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Voodoo Hut has shifted operations to Centropolis.

http://centropolis.tumblr.com/

For all your Centralized knees

Theological Explanations

Well, I've just come across a tragic case in which the victim ends their own life, since no one in authority could be bothered to help it seems.
http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011/11/mother-of-suicide-girl-on-twitter-blames-law-enforcement/

And I couldn't help but think of all the other cases I've seen before, and then contrast that with some of the Christian platitudes? Lectures? I have had the... opportunity to hear. Or at any case be present in the car whilst they are playing. "Whatever you ask for God will provide" ; "God takes care of his flock"... or the more personal "I've heard testimonies where God has touched people directly" - "I was in a wheelchair, but after prayer I could walk again" - "I am clinically obese, my arteries were clogged, but we held a prayer group and now my arteries aren't clogged"...

The list could go on and on.  And it does.

And as said in Matthew 10:29 "Two Sparrows for 2 coins, very cheap. Support local industry"
http://bible.cc/matthew/10-29.htm

Hah, no. "Two sparrows for a coin. Yet not one falls without God's will"

And of course the helpful explanation at the end of the page extrapolates "The argument is, that if He takes care of birds of the least value, if He regards so small a thing as the hair of the head, and numbers it, He will certainly protect and provide for you. You need not, therefore, fear what man can do to you."


Yes, certainly protected and provided for. Unless you appear to be from a lower economic strata, or somehow, your religion might not be the one true one. If that is the case, well screw you buddy it seems.

So, if I could ask, why are some uplifted, and others suffering so terribly? What is the reason? God moves in mysterious ways? God only showcases his benevolence to those who have the good sense to be born into decent countries, in the proper neighbourhoods? What is it? The ways are very mysterious.

Or are is God sitting by because it is not as described in the books? That it is a trickster god having their own little fun with a bunch of flesh puppets?

Or is something else? That we are not watched over by a supposedly benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God but are instead an evolved species of ape, who has gained higher cognitive functions. And this is just what happens with 7 billion of us all living on a rock as it orbits a massive fusion reactive sphere, that some of us are just fucked up, and sadly some who don't deserve it suffer. But at least those that commit suicide because they see no help nor recourse are not condemned to a further eternity of suffering, but have found some respite in death at least.

It might be a cold empty void, but at least when bad things happen, you don't ask the void why bad things happen and assume an air of mystery. No, bad things happen because some people haven't reached much more past their monkey status. And that means those that have, must do their best to intervene. What a pity humans can only do so much. Only Human. As Agent Smith of the Matrix would say.

I have heard the charge that atheists must be a miserable grim lot, who fail to see the beauty or work of God. I personally wonder how one feels so chirpy knowing that this sort of stuff occurs and then going on and on about benevolence and favour etc...

Religion is a coping mechanism at the end of the day. Obviously quite an effective mechanism given its prevalence, but if I had to sum up this half ranting article, it would be this:

If there are any theologians, or religious people out there who could give me a theological answer to why some people get screwed over royally in life but others just have to pray for it and receive abundantly from their Deity of choice, I'd really like to know. Especially when the common attributes of most deities seem to be "Benevolence, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence".

Also feel free to point out any errors in the rant.

Until next time.

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." 

Book Review: Harbinger of the Storms

I suppose this review would not be complete without first telling how I came by the book itself. And having just finished reading the story in its entirety, it feels like the beginning matches the ending. I came across this book on the last day of the Borders stock sale. The store having shut its doors down rapidly, and the final offload of its remaining stock held in an Expo Centre. The final rites of a dead company. 

I suppose the insolvency lawyers of today are the priests of the dead for companies. Black ink replacing the red blood of the usual sacrifices. The chants still remain though, in their modified form. According to statute, passed in 1974 Insolvency Act, State of... bankruptcy... pursuant to sections 4 through to .... 

And the linkage? This book is about the High Priest of the Dead, Acatl in the Mexica Empire investigating a series of gruesome and mysterious deaths that come at a inopportune time. The Emperor (Revered Speaker) has died and now a new one must take his place before the protection of the old Emperor fades and the star demons descend to destroy all life. 

And throughout the story, told through the perspective of Acatl we are given a look into the everyday life of a South American civilization. One that is very much fuelled on blood, sacrifices and appealing to gods, so other gods don't kill you, and also watching out for demons, some with a taste for human eyeballs. 

The images are well woven, appropriately disturbing, and I must say, right around halfway into the book I suddenly couldn't put it down as intrigue wove itself into more and more intricate patterns around the storyline. All the while politics moved in the shadows, unworried by the fact that if they didn't get a leader chosen soon, star demons were going to descend and solve all those issues permanently. I suppose the snide comment at this point would be to observe that it seems the majority of politics hasn't changed much since that time either. 

One thing I did have trouble envisioning was the way many priests slashed their ears for the daily blood offerings to their gods. Well, the ones that would accept blood anyway. Everyday, day in day out, cut the earlobes. That can't be healthy in jungle climates. But then again, I'm reading a book where a man gets torn apart by a goddess with wings made of obsidian shards. Living in a world like that, infection is probably the least of your worries. 

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a horror/detective story set in a rather unusual setting. The author has done her work well and it was quite a fascinating tour through a culture, where gods and magic ruled, and humans had a very tangible experience with the supernatural. 

Guest Discussion: thehairypatch on Finance

*This blog not affiliated with 60 Minutes or CNBC. If anyone has a better picture idea let me know.

VC: Voodoo Child
THP: thehairypatch

VC: Thank you and welcome to the pilot episode of "Two dudes and G-Chat". With me tonight is thehairypatch, friend and peer finance expert. So now, the Euro Crisis. Greece can't leave the EU, it seems but if Greece falls wasn't there a worry about the others?

TPH: IMO its a non-issue, this isn't about a shortage of real resources. This is about some numbers on paper 

and people don't want to change them

VC:  What are they bound by? It confuses me. Is it to do with the loans? They were talking about the loans for a while and how credit ratings get cut etc...

TPH: They are bound by the Euro Charter or whatever. You know double-entry? All central banks operate according to double-entry. People think that central banks just print money.They can't, they must exchange one asset for another to balance the books.

Anyway it implies that the amount of created cash by the central bank is bound by the amount of suitable circulating assets.

VC:  So because of this, they can't make up the assets? Because the normal method is through loans to other banks? And then the interest needs to paid sort of thing?

    TPH: Well, it depends on what is considered 'suitable asset'. Strictly speaking it should only be Government Debt. Therefore the amount of created cash is bound by the amount of circulating government debt. And so the amount of created cash is bound by the amount of circulating government debt. 

Now Euro countries have a very important constraint, the amount of Government Debt they can create is bound to some level of GDP I think 35% or something. Since Government Debt == Money, then the amount of money is bound to 35% of GDP

An arbitrary figure with no empirical basis. I mean economic basis.There is a reasonable ethical basis though. Since Government Debt is the source of money, then if all countries in the Euro could create as much money as they wanted, then one country could live off the rest.

VC: would that even be possible though?

Free flowing money with no... back to it. Mind... look what they've been trading. Junk mortgages. Packages. Sacks of crap tied up and sold

Bubbles

TPH: This situation is known as a 'tragedy of the commons'. Since everyone will be able to create as much money as they want, there will be an incentive for each country to print as much money as possible. Leading to the destruction of the euro-system or the collapse of a common resource.

VC:  If money is just created, there isn't any solid basis for it we get that tragedy. But is it also about confidence and spending? But wouldn't that lead to a bubble or have we all just been one long cycle of bubbles since the Tulip craze in the 1700's? 

 TPH: It depends on how the currency is created and destroyed. Worst-case is Weimar & Zimbabwe. Nah, confidence has little to do with it IMO People don't know how it works. They resort to these types of constructs

VC:  Wasn't the Weimar Republic's currency backed by the gold reserves. And reperations for the allies was basically taking out all the gold. So the currency devalued, along with seizure of the productive industrial area. Leaving Germany with low output and crap currency. Along with some questionable decisions by the government.

TPH:  I'm not disputing that it consumer confidence is a measure. It is just that people seem to think that it has 'so much importance'. The reality is that the Government could create more money and give it to consumers to spend. This is what the Australian government did in the GFC. Blamm Consumer Confidence fixed.

Maybe not Weimar then, I think you get the point.

VC: I think I'm starting to. And yet they're not doing it. Tied by the law... tied by public perception?

TPH: Public perception

VC: The public will be up in arms over the printing huh?

TPH: Not if they understood. The money has to come from somewhere. People also think that the government must tax in order to spend. It is the other way around. Since the State is the source of money, how can anyone pay taxes if the State doesn't first spend?

VC:  But you still need taxes otherwise the government doesn't even need to tax at all if it could just print no?

That means there is obviously a mechanism that prevents this sort of money printing ad infintum because it can't work like that can it?

Well, money is worth what other people are willing to give you for it so I guess if you keep printing it loses value?

TPH: The Rich can't make money unless the State spends first. Taxes are there to regulate inflation.The main mechanism that seems to regulate money printing is public perception.

VC: I don't get it I'm afraid. 

 TPH: Which part? Where does money come from?

VC: But somewhere along the line some work must be done because otherwise we could just keep having money to spend on things.

TPH: Absolutely.

VC: Like, everyone could be rich then?

TPH: Then you have an inflation.

VC: Oh right, the prices surge upwards

TPH: Yep

VC: You know a Malaysian dollar in my dad's day got you a whole meal. And, salaries have risen proportionally too. For white collars at least

TPH: Yea, but if created money is spent on producing goods & services, then inflation will not occur.

VC: This is probably the closest I will ever feel to being a Creationist being taught about Evolution. "How can it work that way? How does it even work? It doesn't make sense! etc..." But somewhere, somehow it does and its not even esoteric... its just humans all trying to make more money.

TPH: Yea its crazy

VC: Gambling,  Shorting, commodities, stocks, trading, futures, mortgage, loans, derivitives, AAAs, BAAs

 TPH:Recap: Where does money come from?

VC: used to come from gold... and now it comes from the government. Who issues loans to banks

TPH: Not quite loans. They're in the form of?

VC: Or Bonds

TPH: Yea, a caveat. Bonds lead to cash which leads to loans.

Take bond to central bank, get cash, make deposit, make loan.

Starts with the Government Issuing bond to spend on something.

Sells Bond, gets cash, spends.

VC: Someone else takes the cash and then does something with it and so on and so forth. But this isn't trickle down is it? Trickle down is expecting the rich to make jobs trickling down like so much drain water.

TPH: Trickle down is not that effective. it should be trickle up. Give money to consumers

then give incentives to businesses to produce certain things.

VC: Well, thanks a lot. I really learned something today. Still don't quite get it, but at least where money comes from is explained. Thanks for tuning into the pilot episode of "Two dudes, and G-Chat". I'm your host, Voodoo Child good night, don't die to a drone strike tonight. 

Link To Vid

http://boingboing.net/2008/07/28/law-prof-and-cop-agr.html

A pair of videos where a cop and a law professor present a forceful case for never ever speaking to the police without your lawyer present. Interesting. Also, future clients take heed, many lawyers frequent this site. So if this blog ever takes off, you got many people to call for advice.*


*Charges apply

Money Talks

All eyes on Europe as Greece teethers on the brink of default. Unrest in the streets at the latest austerity measures and people start to ask, how has it gotten so wrong? Why is Germany responsible for Greece? And if Greece goes why are people so worried? 

In my opinion all the current measures the G20 leaders are discussing are playing hackey sack with the issue until they can duck out of office and leave the actual complete shattering to their replacements. That or maybe they are actually trying to get their countries out of the mess... which they should have been watching out for in the first place. But lets not place the blame on who over-leveraged and speculated and exposed who to who. 

Essentially what has been created have been financial bubbles where money is pumped in and prices soar to artificially induced rates. This is where some of the food crisis in Africa originate. The prices of food are speculated on the commodities market. Basic foodstuffs suddenly are not priced simply according to actual price and demand, financial speculation plays around with the prices. Leaving such basics out of reach of the poor. There is food available. Just that few can afford it at market price. 

Conclusion? Europe is going to be hit hard financially with repercussions for the rest of the world. The question at the moment is how bad is bad when it hits. I wonder how much China can really help. As mentioned earlier by First Striker. Rule of Law is a key component of governance anywhere. And China has been lacking for quite some time in even some of the more basic fundamentals of rule of law. Simply that even those at lower levels of authority are accountable. The Chinese Dragon is indeed rising, but it better see a doctor soon for its internal problems. 

I must apologize for the slightly disjointed nature of this post, but I thought it would be useful for people to know what some of the resources I have been using to read up on the current economic crisis were. Some of these were sent to me, others I caught on TV. I've been really wanting to write about weapons instead to be honest. But welp, can't ignore the drowning economy in the room can we? Especially since the capacity to wage warfare is explicitly linked in a country's ability to generate the revenue required to fund it. The origins of bonds in fact.

And now the links.

Very helpful overview

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/23/sunday-review/an-overview-of-the-euro-crisis.html?ref=global-home

11 Investing Terms one would be wise to know. before descending into the shark pit. 

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2011/10/24/11-investing-terms-you-have-to-know/

Article discussing the issues SMEs have in China

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/10/20111022114018242293.html

Documentaries I highly recommend:

The Ascent of Money

The Men Who Crashed The World (Al Jazeera)

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis

Praise is slow, but scorn is fast.

Image Courtesy of Nato. Pictured are... actually what the hell are those. They're not American. I think those are Dassault Mirages. Highly likely French. 

"If we succeed no one will remember, and if we fail no one will forget!" 

-  Captain Carrot from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. 

Ding dong the witch is dead cried the little Munchkins. And now Gaddafi lies dead a his corpse wrapped in a cheap blanket and stored in a vegetable cooler. Personally I think it is a fitting end, shot dead and dragged out battered, bloodied and terrified from a hiding hole. Much like the countless victims throughout his regime. Although some have decried that all this does is perpetuate the cycle of violence and hate, I doubt a prolonged trial would have done the new government any good. 

The United Nations has requested the circumstances of his death be looked into. Which I given the circumstances is trolololo. But, then again the organization does have its stated principles so they must adhere to them best as they can. And if that means calling for an investigation, then well, procedure must be followed. 

But this isn't the thrust of the post. The part I wonder is how much of NATO's involvement is going to be acknowledged as having done aided the Libyan people in their time of need suffering under a regime. Of course one could always that this is real-politik. NATO never intervened before. Why suddenly now if not for the prospect for oil? 

The oil cannot flow out of the country simply like that and Libya is not Iraq. Control of the country's resources still lies squarely within the tenuous grasp of the interim government. But of course, it is better to have an ally and influence in the region than not. And Gaddaffi was never really fond of the West. Nor the West of him. So we could argue intervention was done solely on real politik grounds. 

I would argue that even if the intervention was done because of real politik and not some overriding agenda to prevent genocide* it was a successful intervention that aided the Libyan people in their own self liberation. Even if the country then tears itself apart in civil war, they are doing it on their own choice. Which is a possible concern. However, many people in the West seem to forget that the birth of all democracies to some extent or another has been riven by strife and conflict. The American Civil War for example,and the widely circulated brawls in Taiwanese and Korean parliaments on youtube. 

I quote the above because I wonder how history will remember this intervention. Will it be remembered as a moment when NATO intervened on behalf of a beleagured people asking for help and actually aided in regime change? Or will it be remembered as the catalyst that triggered a even bigger cycle of uprising and repression? No idea, all I know is this, when you succeed, no one gives you any credit. And when you fail, no one will forget. I will confess when the situation was ongoing I thought Gaddaffi was going to win eventually. I thought NATO was committing to it half heartedly. But it seems since America didn't back out from using her sea and air power as she almost did I suppose the balance of power eventually rolled back in favour of the rebels. 

What is another curious thing to watch about that region is the flood of arms given by NATO. Ostensibly to aid the rebels. But concerns were raised by the African Union.** Well, with widespread arms available and the tribal factions that Gaddaffi had initially united under his rule free to pursue old grievances it might not be long before inter-tribal conflict breaks out. All these arms could further destabilize the region. 

Also this whole affair was an interesting litmus test for the UK's power projection and boy have they fallen short. Aircraft Carriers have been for some time the pride of a nation's navy. Demonstrating quite large area power projection. The UK decided to scrap its old carriers in a cost cutting move and is now waiting on replacements to be built. All which illustrates that military effectiveness cannot be built up over night. Cost cut one day, the next when forces are needed, they simply won't be available. 

*This whole post sparked by an article First Striker sent. And this article would argue that the American intervention at least was sparked by Obama's humanitarian concerns

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-obamas-war-room-20111013?print=true

**http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/06/2011629234644934286.html