One British View of the 2008 Election

Here is one commentator's thoughts on the difference between US and UK elections. Very interesting!

Here is a taste:

What was most striking was the contrast between the unembarrassed respect in the US for the democratic process and thus for those who were participating in it, to the vague contempt in Britain for the whole demeaning circus.

. . . What lies behind the supercilious scepticism of the BBC to genuine popular democracy may be inherent in the British attitude to politics. Perhaps it goes back to the English Civil War and the notion that parliamentary activism- the whole tawdry business of putting oneself up for office - is a common, rather downmarket thing to do. The lofty disdain the media show for politicians is simply a form of aristocratic contempt for an activity that has always been,in some vague way, below the salt. Where in the US the democratic process is heroic, in Britain it is squalid.

Taiwan: President Chen Criticizes US, EU for Opposing Taiwanese Referendum

I've blogged previously about the upcoming Taiwanese referendum and Condi Rice's opposition, so here's the background. In that post, I opined that opposition to the Taiwanese poll is basically criticizing a democratic country for wanting to do a democratic thing...and that the issue is not issue-specific Taiwanese "provocation," but long-term Chinese hostility.

President Chen, in his New Year's address, took aim at the US and EU. In fact, Chen basically accused the US and EU of bowing to China. Here's a blurb:

"We find it extremely regrettable that, under tremendous pressure from China, the United States and the European Union have expressed varying degrees of opposition to Taiwan's referendum on joining the United Nations," Chen said in his annual New Year's Day address at the presidential palace in downtown Taipei.

Chen said the U.S. and Europe "are weighing national interests against democratic values."

Ouch.

Well, some (or most) of this is true, but I'm not that sure that Chen saying so is really going to help matters, either.

Movie Preview: "Kung Fu Dunk"

The Cinema-Mad Sibling recommends the following trailer of upcoming film "Kung Fu Dunk."

It's a bit like "Shaolin Soccer," only it's about basketball. Oh, and it stars the king of Asian pop music, Jay Chou. And no confirmed Yao Ming cameo to my knowledge, though there had been talk previously of getting an appearance by him.

Kung fu + basketball = well, click below to find out! (and yes, I seem to be having formatting problems.)

Brussels or Beijing? Government Issues Regulations for Making Bread Rolls

Now does this idea sound more like Brussels or Beijing?

Here is a blurb from the news story about new government rules for making bread rolls:

The criteria described the proportion of water and wheat flour for a standard [roll] and roughly its size and weight. It also set a limit for water content because those containing too much water go off more easily.

"We found some of the stories online misinterpreted the criteria by saying that all the [rolls] should be in a round or oval shape. They were taking the criteria as if they will rule out the production of [rolls] by peddlers and small companies," said an official . . . who declined to give his name. The administration helped draft the criteria.

"Individuals and small companies can still make and sell [their rolls] as long as their products accord with relevant hygienic standards issued by the State Administration For Industry and Commerce," the official said.

Sounds like Brussels, no? Ah, but what if I substitute the term "bread rolls" with the word "mantou"?

Yes, this time it's Beijing, setting standards for "mantou" -- steamed buns. I'm not too fond of these things; I much prefer some good puffy bao with roast pork fillings. Mmmmm.

The news source? Xinhua, predictable propaganda mill.

Nerd News: Asian Education -- Japan Worries About Its Schools and About India's Progress

The Japanese, long famous for having one of the most strenuous systems of education anywhere, are now worried about Japanese schools.

Nerd competition is appearing also -- in the form of other nations and especially India. The immediate catalyst for some of the Japanese worrying is, as the New York Times article points out, a recent survey of the bedrock disciplines of math and science:

Last month, a national cry of alarm greeted the announcement by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that in a survey of math skills, Japan had fallen from first place in 2000 to 10th place, behind Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. From second in science in 2000, Japan dropped to sixth place.

*MM can't resist smiling at the mention of Taiwanese achievement.*

Also, I would like to point out the sheer difficulty of both Japanese and Indian forms of education compared to many programs elsewhere. Do you think your schooling was hard? How about this instead:

India’s more demanding education standards are apparent at the Little Angels Kindergarten, and are its main selling point. Its 2-year-old pupils are taught to count to 20, 3-year-olds are introduced to computers, and 5-year-olds learn to multiply, solve math word problems and write one-page essays in English, tasks most Japanese schools do not teach until at least second grade.

What were you doing in school when you were 2, 3, or 5?

UK: NHS and "Lifestyle Regulation"

Hello, more nanny government! The food police are already out and about; I suppose we can look forward to more nonsense done to us "for our own good."

Here's a lovely quote:

Where the “old-fashioned” health service merely treated the sick, today's NHS seeks to beat well people into shape as clean-living citizens through advice and guidance. As Michael Fitzpatrick, an East London GP, observed when such contracts were first proposed, they involve “a major shift of general practice away from the treatment of patients who are ill towards the regulation of the lifestyles of the population”.

Despite this being the age of “evidence-based” medicine, nobody can provide proof that such government drives to alter behaviour improve public health. Yet the authorities press on regardless . . .

These unwieldy plans can only further undermine the efficiency of the health system, the role of doctors as clinical professionals and most importantly, the autonomy of individuals. They turn the purpose of healthcare on its head. As René Dubos wrote in 1960, “it is part of the doctor's function to make it possible for his patients to go on doing the pleasant things that are bad for them, smoking too much, eating and drinking too much without killing themselves any sooner than is necessary”. There must be more to life than healthy living. Amid the talk of rights and responsibilities, one that gets ignored is the individual's right to make the “wrong” choices.

The other fact often missed out is that we already live longer, healthier lives than ever before. So why not leave us alone to enjoy it?

Quirky Asia Files: Paper Robots

This fellow is apparently an enormous (and enormously dedicated) fan of Transformers.

He's made an entire miniature Bumblebee out of paper. Scroll down to see how he did it, step by step.

Amazing!

Quirky Asia Files: the Japanese Snow-Eating Robot

Only the Japanese!

Here is a cute little yellow robot that cleans up snow. How? It scoops up the snow, "eats" it, and turns it into neat, stackable bricks of ice that the robot then "poops" out. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.

And since the robot is Japanese, it's ridiculously cute. Doesn't it look a lot like a tiny MINI Cooper car or maybe Pikachu from "Pokemon"?

Nerd Analysis: Prerequisites for Democracy -- Middle East Edition

Some Harvard eggheads have an interesting post about the foundations and prerequisites of democracy as they apply to the Middle East.

The post begins with an astute observation by a nerd in 1956.

Iowa Caucus Today

The Iowa caucuses are today, and the media and the political blogosphere are in a predictable frenzy.

Me, personally? I'm finding it difficult to care very much. I will say this, though: it seems vaguely unjust that a tiny state like Iowa has such a huge impact on the entire presidential election process of 2008. Less than 1 million Iowans will actually "vote" in the caucuses. I also doubt that Iowa is an accurate representation of any piece of America as a whole other than Iowa.

Yes, yes, "all politics are local," after all. But, seriously, the media has hyped Iowa into a huge event, with all the pundits basically saying to the candidates, "If you won't do well in Iowa, your entire campaign is over." Sure, Iowa's the first real electoral test for the field of primary candidates, but I think it's a little overhyped.

Is this sort of thing actually good for the democratic process? I don't know. Then again, I'm not sure Super Tuesday is that great, either (much less Super Duper Tuesday this year, aka "the Tuesday That Ate America").

Anyway, time to talk a bit about the field. On the Democrat side, I see the contest as mainly between Hillary and Obama here (and everywhere). Obama seems cool, composed, elegant. He the young handsome new fellow looks very good indeed next to Hillary the raddled old harridan and Washington insider who's coasting on her husband's name, in my opinion. Besides, I wonder what perfume she could possibly be wearing that could cover up the stench of naked ambition and cold-eyed calculation. I don't like her. At all. The fact that she's a woman makes no difference to me. Edwards? He gives off the unmistakable smell of slick insincerity -- and designer hair-care products. Dennis Kucinich is a space alien from Alpha Centauri. Everybody else? Nowhere.

On the GOP side, I've had all I can take of Huckabee. He's not the right candidate, and the more I see, the less I like; this Gomer Pyle doppelganger does not have the right stuff to lead America. He's like the Mayor from the third season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Romney is like the GOP version of Edwards -- slick, so slick, but what lies beneath the pretty face and perfect composure? Is this guy better suited for the presidency or the job of a Madison Avenue ad exec? Too pretty -- the Stepford candidate! Giuliani -- what happened? He seems to have lost his footing a bit, and he's also the Man Who Isn't There. Ron Paul is a space alien from the Andromeda Galaxy. McCain's off in New Hampshire, but he's not the McCain of 2000, and he seems tired and pale. Thompson may be the only actual conservative in the entire field, but he seems to be invisible to the punditocracy.

OK, I'll update tonight with Iowa results.

UPDATE: CNN is projecting Huckabee as the GOP winner in Iowa. HUCKABEE? The Gomer Pyle, George Bailey mayor-of-Sunnydale Arkansas clown? This guy is not presidential material. Pffffft. Is it possible for me to have not only zero but negative respect for the Iowa caucuses? See Powerline too -- and here.

Money Matters: the Media Top 10 Economic Myths of 2007

Very interesting indeed.

Take a look at the media's top 10 economic myths of 2007.

Some of the myths are so silly that I can't believe people would believe them, but...of course, some people will and do.

Part of the problem is that (a) too many people lack even a basic understanding of economics, and (b) the media's economic coverage is often wrong, misleading, or just plain stupid. As for some reporters, see (a). Also, what's the actual, economist's definition of a "recession"? Find out! People use this scary word "recession" all the time, mostly without understanding it.

Another common myth that deserves mention: the idea that you can tax your way to prosperity, or that you can "Robin Hood" your way to it too (i.e, how is this different from punishing wealth and rewarding poverty? Or, worse, how is this not in fact punish creators of wealth for creating wealth?).

My all-time favorite myth is actually not on the list because it's not really confined to 2007. It's the ongoing apocalyptic myth of the imminent and total, catastrophic collapse of the American economy. Doomsday for Dollars!

I've been hearing predictions of this for years and years, and I expect to keep on hearing them -- even as I still manage to pay my bills and maybe even afford to buy a few nice things from time to time. (Look, it's Mad Minerva's Standard of Economic Prosperity -- if even a grad nerd like me can afford to buy a pricey latte once a week, then we're not in Doomsday for Dollars. After all, who's more famously penniless than grad students?)

Nerd Notes: the 5 Main Kinds of "Helicopter Parents"

"Helicopter parents," the bane of academia, have now invaded the post-graduate world.

Do we really need further infantilization of...well, everybody? Helicopter parents, nanny statism...Pretty soon there won't be any real, responsible adults in my generation, much less the generation currently in college and university.

The trouble with "helicopter parents" is their constant interference and obsessive "supervision." The worst ones are those who ruthlessly promote their own children and insist that rules be bent or broken for those precious little snowflakes. The ones who phone repeatedly are simply anathema to any sane person who works on campus ("Why did my child get this grade? Why wasn't my child allowed to _____? I demand that my child be accepted into this closed class, etc. etc." Uh, hello, your so-called child is 20 years old, and he/she will never learn to be a functioning responsible adult if you keep on doing this kindergarten-coddling behavior.)

Anyway, one British campus dweller has identified 5 main kinds of "helicopter parents." I'm sure there are more than 5 types, but I do like his definitions. Take a look!

Helicopter parents - the five most common kinds

The Agent

Operates like a footballer's agent: fixing deals, arranging contracts, smoothing out local difficulties. It's the Agent's job to represent his or her client at events which, for whatever reason, the client feels are simply too tedious to attend. Having an Agent helicopter parent is like having Max Clifford working for you round the clock. For free.

The Banker

Accessible online, face to face or via personal hotline, the Banker is unique in the world of financial services for charging no APR, asking few if any questions, expecting no collateral, and being psychologically inclined to say 'yes' no matter how illogical or poorly articulated the request. The Banker is also resigned to never seeing loans repaid.

The White Knight

Imbued with an almost semi-mythical status, the White Knight parent appears at little to no notice to resolve awkward situations. Once resolved, the White Knight will fade anonymously into the background. Intervention is accomplished silently and with minimum fuss.

The Bodyguard

The primary function of the Bodyguard is to protect the client from a range of embarrassing social situations - such as cancelling appointments and soaking up complaints on behalf of their client. Particularly skilled in constructing elaborate excuses. When not protecting life, limb and reputation, doubles up as a chauffeur and personal assistant.

The Black Hawk

Named after the military helicopter, and dreaded by teachers and educational administrators, the Black Hawk is unique among helicopter parents due to their willingness to go to any lengths - legal or illegal - to give their offspring a positional advantage over any competition. Particularly lethal when elected to parent-teacher associations.

I also love how the writer calls the cellphone "the longest umbilical cord in history." Too true, that.

China: Spoiled Rich Kids

Surprise, surprise -- the kids of wealthy Chinese are turning out pretty much like the kids of wealthy Everybody Else. The kids are turning into spoiled brats.

The kids even have a nickname: "Little Emperors."

So as one observer asks, how to teach these kids morals and manners?

2008's GOP Candidates and their Buffy Equivalents

The candidates for the Republican primaries meet "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"! The results are hilarious.

Admittedly, you'd have to be a Buffy fan to get the full effect. My favorite? Mike Huckabee's Buffy equivalent is Caleb the evil preacher with the Southern accent.

Someday soon, I'll have to write a serious post about the GOP field...but that day is not today!

Weather Predictions for 2008: "100% Chance of Alarm (and Availability Entrepreneurs)"

A New York Times writer (surprise!) has a few pithy comments about eco-hysteria, the pernicious role of mass media, and selectively chosen pieces of information. He even takes a potshot at the "Goracle" himself. The entire treatment of climate change (anthropogenic or otherwise) has been horribly distorted, and I'm glad to see at least some awareness that this is so -- and that it is making a complicated matter even more so, turning it into a juggernaut of ever more shrill eco-piety.

Do read the whole thing. Here's a fun blurb, and I boldfaced a central idea below:

You’re in for very bad weather. In 2008, your television will bring you image after frightening image of natural havoc linked to global warming. You will be told that such bizarre weather must be a sign of dangerous climate change — and that these images are a mere preview of what’s in store unless we act quickly to cool the planet.

Unfortunately, I can’t be more specific. I don’t know if disaster will come by flood or drought, hurricane or blizzard, fire or ice. Nor do I have any idea how much the planet will warm this year or what that means for your local forecast. Long-term climate models cannot explain short-term weather.

But there’s bound to be some weird weather somewhere, and we will react like the sailors in the Book of Jonah. When a storm hit their ship, they didn’t ascribe it to a seasonal weather pattern. They quickly identified the cause (Jonah’s sinfulness) and agreed to an appropriate policy response (throw Jonah overboard).

Today’s interpreters of the weather are what social scientists call availability entrepreneurs: the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who selectively monitor the globe looking for newsworthy evidence of a new form of sinfulness, burning fossil fuels.

. . . The availability cascade is a self-perpetuating process: the more attention a danger gets, the more worried people become, leading to more news coverage and more fear. . . Once a cascade is under way, it becomes tough to sort out risks because experts become reluctant to dispute the popular wisdom, and are ignored if they do. Now that the melting Arctic has become the symbol of global warming, there’s not much interest in hearing other explanations of why the ice is melting — or why the globe’s other pole isn’t melting, too.

Global warming has an impact on both polar regions, but they’re also strongly influenced by regional weather patterns and ocean currents. Two studies by NASA and university scientists last year concluded that much of the recent melting of Arctic sea ice was related to a cyclical change in ocean currents and winds, but those studies got relatively little attention — and were certainly no match for the images of struggling polar bears so popular with availability entrepreneurs.

. . . “In the last few months,” Mr. Gore said, “it has been harder and harder to misinterpret the signs that our world is spinning out of kilter.” But he was being too modest. Thanks to availability entrepreneurs like him, misinterpreting the weather is getting easier and easier.

Euro Notes: EU Lisbon Treaty -- No "Superpower" Created

Here is an analysis/editorial about the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The title is somewhat pugnacious and a little too sensationalist: "Lisbon Treaty Will Not Create a European Superpower."

A "superpower"? An actual "superpower"? Well, of course not. Nobody I know has ever said this. I for one have never even thought this. There's no real muscular, robust hegemony of any type that I can see that treaty creating -- not economic, definitely not military, not even really political. If the treaty creates anything vaguely superpower-like, it's more EUrophilic bureaucracy-in-23-official-languages, complete with the inevitable silliness. The only "superpower" is the awesomely effective power of eye-rolling nonsense -- like that cartoon hero, Captain Euro, whom I once called "hysterical cartoon propaganda." (I stand by my critique; go on, click here and see for yourself.)

But in a real way, the idea of creating some European "superpower" is not the point, and to highlight this as the point misses the actual point.

The adoption of the revamped treaty won't instantaneously create anything, other than a tidal wave of nerdy analysis and over-analysis. What's the real point? As I see it, the entire process (and I've seen it largely from the British side) is more important as an illustration of the mindset of EUrocrat trans-national political elites.

The author of the linked analysis inadvertently (?) nods at the real issue when he says this:

Having learned from previous disasters -- notably the rejection of the proposed EU constitution in 2005 by Dutch and French voters -- EU leaders have made clear they will not submit the text to national referendum, except in Ireland where the country's constitution requires it. They argue that the Lisbon treaty would simply amend existing EU treaties rather than, as with the failed EU constitution, replace them by transferring some national sovereignty to the EU.

This is precisely my point.

The leaders have decided that they want this particular thing (my dislike of the thing's predecessor is on record), and by golly, they will have it -- no matter what the "unwashed masses" of the actual voting public might want/say/vote. It's top-down government. Besides, this is also the purest distillation of self-involved, paternalistic, elitist oligarchy, and it is deeply, profoundly, and quite possibly irremediably undemocratic in its very soul. Does it regard the voting public as citizens or subjects?

My point isn't about the efficacy or effect of the treaty. It's about the principle of the thing.

As for the Lisbon Treaty, here is its official website. By the way, one sentence in the blurb caught my eye in particular: "The Treaty of Lisbon will reinforce democracy in the EU and its capacity to promote the interests of its citizens on a day-to-day basis." On a day-to-day basis? How many more ludicrous acts of bureaucratic micro-management and regulation can we look forward to seeing? Nanny tyranny?

Nerd Notes and FYI: The Middle East Strategy at Harvard Blog

Here's an interesting blog that's worth looking at for various topics now and again:

the Middle East Strategy at Harvard blog.

Nice, often thoughtful or thought-provoking thoughts for nerds and for folks who like to read what nerds have been studying.

New Year's Resolutions for World Leaders

Foreign Policy has a fun little piece for starting 2008.

What kind of New Year's resolutions should some world leaders make?

Hello Kitty Monstrosity of the Day: the Pink Hello Kitty Assault Rifle

You know you want to read more about it.

You know you want to!

It's the cutest firearm ever...though you don't want to be at the wrong end of it, I'm sure. Of course, in an actual Hello Kitty universe, such a thing would shoot sugary gumdrops instead of bullets probably.

I have a great idea, though! Give pink Hello Kitty rifles to these female commandos!

(And no, pink Hello Kitty firearms aren't for sale to the public. This rifle was made by an enterprising fellow for his wife. Hmmm...what a romantic present? Errr...yeah.)

China: Xie Lihua and China's Poor Rural Women

Meet Xie Lihua, working to improve the often-harsh lives of China's rural women.

I've often noted how difficult are the lives of China's rural population of peasant farmers. The lives of many poor rural women are especially dreadful. And by "poor," I mean a statement not of emotional sympathy, but a statement of economic hardship: "poverty-stricken."

We need more people like Xie Lihua. See what she has been doing:

Xie is the founder of the groundbreaking Rural Women magazine, a crucial emotional outlet for generations of peasant women. Each issue includes a lengthy series of readers' letters, a sort of chat room for far-flung villagers too poor to own computers.

Although urban women have made strides toward equality, thanks to better education and opportunities within a growing white-collar workforce, rural women are often stuck in a harsh lifestyle unchanged from an earlier era.

"I tell them their life is the equal of any man. They were not born unequal -- society made them this way," Xie said. "They just need opportunities to obtain their rights."

Three of four Chinese women -- more than 450 million -- still live in the countryside, where rigid social customs breed loneliness and abuse.

Domestic violence rates are high. Each year 150,000 women commit suicide in rural China -- the only place on Earth where more women kill themselves than men, according to the World Health Organization.

Xie's readers are country women taught to refer to male spouses not as husbands but masters. They inhabit a world where the emphasis on bearing sons is so strong that women bear names such as Zhaodi ("looking for a little brother") and Aidi ("loving a little brother").

Along with her 14-year-old magazine, Xie founded the Cultural Development Center for Rural Women, China's first nongovernmental organization focused on women living outside the city.

She has sponsored programs in literacy training and suicide prevention, as well as some aimed at increasing women's political participation. She dispenses micro-loans for enterprising rural women.

These days, she focuses on the plight of China's largest underclass -- the millions of women who leave the countryside as migrant workers -- and especially on abduction and trafficking schemes that enslave women as prostitutes.