Come Together

Struck down by a cold, more blogging soon. I promise. Thanks Rob for the link.

Slippery People (or Everybody Hurts)

No one likes pain except for a few emo's and religious nutters.

How we deal with pain defines us. It's said that some of the poorest people in the world are also the happiest, or at least smiliest. This maybe true because a lot of what we have in our western world disconnects us from what is real.

Pain therefore is more than just an inconvenience it reduces our consciousness to a feeling of being below our expectations. It makes us weak and to be weak is to lose.

Maybe I've been lying around with my feet up for too long. It's got me thinking though, there are worse things in life than pain.

Take my advice watch out for slippery rocks (and people).

More blogging soon.

Wrong (or I should Be So Lucky)

I'm reading a book called The Luck Factor, by Max Gunther at the moment. It's an interesting read that explores the role of luck in measuring the outcome of our lives.

Luck is a concept that interests me. Not the superstitious kind of luck; rabbits feet and crossed fingers. No, I'm thinking more of the make your own kind of luck. Like right place right time or even that wonderful word serendipity. People who have 'lucky' lives have to extent made good decisions. They haven't necessarily planned their lives out, although at points along their journey they have taken the better path.

The Protestant work ethic is based on luck, it suggests that if you put yourself out there, work hard, then God will bless you. In fact most religions have an aspect of luck to them. One theme is constant and that is to live a good life. This doesn't explain why bad people are lucky, except to say that luck may be indiscriminant.

I'll share more insights once I've finished the book.

It's Tricky

There's a story in today's NZ Herald that reads:

Two failed finance company directors have been suspended from the Institute of Chartered Accountants after being found guilty of conduct unbecoming to an accountant and breaching its code of ethics.

I find it interesting that the NZICA suspend its members on the grounds of breaching ethics, however an ex-partner of law firm DLA Phillips Fox (and banned Five Star Finance director), Marcus MacDonald still practices law from his waterfront home in Greenhithe.

Double standard, of course not. Law is about money, not ethics. Just because he's a liar shouldn't stop him from being a lawyer.

Fat Of The Land

The marketing geniuses at McDonald's and Weight Watchers have struck a deal.

McDonald's are going to pretend to be healthy and Weight Watchers are going to take the backhander. Boy does that suck, big time. Often people loosing weight confuse less calories for better nutrition. Anyone who has read Fast Food Nation will know that McDonald's is total crap. If they can save a half cent but it compromises the nutritional value, they will. McNuggets are the worst of all their products. Deep fried beaks and a**holes.

Shame on you Weight Watchers.

Planet Earth

In today's NZ Herald, Brian Fallow writes an enlightening column on New Zealand's commitment to reducing climate change.

The headline shouts that taxpayers will be stuck with 84% of the financial responsibility when the emissions trading scheme commences in 2011. In real terms this is billions of dollars a year, the exact amount is not clear yet. Like the numbers the whole scheme seems a little foggy (or smoggy, if you prefer). The intentions are admirable, but analogous to most big schemes directed by the government, it seems destined for the scrap heap.

I'm not wanting into wade in the whole Climate Change debate. My opinion is just that. No doubt I'll be on the earth for a few years to come, my children for a few more. I am concerned that any any scheme that involves borrowing money is not sustainable. It's inevitable that we need to take a long term view of pollution and our responsibilities as global citizens. What isn't so clear is why we need to spend taxpayers money, or worse borrowed money, to resolve the problem.

I say make the polluters pay. If the product or service emits heat or worse, burns stuff, tax it. If it's unhealthy, tax it again. If we're serious about reducing emissions then the cost must start with the polluters, otherwise our responsibilities will be paid for by future generations and that simply isn't fair.