Hmmm…. maybe I’m not so silly after all, with my 2011-07-23 "Malcolm, PM with Party of One" suggesting Labor offer Malcolm Turnbull the Lodge as non-ALP PM leading a Labor/Green/Indy minority government – given the 2011-08-03 Essential Poll putting Malcolm Turnbull as number 3 preferred ALP leader, at 11%, just one point below Julia Gillard on 12%, (with Kevin Rudd at 37% and the useless Steven Smith on 7%).
Hmmm – my Turnbull notion was not that silly
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-08-05
Posted in Australia, Politics | Tagged: ALP leadership, Malcolm Turnbull | Leave a Comment »
The Tabloid Justice Consultation
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-08-02
The consultation about sentencing by Ballieu’s Vic Libs seems, from the structure, bent on whipping up another Laura Norder storm.
To be fair, it’s better structured than a typical yes/no "do crims get off too lightly" reader poll in a tabloid, but it is still dangerously simplistic.
At the end of the survey is a list of factors that might alter sentencing, things like whether the person was drunk, low IQ, impact on the victim… This should have come first, before the section asking for judgements on case studies. (Ask any teacher about well designed exams – you do the bits with individual elements first to get people warmed up, then give the questions that require all the elements to be integrated!)
Posted in Australia, Governance, Law, Politics, Society, Victoria | 1 Comment »
US default can be good value
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-30
I admit hoping the impasse in the US continues until a US default – as it would do much good worldwide, not the least, help the US citenzery a great deal, although in the long term
For one, the US dollar needs to be treated on its merits, devalued by the market rather than priced at a premium on the basis of nostalgia.
A default, then backdown of the Republicans so employees are paid, would through a low greenback and deserved loss of consumer confidence, might help muzzle consumerism first in the US and then across the world.
Posted in Economics and Business, Environment, International, Politics, Society | Comments Off
The higher you are, the more you overestimate yourself
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-29
Is this why the bastards high up in penthouse and executive suites think they are better than everyone else – because of where they spend their time? Perhaps even why "upstairs" thinks "downstairs" are worth less?
"Higher Height, Higher Ability: Judgment Confidence as a Function of Spatial Height Perception" (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022125) looks at self-perception of ability, and shows being higher (or even thinking you are up higher) makes you pump up estimates of your own judgement and abilities.
Based on grounded cognition theories, the current study showed that judgments about ability were regulated by the subjects’ perceptions of their spatial height. In Experiment 1, we found that after seeing the ground from a higher rather than lower floor, people had higher expectations about their performance on a knowledge test and assigned themselves higher rank positions in a peer comparison evaluation. In Experiment 2, we examined the boundary conditions of the spatial height effects and showed that it could still occur even if we employed photos rather than actual building floors to manipulate the perceptions of spatial heights.
So… it would be interesting to do followup studies on wage differentials, workplace attitudes (including friction, resentfulness, arrogance) from staff to senior management, and from senior management to staff, based on building layout.
What effect does this have on resistance of those on high to requests or suggestions from those on the ground floor, and what might this do to organizational efficiency?
Hell, in city blocks, adjusting for rent differences and wages, do voting intentions change? Might this paper affect town planning for high-rise buildings, one party pushing it more than another, even pushing it more or less depending on how marginal a seat is?
No wonder Kirk never took any real notice of Scotty down in the engine saying "She canna handle any more o’ this Cap’n"!
Posted in Biology and Health, Economics and Business, Politics, Science and Tech, Society | Leave a Comment »
Oldies but goldies kept out of our schools
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-28
Crap happens. It has always happened. It always will. So why aren’t our education systems giving to people some of the best means of dealing with that crap? Tools that never age, are easily available, cheap, and nobody has ever really criticized in the last couple of millenia?
Even fixing up the biased Christianity in our schools, replacing it merely with comparative religion and ethics classes: good, but not good enough. We need to provide kids with the tools for consolation and strength, the classical personal philosophies of the likes of Marcus Aurelius.
It’s deprivation, deprivation bordering on abuse.
Over the last couple of years, contact with a few of old uni friends has been re-established – and a couple of them have been having a hard time. Intelligent folk, decent, crap from the fates, from spouses, from family courts … and there is one bit of advice that seems to have done the most good – and started doing good almost straight away:
Seriously, check out wikipedia on "Meditations" and Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who wrote it, check out his wikiquotes, and remember this guy had the weight of the known world on his shoulders, and despite later (unprovable) diagnoses as suffering from depression, ruled pretty damn well, and his notes on how to view the world and the crap happening allowed him to rule well. Have a browse, and if some of it rings true, get yourself the Penguin translation and open it at random – each paragraph stands on it’s own, so even if depression is hitting your cognition as you say, it’s in easy to digest bite-sized pieces. Then come back to me if you want more of the Stoics and the Epicureans.
Well, usually within a day I’m getting emails that are "Wow! Never knew this stuff – I mean, I’ve seen him as, you know, the good emperor in ‘Gladiator’, but …"
Posted in Australia, Education, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Society, Theology and Religion | Leave a Comment »
Lefties should hurt the bastard, not legitimate righties
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-26
Skepticlawyer has a(nother) good post "Excusitis" (2011-07-25) talking of the "no true scotsman" fallacy – giving a wide range of examples across the political spectrum. This error is something many in the less-decent right have been, and will be, doing in the wake of the Breivik atrocities in Norway.
We in the left should acknowledge those on the right who are thinking logically, with decent motives, and help them clean up the fifth column of bastards and inflammatory voices within the right. It will give us on the left a chance to have a proper debate where we’ll have to keep on our toes – be protagonists not antagonists.
But those on the right who choose not to reflect, choose to dismiss Breivik as unrelated to the rhetoric of right-wing pundits, are fair game for derision and exposure by the left.
The decent righties can be troubled and reflective. We on the left need them, and need to help them reflect rather than attack the good with the bad, causing knee jerk defences, the debate about extremism turned merely into "two dogs barking"
Consider the predicament and honesty and basic decency of "Anonymous John" from Sweden, commenting on the sweep-Breivik-under-the-carpet post over at OzConservative – it’s something every lefty should read and reflect on to know what we should do next:
Posted in Australia, International, Media, Politics, Society | 2 Comments »
That’ll do
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-25
Feel for others and think for yourself.
What’s bad for the hive can’t be good for the bee (Marcus Aurelius).
Find out what you are good at, and do Good with it.
(That’ll do Pig, that’ll do)
Posted in Ethics, Politics, Society | Leave a Comment »
Coming soon – GDP per cm, not just per cap
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-25
If the figures in this economics research paper stand up (ahem) on nation-by-nation economic performance, one wonders whether performance of individual companies might show the same correlation, … and intrusive x-rays might be used during hiring procedures, but hopefully not included in the company prospectus.
The research shows a relationship between average erect male member length and economic growth – an inverted U shape – with not-too-big, not-too-small, but just right (13.5 cm), leading to the best economic growth.
Imagine the spam: "Dear CEO – are you giving your stakeholders enough satisfaction?" Imagine the econometric pages – we might get gory statistics on current accounts and budget balances per-cm as well as per-cap.
Posted in Biology and Health, Economics and Business, Society | Leave a Comment »
Would a lone Green wiping out Young Libs be a terrorist?
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-24
Perhaps I was wrong in an earlier post about how a lefty watermelon lone gunman would be labelled by the media here.
I’d thought the label "madman" would be applied if the mass-murderer was white and non-moslem, if the mass-murderer was from the left or the right.
But, thinking about the effect of who was killed by Breivik, the gutting of the Norwegian lefty talent base, I think the likes of the Murdoch press would identify such politically-motivated terrorism as such, if and only if it was something like a (very hypothetical) watermelon mass-murderer, going into a Young Liberals annual general meeting and wiping out a similar proportion of talent.
Posted in Australia, International, Media, Politics | Leave a Comment »
Was the Norwegian atrocity strategic?
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-24
I am suspecting that Breivik’s targetting of the best and brightest youth of the left in Norway was not to strike terror – but to remove talent, to weaken the left.
It’s wiped a massive proportion of the talent the left has, talent about to enter real-world politics over the next decade.
It has gutted the left’s talent pool, effective for the next few generations: – the young talent so tragically removed would doubtless have had children and grandchildren of similar talents, of similar leftist leanings.
There are indications about the net that Breivik thought strategically.
Posted in Ethics, International, Politics, Society | 5 Comments »
Dummies Guide To Mass Murderers
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-24
Unless you are part of that demographic-to-be-ignored, the latte-sipping bleeding-hearts, both left and small-l-liberal, here is a quick guide to labels and policies regarding mass murderers, or assassins of your own prime minister:
| Demographic: | Swarthy Moslem | White Lefty Latte Sipper | White Christian Anti-Moslem Righty | Swarthy Ultra Orthodox Jew Righty |
| Psychology: | Evil | Mad | Mad | Mad |
| Your Ideology: | Evil | Mad and Dangerous | Irrelevant because of insanity | Irrelevant because of insanity |
| Punishment: | Execute or incarcerate forever without trial | Criminally insane ward in a prison | Criminally insane ward in a prison | Imprison |
| Others in the demographic: | Kick them out of the country, don’t let any more in, or subject them to security agencies bullying. | Make them shut up, and especially don’t let them speak in schools or mass media.. | The Right Stuff | Patriots |
| Assumption next atrocity is from the demographic: | 99% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Assumption the demographic’s policies will destroy civilization: | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Personally, I’d classify all four as mad, and where frank psychosis is incomplete, the evil results come from improper education, incitement by others in the same demographic, and twisted readings of the texts of the ideology.
In other words, things that could be largely prevented by a combination of decent community mental health services, and an education system that gives fair exposition of all texts used by nutters as pretexts for action, stressing the humanity in those texts, and showing how the inhumane parts should be deprecated.
Posted in Australia, International, Language Use, Law, Media, Politics, Society, Theology and Religion | 1 Comment »
Malcolm, PM with party of one?
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-23
I’m in silly mode here, but the silliness has some weird delicious sense for all the nonsense.
Here’s the best way for the ALP to keep Tony Abbott and the Liberal Backroom Bastards out of the lodge – offer to support Malcolm Turnbull as PM on the floor of the house.
… Malcolm as PM, not in the ALP, but supported by a coalition of ALP, Independents and Green … and maybe a few decent moderate Liberals if there are any others left in that party.
In theory at least, the PM merely has to have majority support in the House… and there is no constitutional requirement for the PM to be in the major party among supporters.
In theory, with ALP, Green and Indy support on the floor, Turnbull could be offered the Lodge without joining the ALP – without him resigning from the Libs even – or at most, being a party of one.
Posted in Australia, Environment, Politics | 1 Comment »
Herald-Sun Ethics Checklist
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-23
Surprise, surprise, the Murdoch Hun main web page now has a link to the ethics and code of conduct required of editors and journalists.
….So, have fun ticking these dot points off for Muroch’s Melbourne rag for the first few points, using the Hun’s most notoriouspopular propagandistcolumnist as a touchstone: Andrew Bolt, or indeed, even the Murdoch broadsheet, The Oz:
- 1. Accuracy
- 1.1 Facts must be reported impartially, accurately and with integrity.
- 1.2 Clear distinction must be made between fact, conjecture and comment.
- 1.3 Try always to tell all sides of the story in any kind of dispute.
- 1.4 Do not knowingly withhold or suppress essential facts.
- 1.5 Journalists should not rely on only one source. Be careful not to recycle an error from one reference source to another. Check and check again.
- 8. Discrimination
- 8.1 Do not make pejorative reference to a person’s race, nationality, colour, religion, marital status, sex, sexual preferences, age, or physical or mental capacity. No details of a person’s race, nationality, colour, religion, marital status, sex, sexual preferences, age, or physical or mental incapacity should be included in a report unless they are relevant.
Given the extent to which Abbott dances to the Murdoch tune, I wonder if the same standards should apply to him?
Posted in Australia, Ethics, Media, Politics | 3 Comments »
Not tweeting … buzzing plus good
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-23
I’m finding Buzz and the public posts (easily separable from private posts) in Google Plus a hell of a lot more conducive to short comments than Twitter.
So, if you want some of my shorter thoughts and notes …
- Google Buzz has all my shared gReader items, with a few comments, as well as other links I find interesting. (Mind you, most of those I follow have their Buzz feed from their tweets.)
- Short Posts (well, the public ones unless you are in my circles) are for short posts, links, and the occasional personal comment.
Oh, and regular readers here, if you still need an invite to get into Plus, get a gmail address to me one way or another and I’ll send you one.
Impressions of Plus
GooglePlus isn’t all prettily wrapped up yet, and it’s an odd mix of twitter, newsfeed, email and blogging with a bit of linkedin thrown into the mix – even without blogger. The one thing I really like is the way it is well integrated into gmail – add posts, get notifications, respond to comments, all without leaving your gmail windows.
And yet, if you expect a facebook clone, you’ll be disappointed.
It is, however, already very good at letting you choose what bits are seen by who – public, one circle, or another circle. At the very least it means I can easily choose to not annoy my younger friends with geeky science posts, not waste more politically-oriented interlocutors with posts about funny things my grandson said when I came home that night… that’s a real boon.
Posted in Information Management, Media, Society | Leave a Comment »
What turned Breivik into a gunman and/or bomber?
Posted by Dave Bath on 2011-07-23
(Update on my opinion of what was going on in Breivik’s head: "Was the Norwegian atrocity strategic?")
I wonder what filled the gunman arrested in Norway and linked to the Oslo bombing, Anders Behring Breivik, with so much hate? (Here is the untranslated original.)
I wonder if he reads papers filled with the same Tea-Party-esque anti-watermelon rhetoric as we have here…. Or are the Norwegians too damned nice to have a popular columnist equivalent to our bogan-inciters?
The guy probably has a pinup of Sarah Palin on his wall and a bible by his bed.
I wonder how long F*x News pushed an islamist terrorist line, or whether even F*x realizes that those nice nordics are so nice, that they’ll only be attacked by individuals or a "losers’ club" in desperate need of psychiatric care – the types who probably needed remedial reading classes but didn’t get enough of them.
Can you see tabloids around the anglosphere (or indeed anywhere) demonising as "the face of evil" people who look like the following? Calling for incendiary right-wing groups to be shut down?
The man arrested over the shootings and bombing in Oslo - a profile that will not be demonized by Andrew Bolt
No… I don’t think so.
Update: I expected better of "The Guardian"!
Oslo bomb: suspicion falls on Islamist militants
Norway’s role in Afghanistan and its decision to file terrorism charges against a Muslim cleric may explain the Oslo bomb attack
…
The question now is who is likely to be behind it.
The most obvious conclusion would be a jihadist group.
Ye gods, could the The Guardian attacking Murdoch be not a principled stand but a takeover bid for the ability to spout rubbish to bogans?
Update: This page apparently lists Breivik’s facebook interests, favorite books, etc … saying (in my view correctly from what we know), that he is "Norway’s Timothy McVeigh" – except McVeigh wasn’t exactly bright.
Update: – I was wrong about the remedial reading if the reports about his facebook reading list are correct. I still reckon he’ll turn out to be a nutter not a terrorist.
Update: Yes, Andrew Bolt did as expected:
Once the identity of the attackers becomes known, the consequences for Norway’s immigration policies could be profound
Yes…. paragraphs on moslems, and any corrections or focus on the real problem tucked away, not blasted in bold….. but read the comments to Bolt’s article and see what ordinary voters who drive the policies of both major parties are like..
UPDATE: THE BEST TWEET I’VE SEEN: from @ElineGiske
ElineGiske Eline Giskeødegård
G.W. Bush, 9/11: “We’re gonna hunt you down.” Stoltenberg, 22/7: “We will retaliate with more democracy”. I’m proud to be Norwegian.
Posted in International, Media, Society | 1 Comment »
