Categories: uncategorized
Date: 12 March 2009 19:52:27
It has been a fairly quiet day in work today. There have been moments of activity but these have been in the minority. So I've spent a few hours reading the paper.
The beauty of The Times is that is actually has news I want to read; unlike the tabloids or the Torygraph, which is turning into a newslite/celeb paper. Thankfully I've always hated the Torygraph.
There was a story about turning North Africa into a "green" power station. the idea would be to have solar arrays built in the Sahara and wind farms throughout the region. The aim? To supply Europe with its electricity needs. It would be more "secure" than energy supplies from Russia.
For me their are several drawbacks.
North Africa is no more secure than anywhere else. Their are terrorist and insurgent groups in Algeria, Southern Morocco, Chad, Egypt etc. Libya does not have the most stable of leaders. In addition what about the needs of North Africans themselves?
How do you distribute the electricity around Europe? We're not renowned for our ability to open our energy markets to competition or even a common pricing policy. What would stop one country from pulling the plug on another?
Who will build and control the farms and arrays needed? No doubt the German and French companies that have a stranglehold on the markets in much of Europe. Will the North Africans see any real revenue or taxes? Probably not becuase the Europeans will invent clever tax avoidance schemes or just insist on tax holidays for 20 years or more.
I also noted from Tractor Girl's blog that the Department of International Oppression will be touring the UK to "listen" to the people on ways to relieve world poverty.
I would suggest that the ensure that CDC, our means of investing aid money, be taken back under public control (it was sold to its management by the government), start reinvest in agriculture and not shopping malls or energy companies that it then sells for a huge profit and split them as bonuses for the managers. In addition they should be made to pay tax on earnings in these countries and not funnel earnings through tax shelters.
History Today:
1868: Henry James o'Farrell shows a typical Australian greeting to Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, by trying to assassinate him. Such a friendly bunch of convicts.
1930: Mohandas Gandhi begins a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience against British rule in India.
1933: President Franklin Roosevelt gives his first "fireside chat" on national radio. His radio broadcasts help to establish his tremendous popularity in the US.
1938: Germany occupies Austria in the 'Anschluss', supposedly intended to reestablish order. Austria disappears as a separate entity and becomes the province of Ostmark. Modern Austrians will tell you that they were victims of German hegemony. They choose to ignore that the majority were active Nazis in the years that followed.
1947: President Truman addresses a joint session of Congress to ask for assistance for Greece and Turkey to forestall communist domination in the two countries. This becomes famous as the Truman Doctrine.
1964: Jimmy Hoffa, President of the Teamsters union, is sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for bribery. He later "disappears" - possibly at the hands of the "Mob", the Cosa Nostra, the Outfit, or Lisa Maffia.
1972: The last Australian troops leave Vietnam - many forget they were there. Thankfully their part in the conflict was worthwhile as it leads to a 1990's mini series starring Nicole Kidman WHHHOOOAAARRRR!!!!
1984: British miners call a national strike against job losses, starting one of Britain's longest lasting industrial disputes. In a way they were right as they did lose their jobs, the mines were closed and entire communities are yet to recover.