This is What Democracy Looks Like

This looks like a very interesting blog, Stuart. I’d like to reblog it and take some time to read it properly. We have just arrived back from Melbourne and found out that since we left Melbourne the temperature there has risen considerably. Here south of Wollongong in NSW it is not quite as hot, but hot enough! 🙂

The Most Revolutionary Act

2014 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Battle of Seattle, the week of protests in November-December 1999 that shut down the World Trade Organization (WTO) Third Ministerial Round. Also known as the Doha Round, the intention of these negotiations was to significantly expand the power of multinational corporations to challenge democratically enacted labor, environmental and health and safety laws.

Opening ceremonies had to be canceled on November 30, when seventy to one hundred thousand global protestors stormed downtown Seattle and hundreds of activists chained themselves to cement pipes to block delegates’ access to the Paramount Theater. The police riot which ensued was our first encounter with the police militarization that would characterize the new millennium. Rather than simply arresting them, Seattle police beat, tear gassed and shot rubber bullets at peaceful protestors, journalists and passersby alike.*

Organizing Began in January 1999

I still lived in Seattle in 1999 and participated…

View original post 872 more words

Blue Lotus Water Garden

Have a picnic or BBQ and relax with your friends & family

On Tuesday, the 30th of December 2014 we met Tristan, Stephanie and their daughters Kianga (7) and Jakira (6) at the Blue Lotus Water Garden. They provided everything for a BBQ, such as sausages and salads. Martin had brought along some pieces of watermelon as well as a good selection of fresh berries, custard and cream.

We arrived early and waited near the entrance for our grandson Tristan and his family.

Tristan and his family have arrived.

Caroline, Tristan and Peter. I had asked for a wheelchair when we bought the tickets to enter the garden.

I soon found out I could quite well walk around the garden. But I used my walking stick since my left knee was still bit sore.

All this Tris and Steph had deposited here for our BBQ lunch.

Be thankful for your Life (Author unknown)

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/02/thomas-piketty-capital-in-the-twenty-first-century-french-economist

Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century is that rare phenomenon, an economics tome that flies off the shelves.

” . . . . .

The gist of Piketty’s book is simple. Returns to capital are rising faster than economies are growing. The wealthy are getting wealthier while everybody else is struggling. Inequality will widen to the point where it becomes unsustainable – both politically and economically – unless action is taken to redistribute income and wealth. Piketty favours a graduated wealth tax and 80% income tax for those on the highest salaries.

Lord (Adair) Turner, the former chairman of the Financial Services Authority, says Capital is “a remarkable piece of work”. Turner, who has name-checked Piketty in his recent lectures, added: “He is saying that we have a set of tendencies at work to which the offset has to be a degree of redistribution. I completely agree with him.”

Krugman, writing in the New York Review of Books, says Piketty’s work will “change both the way we think about society and the way we do economics”.

. . . . “

Progress and Poverty

Why was Henry George not successful?

Here you may find some interesting answers from a book written by
Mason Gaffney

“Neoclassical economics is the idiom of most economic discourse
today. It is the paradigm that bends the twigs of young minds. Then
it confines the florescence of older ones, like chicken-wire shaping
a topiary. It took form about a hundred years ago, when Henry George and
his reform proposals were a clear and present political danger and challenge
to the landed and intellectual establishments of the world. Few people
realize to what degree the founders ofNeo-classical economics changed the
discipline for the express purpose of deflecting George and frustrating
future students seeking to follow his arguments. The strategem was
semantic: to destroy the very words in which he expressed himself. Simon
Patten expounded it succinctly. “Nothing pleases a …single taxer better
than … to use the well-known economic theories … [therefore] economic
doctrine must be recast” (Patten, 1908: 219; Collier, 1979: 270).’
George believed economists were recasting the discipline to refute him.
He states so, as though in the third person, in his posthumously published
book, The Science ofPoliticalEconomy(George, 1898:200-209). George’s
self-importance was immodest, it is true. However, immodesty may be
objectivity, as many great talents from Frank Lloyd Wright to Muhammed
Ali and Frank Sinatra have displayed. George had good reasons, which we
are to demonstrate. George’s view may even strike some as paranoid. That
was this writer’s first impression, many years ago. I have changed my view,
however, after learning more about the period, the literature, and later
events.

To read on please follow this link:

http://masongaffney.org/publications/K1Neo-classical_Stratagem.CV.pdf

I am very interested in finding out why there is so much resistance to applying the ideas that Henry George promoted in the 19th century.

The above publication seems to be giving some interesting links.

On the 10th of April 2014 I wrote the following in my blog:

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!

2 Responses to “UTA’S DIARY”

berlioz1935April 10, 2014 at 9:41 am Edit #

Research and mathematical modelling has shown conclusively that unequal distribution of wealth has led to the downfall of civilisations. But the Rineharts of this world can not get enough. They never do. They think natural justice is for suckers.

REPLY
- auntyutaApril 10, 2014 at 10:03 am Edit #
  
  This is a very interesting subject, Berlioz, isn’t it?
  The question is, what is a “just” society?
  I know that for instance Henry George was an eloquent speaker and writer, advocating for changes in society to achieve “social justice”. In the 1800s millions of people listened to what he had to say. To this day there are people who study him. Alas, nothing much has changed anywhere as far as social justice is concerned.
  
  Here is a link to my diary on taxes:
  
  https://auntyuta.com/2014/05/26/utas-diary-6/#comments

A Christmas Lunch

Today we were invited to a Christmas luncheon in Sydney. There was some lovely food and drinks. And good conversation with a lot of people. Here are some pictures of some of the people that we have known for many years.

There were salads and lots of prawns to eat and lovely sweets for desert. I did not think of taking pictures when the lunch started, but I took some photos towards the end.

We took a train back to Dapto. Peter suggested we could go for dinner the the German Club where perhaps they might have some meat rolls. He was lucky, they did have meat rolls with red cabbage and dumplings. I chose a deep fried Camenbert Cheese which was very tasty. Peter loved his meal very much too.

Martin Place, Sydney, 21st December 2014

The hostage crisis started on Monday, the 15th December and went on for 17 hours. All week there was a constant stream of people with flowers and expressions of sympathy. Today on Sunday more and more people came to Martin Place to pray and lay flowers. We experienced a very peaceful atmosphere. And we had the feeling that people took everything very much to heart.

Residents Christmas Party 2014

Some more Diary, December 2014

Soon it is going to be the fourth of Advent. A dear friend gave me this blue runner on the table just a few weeks ago and her daughter Amanda gave us some cute little puppets with Christmas cards a few years ago. These things came in a little bag which I kept for all these years with our Christmas things. I always loved these gifts and today I thought all this would make a good subject for Advent to take some pictures of!

Uta’s Diary, December 2014

Reflecting on our Monday Morning

Last Monday we happened to sleep in a bit. We are usually quite early risers. That we slept in was really something out of the ordinary. Peter was upset when he woke up so late. He had planned on being at the Medical Centre by 7,30 am so he could be booked in for his visit to the doctor who was due to arrive at 8 am. Since we did sleep for too long, he did not arrive at the centre in time. By the time he did get there, eight people had already booked in before him. I think I had a banana before we left. But Peter wanted to rush off. He did not want any coffee, and he did not even have time to eat a banana.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we had time for some hot drinks at the guru Cafe while Peter was waiting for his turn to see his doctor. But we actually survived without any food till we had this lovely bit of fruit salad. The fruit salad was wonderful, very fresh and with different varieties of fruit in it.

Peter was in the end quite happy the way the morning had turned out for he did get good test results. He was very relieved about this. And I was happy that I finally made myself try on and buy something new to wear. On top of it I must say the day was a lucky day for me because everything I bought was reduced by 40% or more!