tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13486999518733953482024-03-05T10:40:54.931-10:00kennnnnlilife, the universe, and everything.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-58784723662738483892011-06-23T00:37:00.002-10:002011-06-23T09:24:00.625-10:00Protests in AthensWent to see what was going on with the protests <br />at Syntagma Square in front of the Greek Parliament...<br /><br />To be brief, it was upsetting. There was an understandable <br />anger towards the politicians, but absolutely no clear ideas <br />on what they would prefer. Yes, a referendum might get rid <br />of these particular people... but without changing attitudes <br />and the system, there is nothing to say that the next people <br />put in power will be any better!<br /><br />Worst of all, there weren't any plans to actually solve their <br />problems. As one sign said: "You've got the disease, we've <br />got the solution: Revolution!" Other protesters were demanding <br />to keep their inflated wages, without any consideration to <br />where that money is to come from. It was far worse than even <br />UK Uncut, because at least in England crisis may seem intangible, <br />where as here you cannot even pretend it's not there.<br /><br />In any case, watch some of the footage from the <br />demonstrations that I put together:<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rUXXMnvV2gY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-76662792464507439452011-04-04T05:46:00.004-10:002011-04-08T06:12:18.158-10:00This is a stick up!In these days of spending cuts, there are many cries from <br />the public sector that <b>'the banks and tax avoiders in the <br />private sector are responsible for this, so it isn't fair <br />that the public sector should be paying for it.'</b><br /><br />However, where were these people during the times of expansion? <br />Why didn't we hear them protesting then saying <b>'Well, the <br />private sector is responsible for this growth, so it isn't <br />fair that it's being spent on the public sector!'</b> HA.<br /><br />UK Uncut believes that levying higher taxes on banks and <br />reigning in tax avoiders would be sufficient to forgo having <br />cuts, not even thinking about how silly it is to attack <br />those who create wealth. Nonetheless, this was the cause <br />of the 'few' violent protesters the other day, who attacked <br />businesses in London.<br /><br />To me, being upset with tax avoiding firms is as if a group <br />of muggers were to scold their victims for trying to run away. <br />As a warning, the scarier the muggers and the UK tax system get, <br />the more precautions victims will take to stay in safer parts <br />of the world.<br /><br />If you also believe that debt is a serious issue, and that it <br />shouldn't be tackled by strangling firms, be sure to make it <br />to the <a href="http://on.fb.me/fYt1Ul">Rally Against Debt on May 14th.<br /><br /><img src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/211205_204678962884261_1075220_n.jpg" border="2"></a><br /><br />Also, make sure to read <a href="http://bit.ly/gq8AGO"><i>UK Uncut Unravelled</i> by Tim Worstall</a> <br />published by the <a href="http://bit.ly/fD0u3u">IEA</a>, which talks about the cause to attack tax avoiders.<br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/gq8AGO"><img src="http://www.iea.org.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-thumbs/publications/images/UK%20Uncut%20Unravelled%20cover.jpg" border="2"></a>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-40675549816165228102011-03-28T01:06:00.009-10:002011-04-04T05:18:00.227-10:00Will stupidity enslave the children?Prior to the protests against spending cuts in London last weekend, <br />this advertisement was released to help drum up support. It starts <br />off with a reasonably accurate analogy, but ends with an entirely <br />nonsensical conclusion that: <b>a reduction in spending in order to <br />reduce the debt will somehow be what leaves the next generation with <br />a mountain of debt.</b> <br /><br />Watch the video here: <br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_LgDjHOX_UE" frameborder="0" border="2" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />News sources reporting on the protests focus primarily on the fact <br />that it was mostly peaceful, with just a few exceptional cases of <br />vandalism and violence. While this may be the case, I find this much <br />less important to discuss than what their message was. <br /><br />Contrary to arguments made by UK Uncut, there is no doubt that the <br />government is in debt. Yes, they got us in to this mess through lavish <br />unnecessary spending; but No, the answer is <i>not</i> to keep doing it! <br />By looking at the budget, one can see that the UK spends £50bn on debt <br />interest annually, which is more than it does on defense (£36bn)! This <br />is an incredible amount, and I really shouldn't have to stress further <br />why it is important to reduce the debt, <u>for the sake of future generations</u>.<br /><br />It is important to note that the cuts are not just necessary, but <b>desirable</b>! <br />The aim is to reform and make permanent change, not just a temporarily <br />tightened budget.<br /><br />I spoke on this topic last year at a conference, where I outlined the <br />idea that crises can be beneficial by being an opportunity to achieve <br />reform; as well as why in such times reform and an assessment of the role <br />of government is essential, not just small cuts here and there. <br /><br />You can watch my speech here:<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16432491" width="500" height="300" frameborder="2" border="2"></iframe>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-56548346059643385372011-03-25T01:10:00.002-10:002011-03-30T02:23:22.055-10:00Now I know my (budget) ABC's...Here is a more unique budget briefing that <br />took place at UHY Peacheys, an accountancy firm:<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2mNNuL14Vrc" frameborder="2" allowfullscreen></iframe>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-73299678899697922522011-03-25T00:22:00.005-10:002011-03-25T01:17:29.040-10:00Osborne the MagicianOn Wednesday, George Osborne revealed his budget for the year. <br />This was the first political press conference I've taken the time to <br />watch in its entirety. The whole affair was pretty amusing, as with <br />every statement the crowd of MPs reacted very audibly: cheering <br />or booing, and regularly requiring Osborne to quiet them down. <br />... I suppose at least they were listening and not falling asleep. <br /><br />The following day the <a href="http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/">TaxPayers' Alliance</a> and <a href="http://iea.org.uk">Institute of <br />Economic Affairs</a> hosted a budget briefing event to discuss <br />what it really means for people.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/20110324022.jpg" border="2" width="500"><br /><br /><b>Some of the most notable points to me were:</b><br /><br />- Many of the announced changes were in fact just reversing <br />previous budget decisions made in the past couple of years. <br />So even though these measures are being taken to promote <br />investment and business, it doesn't, as uncertainty is one of <br />the greatest discouragements to investment. Companies will <br />not leap to investing in the UK because of the reduced tax <br />levels and other incentives, for they cannot be sure that things <br />won't just change back when the next budget comes around.<br /><br />- Enterprise zones, though seemingly good for businesses, are <br />likely to not be beneficial. If they are effective, with great enough <br />incentives to influence firms, it will cause distortions in the <br />market and regions. If the incentives are not sufficiently large, <br />then they will not be effective, and there is thus no point to have <br />them. As Philip Booth wittily concluded,<br />there should just be one enterprise zone: the UK.<br /><br />- Booth also asserted that regulations imposed since 1998 <br />alone have cost business £90 billion; thus at just 0.4% of this <br />amount, the £350 million that businesses stand to gain after the <br />budget is really nothing compared to the total cost of regulation.<br /><br />____<br />There were many tricks up the government's sleeves that were <br />exposed at the talk. It's amazing how without knowing the whole <br />picture, one can be taken by the declarations of support for <br />business and growth.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-56019911894304433352011-03-23T06:19:00.003-10:002011-03-23T06:41:07.271-10:00Coeliacs in LondonThe topic of this post is quite different from my general theme, <br />but hey, I thought I'd share anyway:<br /><br />_There are some people unfortunate enough to have a particular condition <br />as a result of which they are unable to eat products with wheat and gluten. <br /><br />I wasn't aware of this until recently when I began living with some people <br />who have this issue. As a result I compiled a brief list of restaurants <br />in London that cater to such needs, so that I could find places where they <br />could eat out. In any case, if you live in London and are a Coeliac then <br />perhaps this can be of use to you! <br /><br />There are definitely more out there, but a bunch of them were vegetarian <br />restaurants... and my friends really like meat. <br /><br /><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/mrv9ld.png" border="2"> <br /><br />Be sure to comment if you have any opinions about the restaurants I've listed, <br />or if you have more to suggest to me!kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-10320603077909294342009-09-04T09:40:00.003-10:002009-09-04T11:08:48.848-10:00Giving Obamacare proponents the finger.The healthcare debate is sure getting heated these days<br />as a 65-year-old man who was against socialised healthcare, <br />had his pinky finger bitten off in an argument at a healthcare rally.<br />To be fair, he did punch the other guy first, but was biting <br />off a finger in return really called for?<br /><br />Internet responses to this incident have shown many proponents<br />of socialised healthcare laughing at the irony that the bitten man<br />went to the hospital afterwards and Medicare was used to cover him. <br />Some have even suggested that if he were really so against socialised<br />medicine that he should have refused treatment. <br /><br />Well, after 65 years of the government taking money from him <br />to pay for social security and medicare, it's rather understandable <br />that he would be willing to accept something back for it all. <br />If he hadn't had so much taken from him by the government for such<br />things he might have been able to afford private coverage of his own. <br /><br />This is a clear example of why the public option means no option. <br />Though competition may be allowed, it is nowhere near fair competition.<br />We are forced to pay for the public option, making it more difficult<br />to afford a private alternative. In addition, it is impossible to compete<br />with a firm that has a continuous supply of income from taxes regardless<br />of what it does and can offer "free" service. <br /><br />Even those who are opposed to the government provision of healthcare <br />may not be wealthy enough to afford private healthcare on top of <br />the healthcare taxes they’re required to pay in the first place.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-77584152749909259332009-08-27T12:15:00.000-10:002009-08-27T12:17:07.825-10:00Hawaii's healthcare townhall meeting<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmbmn2hlcF6a4K5-EmDqOZjpdBdP-71TxGjzVtGpa4W2CzlVPEQjHZ07pm-rEzRRbiFFU_QCMhWhkQlHALYbvf9A1r48eT5bOWvOmchkMQQy6-MCNPQGI1JTiHZSin-k5ro6siG8Io1c/s1600-h/photo-727827.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmbmn2hlcF6a4K5-EmDqOZjpdBdP-71TxGjzVtGpa4W2CzlVPEQjHZ07pm-rEzRRbiFFU_QCMhWhkQlHALYbvf9A1r48eT5bOWvOmchkMQQy6-MCNPQGI1JTiHZSin-k5ro6siG8Io1c/s320/photo-727827.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374771154230017922" /></a></p>Charles Djou hosted a townhall meeting here to discuss Obama's <br>healthcare plans. There were half a dozen people in the back of the <br>room with signs declaring "Healthcare now!" the rest of the 200+ <br>people at the event however were opposed to socialised healthcare.<p>There were three panelists: an MD in favour or tort reform, a policy <br>analyst (from Grassroot Institute of Hawaii) promoting reform, but not <br>by public option or employer mandate (where employers are forced to <br>provide health insurance to their workers), and a representative from <br>the AARP who was in favour of Obama's plan.<p>Linda Rasmussen, the speaker for tort reform had some good arguments, <br>but she seemed willing to be fine with any side of the debate as long <br>as it included tort reform. Though I can see that tort reform may be <br>valuable, as I have researched a bit on the impact it has had in Texas <br>by bringing more doctors to the state, I do not believe that it would <br>redeem a socialised system.<p>The represntative of the AARP, Bruce Bottorff, faced a very tough <br>crowd, and was often booed for his statements. Yes it may have been <br>rude, which is why I abstained from doing so, they were generally <br>called for. If someone lies about things in a statement it is <br>understandable that this would be upsetting. Bottorff gave "myths" <br>about Obama's plan and would then simply say that they were false, <br>with no real rationale or proof that this was the case. For example, <br>there was the myth that Obama's plan would lead to rationing. He <br>attacked this saying that this was not going to happen because there <br>was nothing about it in the bill. This is not a solid argument at all, <br>because even if there is no mention of rationing in the bill, it is <br>still a possible consequence of a socialised healthcare system. It <br>cannot be prevented in a clause of the bill just as competition cannot <br>be created in a clause of a bill. As much as legislators would wish it <br>to be so, things never happen exactly as they are foreseen, which is <br>why the strict codes of government legislation do not work. In the <br>private sector there are feasibility studies to make predictions as to <br>how things will work, but actions are still left up to adjustment in <br>case things do not work exactly as planned.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-70908650306575962262009-08-19T15:21:00.010-10:002009-08-21T16:24:06.055-10:00The state is unqualified to educate Hawaii's kidsHawaii has the lowest number of highly qualified teachers <br />(as defined by No Child Left Behind) in the country. Only <br />68% fit that description compared to the national average <br />of 95%<a href="http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/May-2009/Do-Teachers-Make-the-Grade/index.php?cparticle=2&siarticle=1">*</a>. In 2008, $1,573,852.23 was spent to send 644 <br />public school educators to a conference on the mainland.<a href="http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/09/03/news/modelschools08.pdf">*</a> <br />The Kealakehe high-school took full advantage of the event, <br />sending 27 teachers out of their total of 79 (2006 figure)<a href="http://www.city-data.com/school/kealakehe-high-hi.html">*</a>, <br />and costing taxpayers $28,465.00. What this means is that the <br />state is hiring unqualified teachers, and is then paying <br />a great deal to have them trained<br /><br />Even while 32% of the state’s public school teachers are under-<br />qualified they receive salaries and benefits per pupil of $6,517, <br />which is much higher than the national average of $5,867.<a href="http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090728_state_moves_up_in_per_student_spending.html">*</a> With <br />an expenditure of $11,060 per student, the 14th highest in the nation<a href="http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090728_state_moves_up_in_per_student_spending.html">*</a>, <br />this is higher than the tuition of many of the state’s private schools. <br />The tuition of Hawaii Baptist Academy for example is less, at only <br />$10,725<a href="http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20090219_Tuition_hikes_ease_up_at_isle_private_schools.html#fullstory">*</a>; that expenditure enabled the school’s students <br />to achieve an average SAT score of 1671<a href="http://www.studentedge.com/collegeprofiles/Profile.aspx?inunid=1026&reprjid=11&sponsor=1&tabid=10021">*</a>, which is 22% higher <br />than the state’s SAT average of 1370.<a href="http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/education/2008_report_card/hawaii08.pdf">*</a> So spending less money <br />than in the state system, students in private schools <br />are performing at a much higher level.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alec.org/am/pdf/education/2008_report_card/hawaii08.pdf"><img src="http://i25.tinypic.com/2h53adc.png" border="2"></a>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-63931732380958493972009-08-18T10:58:00.004-10:002009-08-19T15:31:38.917-10:00The cost of healthThrough research on the impact of tort reform in Texas<br />I came across some interesting articles on the situation <br />of healthcare. Some of them diverged from the issue and<br />attributed unrelated failures in the medical system to reform.<br />One <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=5">New Yorker article</a> investigated the state of the extremely<br />high costs of medical treatment in McAllen, Texas.<br />It was calculated that the Medicare costs in this city<br />were almost twice that of the national average. <br /><br />The journalist discovered that the doctors were racking<br />up costs by regularly calling for the most expensive procedures<br />that were largely unnecessary. They did this because they<br />either 1) were entirely unconcerned with cost or 2) earned<br />money from the use of expensive treatments. The author<br />of the article thought that this showed many areas in which<br />Medicare costs could be cut down as a part of universal healthcare.<br />What I got from it however was rather different.<br /><br />Since Medicare covers the costs of medical treatment<br />patients are often unconcerned with whatever the price.<br />This means that they will readily agree to take the<br />most expensive procedure assuming that higher prices<br />mean higher quality (as it sometimes is in other sectors). <br />In healthcare however this rule does not apply, and<br />costlier does not mean better. If patients were paying for<br />their own treatments they would have to be aware of the<br />costs and would go for expensive options only when <br />absolutely necessary. This would save a tremendous<br />amount of money that is wasted on unneeded procedures. <br /><br />Government programs such as Medicare and that which is<br />proposed by Obama just go to take responsibility and<br />pragmatic thinking away from patients. <br /><br />One article mentioned government plans to create <br />incentives for living healthy. That in itself is a horrible <br />concept, but which shows how much impact government <br />intervention can have on how people live. The current <br />system of medical care for which consumers do not <br />have to pay at all are incentives to 1) live unhealthy <br />lifestyles and 2) abuse the system and waste money. <br />As the article acknowledged, "Every incentive in the <br />system is an invitation to go the way McAllen has gone."<br /><br />Once again it is shown that when people pay for what<br />they use, they are more responsible with how they use it.<br /><br />This John Stossel bit about health insurance and responsibility<br />is excellent, and it has John Mackey!<br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xsp_Jh5EIT0&hl=en&fs=1&border=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xsp_Jh5EIT0&hl=en&fs=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-54259481666519692032009-08-07T13:52:00.002-10:002009-08-07T14:19:04.060-10:00That government is best which governs least.I am interning at a free-market policy institute: <br /><a href="http://www.grassrootinstitute.org">Grassroot Institute of Hawaii</a>. At the moment I am doing<br />research on renewable energy because the state has made<br />a great deal of legislation in that area (over 160 in the last 8 months!).<br />So for the legislative guide that we are working on, it is<br />obviously one of the issues. While doing my work on these<br />projects I am glad that I am doing something to prevent the<br />government from doing bad things and wasting our money.<br />The problem with politics however is that the answer is never<br />to do nothing, or to eliminate legislation; thus what my work<br />here is doing really is to advise the government how to <i>better</i><br />spend taxpayers' money. This is a contradiction in terms for<br />me however, because there is NO good way for the<br />government to spend money for it is <big>theft</big> regardless.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-84084991778111228232009-08-04T10:29:00.007-10:002009-08-19T15:32:05.119-10:00Happy 97th Birthday Milton!<img src="http://i27.tinypic.com/110br0i.jpg" width="250" height="350" border="2"><br /><small><small>DOX museum, Prague - "Welcome to Capitalism" exhibition"</small></small><br /><br />Members, non-members, and legislators alike <br />gathered together to honour the birthday of <br />Milton Friedman. The luncheon held at the <br />Japanese Cultural Centre and hosted by the <br /><a href="http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/events/5">Grassroot Institute of Hawaii</a> was a spirited meeting <br />with good atmosphere and conversation. <br />High-school students representing their campus <br />economics clubs were also present, and had an <br />opportunity to learn about a view of economics <br />that is not taught in most schools. <br /><br />Speaker Clint Bolick, the director of the <a href="www.goldwaterinstitute.org">Goldwater <br />Institute</a> in Arizona, painted a warm picture of his <br />friend Milton Friedman: a man who wrote a response <br />to every letter he ever received and who insisted <br />on reading a book cover to cover before writing <br />it a review. Bolick had come to know Friedman <br />through their efforts to encourage voucher <br />systems as a means to improve public education.<br /><br />In his speech, Bolick also shared stories of cases <br />where individuals have been protected by their <br />state constitutions such as that of the <a href="http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=990&Itemid=165"><i>City of Mesa v. Bailey</i></a> <br />concerning private property and eminent domain. <br />He described the fighting spirit of Arizonians to <br />protect their individual rights, something that <br />will hopefully be inspired further here in the islands.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-25391573054044841092009-07-09T10:46:00.004-10:002009-07-09T11:23:25.462-10:00ma.....CHINGA!Yet another marvellous week has just passed <br />in a liberty english camp in Lithuania. This one <br />was titled: Casey Youth Conference on Liberty <br />and Entrepreneurship (CYCLE) [check it out at: <br /><a href="profitfromfreedom.org">profitfromfreedom.org</a>]<br /><br />It was very exciting for me this time, because <br />though I had been a teacher in previous camps;<br />the teaching had always been done in small group sessions. <br />This time however, I had my first opportunity <br />to give a large group lecture for over 50 people! <br />I was nervous, but I think it went well, and I was <br />very happy about it. My talk was on the different <br />classifications of goods and services (rivalrous <br />and excludable), and particularly public goods. <br />I gave examples of public goods that people <br />generally assume must be provided by the government, <br />and how they are morally and practically provided in <br />better ways by the market. Roads were one example. <br />Then I encouraged them to always consider how <br />the market should be the solution; entrepreneurs <br />are incredibly creative and with the incentive <br />of profit serve consumers best. Thus, such principles <br />should be applied to even the toughest of issues where people<br />automatically think that the government must be involved. <br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3704630431_0358dac186_b.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />The talent show was even more magnificent <br />than those last year, which I thought would be<br />near impossible to beat. One tradition that carried <br />on was that of the "laughing contest" which was absolutely hilarious:<br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3705444058_7fe9983029_b.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />Finally, the group picture looks just about the <br />same as last year (same colours and all)<br />but I am including it anyway:<br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3704634007_ec98b12f87_b.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />Overall it was marvellously fun stuff. <br />There was a greater emphasis put on entrepreneurship,<br />with some real live extremely successful investors <br />to inspire us. My head is filled with business plans<br />and the intentions to <b>1) discover opportunities<br /></b>and <b>2) execute!</b> Hopefully the inspiration lasts.<br />Oh, and I even bought a 1/2 oz. of gold from Lobo.<br />It was all definitely a great experience, but one that <br />was very different from the extreme intellectual and<br />philosophical stimulation that took place during previous camps.<br />And, I still might have to concede that nothing could beat last year's camp...kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-24731507861018678882009-05-25T13:00:00.003-10:002009-05-25T13:12:11.935-10:00Dear communists,According to Marx, communism is achieved<br />after first having feudalism (thesis) then capitalism (antithesis).<br />Capitalism will eventually collapse and socialism will occur (synthesis).<br /><br />In this case, in order to gain a natural socialist system<br />you should encourage capitalism to its fullest extent. This will<br />advance the progress towards its collapse and bring about socialism. <br /><br />If capitalism were allowed to function freely, and it capitulated <br />as an unsustainable system; then sure, I'd be down to try socialism. <br />As for now however, let capitalism happen without interference, give it a chance. <br />Trust me, according to Marx it's all a part of the recipe for a lovely socialist society.<br /><br />Love, Kenlikennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-25420435048122208062009-03-05T08:03:00.004-10:002009-03-05T08:14:30.301-10:00elevator music.People have mentioned to me before that their level<br />of effort in classes depends greatly upon their teachers<br />and whether or not they were inspired by them.<br />I had never really thought this to be the case with me, <br />but I am starting to realise how incredibly it actually is. <br /><br />Last term I had two wonderful engaging lecturers<br />and I absolutely loved attending their sessions and<br />doing the work for their courses. The professor for<br />my third course was quite dull but not entirely miserable,<br />and I discovered that I was doing only the bare minimum<br />(in my standards anyway) for his class. Luckily I had<br />taken the subject previously so I managed to do well<br />without spending much effort. <br /><br />Also, one of the professors I enjoyed was actually not<br />even that great at teaching, but his passion and liveliness<br />were enough to inspire me to study on my own. So though<br />I may not have actually learned all that much from his<br />lectures themselves, I still learned a great deal more<br />just because his attitude made me appreciate the subject.<br /><br />This term I have the more incredibly dull professor. <br />Her lectures are like elevator music in that it goes on in<br />a unexciting monotone that no matter how much focus<br />is paid to her nothing she says is memorable in the slightest.<br />Not only that, but she does not add a single thing<br />to her powerpoint presentations, and thus her lectures<br />are entirely not worth attending. <br /><br />This provides quite a dilemma for me because I <br />am accustomed to attending all my lectures and tutorials,<br />but for once I truly think that either sleeping through<br />those two hours or spending that time just reading the<br />textbook would be vastly more beneficial. <br />Ah, what to do, what to do?kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-52727299339874759712009-02-20T00:22:00.004-10:002009-08-11T15:33:42.660-10:0025 random things about meSorry to let you down, but I'm not actually <br />going to do the survey. This is thing on <br />facebook that is annoying so many people <br />because they're getting tagged so many times.<br />You know, I really don't mind. I actually quite enjoy<br />reading them sometimes, provided that the <br />content is funny and not just like <b>14. I like travelling</b>. <br />I think however, I'll save my answers for the next of such<br />fads, because hopefully the topic will be better :)<br /><br />Well here's one random fact:<br /><b>25. I've dyed my hair almost every colour on the spectrum:</b><br /><font color="yellow">yellow</font>, <font color="orange">orange</font>, <font color="ff0066">pink</font>, <font color="red">red</font>, <font color="purple">purple</font>, <font color="blue">blue</font>, <font color="green">green</font>, and black.<br />yepp, I have actually.<br />ANYWAY, I bring this up because I'm in the process <br />of dyeing my hair right now. It's been over a year <br />since I have, because I suppose I've changed over time. <br />I realised it over the break when George said to me:<br />"Why don't you dye your hair any more? <br />Have you like, grown up or something?"<br />Hahh, well perhaps I have. Which could also be why <br />even though I'm dyeing it, it isn't something <br />oh so radical as i would have done before.<br />Kekoa even said to me that he remembered <br />when I had yellow hair, and he said "that's when I first fell in love!" <br />jokingly of course, but I do admit that it is strange <br />that I've drifted so far from my previous trademark <br />of a new colour every week. It's funny how things <br />change like that, but it's to be expected. <br /><br />Here's the most vibrant picture I can find: <br /><img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/33kdft1.jpg" border="2">kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-59989449045257544892009-02-19T08:26:00.005-10:002009-02-20T00:22:29.214-10:00déchiré!Je suis déchiré comme Phoebus. <br />Hahha, pas vraiment, mais un peu. <br />Je sais que j'ai beaucoup de chance,<br />et je suis très heureuse pour ça. <br />Mais avec beaucoup de choix sont<br />trop de décisions. Peut-être je peux<br />comprendre pourquoi des gens ne<br />veulent pas trop de résponsabilités<br />dans ses vies, parce qu'ils doivent penser. <br />Et plus, ils doivent vivre avec les <br />conséquences. C'est une chose dificile.<br />C'est comme Dostoyevski a écrit dans<br />sa texte << Les Frères Karamasov >> qui<br />est un de mes livres favorits. <br />Je sais que les décisions sont dificiles<br />mais je pense surtout que je les veux.<br />Avec la liberté, il y a beaucoup de<br />responsabilités; mais je préférais de<br />me décider plus que la gouvernement <br />décider pour moi. Je sais ce que je veux<br />plus qu'ils savent.<br /><br />[C'est amusant que j'ai commencé avec<br />le sujet d'amour, et comme toujours j'ai<br />parlé de la sujet de la liberté. Mais les deux<br />sont liés. Qu'est-ce qu'on pense de la liberté<br />déterminer tout.]<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r7vN2RL0te4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="325" height="250" border="2"></embed><br /><br />Maintenant je suis contente avec ce que<br />j'ai choisi, mais il y aussi les autres choix<br />qui j'espère que je peux choisir aussi.<br />Si je peux vivre les vies multiples je serai <br />vraiment satisfait! Malheureusement, j'ai<br />seulement une vie, alors je dois décider et<br />aussi prendre des resultats. En fin, je suis<br />vachement contente avec la vie. C'est le<br />première fois que je suis heureuse avec quelqu'un!<br />Quelle surprise!<br /><br />Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais cette vidéo ne marche<br />pas sur mon blog, alors regarde-la ici:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3KSuVtvhmU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3KSuVtvhmU</a>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-72507357061753101932009-02-10T09:27:00.005-10:002009-02-10T09:44:11.976-10:00there's no business, when there's snow business[blog title credit to Alec :)]<br /><br />ANYWAY, there has been brilliant amounts of<br />snow these past days here in England. It hasn't<br />snowed this much here for some 18 years I think.<br />Transportation and businesses were closed across<br />the country, and they even ran out of salt for<br />de-icing the roads!<br /><br />It has been absolutely fantastic for me to experience<br />seeing that I never had any snow in my childhood.<br />I grew up with movies about snow days and winter<br />adventures, but never had them myself. <br />We used to make sand angels and have sandball<br />fights, but that's nothing compared to snow!<br /><br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3270252530_7b119a3bbf.jpg?v=0" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />PS. Watch the video I made for Ire:<br />[I made it because he finds the way americans <br />say "Laboratory" to be absolutely hilarious]<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PkmG6grl6CI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="350" height="250" border="2"></embed>kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-17407137958464629052008-12-03T01:04:00.002-10:002008-12-03T01:19:38.564-10:00VATWalking down the street to Tesco<br />I noticed that many shop windows advertised<br />action regarding the recent lowering of the VAT.<br />I even got a text from O2 saying that <br />they would give me back a few pence with<br />each top-up because of the VAT policy.<br /><br />This all made me think of <a href="http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Lucas.html">Robert E. Lucas</a>'<br />assertions on rational expectations. I wrote about<br />this not too long ago in my macroeconomics essay<br />for uni, and it was a really interesting concept to me.<br />According to Lucas, rational expectations negated<br />fiscal policy actions because humans were not<br />so easily fooled by the policies and continued<br />to act according to the reality of the economy.<br /><br />For example, the government may put forth policy,<br />such as the lowering of VAT in order to make things<br />cheaper, which using Keynes' model they expect<br />to stimulate spending in the economy with a multiplied effect.<br />Nonetheless, people are not imbeciles, <br />they do not just see the lower tax rate and<br />say "Ooh, I think this means I should go on a shopping spree!"<br /><br />The present situation of Marks and Spencers<br />is a testament to the ineffectiveness of the fiscal policy:<br />"The swift repeat of the M&S sale day suggests that <br />high street stores have seen little impact in their tills <br />of this week's 2.5 percentage point cut in VAT."<br />-<i>So good it is doing it twice</i> The Guardian 3 Dec 2008. <br />(see the article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/03/marks-spencer-debenhams-reductions">here</a>)<br /><br />Particularly in the current situation, the news of<br />the credit crunch and recession have been so<br />widely discussed that all are aware of it. <br />Therefore even though people know that they will<br />save a few pence on their groceries, they are not<br />going to drastically change their spending habits<br />because they know that the economy is not looking good<br />in the near future so they must be cautious.<br /><br />In any case, what is so wrong with being cautious?<br />There is a atrocious amount of debt in developed countries<br />from the excessive use of credit cards. Perhaps<br />people should take this opportunity to give their<br />credit cards a rest and have a lesson in saving.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-52587509942764684332008-11-30T13:17:00.002-10:002008-11-30T13:22:11.648-10:00copyrightI discovered that someone [with a PhD!]<br />had written an article in response to one of mine,<br />and that he actually referenced me in it!<br />With the amount of research and referencing<br />that I've been doing for my political theory essays<br />lately, it is so unbelievable to think that someone<br />is taking information from something <i>I</i>'ve said!<br />It is such an exciting feeling, and I hope that this<br />is just the start! This really makes me want to <br />write some more articles. I resolve to do so<br />during my break, and in the future. I suppose for<br />my age I'm already decently well-published,<br />my first article published was when I was 12. <br />Nonetheless, it is not enough! I need to be more proactive! :)<br /><br />Anyway, you can read the articles that were<br />written in response to mine <a href="http://www.hawaiilibertychronicles.com/?cat=4">here.</a><br />OOH I'm so proud! ^___^kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-59400471835488060802008-11-29T14:00:00.003-10:002008-11-29T14:04:28.908-10:00thanksgivingThis was my very first Thanksgiving without my family,<br />which was tremendously sad, but it's lucky I have my<br />substitute uni family :)<br /><br />Even though none of them are American, they helped me<br />to celebrate this occasion. We had everything from<br />Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mash and veg<br />to the sweet potato I made the style my mum would.<br />Topped off in the end with apple pie and ice cream!<br />Ono-licious ^___^<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v684/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4906350_4528.jpg" width="350" height="160" border="2"><br /><br />Nonetheless, I still miss my mother's amazing cooking,<br />and their presence on one of my favorite holidays. Sigh.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-35831568113029926242008-11-29T13:34:00.006-10:002008-11-29T13:58:32.527-10:00praha!Remember my post about getting a fantastic deal on a flight<br />to Prague? Well, that trip was fantastic as well! <br />I was reunited there with a bunch from the Liberalni Institute<br />Summer University seminars in 2006:<br /><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4779709_9371.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />Hahha, oh and my favorite comparison between the two events<br />is the CHAMP foosball team :)) <br /><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4785077_6762.jpg" width="350" height="550" border="2"><br /><br />Anyway, it was a brilliant weekend, filled with <br /><b>beautiful sights</b> [charles' bridge]:<br /><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4779789_1999.jpg" width="350" height="175" border="2"><br /><br /><b>delicious food</b> [traditional czech bread dumplings]:<br /><img src="http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4783841_4194.jpg" width="250" height="350" border="2"><br /><br /><b>classy bars</b> [bar&books-truffletini <3]<br /><img src="http://photos-d.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v359/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4783523_3488.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"> <br /><br /><b>and awe-inspiring art</b> ["welcome to capitalism" modern art <br />exhibition at DOX-a wall of real stacked books!]<br /><img src="http://photos-f.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4783581_2070.jpg" width="250" height="350" border="2"><br /><br />it was a magnificently "satisfactory" weekend, <br />and i CANNOT WAIT to return.<br />Prague is an amazing city, and very romantic as well.<br />If you know where to go. There are lovely romantically lit<br />walks that one can take, and cozy teahouses and cafés that are wonderful.<br />It can be overly touristy in parts, but go with a local<br />and see the wonders!<br /><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v373/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4779780_998.jpg" width="350" height="250" border="2"><br /><br />It was a really strange feeling for me when I first got there,<br />because i realised how at home I feel in Eastern Europe. <br />After spending awhile in Lithuania this past summer, it<br />feels familiar and comfortable in such a place. In everything<br />from the grocery products [i was able to have the cereal<br />I used to eat in Lithuania! <3] to the transportation systems<br />to the people. It felt wonderful.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-26666764254529279742008-10-29T01:14:00.002-10:002008-10-29T09:52:57.386-10:00let it snowLast night I saw my first snow fall, It was brilliantly exciting.<br /><br />I ran to Linval across the hall and breathlessly asked him<br />what was happening outside.<br /><br />He took me to the window and said in his British accent from Essex,<br />"Darling, this is what we call here snow."<br /><br />I grabbed him and we dashed outside <br />(a little exaggeration here, because i did need a coat). <br /><br />I caught snowflakes in my hands and they landed on my face; <br />it was gorgeous.<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-334.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v359/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4590784_2397.jpg" width="275" height="350" border="2"><br /><br />The people here accustomed to cold are rather gloomy about the whole affair,<br />because this is just the start and it's going to get so much worse they tell me.<br />For the time being however it's delightful!<br /><br />There was still a little bit on the grass this morning when I woke up. <br />Now though it has been melted away by the <i>sunshine</i>.<br />Another amazing thing here, <i>sunshine!</i> hahah.<br /><br /><img src="http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v347/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4593487_7003.jpg" width="350" height="275" border="2">kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-886521408392231132008-10-28T06:26:00.004-10:002008-10-28T07:00:16.965-10:00libertarian alliance conferenceThis past weekend the <a href="http://www.libertarian.co.uk/">Libertarian Alliance</a> hosted a <a href="http://www.libertarian.co.uk/conferences/conf08brochure.htm">conference</a><br />at the National Liberal Club, One Whitehall Place<br /><br />There were some really great speakers at the event, <br />among the best known were: <a href="http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/">David Friedman</a> and <a href="http://www.hanshoppe.com/">Hans Herman Hoppe</a>.<br />Friedman is a wonderfully good speaker, and his topic<br />of technological possibilities in the future and how they can<br />affect our freedom was quite interesting. <br />Hoppe talked about an anarcho-capitalist world,<br />where insurance companies can be used to fill the roles<br />of moderating amongst individuals in the absence of government.<br /><span title="Hans Herman Hoppe"><img src="http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v359/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4588392_4689.jpg" width="275" border="350" border="2"></span><br /><br />Two other lectures were particularly of interest for me because<br />they covered subjects that I used for teaching in the camps this summer.<br />These were: education and privatising roads.<br /><a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/egwest/stanfield.html">James Stansfield</a> discussed the situation in Africa where<br />even in the slums private education had sprung up to compensate<br />for the inadequate government school system. <br />Not only did these private schools exist, but they were<br />much better at educating the children.<br />Parents in these areas were willing to pay 10%<br />of their incomes in order to have their children educated,<br />and this is in one of the poorest areas of the world.<br />This was a perfect example for me to use in future discussions<br />about education!<br /><br />A few of us from the Polish camp were reunited at the conference,<br />which was good fun. A lot of people came up asking about the LLI camps,<br />so perhaps we'll have a few new teachers next year :)<br />One guy had even taught at the Slovakian camp these past two years.<br /><span title="Ponikiew team reunited!"><img src="http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v359/134/74/722300334/n722300334_4588391_3928.jpg" width="350" height="275" border="2"></span><br /><br />Anyway, it was a marvelous event, hopefully i'll be able to go to more in the future.kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1348699951873395348.post-61460718147098576252008-10-20T14:28:00.003-10:002008-10-28T07:18:38.601-10:00random acts of spontenaietythis morning, after my shower i looked into the mirror<br />and figured it was time to cut my hair. so i took out my<br />scissors and snip snip it was done. it's a little short<br />for my liking, but it feels so much fresher and smoother.<br />a few years back i used to change my hair in times<br />of either elation or melancholy. it always would occur<br />at odd times of the night 3 or 4AM. randomly new<br />colors and lengths. sometimes i regretted it the next<br />morning, but at least it was exciting! then perhaps one<br />day i decided that i cared a bit more about what people<br />thought; so i stopped. what a silly thing to think! ha.<br /><br />next off, while i was taking a break from my studying<br />i decided to look up some flights to berlin to visit<br />frederik. the available ones were a bit pricy and he<br />also said that he was a bit busy unexpectedly these days<br />so perhaps it wouldn't be a good time. anyway, i then<br />started looking around at other things. voilà! i found<br />a flight to prague for £0! all I had to pay was £10 in taxes.<br />(ugh tax!) but still that isn't all that bad. so i up and bought it!<br /><b>[insert ryanair.com propaganda here]</b><br />then i asked my friends in prague that i bought the tickets<br />for the purpose of visiting if it'd be alright with them.<br />they said OF COURSE, and instantly began making plans<br />for my weekend there.<br /><img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/1z17nlx.png" border="2"><br /><br />so basically life is good, and i'm ecstatic that i'm going to <br />prague a few weekends from now! you will definitely see<br />a post about that, because it'll be unbelievably brilliant!kennnnnlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712088039523351123noreply@blogger.com0