in Los Angeles – CURBED

Very, very, very, very sad.
Bruce Goff-designed landmark demolished – NORMAN TRANSCRIPT
'Bavinger House,' by Bruce Goff – NOT PC, 2006

“It is difficult to write about the centennial of Jane Jacobs. For one thing, her influence on urbanism is unsurpassed and difficult to understate…”
Jane Jacobs at 100 – URBAN LIBERTY

“’What would Jane Jacobs think?’ has been a question in urban planning and urbanist circles for years. That's no surprise—after reading her work, it's impossible to walk around a city without an internal Jacobs meter evaluating the lengths of blocks or the mix of old and new buildings. With this quiz, test the neighborhoods where you spend time on how well they meet Jacobs's criteria for a vibrant city..” [FWIW, mine is “great.” Yours?]
QUIZ: What Would Jane Jacobs Think of Your Neighbourhood? – CURBED

 

 

“What is ideal art? How can it enrich our souls?”
The Ideal in Art and Life – Alexcandra York, NEWSMAX

“The Indian movie, Guru, was clearly inspired in part by The Fountainhead.”
Guru-the most important free market movie ever made? – Alex Tabarrok, MARGINAL REVOLUTION

“One of the most common criticisms of Ayn Rand that I hear from people (especially on the Left) is that she ‘loved the rich and hated the poor,’ or, in more recent terms, that she ‘was for the 1% at the expense of the 99%..
    “Yet Ayn Rand herself did not really think or judge people in those terms, as should be fairly obvious to anyone who has read her writing without prejudice…”
Ayn Rand and the Crude Materialism of the “Rich vs. Poor” Worldview – OBJECTIVISM FOR INTELLECTUALS

I’ll just leave these here for you.
20 Brilliant Ayn Rand Quotes on Capitalism and Human Rights – BANKABLE INSIGHT

Some fellow called Dave Rubin sits down with the president of the Ayn Rand Institute to better understand Ayn Rand's philosophy. Good radio results.
Ayn Rand's Philosophy and Objectivism – ORA TV

 

Beatles. Great to the very last arrest.

 

John Coltrane. Great to the very last blow.

 

 

Christa Ludwig and Mahler. Great to the very last solo.

 

And finally, Graham Brazier, who would have been 64 today. And who was great to the very last show. [Head here to help crowd-fund his final album !]

 

 

 

[Hat tips and quips to and due to Geek Press, Michael Strong, Bruce Dewar, Kyle Becker, Hamish McConnochie, Vinay Kolhatkar, Anoop Verma, Isaac M. Morehouse, Phil Oliver, Montessori Australia, Nelson Brackin, Peter Schiff, Stephen Bailey, George Evans Light, Unofficial AFP Patreon Patrons!, Andrew Sheldon, Joe Graves, Marsha Enright, Seti Afoa, Jim Rose, Nick Kearney, Australian Centre for Montessori Studies, Carbon Dioxide, Hello Sailor. Thank you all, and apologies for any omissions.]

.

.