Obama to Russia: stop Iranian nuclear weapon and US will scrap missile defence - Times Online
I think I have made the point before, but if this strategy works, shouldn't someone be thanking the last president for providing this one with an effective bargaining chip?
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Market saturated?
Tough times hit scooter sales
Well, I wouldn't have guessed this:
Well, I wouldn't have guessed this:
Guessing the future strength of markets is evidently tricky. I mean, I still wouldn't mind one, so what's wrong with the rest of you?TWO years ago they were the darlings of the roads: sales were up 400 per cent in three years, and hip new riders were taking to the streets every day.
But in the first six months of 2009 scooter sales collapsed, as economic times got tougher and petrol prices eased.
..... scooter sales slumped 29.3 per cent, recording sales of 5592, compared with 7915 over the same six months in 2008.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Explorer Royale
A new journey of exploration for Michael Palin - The Independent
Palin is the new head of the Royal Geographical Society.
It is entirely appropriate that the man who first went Across the Andes by Frog should receive this honour.
Palin is the new head of the Royal Geographical Society.
It is entirely appropriate that the man who first went Across the Andes by Frog should receive this honour.
Nuts
Husband and wife share home with pythons that roam freely - Telegraph
Fortunately, they have no children.
Fortunately, they have no children.
Reasons to become a priest
The Sci Fi Catholic: Deej to Seminary, Part 2
Sci Fi Catholic, who is currently a young archaeologist, has decided to train for the priesthood. He has quite a funny explanation as to why, at the above link.
Sci Fi Catholic, who is currently a young archaeologist, has decided to train for the priesthood. He has quite a funny explanation as to why, at the above link.
Odd weather
Drought alert as El Nino works up double whammy | The Australian
Brisbane is having its wettest winter for ages (I heard that rain of up to 50 to 100mm may be expected over the next couple of days,) and its dams are up to 77% full, yet all the warnings are that an El Nino is forming, with drought on the way.
Not that I wish it for this reason, but a repeat of a 1998 El Nino hot spike would at least stop the current wave of triumphal-ism amongst the AGW skeptics.
Brisbane is having its wettest winter for ages (I heard that rain of up to 50 to 100mm may be expected over the next couple of days,) and its dams are up to 77% full, yet all the warnings are that an El Nino is forming, with drought on the way.
Not that I wish it for this reason, but a repeat of a 1998 El Nino hot spike would at least stop the current wave of triumphal-ism amongst the AGW skeptics.
Under the kilt problems in Scotland
Gay minister inducted at service
The background:
UPDATE: If a minister is divorced and was wanting to live with (as opposed to marrying) his new girlfriend in the manse, I would have thought that would be a major problem. (You really want your ministers just shacking up with their girlfriends?) If you say "well, the problem for this guy is that he can't "regularise" this relationship by marrying, even if he wants to, so we shouldn't penalise him," then isn't the issue to do with the Church's understanding of marriage? In other words, if the Church does not permit marriage as a sacrament for gay couples, how can it say this Minister's relationship is not a problem?
The background:
Just noting the story...Mr Rennie, 37, a divorced father-of-one, was minister at Brechin Cathedral but was appointed to Queen's Cross earlier this year, where he is expected to preach his first sermon a week on Sunday.
He has been open about his relationship with his partner and plans to live with him in the manse in Aberdeen.
Some sections of the Church of Scotland feared Mr Rennie's appointment could cause the greatest divide since the Disruption of 1843, when part of the Kirk broke away to form the Free Kirk.
UPDATE: If a minister is divorced and was wanting to live with (as opposed to marrying) his new girlfriend in the manse, I would have thought that would be a major problem. (You really want your ministers just shacking up with their girlfriends?) If you say "well, the problem for this guy is that he can't "regularise" this relationship by marrying, even if he wants to, so we shouldn't penalise him," then isn't the issue to do with the Church's understanding of marriage? In other words, if the Church does not permit marriage as a sacrament for gay couples, how can it say this Minister's relationship is not a problem?
Where's the outrage?
Israel has right to hit Iran: Biden
Can you imagine how quick the outrage would be at Huffington Post if this had been said by a Vice President Palin?
As far as I can see, no Huffpo post on it yet. (Lots and lots of talk about Palin quitting though.)
Can you imagine how quick the outrage would be at Huffington Post if this had been said by a Vice President Palin?
As far as I can see, no Huffpo post on it yet. (Lots and lots of talk about Palin quitting though.)
Monday, July 06, 2009
Lucky for Andrew Sullivan
'Denial of pregnancy is not classified as a psychiatric illness' France 24
What will he do if Palin doesn't keep a high profile? He'll have withdrawal symptoms, I have no doubt.
What will he do if Palin doesn't keep a high profile? He'll have withdrawal symptoms, I have no doubt.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Adelaide revisited
By virtue of some very cheap airfares from Tiger Airways, (I find them a good, no nonsense airline) my family and I had a long weekend in Adelaide last week. Here's my list of good things about Adelaide:
1. North Adelaide. I don't think any other city in Australia has such a concentration of impressive 19th century mansions, houses and public buildings as Adelaide does in North Adelaide. I had lived in Adelaide for about 2 years in the 1980's, so I knew North Adelaide was a nice area, but I had forgotten just how impressive the buildings are. (Have a look at this Flickr set which contains quite a few from the suburb.) This visit, we in fact stayed in North Adelaide in a little 1870's cottage which, sad to say, had a hot water system which suited its era, and an airconditioning system which did not keep the living room warm. But still, it was in a great location and is without doubt the oldest building I've ever stayed in Australia, so that counts for something:
Doesn't seem to be haunted, either.
2. Eating. We enjoyed a great tapas style dinner at Sparrow Kitchen and Bar in North Adelaide. It's only been open since Christmas, apparently, but it seems terribly popular, and justifiably so. I can't recommend it highly enough - at least for tapas and its Spanish wines.
3. Cheese. Look, even Queensland does cheese well now, but we did particularly enjoy the cheese from Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley. Our favourite: a washed rind goats cheese from the Barossa Valley Cheese Company which is gooey straight out of the fridge, with that powerful, hard to describe washed rind flavour.
4. The Adelaide Hills. Seems to have a lot of wineries now, and is a significantly prettier drive than the Barossa. Here's a shot of cows in the mist, at least showing how green it is at the moment:
My photos of the Barossa don't look all that different, I guess:
But trust me, much of the Barossa is more like an open plain, and it's hard to see how it ever got the name "valley" attached to it:
I know from past experience that, in summer, those baked brown plains are not particularly attractive. Barossa Valley towns are also nothing special to look at. Angaston is probably the pick. (And it has that cheese.)
5. The South Australian Museum: it shows up how inadequate the Queensland Museum is. I've been meaning to do a whole post on this topic, but the Queensland Museum is just terribly inadequate. For example, it devotes just about a whole floor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island stuff, but it feels mostly empty. The Adelaide Museum has a much better indigenous section, where you can actually learn things, although the lighting is keep extraordinarily dark and "moody" for some reason. In the oldest part of the museum, they have a very old PacificIsland section with such fun bits like decorated skulls and talk of headhunters. Yes, children can learn the lesson from a museum like that their modern Western culture is a considerable improvement over some of it predecessors!
They have some interesting science stuff too, including a mini cloud chamber which lets you watch radioactive particles zipping by in front of you. But the only photo I'll include is one of a space suit Australian astronaut Andy Thomas wore on one trip. Not that you can tell from the photo, but he must be pretty short:
6. A new airport. Gone are the days of it being an overgrown shed. It's really quite a lovely airport now.
7. Coffin Bay oysters. They seem pretty cheap and plentiful. Maybe a bit too big for my liking, but not bad.
So, even though I really disliked living there in the 1980's, a short visit in the 21st century proved to be quite enjoyable.
Update: I forgot to mention:
8. Smoked fish. There seems to be a big interest in smoked fish in Adelaide; much more so than in Brisbane. We picked up some (cheap) smoked tuna in a fishshop in the Adelaide Central Markets, and were suitably impressed. (But let's face, I like just about anything smoked. Shoe leather probably tastes good done that way.)
9. Adelaide Central Markets: well, I've been talking about food so much, you probably already knew that I went there and liked it. One practical feature I admired: a big carpark with cheap fees adjoins it.
Now, there must be something to get this list to 10. I'll put my mind to it...
1. North Adelaide. I don't think any other city in Australia has such a concentration of impressive 19th century mansions, houses and public buildings as Adelaide does in North Adelaide. I had lived in Adelaide for about 2 years in the 1980's, so I knew North Adelaide was a nice area, but I had forgotten just how impressive the buildings are. (Have a look at this Flickr set which contains quite a few from the suburb.) This visit, we in fact stayed in North Adelaide in a little 1870's cottage which, sad to say, had a hot water system which suited its era, and an airconditioning system which did not keep the living room warm. But still, it was in a great location and is without doubt the oldest building I've ever stayed in Australia, so that counts for something:
Doesn't seem to be haunted, either.
2. Eating. We enjoyed a great tapas style dinner at Sparrow Kitchen and Bar in North Adelaide. It's only been open since Christmas, apparently, but it seems terribly popular, and justifiably so. I can't recommend it highly enough - at least for tapas and its Spanish wines.
3. Cheese. Look, even Queensland does cheese well now, but we did particularly enjoy the cheese from Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley. Our favourite: a washed rind goats cheese from the Barossa Valley Cheese Company which is gooey straight out of the fridge, with that powerful, hard to describe washed rind flavour.
4. The Adelaide Hills. Seems to have a lot of wineries now, and is a significantly prettier drive than the Barossa. Here's a shot of cows in the mist, at least showing how green it is at the moment:
My photos of the Barossa don't look all that different, I guess:
But trust me, much of the Barossa is more like an open plain, and it's hard to see how it ever got the name "valley" attached to it:
I know from past experience that, in summer, those baked brown plains are not particularly attractive. Barossa Valley towns are also nothing special to look at. Angaston is probably the pick. (And it has that cheese.)
5. The South Australian Museum: it shows up how inadequate the Queensland Museum is. I've been meaning to do a whole post on this topic, but the Queensland Museum is just terribly inadequate. For example, it devotes just about a whole floor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island stuff, but it feels mostly empty. The Adelaide Museum has a much better indigenous section, where you can actually learn things, although the lighting is keep extraordinarily dark and "moody" for some reason. In the oldest part of the museum, they have a very old PacificIsland section with such fun bits like decorated skulls and talk of headhunters. Yes, children can learn the lesson from a museum like that their modern Western culture is a considerable improvement over some of it predecessors!
They have some interesting science stuff too, including a mini cloud chamber which lets you watch radioactive particles zipping by in front of you. But the only photo I'll include is one of a space suit Australian astronaut Andy Thomas wore on one trip. Not that you can tell from the photo, but he must be pretty short:
6. A new airport. Gone are the days of it being an overgrown shed. It's really quite a lovely airport now.
7. Coffin Bay oysters. They seem pretty cheap and plentiful. Maybe a bit too big for my liking, but not bad.
So, even though I really disliked living there in the 1980's, a short visit in the 21st century proved to be quite enjoyable.
Update: I forgot to mention:
8. Smoked fish. There seems to be a big interest in smoked fish in Adelaide; much more so than in Brisbane. We picked up some (cheap) smoked tuna in a fishshop in the Adelaide Central Markets, and were suitably impressed. (But let's face, I like just about anything smoked. Shoe leather probably tastes good done that way.)
9. Adelaide Central Markets: well, I've been talking about food so much, you probably already knew that I went there and liked it. One practical feature I admired: a big carpark with cheap fees adjoins it.
Now, there must be something to get this list to 10. I'll put my mind to it...
Speaking of bargains...
Anyone with an interest in visiting Japan can do so at the moment at incredibly low cost. It would appear that the Jetstar "two for one" sale is still on 'til tomorrow, which promises two people can get there for under $400. (Whether you can find a flight back at the same cost is perhaps another question.)
But even with one person travelling, it looks like you can still get there for about $800 return, if not cheaper.
Even JAL has got a Sydney to Tokyo sale fair of $907.
I can tell you, it's been a long, long time since you've been able to get to Japan so cheaply.
But even with one person travelling, it looks like you can still get there for about $800 return, if not cheaper.
Even JAL has got a Sydney to Tokyo sale fair of $907.
I can tell you, it's been a long, long time since you've been able to get to Japan so cheaply.
Must visit bottle shop....
Australian wine prices driven lower than water | Business | News.com.au
Major wine retailer Dan Murphy's is currently selling cleanskins for $1.99 a bottle - cheaper than some bottled water - due to the oversupply crisis that has led to some vineyard owners leaving grapes to wither on the vine.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Deep thoughts for a weekend
Philosophy Now | Kant By Default
Here's a summary by the author of what his book is about:
For example, sexual infidelity may be clearly immoral, but if you decide to have the affair anyway, surely the consequentialist argument that it is better to limit the possible negative consequences by using a condom makes sense.
The problem is, the Pope doesn't want anyone to sin, so he doesn't want to talk about preferable ways to sin. But really, I can't see the sense in not being a consequentialist as to the consequences of sin.
Here's a summary by the author of what his book is about:
The central question is whether morality can be understood apart from the outcomes we expect to ensue from our actions. ... The consequentialist says that whatever results, intended or not, decides the morality of what you did. This is why, for example, theft is morally wrong: the relative net results of theft are usually negative, that is, worse than not stealing. The nonconsequentialist demurs: theft could be wrong even if the relative net results were positive. And why is this? In other words, if not consequences, then what does make something right or wrong? The answer depends on which kind of nonconsequentialist one asks. A Divine Command Theorist would claim that God’s commandments make something right or wrong. A Kantian, such as myself, would claim that the criterion of morality, or ‘categorical imperative’, is whether anyone (including an animal) is treated merely as a means: if they are, then the action is wrong, and otherwise not. But whether it’s God or the categorical imperative that is calling the shots, the actual outcomes don’t affect the moral quality of the action. Thus, if following God’s commandment or avoiding treating someone merely as means led to a catastrophe, it would still be the right thing to do, according to these views.He then says:
Laid out in that abstract fashion, one or the other of the opposing positions may strike the reader as compelling. I think that both are compelling for all of us, but at different times and to different degrees.This is too deep for Saturday morning thoughts, but the switching between the two different views makes some sense, I think, even from a Catholic perspective which has to be (at the meta level) nonconsequentialist.
For example, sexual infidelity may be clearly immoral, but if you decide to have the affair anyway, surely the consequentialist argument that it is better to limit the possible negative consequences by using a condom makes sense.
The problem is, the Pope doesn't want anyone to sin, so he doesn't want to talk about preferable ways to sin. But really, I can't see the sense in not being a consequentialist as to the consequences of sin.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Interesting...
Israel sends subs through Suez Canal | Israel | Jerusalem Post
IDF sources said the decision to allow navy vessels to sail through the canal was made recently and was a definite "change of policy" within the service. In 2005, then OC Navy Adm. David Ben-Bashat decided to stop sending Israeli ships through the canal due to growing threats in the area.
However, the Dolphin-class submarine sailed through last month to get from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Israeli officials said it passed through the canal above water, and that it was not done covertly.
That's the second biggest robot rat I've ever seen
Robot rescue "rat" feels its way through rubble - video
I like robots, I like rats, so put them together and I'm bound to be impressed. Well, more or less. (Needs more cuteness.)
I like robots, I like rats, so put them together and I'm bound to be impressed. Well, more or less. (Needs more cuteness.)
Australian ex-pats killed
It's the tragic, and largely unknown, story of hundreds of Australians living in Nevada, of all places, being senselessly slaughtered in a raid in 2003.
Mind you, it appears many of them were being fed cow manure, probably completely without their knowledge, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Mind you, it appears many of them were being fed cow manure, probably completely without their knowledge, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Reading recommendation
I have my doubts that Andrew Bolt goes off looking for rebuttal of climate skeptics' statements, but if he did, he should visit this one at Real Climate regarding Roger Pielke Snr's recent claims, to which AB was happy to link.
The truth about Al Franken
I get the feeling that the Weekly World News does not get the attention it deserves. People just get sick of too many poorly photoshopped "alien meets President" photos, I guess, and read The Onion for parody now instead.
But some of the writing still seems to me to be pretty funny, such as this piece (even if it does have a distinctly Colbert ring about it):
But some of the writing still seems to me to be pretty funny, such as this piece (even if it does have a distinctly Colbert ring about it):
In a private ceremony involving robes and jasmine scented aromatherapy candles, Franken was sworn in as a Democrat with his right hand placed on the original hand-written Communist Manifesto, and standing atop a Bible. While waving olive branches, the assembled Democrats watched as Nancy Pelosi branded him with the words “Peace at Any Cost.”On a more serious note, the Christian Science Monitor points this out:
Now Al Franken will have all the perks of the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. He will have access to the Democrat Library, which includes all the war plans of Jimmy Carter and the actual Kenyan birth certificate of Barack Obama. He also received a Democrat Decoder Ring, which also gives him a 20% discount at Pottery Barn.
As a Senator, Franken will now be instrumental to the Democratic Party. His presence grants them a filibuster-proof “Super-Majority.” Franken’s win in the Minnesota Courts places the Democrats even closer to pushing through strong reforms they’ve been looking forward, to like European-style Socialism, sex education in kindergarten and mandatory gay marriage.
When asked for comment, Franken said, “I’m glad that my presence will help turn America into what it needs to be: Europe.”
It's better for Democrats than 59. But a Senate supermajority didn't much help the last president to have one: Jimmy Carter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)