The Journal
2009
-
TB, HIV, the Recession and the Pope
There are clear, long-recognised links betwen HIV infection and infection with other opportunistic infections such as TB. It is these secondary infections which normally kill HIV/AIDS patients. It is interesting, however, that monitoring of TB deaths…
-
The Governor of the Bank of England Agrees With Me
You cannot spend your way out of debt. If debt is the problem, to the extent that neither lenders nor borrowers are confident, then manipulating the economy to increase debt, hoping thereby to encourage spending and so…
-
Scareware an Annoying Scam
My own Dad, an intelligent and computer savvy former medical scientist, fell for one of these scareware scams, and I frequently encounter them in business – usually after a complaint by a client that the anti-virus software I…
-
Wigs on the Waterfront – One Sour Note
Wigs on the Waterfront is an annual homosexual festival of music which takes place at the waterfront at Auckland Harbour. GayNz.com has posted some sample performers on YouTube. Amanda and I went because my brother David was…
-
Half a Ton of TNT and 500 Sheep
Egyptian police have seized half a ton of TNT and 500 sheep being smuggled into Gaza. One of my WoW characters is an engineer. I can make exploding sheep. They are fun, but not very useful,…
-
Comments Open
OK, I am giving in on the need to register to comment. I have thought and written about this before, and would still prefer to restrict comments to registered subscribers. However, I object to having to…
-
Cold Fusion Heats Up Again
The cost of energy is the major limiting factor in economic development. Cold fusion offers the possibility of vast amounts of cheap clean energy. The word ‘revolutionary’ is bandied around far too readily in reporting of…
-
Therapy With Bob Newhart
As most readers probably know, I have had some interesting interactions with a number of ‘therapists’ over the last few months. Good therapists quickly work themselves out of a job, because their job is to help…
-
Abbas: No Mideast Peace Without Jerusalem as Palestinian Capital
And that demonstrates clearly just what the problem is. The Palestinians make demands. ‘Just give us this and there will be peace.’ And everyone says that would be lovely, if only the Jews would agree. And Israel…
-
Poor Things
Countess Marie Douglas-David wants her pre-nuptial agreement torn up and her divorce payout doubled to $100 million plus $130,000 a month. Her expenses are more than she thought. Meanwhile, his expenses are higher than hers, but include…
-
Ron Silver Died a Week Ago
He was a great actor and a brave man. From an article by Daniel Finkelstein: The night after he spoke to the 2004 Republican convention .. Ron said that he expected many of his Hollywood liberal…
-
Darkness in Austrian Culture
Stephanie Marsh suggests there is a darker side to Austrian culture. The Fritzl case is proof. Well of course there is. There is a darker side to every culture. Australian generosity and mateship can descend into…
-
How Could They Not Tell?
A Samoan woman coming to New Zealand on a seasonal work visa had a baby on the plane over. She left the baby in a rubbish bin before coming through immigration. Questions are being asked (understandably)…
-
Ads Not So Bad
When I first read about the Baz Luhrmann tourism ads for Australia, I shared Andrew Bolt’s concern that they were both unattractive – ie, not likely to attract visitors to Australia, and that they sent the wrong message…
-
Almost Home
It has been a long road, but we are almost home. Amanda and I left Wanganui yesterday and drove up to Auckland, where my brother David manages a complex of 114 apartments in the city CBD.…