Government Assistance Programs

 The economics of why Government's manage to go over budget

The government identifies a problem.

The government decides it needs to create an assistance program.

The government allocates $x to finance this assistance program.

A bureaucracy is employed to manage and run this assistance program.

The bureaucracy manages to absorb most of the $$ available for the assistance program in salaries, wages, consultants fees, expenses.

How much $$ is left for actual assistance to public?

The government allocates increased funding to support assistance program.

Bureaucrats increase number of staff employed to implement program.

Extra funding is again absorbed by...operational expenses...etc etc etc.


Part 2
When the government decides that privatizing this program will become more efficient.

Private enterprises put in tenders for contract with government

Either lowest tender wins bid or

Collusion amongst bidders sets floor for bidding  or

Government bureaucrats are influenced by under the table incentives to favor tenders or

Politicians with conflicting interests influence tender selection process

Whoever wins contract is motivated by profit incentive.

Profit incentive is directly in conflict with need to provide assistance to public because it reduces profits.

Part 3 
 Government decides to nationalize private enterprise mentioned in Part 2

Aldi Mobile failure.

Internet Scams

I've received faked invoices by email. Never click on the link in the email message.

I've received received fake notices that if I don't pay now my service will be disconnected.

The most recent scam is when I connected to Google Hangouts.
I immediately received a message from what looked like a young woman.
Further conversations led to her showing an unbelievable interest in me. Now I'm not that stupid to fall for that. So I played along waiting for the hit.
What came next was obvious, video sex online for money.
The skill with which the perpetrator attempted to manipulate me was very good.
I've seen other scams like this which have been too crude and blunt to be taken seriously, especially one that stole the ID of somebody and pretended to be that person.
What was apparent in the sex for money scam was how each confrontation by myself was followed by a long pause, versus normal conversation. I suspect the scammer was getting instructions on how to respond from a third party.

So here is Luise Garnier. This is the name she used. She is very charming and very believable. But ultimately her motive was to get money from me in exchange for online sex.

Let this be a warning to everybody.

Is Human Behaviour an Algorithm?

I've often wondered about patterns of behavior.
I observe my cats for example, different generations behave remarkably similarly. In fact, it's an amusing pastime for cat owners to reflect on how common certain cat behaviour can be. Is cat behaviour merely an inherited algorithm?

And then consider AI and the possibility that at some point in the future, androids will be programmed with an algorithm that lets them mimic human behaviour.
Hiroshi Ishiguro builds androids and explores the possibilities of human attachment to androids.  https://www.wired.com/2017/10/hiroshi-ishiguro-when-robots-act-just-like-humans/

I put this idea on it's head and think, what if humans are programmed to behave in a certain way, in fact, by an algorithm?
If an algorithm can predict human behaviour, doesn't that suggest that humans are just a result of a very complex algorithm?
https://medium.com/intuitionmachine/deep-learning-to-predict-human-behavior-a2cd2ce14132

Sutherland Springs Texas Tragedy

Every time I hear of another lone gunman shooting people at random, as in the latest fatality at San Antonio Texas, I wonder to myself, where were all the gun toting civilians? Texas doesn't have any gun registration laws. I bet there are lots of Texans just walking around with guns in holsters hanging off their hips.

Maybe these gun toting Texans are holding secret fantasies of a shootout like the famous O.K. Corral...

Maybe these gun toting people are feeling safer carrying a gun than if they weren't armed...

I have no quarrel with the American constitution or American's right to bear arms.

What I'd like to know is, where the fuck are you all every time a crazy lone gunman goes berserk?

Time Travel 2

Having speculated on Time Travel in my previous post, I now delve further into the subject.

If you assume you can travel back in time, you assume that all points of time co-exist simultaneously. So that all events become points on a timeline, and all points are infinite in number as well as co-existing all the time. How else would it be possible to choose a point in time, say in the past and travel to that point? Think of all time as a continous line and events at a particular time as points on that timeline.
Imagine me sitting in my chair, typing away on my PC keyboard this minute. At some time in the future I would want to come back to this moment. This moment must be suspended on the timeline infinitely even though I move along this timeline.
If we could freeze time as well as travelling in time, we would exist in that moment of time we choose to visit and observe it in minute detail, walk around it and try to manipulate it.

Time is relative but time doesn't stand still or  suspend all events that occur along the timeline event horizon, waiting for a time traveller to come and visit any particular moment.

Time travel to me is a leap of the imagination but physically impossible.

Time Travel

I've been thinking about time travel for a long long time. Can we travel into the future? Can we travel into the past?
Many authors have imagined the ability to go back to the past and possibly alter the course of history.
Stephen Kings book titled 11/22/63 entertains the possibility of a time traveller stopping the assassination of JFK.
There are many scientific dissertations on whether such time travel is possible when the mathematics and physics laws allow.
To me, the answer to this question is simple and doesn't involve any science at all.

Consider the notion that time is relative, that all events already exist in space-time and our human perception of time is a very limited perception within the scope of the big picture...that is, what is possible in our universe.

So if the past, present and future exist simultaneously within space-time, wouldn't someone from the future have already come back in time and altered events/history? Consider how many events in human history would be candidates for modification. WW2 and WW1 come to mind. Humanity could well do without these events.
So, the fact that our history is as bloody and tragic as it is, I doubt that time travel from any point in the future is possible and if time travel is possible, it has no effect on altering events in the past.

The time travel paradox is another way of saying, time travel is not possible.


I

Is It News?

I like to read the news, first thing in the morning.

What riles me is the amount of comment that is reported as news.

I know, news media need stories to attract readers and there are many days when there just isn't any news...

So, the he said/she said phenomenon takes over.

On an average day, 80% of so called news is just people expressing opinions, especially (God help us) actors expressing opinions.

And then there's the journalists opinion columns, which we need to pay a subcription to read.
I know, these guys need to make a living too.
But, I have opinions as does everybody else and they are free to anyone who wants to read them...

Is this article news to anyone?

Afraid of Dying?

Dying, What's the big deal?

I'll tell you what, The fact that you can't take IT with you, your memories, your wealth, your possessions, your other half, everything that's important to you. That's what.

The Egyptian phaoroh who built a pyramid or two and buried everything precious with him after he died knew that.

I'll have one with everything to go, wrap it up, takeaway.

Climate Change

So,

You are passionate about climate change, something must be done, right?

I suggest you sell your car.

Then, maybe turn off your air conditioner or heater or both.

Do you use electricity? Stop, it's burning up carbon.

Hold true to your beliefs and stop expecting the government to fix this problem.

Three Stages of Jihad

Learning About Islam

David Woods videos are extremely informative and interesting.

Also check out this site:
http://www.answeringmuslims.com/

Trump and the end of the World

To all those prophets of doom who forsee disaster looming since Donald Trump was voted President of the United States.

Can Trump up the ante on George Bush who has created turmoil in the Middle East, and as a consequence given birth to Isis/Daesh as a result of removing Saddam Hussein and destabilized Syria as a consequence?

Can Trump up the ante on the GFC during Bill Clinton's administration?

Trump has no economic credentials, so can he create an economic crisis to equal that created by Ronald Reagan?

Can Trump equal the acheivement of Jimmy Carter who stood by and watched as Ayatollah Khomeni rose to power and financed world terrorism in the name of Islam?

Can Trump rise to the occassion and create a fiasco equal to Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam war that spread into Cambodia?

Yes, Donald Trump has big shoes to fill.

Read this before going to Bali

Going to Bali, let your hair down, relax take it easy but don't trust anyone giving you something for free.
Trust me, this advice will make your holiday much more enjoyable.

There are vultures in Bali who target tourists with all kinds of false promises, what they are really doing is selling a time share type of product. You know, pay $$$ and get the chance for "free" accomodation for many years to come. Of course it's not free, you have to pay up front in the first place.

This group of scammers calls themselves the Odyssey Group but also is known as Karma group.
Ironic that all they offer is bad Karma.
https://www.odysseypremier.com/directory/resorts-destinations/odyssey-club-resorts/bali

At Bali Collection, a shopping complex in Nusa Dua, there is an official looking stand with a salesman standing there. I guess they have other methods such as guys standing around offering "free" this or that or prizes or "free vouchers" worth $$$ if you fill out a survey etc etc.
They lure people in with false promises, concocted stories that will convince you to let them take you to centre for a lengthy sales pitch. They pitch dreams to you but never mention the cost, that would draw everything to an abrupt close. So they try to wear down your resistance by taking however long it takes. When you are finally exhausted, they try to close the deal but not before.

"How much?" you ask.
"Don't know" they answer or "it depends..." that means it depends on how much they think they can squeeze you for. They ask a lot, I mean a lot of personal details and give you nothing as far as information goes. Whatever your dream is, they will promise to fulfil it.

For those who have been stung, there is no cooling off period in the contract, there is a yearly maintenance fee and accomodation is never available where and when you want it. They don't care because now they have your money and you are fucked! Good luck sucker!

The trick is not to go along to the sales pitch premises which is filled with vultures, literally the people there are hostile, aggressive, they give off bad vibes. If you do manage to end up there, run, run as fast as you can because the cost of a taxi will be well worth getting out of their clutches.

Burkini or Not?

I've been ranting against Islam on this blog for many years.

The Burkini fiasco in France is nothing less than a clusterfuck of humongous proportions.

The French have realized too late that letting in Muslims was a huge mistake.

The French policy of banning burkas in public was the first attempt to restrain the influence of Islam's very public profile. Muslims tend to make increasing demands over time to accommodate their religious beliefs which are diametrically opposed to democracy and secular society.
Banning the burka was a first attempt to put a halt to the Islamization of France. The intention is clear but the ridiculous outcome of forcing Muslim women to remove the burkini/burka on a public beach reeks of overtones of a Monty Python sketch. Absurd, ridiculous and divisive it is also antagonistic and counter productive to the intention of the no burka policy.

What it isn't about is women's rights. Nobody gives a flying fuck about women's rights, it is about Islam pure and simple.

My local swimming pool has days when a curtain is placed around the pool to allow Muslim women their privacy.

Maybe bringing back bathing boxes is a way to overcome the burka ban dilemma on French beaches.

Save!!

Save the planet
Save the whales
Save the Amazon forest
Save the endangered species
Save the Children
Save the children from child labour
Save the elephants
Save the tiger
Save the giant panda
Save the Great Barrier Reef

Ok, there are 16306 endangered species so I won't bother listing all of them.
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjcyoKWj6LOAhVFLpQKHZ_hBMsQFggjMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.endangeredearth.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNElkpQv2u1J1ApTD2XiKlyvTri-8w&sig2=Ttm-no_SxbDX5GlSBY1epg&bvm=bv.128617741,d.dGo

What is even more incredible (to me anyway) is the solution, which is send money.
Now, when it comes to money, a few billionaires including the likes of Bill Gates could easily provide enough money, whatever enough means, to solve the world's problems, don't you think?

So, if you are one of those do gooders, who feels the need to contribute in a small way towards saving (this that or the other) by contributing hard earned $, maybe you are just fooling yourself into thinking that individuals in a combined effort (read money) can actually change the world.

Maybe, maybe but I'm not convinced.

Me? I can't control the course of my own life let alone think it's possible to influence world wide events global warming or the Amazon rain forest or endangered elephants/gorillas/tigers...

Just saying my two cents worth.

Solving the Gun Problem Texas Style

I've always wondered to myself when I read about a mass shooting, where are all the gun toting citizens? Where are they to defend themselves against a mass murderer?

Texas has an answer, allow students (over 21) to carry guns on campus.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/01/texas-tower-shooting-survivor-speaks-out-campus-carry-laws

I now have this image in my mind.
A crazed gunman starts shooting on campus.
Gun toting citizens pull out guns and shoot gunman in self - defence.
Police turn up and start shooting anyone with a gun because they can't tell who is the perpetrator and who is the defendant.
You think this is highly implausible? Consider how many unarmed black citizens have been shot recently. Cops are definitely trigger happy, probably shitting themselves because too many of them have died from being shot by gun toting citizens.

Chances are there will be a real life scenario straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Rise of the Kleptocracy

Ever wondered how a Communist country like China (where the government owns most (if not all industry) has so many millionaires and billionaires?

I've also wondered why the property boom (bubble) refuses to burst in Australia whist the younger generation fret that they will never have a chance to afford their own home (an Australian dream)?

I've been nursing a theory about these two seemingly unrelated events.
In the wake of Mossak Fonseca revelations, it now seems quite a credible theory.

The kleptocrats are transferring their hoard of stolen public money into real estate. The kleptocrats of China for example, understand that the value of money can fluctuate but real estate ie Australia, as the name implies is REAL wealth with value that doesn't fluctuate.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-the-chinese-kleptrocracy-works-2012-6?r=US&IR=T

Read more about kleptocracy at links below

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/08/offshore-finance-emerging-countries-russia-david-cameron-summit

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies

Civilization in Decline

In the 16th Century, entertainment for the masses was Shakespeare's theatre.

In the 21st Century, entertainment for the masses? Master Chef, Googlebox, Dating Naked, Marriage at First Sight etc etc

Evolution or devolution?

The Panama Papers

WOW, what a story!

It seems that everyday has seen a new revelation.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/07/china-ramps-up-panama-papers-censorship-after-leaders-relatives-named

Greed isn't the exclusive domain of warmongering,capitalist pigs like Gordon Gekko, as news of the Chinese big nobs being tangled up in the Panama papers revelations.

Other than telling us that the uber rich have to worry about holding on to their wealth, the story that keeps on giving highlights the fact that nobody likes paying taxes. And,it's not just those lazy good for nothing Greeks (who threatened the stability of the European Union by defaulting on loans) that were exposed as tax dodgers a few years ago.

No doubt, there is truth in the concept that the rich always get richer while the poor get poorer. And now we know that avoiding taxes is the way to go.

My personal contribution to this scandal is that I don't pay taxes either. That's because I'm too poor and have no income to tax.
Hold on, I still pay GST (goods and services tax) on petrol, consumer goods, council rates, water rates etc etc.
Maybe I should call Mossak Fonseca to discuss this issue.