The late Tony Benn's flesh and blood got seriously skewered by Brillo last night, enjoy!
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Saturday, 4 June 2016
Muhammed Ali - Rest in peace
Today boxing legend Muhammed Ali has died, he suffered from Parkinson's even before he officially retired. Unfortunately I missed out on seeing him fight in his prime. The only fight of his I saw when I was little was the beating he took from Larry Holmes. I have seen his "Rumble in the Jungle" fight with George Foreman many times online and on TV and that will be his best remembered work. Rest in peace!
Gender neutral Sims
The makers of the Sims franchise have announced they will allow for gender neutral Sims in Sims 4. Unfortunately this comes a bit late for the Sony PSP version, I wonder if it will be rolled out on the Sony PS Vita. I would love to create an Eddie Izzard sim, the question is, "will it confuse the CPU characters?".
Thursday, 2 June 2016
15 Remainer questions
One of the accounts I follow on twitter is liberalisland and the owner also has a blog, which I have cross posted (thanks liberalisland in advance). It's views are on the Guardian reading/polenta eating/ceroc dancing left and not surprisingly it is pro-Remain. In a recent blog post it asked 15 questions to Brexiters and I will address them all below.
Will we still have access to the single market? If not what will the replacement look like?
"Yes, just like any other non-EU country. The UK and EU will need to negotiate a trade deal."
Will we be able to sell services, 78% of our economy, to the EU free of WTO tariffs?
"That depends on trade negotiations between the UK and the EU. Don't forget there is EFTA which is a tariff free trade deal between the EU and non-EU European states."
What kind of non tariff barriers will we face?
"Ditto the comments about trade negotiations."
Will there be a visa system for holiday makers?
"This is a very interesting strawman that just popped up. I now live in HK and after HK went back to the PRC in 97, most HKers were given HKSAR passports instead of the BNO. The HKSAR passport allows visa free access to all Schengen states and the UK. If EU countries want UK tourists then I guess it would be in the EU's interest not to put up visa conditions on UK nationals. Otherwise, if the EU puts up visa restrictions then UK people will just have to spend their holidays in the UK, thereby helping the UK economy and cutting down the carbon footprint. This is a pretty poor reason for remain, methinks."
Will the CAP payments be maintained at the current level and for how long?
"Can't believe you are using the CAP as a reason to stay. CAP subsidizes farmers for producing more than enough cheap food, which is then dumped on the third world, thereby destroying local markets and livelihoods. Which then creates poverty, conflict, migration etc. CAP is actually a very good reason for Lexit as it benefits a few rich people. Speaks volumes that you as a left-liberal should use this one."
How do we get future governments to guarantee CAP payments at EU levels? When agriculture, in reality, employs few people on the UK and does not have the influence of numbers
"See above regarding CAP"
How will we ensure that governments of different hues will maintain structural aid, even when it’s directed at areas where it would give them no political gain?
"Why would it not continue to happen post-Brexit? As someone who grew up during the Thatcher '80s in South Wales and later in Manchester, I saw lots of various government projects and aid pouring into both depressed areas."
Northern Ireland and Wales are net gainers from the EU budget. Will the Westminster government maintain this investment?
"Ditto my comment above. Further why should UK taxpayers pay a larger amount to a supra-national body and then get a smaller amount back to invest in NI and Wales? Why can't we bypass the EU in the first place and cut out the middle man?"
What is an acceptable loss of GDP over the next 20 years?
"Why do you think there will be a GDP loss because of Brexit?"
How exactly will making our own trade deals increase the amount we export?
"The amount we export depends on the quality of our goods, service and the cost. In fact it is possible that we could export more, without the shackles of EU rules and regulations."
Explain in detail the reasons you think food will be cheaper?
"Blimey the CAP again. The food is 'cheaper' because it is subsidized by EU taxpayers."
Leave campaigners claim we can cut the cost of regulation. Account for which regulations will be removed in order to achieve this lower cost.
"These regulations don't account for local cultures and business practices. It is trying to force a one size fits all across the EU states. A good example of this is the 48 hour EU working time directive which is unworkable and forced on the UK."
How are you going to address the very real fears of NI and Eire?
"Eire is a sovereign state, its people can deal with the EU themselves. As for NI, what fears are you referring to?"
The Working Time Directive is often seen as a Cost to businesses. Do you envisage it being removed from UK employment regulations, if so what would replace it?
"I think it should be removed, what should replace it should be decided by British people."
The leave campaign claim fuel prices will be cheaper. If this is through a removal of VAT, where will the government recoup this loss in income?
"This can also be decided by the British people."
How will you guarantee that a government in thrall to busines does not erode my right to paid leave?
"You can vote out that government if enough people are dissatisfied with it. Can you do the same to the EC commission?"
My feeling is that the Remainers, especially those on the left, believe that British people cannot think nor decide for themselves and need the hand of the EU to make decisions for them.
If I was undecided, this would not persuade to vote Remain. To be frank this and other Remain arguments have the intellectual rigour a sixth form debating class and I have seen better pro-remain arguements on the off-top sections of gaming forums.
Will we still have access to the single market? If not what will the replacement look like?
"Yes, just like any other non-EU country. The UK and EU will need to negotiate a trade deal."
Will we be able to sell services, 78% of our economy, to the EU free of WTO tariffs?
"That depends on trade negotiations between the UK and the EU. Don't forget there is EFTA which is a tariff free trade deal between the EU and non-EU European states."
What kind of non tariff barriers will we face?
"Ditto the comments about trade negotiations."
Will there be a visa system for holiday makers?
"This is a very interesting strawman that just popped up. I now live in HK and after HK went back to the PRC in 97, most HKers were given HKSAR passports instead of the BNO. The HKSAR passport allows visa free access to all Schengen states and the UK. If EU countries want UK tourists then I guess it would be in the EU's interest not to put up visa conditions on UK nationals. Otherwise, if the EU puts up visa restrictions then UK people will just have to spend their holidays in the UK, thereby helping the UK economy and cutting down the carbon footprint. This is a pretty poor reason for remain, methinks."
Will the CAP payments be maintained at the current level and for how long?
"Can't believe you are using the CAP as a reason to stay. CAP subsidizes farmers for producing more than enough cheap food, which is then dumped on the third world, thereby destroying local markets and livelihoods. Which then creates poverty, conflict, migration etc. CAP is actually a very good reason for Lexit as it benefits a few rich people. Speaks volumes that you as a left-liberal should use this one."
How do we get future governments to guarantee CAP payments at EU levels? When agriculture, in reality, employs few people on the UK and does not have the influence of numbers
"See above regarding CAP"
How will we ensure that governments of different hues will maintain structural aid, even when it’s directed at areas where it would give them no political gain?
"Why would it not continue to happen post-Brexit? As someone who grew up during the Thatcher '80s in South Wales and later in Manchester, I saw lots of various government projects and aid pouring into both depressed areas."
Northern Ireland and Wales are net gainers from the EU budget. Will the Westminster government maintain this investment?
"Ditto my comment above. Further why should UK taxpayers pay a larger amount to a supra-national body and then get a smaller amount back to invest in NI and Wales? Why can't we bypass the EU in the first place and cut out the middle man?"
What is an acceptable loss of GDP over the next 20 years?
"Why do you think there will be a GDP loss because of Brexit?"
How exactly will making our own trade deals increase the amount we export?
"The amount we export depends on the quality of our goods, service and the cost. In fact it is possible that we could export more, without the shackles of EU rules and regulations."
Explain in detail the reasons you think food will be cheaper?
"Blimey the CAP again. The food is 'cheaper' because it is subsidized by EU taxpayers."
Leave campaigners claim we can cut the cost of regulation. Account for which regulations will be removed in order to achieve this lower cost.
"These regulations don't account for local cultures and business practices. It is trying to force a one size fits all across the EU states. A good example of this is the 48 hour EU working time directive which is unworkable and forced on the UK."
How are you going to address the very real fears of NI and Eire?
"Eire is a sovereign state, its people can deal with the EU themselves. As for NI, what fears are you referring to?"
The Working Time Directive is often seen as a Cost to businesses. Do you envisage it being removed from UK employment regulations, if so what would replace it?
"I think it should be removed, what should replace it should be decided by British people."
The leave campaign claim fuel prices will be cheaper. If this is through a removal of VAT, where will the government recoup this loss in income?
"This can also be decided by the British people."
How will you guarantee that a government in thrall to busines does not erode my right to paid leave?
"You can vote out that government if enough people are dissatisfied with it. Can you do the same to the EC commission?"
My feeling is that the Remainers, especially those on the left, believe that British people cannot think nor decide for themselves and need the hand of the EU to make decisions for them.
If I was undecided, this would not persuade to vote Remain. To be frank this and other Remain arguments have the intellectual rigour a sixth form debating class and I have seen better pro-remain arguements on the off-top sections of gaming forums.
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Jackie Walker suspension and reinstatement
After a short break its back to politcs, this time its the recent re-instatement of leading Momentum campaigner Jackie Walker back into the Labour party. She was suspended for comments she made on social media about the role of Jews and the African slave trade. Walker is of Black African and Jewish descent.In the remark below, Walker calls the African slave trade the "African holocaust", thereby linking its severity with the Nazi Holocaust.
“As I’m sure you know, millions more Africans were killed in the African holocaust and their oppression continues today on a global scale in a way it doesn’t for Jews.”
Couple of things
Walker then describes Jews as "chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade". And as a follow up asks, ‘what do you think the Jews should do about their contribution to the African Holocaust? What debt do they owe?’. My reply is nothing. If one group is uniquely held responsible for its very small role then that surely is racist, which is ironic coming from an anti-racism campaigner. Especially a Jewish one.
Me thinks this woman has self-hate issues and is using her blackness to act them out. This is prevalent in a small part of the Jewish community especially amongst 'antizionist Jews' who are using the 'plight' of the Palestinians to act out their self hate.
“As I’m sure you know, millions more Africans were killed in the African holocaust and their oppression continues today on a global scale in a way it doesn’t for Jews.”
Couple of things
- Although shocking, the African slave trade was not the destruction of a race of people, which was the aim of the Nazi holocaust.
- Even though she does not mention it, she is likely to be referring to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. White Europeans did not have a monopoly on the slave trade, there has been an Arab slave trade in East Africa and it still exists today. This is even mentioned in some strategy games.
- In the Nazi holocaust it was non-Jews killing Jews but in the African slave trade it was black Africans who captured and sold their fellow black Africans to both the Arabs and the Europeans. Yep, you heard it, black Africans are even more culpable in slavery than both the Europeans and Arabs put together. How did it happen? The black slaves would be prisoners of war in tribal battles. According to anthropologists different tribes would trade slaves amongst themselves. When the Arabs and later the Europeans arrived, this was ramped up.
Walker then describes Jews as "chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade". And as a follow up asks, ‘what do you think the Jews should do about their contribution to the African Holocaust? What debt do they owe?’. My reply is nothing. If one group is uniquely held responsible for its very small role then that surely is racist, which is ironic coming from an anti-racism campaigner. Especially a Jewish one.
Me thinks this woman has self-hate issues and is using her blackness to act them out. This is prevalent in a small part of the Jewish community especially amongst 'antizionist Jews' who are using the 'plight' of the Palestinians to act out their self hate.
Friday, 27 May 2016
15 Million Degrees: A Journey to the Centre of the Sun by Lucie Green
I have just started reading "15 Million Degrees: A Journey to the Centre of the Sun" by physicist, writer and broadcaster Lucie Green. So far I have found it very readable and technical bits are very well explained. It has a very good primer on what light is and how it works on us.
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Project Fear going into overdrive
Now that the EU referendum is in full swing, the Remain campaign has come up with some very spurious reasons to vote in. One thing that caught my eye today is the idea that foreign holidays and roaming charges will increase in the event of a Brexit. This was based on David Cameron's claim that a typical family holiday in Europe will be 230GBP more expensive.
Even if that was true, then so what? Britons can always take their holidays at home, which will be good for the UK tourism industry. As for the roaming, one has to ask how often do people make phone calls abroad and are there any alternatives such as a pay phone.
Even if that was true, then so what? Britons can always take their holidays at home, which will be good for the UK tourism industry. As for the roaming, one has to ask how often do people make phone calls abroad and are there any alternatives such as a pay phone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)