Friday 18 November 2016

Friday Arvo Ramble, 18.11.16

 

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“Geonet have been busy measuring how much the ground moved in this week’s earthquakes.”
Measuring the ground movement – YOUR NZ

“I hear folk who think it’s simple; who wonder why even in a “moderate” quake Wellington’s buildings seem to be falling apart. The thing is that designing to respond properly to every earthquake means designing to respond to every possible earthquake – and there’s no way of knowing what earthquake you are going to get when even The Moderate One comes.”
Earthquake engineering is harder than you think – NOT PC

No, people, the Supermoon didn’t do it.
Earthquake myths debunked – STUFF

“So Gerry Brownlee is not happy that the new mayor of Wellington, Justin Lester, did not declare a 'red zone' in the Wellington CBD after this week's earthquakes… Brownlee's dictatorial management of the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake has more effectively destroyed that city than any damage done by the earthquake.”
Leave us alone, Gauleiter Brownlee – THOUGHTS FROM 40o SOUTH

New Zealand's Human Rights Commission says that property rights need to be protected in the Bill of Rights. I couldn't agree more enthusiastically. Their report is about what the government did to people in Christchurch's Red Zone.”
Property Rights are Human Rights – Eric Crampton, OFFSETTING BEHAVIOUR

The Kaikoura railway destruction has an economic silver lining. There is now a possibility of less future waste on irrational and distorting transport subsidies.”
Could the earthquakes reduce Kiwirail distortions? – STEPHEN FRANKS

Bernard Darnton: “Large Hadron Collider detects a massive particle - the South Island.”
CERN boffins see strange ... oh, wait, that's just New Zealand moving 2m north – THE REGISTER

“Of the several thousand people I have interviewed in my broadcasting career, including forgers, prostitutes and train robbers, there is no-one I have held in greater contempt than Brian Tamaki.”
Brian Tamaki – Saint or Sinner? – BRIAN EDWARDS MEDIA
God deeply frustrated Auckland’s gay people live nowhere near a fault line – THE CIVILIAN

Core business or waste of ratepayers’ hard-earned?
Calm down. The new Auckland slogan search was fine – Simon Wilson, SPINOFF

The government passed the Vulnerable Children Act in 2014.The new legislation required every person who works with children to be police vetted … This is already causing problems hiring EEC teachers…”
Laws that run out of control – LINDSAY MITCHELL

Have the Greens opened a Pandora's Box on immigration?
UK, USA... NZ? Why the Greens' surrender to the dark side should scare us all – Thomas Couhglan, SPINOFF

“’Maori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell said Labour's Maori MPs know in their heart of hearts, because they have family members actively involved in charter schools, that the schools are achieving results upwards of 10, 20, and 30 percent of the national average, particularly those in Te Tai Tokerau.’”
The reality about charter schools – LINDSAY MITCHELL

“The issue of assisted dying isn't going away - even if certain people in Government wish it would.”
Ministers 'undemocratic' on euthanasia – STUFF

 

“A civilisation won't flourish in a sea of lies and
excuses for them - no matter who's making them.”

~ Phil Oliver

 

“There is no innate truth to the liberal elite echo chamber in which we live. It’s just a bunch of smart people saying the same thing. Some of the things are true. But a lot them just aren’t…
”There is no rule that you have to agree w/ what you read. If you can’t figure out why a person would think that 'universal healthcare' is a bad idea without attributing malicious intent to them, then you have some work to do. If you have never heard a compelling argument for why Keynesian Economics is similar in validity to rain dances, then buy a book about the Austrian school of Economics. While you may not change your mind, hopefully you’ll realize that these issues are more complicated than 'people who think those things are dumb and evil.'”
A Closeted SF Conservative – MEDIUM.COM

At least, I think it was.
'Post-truth' named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries – GUARDIAN
Why We’re Post-Fact – Peter Pomerantsev, GRANTA
Policing ‘Fake News’ Is Our Own Responsibility, Not Facebook’s – REASON

Betsy Speicher: “Once upon a time, the press reported the news. Then, when they didn't like what was happening, they ignored and refused to report the news. Now, when what they want doesn't happen, they FAKE the news.”
BUSTED: CNN Interviewed ‘Protester’ — No, Wait, It Was Cameraman – TRUTH REVOLT

Careful now.
Donald Trump appoints Lord Voldemort as Chief of Staff – NEWSTHUMP
Bullshit News – NOT PC

 

"The internal effects of a mutable policy are still more calamitous. It
poisons the blessings of liberty itself. It will be of little avail to the
people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the
laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent
that they cannot be understood: if they be repealed or revised before
they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes, that no man
who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow."

~ James Madison

 

“Donald Trump is a wild card. We don't know whether he was play-acting when he carried on like a juvenile lout or when he played the role of a mature adult. But he and the country could both benefit from some serious introspection on his part.”
What Now? – Thomas Sowell, TOWN HALL

“Not a rhetorical question - it's an established fact.”
Is Donald Trump already walking away from campaign promises? - CNN

“Capitalism to him is simply an engine of production that makes states and religion stronger. Producers put in yoke to drag forward the cart of (western) religion and (western) state power.
"This is what this senior strategist calls 'enlightened capitalism'.”
Who is Steve Bannon? – NOT PC

"There are two ways of letting political correctness control your mind. One is to reject viewpoints not because they are false but because they’re politically incorrect. The other is to embrace viewpoints, not because they’re true, but because they’re politically incorrect. We libertarians are seldom guilty of the first mistake. But we are often guilty of the second. Those who commit the second mistake are as much slaves of political correctness as those who commit the first."
To PC or Not to PC – Sharon Presley, LIBERTARIANISM.ORG

“American teachers union releases ‘anti-racist’ anti-Trump ‘lesson plan.’’ Tom Woods translates it from liberalism into English.
We Are Going to Teach Your Kids What to Think, and Intimidate the Dissenters – TOM WOODS

“Donald Trump's plans are set to add another $5 trillion to the national debt. Where does the GOP plan to find the money?”
GOP and Trump put deficit on back burner – POLITICO

And  they don’t mean ‘reducing the deficit’ either.
White nationalists see advocate in Steve Bannon who will hold Trump to his campaign promises – CNN

“When Whites are forced to think about race all the time by a culture that is obsessed with it, they're also forced to act and vote like a minority. Liberals and Democrats need to think harder about whether they really want to create a culture divided along lines of race and gender.”
How the Left's Racial Politics Backfired – Martin Cothran, FEE

“If Trump really wants to strike a blow against the Washington establishment, he'll pardon Edward Snowden.”
An "Anti-Establishment" Trump Would Pardon Edward Snowden - Brittany Hunter, MISES.ORG

“The left's reaction to Trump's election shows that voluntary charity can replace government funding.”
Progressives Show Why Planned Parenthood Doesn’t Need Government Funding – Tho Bishop, MISES.ORG

“In rugby parlance that's a double knock on.”
Sir David Attenborough sent death threats after saying ‘we could shoot’ Donald Trump – METRO (UK)

"Another leftist has won the White House. Yes, President-elect Donald Trump is a leftist. He advocates policies that violate individual rights. That’s what it means to be a leftist."
America’s Next Leftist President: Donald Trump - Craig Biddle, OBEJCTIVE STANDARD

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“"Rather, I want to argue that Trump has much more in common with the demagogues of the earlier, lesser depression of the late nineteenth century...”
Populism as a Backlash against Globalisation - Historical Perspectives – Niall Ferguson, CIRSD

"Pence, like many advocates for creationism, is uninformed and uneducated as to what the term 'theory' means in a scientific context. For the record, the scientific definition of 'theory' is quite different from the everyday use of the word."
Mike Pence Wants Creationism Taught In Public Schools – PATHEOS

Horror or hyperbole?
One small step for dictatorship – Onkar Ghate, VOICES FOR REASON

All this talk of how Donald Trump is a fascist … but what actually IS a fascist? ‘The difference between [socialism and fascism] is superficial and purely formal, but it is significant psychologically: it brings the authoritarian nature of a planned economy crudely into the open’.”
What IS a Fascist? (Ayn Rand) – Michael Hurd, LIVING RESOURCES CENTER
All democracies are Marching Like The Fascists – Anoop Verma, FOR THE NEW INTELLECTUAL

First, they came for the Muslims …
Reported Trump Immigration Advisor And Potential AG Is Drafting Plan For Muslim Registry – HUFFINGTON POST

“’Our nation’s Framers got a lot right,’ wrote Dana Nelson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt chair of English and American studies at Vanderbilt University. ‘But they got something major wrong: they assumed that the three branches of our government would remain co-equal, maintaining the Constitution’s delicate balance.’”
Now Might Be a Great Time to Work on Reigning in the Executive – Cathy Reisenwitz, FEE


 

“For every complex problem there is an
answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”
 
~ H. L. Mencken

 

“Had our prognosticators looked up from their graphs and charts and taken into account the philosophical principles that have been known for over two millennia, they might have been a little more accurate in their predictions.”
Aristotle Called the 2016 Election – Martin Cothran, FEE

Guess what got pushed through in Britain while everybody was jumping up and down about Brexit and Trump.
Snoopers' Charter 2.0: IP Bill passed by Parliament and will become law within weeks – THE INQUIRER

Well, that will confounds the popular narrative.
Thatcherite Group Says U.K. Should Keep Free Movement of People – BLOOMBERG

“No, the chart produced by globalisation critics does not vindicate Trump's rhetoric about free trade harming the white working class.”
Dead Wrong™ with Johan Norberg - The Elephant Graph [video] – YOU TUBE

Private property. Free speech.
Twitter suspends alt-right figureheads  - BBC NEWS

“Not only does government spend too much, but new data suggests that that spending is designed to cause maximum economic damage by discouraging the productive use and allocation of labour and capital.”
How Government Spending Kills Economic Growth - Dan Mitchell, FEE


 

“For the election, many people worked passionately to promote the
lesser evil. How many will work now to promote something positive.
Like honest money. Or a free market in education. Or anything else?
And how many will go back to sleep … ”

   ~ Keith Weiner

 

“What to do now that Donald Trump is going to be president? Skip the five stages of grief and go straight to the five stages of NeverTrump.”
NeverTrump Is Over. So What Does It Do Next? – Robert Tracinski, THE FEDERALIST

“A lot of people are eager to ‘do something’ to advance a culture of reason and a politics of individual rights, but they aren't sure how to start. I thought it would be helpful, as a starting point, to list the possibilities…”
Calling activists .... – ARI ARMSTRONG
“What Can One Do?” [Video] – VOICES FOR REASON

“The future of the party after Donald Trump’s victory…”
Libertarians Regroup – Yaron Brook, OPINION JOURNAL, WSJ

“Given the fact that books such as Rand’s The Fountainhead, We the Living, The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal are in wide circulation in Greece, not to mention Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government (authored by Brook and ARI’s Don Watkins), awareness and understanding among this audience was much greater. The focus turned to how citizens of Greece, a country in turmoil, are beginning to rethink the prevailing values.”
A First Look into ARI’s Recent Successes in Europe – VOICES FOR REASON


 

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“The Federal Reserve System officially began operation on this date in 1914. It went on to play a key role in producing the Great Depression, a dozen recessions, and a dollar now worth a nickel of the dollar's value in 1914.”
Toward Radical Monetary Reform – Lawrence Reed, FEE

“James Valliant  takes time out from writing his upcoming book on the historical Jesus to puncture another, not entirely unrelated myth: that civilisation is underpinned by Christianity.”
Gimme That Old Time Religion! – James Valliant, NOT PC

“Immigration controls were just one aspect of the transition from economic freedom to socialist protectionism. It was the rise of the democratic welfare states, with all their controls and permits, that created immigration controls in the first place.”
Immigration Controls Are Socialist – Jake Desyllas, FEE

“It would be nice to think that folk will turn off as he becomes more obviously unhinged. It would be nice to *think* that ...”
Stefan Molyneux Cites and Repeats Conspiracy Theories About Jews from a David Duke Acolyte – STU-TOPIA

Adam Mossoff: “The innovation economy driven by secure & effective property rights in technology & written works…”

GDPperPerson

 

Meanwhile, in India.
The Nightmare of Going to The Bank – ANOOP VERMA.COM
The Bizarre Consequences of Messing With The Financial System – ANOOP VERMA.COM

Dubai has everything. It also has this. In this century.
British woman 'gang raped' in Dubai faces jail for premarital sex – INDEPENDENT (UK)

But I do hope this is true.
An Italian town has installed a 24/7 free red wine fountain – LOST AT E MINOR

“If this technology lives up to the claims of the scientists who discovered it, the implications are huge.”
Scientists make 'holy grail' breakthrough in DNA editing that could cure incurable diseases – INDEPENDENT (UK)

“This new theory, seeming to agree with observations, claims Einstein was not quite right and that dark matter might not exist. At large scales, it seems, gravity just doesn't behave the way Einstein's theory predicts.”
New Theory of Gravity Could Explain Missing Matter - No Need for Dark Matter (TWIS) – WAKELET

Anybody still remember “peak oil”?
The largest oil deposit ever found in America was just discovered in Texas – YAHOO

“While the twitterverse is chirping with concern over Donald Trump’s handling of the global warming science, we offer a few realities that should be key parts of any transitional team’s synthesis.”
Some Climate Realities for the Incoming Administration to Consider – Patrick Michaels & Chip Knappenberger, CATO

“In the early 1990s I was visiting the White House Science Advisor, Sir Prof. Dr. Robert Watson, who was pontificating on how we had successfully regulated Freon to solve the ozone depletion problem, and now the next goal was to regulate carbon dioxide, which at that time was believed to be the sole cause of global warming.
    “I was a little amazed at this cart-before-the-horse approach. It really seemed to me that the policy goal was being set in stone, and now the newly-formed United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had the rather shady task of generating the science that would support the policy.
    “Now, 25 years later, public concern over global warming (aka climate change) is at an all-time low remains at the bottom of the list of environmental concerns.
    “Why is that?”
Global Warming: Policy Hoax versus Dodgy Science – ROY SPENCER PhD

 

“Machines buy us the time to think about making
better machines. It’s a virtuous circle.”

~ Alex Epstein

 

So that’s how a lock works!
15 Astonishing GIFs Showing How Things Really Work – A PLUS

So how do they do it? And what can we learn.
How Surgeons Stay Focused for Hours – WALL STREET JOURNAL

Now we’re talking!
You can now buy a gin advent advent calendar for Christmas – HER.IE

“You, the real expert, are overridden by the pretend experts in government who increasingly dictate the terms of your employment, the food choices you have, and the medical decisions you can make.”
Government Experts Can't Give You A Happy Life – Don Boudreaux, FEE

So it wasn’t the war wot dunnit.
After The Maltese Falcon: how film noir took flight – GUARDIAN

 

Kale

 

“Western civilisation then is underpinned not by our so-called ‘Judeo-Christian heritage’ which is mostly only barbarous, but by our Greek – more especially our Aristotelian. The greatest story of history is the 2300-year death-struggle between religion and Aristotelian reason… ‘The death struggle of reason versus anti-reason continues.’”
“So, How Come You Keep Bashing Religion?” – NOT PC
A Critique of Rodney Stark’s The Victory of Reason – Andrew Bernstein, OBJECTIVE STANDARD

What have the Romans ever done for us?
Creating Christ: How Roman Emperors Invented Christianity – REASON V FAITH

“Contrary to conservatives, Ayn Rand supported the right to abortion; contrary to liberals, she opposed environmentalism; and contrary to libertarians (and others), she upheld a firm, assertive foreign policy. What unites these seemingly disparate positions? And what explains the moral fire with which she expressed her views on these issues?”
The Sacred Self: Ayn Rand On Abortion, Foreign Policy and Environmentalism [Video] – Keith Lockitch, VOICES FOR REASON

“It's all very simple. The initiation of force is always wrong. Once humankind gets this, [gets why it is wrong], we will soar to our almost unimaginable potential.”
The Nature of Government by Ayn RandFEE

And finally …


Hear Leonard Cohen’s Final Interview: Recorded by David Remnick of The New Yorker, while …

 



Long, for some, but perhaps just what this week (this year?) calls for …

 

 

… and this?

 

 

And yes, very much this:

 

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