House of the Rising Sun

"Oh mother, tell your children
not to do what I have done.
Spend your lives in sin and misery
in the house of the rising sun."

Just sayin'

"It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a 'dismal science.' But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance" - Murray Rothbard

What went wrong?

For those interested in this sort of thing, bigthink.com has a series of videos up on their website in which questions are asked of economists, businessmen and other experts relating to the causes of -- and responses to -- the much-discussed financial crisis in the United States.

Check it out.

Here's one of my favourites from the series:

Economic freedom

According to the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom released today by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, Canada now boasts North America's freest economy.


Update: Point taken from another blog: "It’s ... interesting to note that all but one [of the top ten listed in the index] were colonies of Britain when Britain was one of the most democratic countries in the world. The only exception is Switzerland, which is currently the most democratic country in the world."

Albert Camus

"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time"

--

It's always exciting to discover a new thinker to explore, especially one with whom my instincts seem to agree.

Meanwhile, Camus found himself ever more repulsed by Communism, which he called "the modern madness." He saw Communism as a desperate attempt to create meaning and certainty. He wrote, "Those who pretend to know everything and settle everything finish by killing everything." If there were a choice between justice and freedom, meaning a choice between the ideal Communist state and the flawed Western state, he wrote: "I choose freedom. For even if justice is not realized, freedom maintains the power of protest against injustice and keeps communication open." [The New York Times]

Whoever feels so inclined can get me this or this, or even this.

Clipse:

what rap needs more of.

On Haiti

Two random thoughts:

1. Of all the "help Haiti" groups I've come across on Facebook, I especially like the thought behind "Save Haiti[;] stop sugar subsidies".

The group brings attention to the sugar subsidies in the first world -- specifically, in the US -- that put Haiti's sugar production industry at a significant competitive disadvantage. Haiti, as we know, even before the earthquake, was a basket case, mired in poverty, crime and corruption. Those nation's that have now taken a renewed interest in Haiti and the wellbeing of its citizens would do well to consider actions that would improve its economic prospects in the long term. Leveling the playing field, moving towards free agricultural markets generally, and sugar markets specifically, would be a good start.

2. I am impressed -- though not at all surprised -- that Israel and the IDF are leading the way in relief efforts in Haiti.

CNN reported that Israel is the only state so far to have sent a field hospital equipped with all that is required for surgical operations. Doctors from various missions send patients requiring surgery to Israel's makeshift hospital, particularly
those whose condition is critical, the news network said.

According to the report, other field hospitals contain no more than stretcher beds and medical teams who administer first aid, and they are not prepared for complex surgery. [Y Net news]