On August 1st, 2008, the New Economics Foundation issued a report stating that there are 100 months in which to prevent 'dangerous' climate change.
100 months...and counting
Last Update on:
2009-02-04 02:22:00
January 2009 - What are legitimate actions in the (public) face of climate change?
In December Ed Miliband said there needed to be a New Social Movement behind climate change:
"When you think about all the big historic movements, from the suffragettes, to anti-apartheid, to sexual equality in the 1960s, all the big political movements had popular mobilisation," said Miliband. "There will be some people saying 'we can't go ahead with an agreement on climate change, it's not the biggest priority'. And, therefore, what you need is countervailing forces. Some of those countervailing forces come from popular mobilisation."
Ok then, Ed suggests that it is hard for elected politicians (even the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) to make tough decisions when there isn’t popular support to legitimate them.
In January Geoff Hoon also revealed this line of thinking in his public slanging match with Emma Thompson over the third runway at Heaththrow, he said: "I worry about people who I assume travel by air quite a lot and don't see the logic of their position, not least because the reason we have got this problem in relation to Heathrow is that more and more people want to travel more and more.” Interesting that Geoff calls the heathrow issue in these comments “the problem” a departure in language from his usual line about it being a wealth consolidating/creating opportunity for Britain. Also Geoff is, in actual fact, wrong to suggest the public are tacitly legitimating the governments action because a Government Consultation reported back to him a vast majority are against it. (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/hoon-accused-of-ignoring-public-with-unpopular-heathrow-plans-1418247.html)
Thompson for her part came up with the baffling line, right back at Hoon “Get a grip Geoff this is not about Flying”!
To add to this heady mix, as the heathrow issue was debated John McDonnell took an action deemed unjustified (by his fellow MPs) in the course of his arguments against the runway (on behalf of his constituents who are directly affected) and FOR a vote on the issue picked up the ceremonial mace in protest (Heseltine style) and was told he had “Conducted himself in a grossly disorderly manner” and was suspended from parliament for 5 days. (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090115/video/vuk-rebel-mp-john-mcdonnell-grabs-mace-49bfa63.html)
Meanwhile in January while the Government implored and then ignored the public the majority of the scientific community was reportedly set to do the very same. The Independent ran a front page saying that scientists (including James Lovelock) were ready to prepare a “Plan B” a geo-engineering solution to use if the political and social effort to reduce emissions doesn’t show results soon. (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-scientists-its-time-for-plan-b-1221092.html)
We know science can act unilaterally and take extraordinary risks on behalf of people that are not always aware or in agreement with scientific actions - the Atomic Bomb for instance! Also right now Richard Posner senior US judge believes this is the case in respect of the Large Hadron Collider experiment, in relation to the (disputed) claim that the experiment has a 1 in 50 million chance of creating a black hole that could swallow the universe! The ‘Plan B’ response to Climate Change may lead us more frequently down this risky road.
In January the Japanese launched a CLIMATE CHANGE ROCKET!(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_sc/as_japan_rocket)
There has been continued consideration of the legitimacy of direct action on climate change especially following the Plane Stupid action at Stanstead in December and of course the ground breaking (public!) jury decision on the Kingsnorth protestors. Shockingly in December the Attorney General Baroness Scotland was reported to be looking at barring public juries from climate change protest cases and appealing against the kingsnorth protestors. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/audio/2008/dec/18/1)
Lets take Ed at his word and UP the participation of the general public... to continue to have public Jury trials for principled climate change protestors - what better way to judge the legitimacy of the protests. And for those Plan B experiments let us use citizen referenda to decide on the legitimacy of those actions which may be of massive benefit but may also present massive risk. In any case if politicians and scientists show faith in the citizen then a New Social Movement may grow UP that starts to tackle Plan A.
Price Controls
Price controls are restrictions on maximum prices that are established and maintained by the government. They are a way in which government sets a standard price on an item to make sure no one sells this item for higher or lower than the price that they set it as. It is used in order to keep the cost of living within a mageable range. According to the library of economics, "Governments have been trying to set maximum or minimum prices since ancient times. Medieval governments fixed the maximum price of bread". This is the same for today, governements everywhere are fixing the price of certain goods. Things such as the price of gasoline and even apartments in New York, are determined by the government. This way of controlling price is to make it so the market is not free and doesn't determine the price of things. Although they fail to protect many consumers and hurt others, price controls make sure to protect groups that are particularly hard-pressed to meet price increases. It also makes sure that when the demand for something is high and the supply is low, the prices don't sky rocket leaving those who cant afford it without whatever the good or item happens to be. According to a study made on economists reactions to controls on rent in 1992, 76.3 percent of the economists surveyed agreed that “A ceiling on rents reduces the quality and quantity of housing available.” This shows that not all and acutally a lot of economists do not think that a price control is the best way to manage the market.
Antoher type of Price control are Price floors. These prohibit prices from going below a certain minimum, which unfortunately can cause surpluses, at least for a time. For example, if the supply and demand for something are balanced at acurrent price, and the government then fixes a lower maximum price. The supply of flour will decrease, but the demand for it will increase. The result will be excess demand and empty shelves. Although some consumers will be lucky enough to purchase flour at the lower price, others will be forced to do without. The most well known price floor in the United States is minimum wage. It is set by the government to say that workers have to earn at least a certain amount, right now minimum wage for non tipped employees is $7 and for tipped it is $3.50. However, in under any legal circumstance is a worker able to make less than these amounts, they can only make more.
The blog is to discuss UK accountancy issues and matters as well as get to the nitty gritty on things such as football, politics and economics.
Last Update on:
2009-02-04 15:03:14
Perhaps Darling is preparing for post Brown era?
In the last post I was extolling the performance of UK chancellor Alistair Darling, when I read a piece wondering why he had not turned up to the Davos forum but did find time to give an interview to a left wing magazine. Perhaps Darling is preparing for the post Gordon Brown era. In any event when the Chancellor warned about the possible severity of the recession last year he was stamped on by the Prime Minister. It is Darling, who is having to put in the donkey work on the British bank rescue plans. Brown is trying to avoid admitting any blame for the current predicament, which makes him look a not very sympathetic character. "No boom and bust" and "British jobs for British workers" now just look crass. Sucking up to the Chinese, what was that all about? It would be nice if they were interested in democracy as in free trade. I hoped that Brown told the Chinese to stop trying to hack into UK government sites. www.searchaccountant.co.uk The snow chaos and the loss of output make us look us third rate. The foreigners holed up at Heathrow must wonder if they are lost in a parallel universe. Obviously, Gordon Brown is not responsible for the weather but it is another event, which shows the UK off in a poor light. You get the impression is that the touchy-feely policies of the past few years have brought the country close to collapse. Councils say they can't spend the money on preparing for weather conditions that normally happen once in every 18 years but Westminster performed very well what about the others? I apologise for sounding like Victor Meldrew but when Gordon Brown says we are well-prepared to ride out the recession because corporate debt is low he is obviously not thinking of pub companies and housebuilders. I think he is off his head.
Invisible hand vs. visible hand: which one is more critical and beneficial?
Last Update on:
2009-02-02 15:48:12
Friendship !!
Either "actions speak louder than words" or the WACADAD principle "words are cheap and deeds are dear" works well for people. Unfortunately, it is just... it cannot be applied at all circumstances. Sometimes, WORD is the only one more additional input to be invested to keep the margin and to be successful.
AsmiK
"The man who... has performed a generous action, when he looks forward to those whom he has served, feels himself to be the natural object of their love and gratitude, and by sympathy with them.... And when he looks backward to the motive from which he acted... he still continues to enter into it, and applauds himself by sympathy with the approbation of this supposed impartial judge."
Adam Smith
"Friendship... is a kind of virtue, or implies virtue, and it is also most necessary for living. Nobody would choose to live without friends even if he had all the other good things.... There are, however, not a few divergent views about friendship. Some hold that it is a matter of similarity: that our friends are those who are like ourselves..."
Aristotle
"Friendship is a distinctively personal relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend for the welfare of the other, and that involves some degree of intimacy. As such, friendship is undoubtedly central to our lives, in part because the special concern we have for our friends must have a place within a broader set of concerns, including moral concerns, and in part because our friends can help shape who we are as persons."
Simplify the technologies behind the new economics of buying and selling advertising.
Last Update on:
2009-02-05 20:06:00
STATS Is The Worst Behind Us? Online Ad Revenues Pick Up In The Fourth Quarter.
With Time Warner reporting earnings yesterday, we now have online advertising numbers for the fourth quarter from the four largest players: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL. Tallying up their online advertising revenues provides a decent proxy for the health of the overall online advertising industry as a whole, since they represent a majority of those revenues. (For comparison, see IAB...
Oldest Mosque
I had the opportunity to visit the oldest Mosque in the Indian subcontinent. Its not in North-India or Pakistan/Afghanistan/Bangladesh, but is in Kerala State; 'Gods own country'. This is the Cheraman Perumal Juma Masjid at Kodungallur. I reached here on my way from Peruvarum to Thrissur in November 2007. Its beside the National Highway(NH17) equidistant from both Kochi and Thrissur(about 35km north of Kochi and also south of Thrissur)
Kodungallur is a place of great historical importance and used to be known as 'Muziris'. This is the place where the other two Abrahamic traditions also, first reached India ie Christianity (Christ's apostle, St Thomas is said to have landed in Kodungallur in 52 AD, St.Thomas Church established by him houses ancient relics and is believed to the first Christian church in India) and Judaism(AD 378, possibly before that). I will write on the St Thomas Church and Kodungallur in detail later.
Cheraman Perumal Mosque is said to have been established in 629 AD, during Prophet Muhammad's lifetime by his disciple, Malik-Ibn-Dinar. It is the the second oldest Mosque in the world to offer Jumu'ah prayers (for the last 1,380 years). The first mosque ever built in the world is in Saudi-Arabia; the Quba Mosque (Quba' Masjid or Masjid al-Quba) just outside Medina and so is considered to be the oldest.
Uniqueness
I reached here around 17:00 hours and you can just see the sun setting behind the mosque in this photograph. ie this Mosque faces east and is probably the only Mosque in Kerala that face east unlike other mosques which usually face west. Another peculiarity is that the mosque has an ancient oil lamp which always burns and is believed to be more than a thousand years old. People of all religions bring oil for the lamp as offering. This is one of the few mosques in Kerala which allow entry for people of other religions. Another unique feature is that 'Vidyarambham' a traditional Hindu ritual initiation ritual marking the start of a child's learning is held here every year
Architecture and Traditions
The mosque is built in the traditional Kerala architectural style, similar to Hindu temples. Similar to Hindu tradition, the mosque uses brass oil lamps. The Rosewood-pulpit, from where the priest recites the prayers, is covered with carvings similar to the ones seen in Hindu architecture. A block of white marble in the mosque is believed to have been brought from Mecca.
The Mosque had many renovations and reconstructions (11th and 18th centuries and recently in 1974,1994 and 2001). The ground floor of the shrine is left untouched and is still preserved. The front portion of the first floor has been replaced with minarets, while the posterior side of the first floor is still intact(see below)
Legend
The popular legend is that a Chera king, Cheramanperumal of Kodungallor left for Mecca, embraced Islam, and accepted the name Thajudeen. He married the sister of then King of Jeddah. On his return trip, accompanied by many Islamic religious leaders, led by Malik-ibn-Dinar, he fell sick and passed away. But he had given letters for the team to proceed to Kodungallur. The visitors came to Kerala and handed over the letter from Cheraman Perumal to the reigning king, who gave all the facilities and support to establish their faith in the land. The king also helped to build the first Mosque at Kodungallur, by converting Arathali temple into a Juma-Masjid. However, 'Kerala Vyasan Kunjukuttan Thampuran' is of the opinion that an old Buddha temple was handed over to the Muslims to establish a mosque here.
History
'Keralolpathi' portrays Cheraman Perumal as a generic figurehead of the Chera Dynasty, along with a Chola Perumal and Pandi Perumal. Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi Varma was a king of the ancient Tamil-speaking Chera dynasty in the eighth Century AD. Kodungallur may have been his ancient capital. It is possible that the kings in those days were all called 'Cheraman Perumal'. ('Cheranad' for Kerala and 'Raja Perumal' means 'godly king')
All the records are folk tales and stories, and it gives a somewhat blurred historical picture about the origins of the ruling dynasty. The surviving manuscripts, such as Keralolpathi, Keralamahatmyam, and Perumpadapu Grandavari, are collections of myths and legends. Some historians doubt the reliability of these manuscripts due to the many discrepancies in it.
'Keralolpathi' says that the last and the famous Perumal king Cheraman Perumal ruled Kerala for 36 years. He left for Mecca by ship with Muslims who arrived at Kodungalloor (Cranganore) port. Before leaving for Mecca, he divided his kingdom between his nephews and sons. But it goes on emphatically to deny that Cheraman Perumal converted to Islam (sometimes conflated with Buddhism) and died while on pilgrimage, asserting that this was all done by a later king, one Banu Perumal.
The 'Perumpadapu Grandavari' says the last Thavazhi of Perumpadapu Swaroopam came into existence on the Kaliyuga day shodashangamsurajyam. Cheraman Perumal divided the land in half, 17 amsha north of Neeleshwaram & 17 amsha south, totaling 34 amsha, and gave his powers to nephews and sons. Thirty-four rajyas between Kanyakumari (Cape Comerin, now in Tamilnadu state) and Gokarna (now in Karnataka state) were given to the 'Thampuran' who was the daughter of the last niece of Cheraman Perumal.
There are two tombs, that of Habib-Ibn-Malik, son of Malik-Ibn-Dinar, and his wife/ sister Khumarriah inside the mosque, where Muslim priests light incense sticks, an Indian/Hindu tradition.
This Shrine stands as a testament of the religious tolerance and cultural harmony that exists in Kerala, similar to many other places of worship in this part of the world.
a whole 6 hour film on the Paris Commune
La Commune (2001) - a self-reflective film about the short-lived commune that arose out of social tension and upheaval in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. This is a groundbreaking film that did not show up on too many radar screens.
The film asks you to imagine you're walking in the shoes of Paris communards during a massive revolt, and reflect on your own experiences and what it means to live a revolutionary life. And over the course of six hours, you are invited to share the experience of filmmaking with cast members themselves. At times they wonder out loud why they couldn't get support for this film by any television channel or media business. They also wonder what the role of humanitarian organizations should be in relation to revolutionary organizations.
After Napoleon III declared war on Prussia, Otto von Bismarck drove the French forces back, and would eventually siege and destroy Paris. Bismarck and the Prussian army figured the "soft and decadent" French workers would be easily overcome. After the occupation, Prussia allowed Parisians to hold onto their weapons because of their persisting autonomist spirit. They installed a conservative pro-Prussian and monarchist French assembly, located at Versailles, with the repressive Adolphe Thiers as the chief executive.
On March 18th, 1871, when Thiers tries to regain power over the Paris workers violently, the soldiers were overcome by the women of the working class, and refused to fire on the Parisians. Soldiers and workers fraternized. When popular resistance broke out and spread among the working classes all over Paris, class war took place. This is where the film La Commune begins.
French workers took control of the factories, setup barricades throughout Paris to block the invading army, and initiated a municipal council with a state-like structure known as the Commune.
In the film, the story is told by two television reporters for "Commune TV". The reporters tell us that this anachronistic narrative is actually a critique of the bourgeois media. Instead of showing us clips from newspapers from the time period, La Commune caricatures the media establishment by showing the bourgeois media and the Commune media on separate television channels. We watch the revolution through the television, literally. We see that the bourgeoisie watch the bourgeois news; while the proletariat watch Commune TV. Each social strata debates what they learn from the TV, and decide what needs to be done from their class perspective. Some say nothing can be done, others want to see more revolt. The bourgeoisie say the communards are severely outnumbered and stupid.
Here is an example of the bourgeois television broadcast, with a guest "expert" discussing and criticizing the statecraft schemes of the commune, in opposition to the monarchist state system. Following that is a short segment from Commune TV, discussing with workers the role of abandoned workshops.
At other parts in the film, the cast steps out of character, and ask each other if they are representing these events truthfully. They reflect on what the 1871 commune means to them and what they have learned from it for the future. The director goads the audience to action throughout the film with provocative questions and situations. After one scene emphasizing income inequalities in France, director Peter Watkins places this narrative onto the screen to sum up the impressions we have of Paris in 1871:
"In 1870, the wealthiest 20% of the world population had 7 times the income of the poorest 20%. In 1997 the difference was 74 to 1."
In 1870, the French proletariat and Blanquists, who held that a socialist revolution must be carried out by small group of highly-organized conspirators, demanded the overthrow of the French government and the establishment of a commune beginning in Paris. In La Commune, there is an extensive bourgeois debate about the "foreigners" who have taken advantage of the revolutionary spirit in France. These Blanquists - among them are Polish and other Eastern European soldiers, generals and revolutionaries - are talked about as non-French outsiders who cannot be trusted, and must be killed because they are manipulating the French working class. The bourgeoisie becomes even more nationalistic as the film goes on.
Among the proletariat, other debates break loose. The women discuss their role in workings of a revolutionary society, and question gender hierarchies: their duties, their restrictions, the way they are treated by the men, etc. Many women question religious authority and place the Church within the context of the creation of the new social model - they call for a "separation of church and state".
The newly-created commune bureaucrats, too, question their role in an increasingly authoritarian and uncaring state structure that neglects the needs of workers and helpless proletarians. At first this bureaucracy was merely a "sub-committee" of the commune body. It takes increasing control over the political structure until it has monopolized all power. The Jacobin vote had assumed the power over the wishes of anarchists who desired a system of de-centralized cooperatives.
One of the strongest characteristics of this film is its ability to engage the viewers and their views about their political beliefs and aspirations. At certain breaks in the narrative, the cast members get together around one of the bar tables and discuss what is happening in today. The following scene is a good example. One actor says that more people should vote, and all we need to do to help the situation in Africa is open the phone book and call an NGO. Another actor then criticizes him for this shortsighted view on international political hierarchies and how to make real change.
The ethanol industry is supported by three primary government incentives: a mandate that requires refiners to use an increasing amount of ethanol each year; a 51-cent-per-gallon tax credit for refiners that add ethanol to gasoline; and a 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol.
