UTA’S DIARY

In March 1879 American Henry George published in San Francisco: PROGRESS AND POVERTY. It is a big read, more than 500 pages. We have had this book for many years. Still, I never took time to read it properly.

You may have noticed that I googled a lot these past few days. It all had to do with where past civilisations and our civilisation are headed for.

The unequal distribution of wealth and privilege is examined. Progress as well as poverty, how can this be? THIS IS THE QUESTION.

In 1979 Agnes George de Mille, the granddaughter of Henry George, published this:

w.progwwress.org/tpr/who-was-henry-george/

I found the above when I googled ‘Henry George‘. There are many more links to Henry George in Google!

For People with some Knowledge in Mathematics

Click to access ecp14096050.pdf

Proceedings of the 10th International ModelicaConference
March 10-12, 2014, Lund, Sweden

I think people with some knowledge in mathematics would be interested in studying this report!

To give you an idea what this study is about, I give you here the heading to the 6 different sections:

Abstract

1 Introduction

2 Growth without Limitations

3 A Predator-Prey Model with Limitations in Prey Animal Population

4 A Minimal Human-Nature Dynamical Model with Economic Stratification

5 A short Look at the World3 Model

6 Conclusion

Number Games

This is an Extract from an Article in The Guardian

See here: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/21/climate-change-scienceofclimatechange?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Number games

What about the HANDY model itself? Is it too simplistic? Kloor’s modelling expert turns out to be an obscure student in Mathematical Ecology specialising in the modelling of Plankton, who pooh-poohs the study as oversimplistic as it has only four equations. But this simply misses the point.

An academic conference paper on the HANDY model by a cross-disciplinary team of natural and social scientists led by Dr Rodrigo Castro of the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, delivered earlier this month, explains in detail why the HANDY model is so useful:

“It is our predicament that we live in a finite world, and yet we behave as if it were infinite. Steady exponential material growth with no limits on resource consumption and population is the dominant conceptual model used by today’s decision makers. This is an approximation of reality that is no longer accurate and started to break down. The World3 model, originally developed in the 1970s [aka the ‘Limits to Growth’ project which despite Kloor’s dismissals has turned out quite accurate according to American Scientist], includes many rather detailed aspects of human society and its interaction with a resource limited planet. However, World3 is a rather complex model. Therefore it is valuable for pedagogical reasons to show how similar behavior can be also realized with models that are much simpler. This paper presents a series of world models, starting with very simple exponential growth and predator-prey systems, then investigates a minimal human-nature model, Handy, and ends with a brief account of the World3 model. For the first time, a simple human-nature interaction model is made available in Modelica that distinguishes between dynamics of Elite and Commoner social groups. It is shown that Handy can reproduce rather complex behavior with a very simple model structure, as compared to that of world models like World3.”

The HANDY model’s utility, in other words, is precisely its ability to reproduce complex behaviour despite a simple model structure. Its most unique feature is described as follows:

“An interesting feature of Handy is that it introduces the accumulation of economic wealth, and divides the human population into rich and poor according to their unequal access to available wealth…

Social inequality is not only explicitly considered but also plays a key role in the sustainability analyses of the model. This makes Handy the first model of its kind that studies the impacts of inequality on the fate of societies, a capability seldom found even in complex world models.

Handy establishes a useful general framework that allows carrying out ‘thought experiments’ about societal collapse scenarios and the changes that might avoid them.

The model is a very strong simplification of the human-nature system, which results in many limitations. Despite its simplicity, such a model is easy to understand and offers a more intuitive grasp of underlying dynamical phenomena compared to more complex and less aggregated models.”

It is precisely this unique feature which enabled the HANDY model to depart from the work of Tainter to explore the potential instabilities of the rampant inequality in today’s global economy.

Facts about Asylum Seekers

I, Aunty Uta, did get the following from a reply to:

About

Crossborder Operational Matters

posted February 1, 2014 at 10:21 am by d0tski

I do not know how to contact d0tski to get his permission to reblog. I did find what he wrote an excellent contribution. I wished I was articulate and knowledgeable enough to write something similar myself. d0tski wrote this:

“Here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately:

Polling shows that 59% of people polled do NOT believe that most asylum seekers who arrive by boat are genuine refugees. Only 30% believed that most boat arrivals are genuine refugees.
Now, those of us who get our news from someone other than Murdoch know this not to be true. We know that greater than 90% of people who arrive by boat will later (much later), be recognised as ‘genuine refugees’.

Of the 1000 people surveyed, 60% felt that boat-arrivals should be treated more harshly.

59% of those surveyed felt that boat-arrivals should not receive financial government assistance.

All these figures tell us that the majority of Australians have no idea who is on these boats. No concept of the types of persecution they are fleeing. No idea that there is no ‘queue’ for asylum seekers to be processed and re-settled. They don’t realise that (for example), in 2011, only 0.7% of the worlds refugees were resettled. These figures also show us that people do not know, or do not believe, that the conditions on Manus and Nauru are tantamount to torture.

Personally, I refuse to believe that people don’t care. I’m convinced that the problem is that people DON’T KNOW.

This needs to change. Television shows such as those shown on the ABC’s “4 Corners”, and SBS’ “Go Back To Where You Came From” are great. I always watch them. But truly, they are preaching to the choir.
Add to that the fact that it is nigh-on impossible to get decent reportage out of these places. Successive governments have made it increasingly difficult for us to know what is going on. For the Abbott government, it’s pretty much their modus operandi.

How do you get the rest of Australia to listen and learn? I don’t know. If we knew that, we wouldn’t have this problem.

I don’t have any answers here, so if you read this far hoping for a revelation, I apologise 🙂 I just think it’s important to know what the problems are before trying to come up with a solution.

Actually, there’s one other thought I’ve had. Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? If you did psych in highschool, you probably covered it. It’s basically the idea that humans have a hierarchy of needs that looks like a pyramid. The greatest needs are at the bottom, and include physiological needs like breathing, food, water etc. We move up the pyramid through Safety, Belonging, Esteem, and eventually (so the theory goes) we reach Self Actualisation at the top.
Now, it’s my personal theory that governments like to try and keep most of their constituents near the bottom of the pyramid. If we’re all worrying about where our next meal may come from, job security, and mundane things like that, we’re never going to get to a point where our greatest needs are ones like morality, truth and creativity. It is in the governments’ (not just in Oz, but all over) best interest that we live in a permanent state of fear. They want us to always worry that someone is going to come and take what is ‘rightfully ours.’ They appeal to our most basic emotions of fear and greed.

Once again, I don’t know how you change that.”

Aunty Uta’s Comment to this Post by Dotski:

On the first of March, 2014, that is just a few weeks ago, I published the above under the heading: Apologies to the Author.

Today I came across it once more and read it again with great interest. In my opinion this is a very well written article. I like it so much that I post it here again. I feel it is very saddening that so many people do not know the true facts about Asylum Seekers. Dotski says he does not know how to change that. Does anybody know?

Psychology Facts

Here is another post I reblog from Ajaytao. Apparently Psychologists say about these 7 examples that they are given to try to understand people …. I would like to think about this a bit.

THE ITALIAN FORUM, CANBERRA VISIT to PARLIAMENT HOUSE, MORE PICTURES FROM MOTHERS’ DAY 2001

Probably around the beginning of the year 2000 an Italian Forum was established in Leichardt, an inner Western suburb of Sydney. We had a look at the Forum towards the end of May 2000. It was still pretty new then.

Caroline, Peter and I enjoyed gelato and a cup of coffee. A year later, in 2001 all three of us went with Ilse to the Forum. The Forum looked still fairly new!

I wear my favourite hat again!

On the day that we went to the Forum Peter took this picture of us at Caroline's place in Sydney. — On that day, when we went to the Forum, Peter took this picture of us at Caroline’s place in Sydney.

It was probably April 2001 when we drove with Ilse to Canberra. We stayed there in the Formula One Hotel for one night. This time Ilse made sure that we booked for her a separate room. When we had previously stayed with her in Newcastle in another Formula One Hotel we had booked only one room for the three of us, and Ilse did not like this at all! There was only one double bed and a single bunk above the bed. Peter climbed – with difficulty I might say – into the bunk bed. Ilse had to sleep with me – horror of horrors – in the queen-sized double bed. I did not mind this at all. I kept well to my side of the bed. Ilse did not disturb me at all. But I do not blame Ilse for wanting her own bed when we stayed at Formula One in Canberra.

In Canberra we had a good look around at Parliament House, also a lovely lunch there in the canteen. Going back home the following day we drove towards Batemans Bay and from there along the coastal road.

On the way to Canberra we went along the Hume Highway via Goulburn.

We stopped for a while at a park in Goulbourn, Ilse loved the trees there. — We stopped for a while at a park in Goulburn, Ilse loved the trees there.

Looking through one photo album I came across two pictures that were taken on Saturday, 10th of March, 2001. On that day we had lunch with Ilse at a cafe near the Parkridge Apartments in Sydmey. We had booked a very nice apartment at the Parkridge. If I remember right it was on the seventh floor and had two bedrooms. We stayed there for three nights. This gave us the opportunity to explore Sydney a little bit. The apartment was right in the centre of Sydney and quite reasonably priced. Our apartment was in the main road. But where we had lunch that was in a back road behind the Parkridge Apartments.

This is where we had lunch on that Saturday.

On the second Sunday of May is always Mothers’ Day. In May there are also the birthdays of Ilse and Peter. Ilse always points out that she is one year and three days older than Peter! I think Ilse was still with us for both birthdays. On Mothers’ Day we met the whole family in Merrylands, a Western Suburb of Sydney, where Gaby and David lived. David came with us to the Merrylands Bowling Club for lunch. Here he is with Ilse. I think he liked her quite a lot. Who wouldn’t?

I took the following picture in Central Park, Merrylands. David did not come with us to the park. He had gone home already.

Little Krystal found herself a RESERVED Seat already! — Little Krystal had found herself a RESERVED Seat already!

Martin sits opposite the Twins, Ryan and Troy.

Gaby made it to the Falls in Central Park.

Here again four of our granddaughters in Central Park in 2001.

One has to be a seeker – Rumi

Gratitude – 150000 blog likes

What an amazing number of Blog Likes for Ajaytao!

He says: “I am not a writer but take this opportunity to share with you some beautiful quotes and a poem to lighten up this occasion of humbled happiness.”

In this gratitude post by Ajaytao I noticed a beautiful gratitude poem by anon and some quotes by different people that I like very much. I was very impressed with this selection. This is why I reblogged this post trusting that some of my readers are going to enjoy having a look at this post by Ajaytao. 🙂

More Photos from 1999, 2000 and some from 2001

I can’t help myself, I just scanned a few more photos while Peter is doing some more research about the end of WW II on the other computer. I think I start with a couple of photos that were taken on Caroline’s birthday on the 9th of December 1999. That same week Caroline moved away to Sydney, where she had a job.

Caroline is 21. We had a bit of a celebration with family and some of Caroline's friends at the German Club. This family photo was taken later on at our home. — Caroline is 21. We had a bit of a celebration with family and some of Caroline’s friends at the German Club. This family photo was taken later on at our home.

I think our son Martin took the previous picture. Here he is resting on the lawn in front of our house.

SYDNEY 2000, these Olympic Games were a great experience for us. We felt really uplifted during the Olympics and the Paralympics. Peter was a volunteer during both events. He was one of the drivers, driving around important people from hotels to the different venues. The volunteers were treated very well by the organisers of the Games. It was a very interesting time for Peter.

There was some fund to be had during the Games for Roxy, Krystal, and Natasha. — There was some fun to be had during the Games for Roxy, Krystal, and Natasha.

This is Sydney Harbour during the time of the Games.

Peter took this pictures with me in the foreground.

At this function for the volunteers, Gaby wanted to be present too. She was very proud of her Dad!

This picture with Peter and Ilse was taken during her stay with us in 2001

In 2001 Ilse came again sometime in February. She had liked her stay in 1999 so much that she stayed in 2001 one month longer, namely well into May of 2001. We were very happy when it turned out that Margot and Richard were able to come and visit us while Ilse was with us as well. Margot is Peter’s and Ilse’s cousin. So Margot and her husband Richard stayed with us for one week. One day we went with them by train to Sydney. Gaby did come to Sydney as well for she wanted to meet Margot and Richard. We all had lunch at a restaurant at Circular Quay, Richard shouting the meal for all of us. Then we went for a stroll towards the Opera House.

This is a look from the site of the Opera House towards Circular Quay. Richard on the left in the picture. — This is a look from the site of the Opera House towards Circular Quay.
Richard on the left in the picture.

Here we are on the other side of the Harbour with the Opera House in the background.

On another day we went to Kiama, a beautiful little seaside town. The old Post Office there had been painted a lovely pinkish colour.

We are having fun at the entrance to the Post Office. Ilse has adorned herself with a lovely fresh Frangipani.

After one week’s stay with us, Margot and Richard did fly back to Perth. Ilse, Peter, Caroline and Gaby farewelled them at the airport. I think I had to stay home because there wasn’t room for me in the car. Our little car, that we still have now, was in 2001 less than a year old. We had bought it new in May 2000. Ilse used to call out car ‘Paulchen’. She liked it and always praised it. She did not want us to say anything bad about it! 🙂

Farewelling Richard and Margot at Sydney Airport

Caroline, Ilse, Gaby, and Peter at the Airport in Sydney to farewell Richard and Margot

Krystal’s Birthday today

Krystal turns sweet 17 today. She is celebrating her birthday today with her Mum at her Auntie Caroline’s in Sydney. We’ve seen Krystal already on Thursday to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Lauren, our youngest granddaughter, turns 16 in June. So they are all growing up. Two of our grandsons have children of their own already. We have now three great-grandchildren and another one is on its way to be born around the time of my 8Oth birthday!

Today, on this special day for Krystal, I want to publish a few more photos that have Krystal in most of them.

I think this picture was taken on the 14th of February 1999.

We were at the top of Mt Keira. The photo is taken at the front of Mt Keira Restaurant. There are several outlooks on Mt Keira from where you can look down to Wollongong and surrounds. We were able to take Gaby up there with her wheelchair. Monika came along with us with little Krystal who wasn’t quite two yet. Gaby always loved to spend time with the family.

This photo was taken around Christmas 2OOO. Krystal wonders what Granddad is going to do with these sunflowers that grew in his garden. — This photo was taken around Christmas 2OOO.
Krystal wonders what Granddad is going to do with these sunflowers that grew in his garden.

This is just a bit of the front of our house in the year 2OOO. I put this photo in to show how small this tree in front of our window was at the time. It looks very huge now and the gardener trims is every so often otherwise there would not be left enough room for the parking spot at the left of the house. — This is just a bit of the front of our house in the year 2000. I put this photo in to show how small this tree in front of our window was at the time. It looks very huge now, and the gardener trims it every so often, otherwise there would not be left enough room for one of the parking spots at the left of the house.

This is a picture from probably around 2OOO on a day when some kids played soccer at Lakelands Park. A lot of kids still play soccer there during the winter season. — This picture is probably from around 2000. This is what it looks like on a day when some kids play soccer at Lakelands Park. Kids still play soccer there during the winter season.

This is in Lakelands Park in 2OO1 when Ilse was with us again. — This is in Lakelands Park in 2001 when Ilse was with us again.

Krystal has been sliding down and Roxy stand beside her.

Monikas three girls with their cousin Lauren.

This picture was taken in Merrylands Central Park on Mother's Day 2OO1. — This picture was taken in Merrylands Central Park on Mother’s Day 2001.

On Mother’s Day 2001 the whole family had met at Merrylands Bowling Club for lunch. Ilse was still with us on this day. After lunch we enjoyed some time in Central Park. It was a great day for all of us. 🙂