Monthly Archives: May 2010

Levantine blood feud, part MMXXXIV

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Jarrah

As I type this, a motley group of  ships are sailing from Cyprus towards the Gaza Strip in an effort to deliver 10,000 tonnes of supplies, in direct opposition to Israel’s blockade of the territory. The blockade has been in … Continue reading →

Posted in international | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The importance of reading carefully

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Jarrah

Today I was pleased to see someone responded to my response to a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, even though they disagreed. Unfortunately, Siobhan Brahe didn’t actually rebut my statements, due to the fact that she apparently didn’t read … Continue reading →

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Power to the people

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Jarrah

I watched a fascinating program on TV last night, a special episode called ‘The Human Power Station’ of BBC program Bang Goes the Theory . They asked a family of four to participate in an experiment, without telling them what … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, environment | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Save the environment, give it a market price

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Jarrah

An old insult directed against economists is a reprise of Oscar Wilde’s pithy putdown of cynics – they know the price of everything, and the value of nothing. Like so many glib one-liners, it is both manifestly unfair and hinting … Continue reading →

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Taking the Laura Norder bus, last stop Dystopia

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Jarrah

A worrying development in the United States – the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2010 was approved by the House of Representatives. It gives money to states if they abide by certain rules, which would require anyone arrested … Continue reading →

Posted in law | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

One’s sexuality is no-one else’s business

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Jarrah

Ex-minister for Transport David Campbell was not my favourite person. How could he be, being partly responsible for NSW’s dismal record on public transport? If I had a vote in his electorate, I would try to get rid of him … Continue reading →

Posted in local | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Progress at last

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Jarrah

Verity Firth, Member for Balmain, kindly sent me a link to the recently completed feasibility study for the Inner West light rail extension from Lindfield to Dulwich Hill, prepared by GHD. Regular readers will know what a big deal this … Continue reading →

Posted in local | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Just say no… to the war on drugs

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Jarrah

What would you do with $1 trillion? Don’t answer too quickly, lean back and think about it for a while. Physically, using the highest-value banknote I know of (the €500 bill that will be excluded in Britain due to its … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, international, law | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments