After visiting NYC... feeling inspired. I'm also confused as to why so many Bahamians elect to travel to Florida when a flight to NYC costs almost the same and offers infinitely more to do. Florida, in the immortal words of Bill Maher, is 'America's Dick'. While I don't fully agree with that sentiment, a comedian is entitled to his bombast and Florida, at times, can have a plastic feel, while NY is all brick and mortar and dreams.
Friday 29 June 2012
Google's Nexus 7
Google's Nexus 7 made by ASUS computers wins CNET editor's choice. It's a great 7" tablet that runs Android OS.
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Migration and Naturalization
One thing that is clear, advanced, confident economies take in a lot of people to fuel their advanced economies. Look at this chart from The Economist. Cultures, communities and political parties that lack confidence in the real abilities of their constituent members tend to be anti-migrant. They're usually heavy on ideology and short on pragmatic strategies for policy formation and problem solving as well.
The Nassau Guardian: Turnquest on Surveillance Drones
The Nassau Guardian: Turnquest on Surveillance Drones. I fully agree with his sentiment.
Friday 22 June 2012
Thursday 21 June 2012
Tuesday 19 June 2012
The Economist: Eating Disorder
This should give all people pause... and hopefully inspire some reflection.
Monday 18 June 2012
Wednesday 13 June 2012
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Friday 8 June 2012
Blizzard: StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty won multiple awards in 2010, when it was first released. The original game focused on the Terran campaign. The first expansion pack, which focuses on the Zerg, is called Heart of the Swarm and is an add on to this real the strategy game mega hit. It will be followed by the Protoss themed, Legacy of the Void. Blizzard, the maker of the game, has consistently made only award winning games. They work on their games for years before releasing them, putting in more hours than a movie shoot in many cases. Their most recent release, Diablo III is likewise an award winning game. Enjoy the videos. If you're looking for something to keep your mind sharp, this is essentially chess at light speed. More info here.
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Escape from New York! Five Hot Pocket Rocket Cars for Blasting Out of the Stinky Summer City | Style | Vanity Fair
Escape from New York! Five Hot Pocket Rocket Cars for Blasting Out of the Stinky Summer City | Style | Vanity Fair
5 fantastic compact cars! Forget New York, these would be great in the Bahamas!
5 fantastic compact cars! Forget New York, these would be great in the Bahamas!
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (2009)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos, English title, The Secret in Their Eyes is an excellent film. Don't believe me? It scored 8.2 on IMDb and 92% on RT. It also won Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. It is a Spanish and Argentinian production and is a well crafted crime drama with greater lessons to offer on life, love, passion and duty. As with all great foreign language films, the liberating lack of a formulaic narrative is what creates the magic, that old magic of the movies. Hollywood often seems to have forgotten how to make movies like this, which is what makes global film great. More reviews here.
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Bahamas Budget Perspective—2012 - Bahama Pundit
Bahamas Budget Perspective—2012 - Bahama Pundit
Another well researched and outstanding article. Thank you Bahama Pundit!
Another well researched and outstanding article. Thank you Bahama Pundit!
The Economist: Better-life index
The Economist really gives you ways, through statistics and numbers, to form a clearer understanding of how the world actually is, rather than how it appears or what we think of it or what we opine from my perspective, from your perspective or from the average Joe's perspective. These are objective slices. They're not complete, but if you aggregate enough of these slices of information, you start to see a clearer picture in your understanding. One built less on people's opinions and perceptions and more on hard facts and statistics.
Anyway, this chart is exceptional and The Economist referenced Bobby Kennedy in publishing it. On GDP, Bobby Kennedy famously said, "it measures everything...except that which makes life worthwhile." I couldn't agree more. Click on the link, it takes you to their page and the original post.
Monday 4 June 2012
From Press-on Crown Nails to Queen-Themed Yogurt, All the Diamond Jubilee Crap You Could Ever (or Never) Want | Blogs | Vanity Fair
From Press-on Crown Nails to Queen-Themed Yogurt, All the Diamond Jubilee Crap You Could Ever (or Never) Want | Blogs | Vanity Fair
There really isn't enough Jubilee junk in the world! It amazes me that people still care about the Royals, almost embarrassing actually, but from a fiscal stand point, the Royal Family bring in tourism dollars and merchandising funds galore, so it has become hard to argue against them.
There really isn't enough Jubilee junk in the world! It amazes me that people still care about the Royals, almost embarrassing actually, but from a fiscal stand point, the Royal Family bring in tourism dollars and merchandising funds galore, so it has become hard to argue against them.
Bahamian Jubilee time: The PLP and Dame Marguerite Pindling
While many Bahamians were aiming their televisions, radios and internet feeds towards the Queen's Jubilee ceremonies in the United Kingdom, Bahamian PLPs were having a little Jubilee party of their own at Government House. It was a sad day for democracy, transparency and accountability in the Bahamas.
Unbelievably, the new Bahamian government, under the leadership of the PLP, has decided to appoint Dame Marguerite 'the champagne lady' Pindling to the position of Deputy Governor General. Dame Marguerite Pindling is the widow of former corrupt Prime Minister, Lynden Oscar Pindling, who brought in the drug lords, like Carlos Lehder, and funneled millions of illicit funds to his own private accounts. He also stole from the people and treasury of the Bahamas throughout the Bahamian drug era of the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. His time in power was referred to as the 'Pingdom'. Her reward for her loyal service to the country? To be appointed Deputy Governor General. Her former husband's reward? To have our national airport named after him.
No, we are not Zimbabwe, at least, not yet, but Pindling almost became our Robert Mugabe before finally being ousted from power in elections in 1992 after 25 long years of corrupt rule. Perhaps young Bahamians need to dig up the 1983/1984 Commission of Inquiry and reacquaint themselves with its illustrious findings. They could also look into the American media archives for stories relevant from the time. Here's one from the Sun Sentinel in Florida. Here's one from the LA Times. Here's another story from PBS's Frontline. It was shame and scandal in the family. It seems the current government really wants to bring that legacy back to our politics, and celebrate it. This image comes to mind.
If a society rewards its most audacious and nefarious thieves with titles and honours, how can it ever prosper? What role models are we offering up to our youth? It is a travesty and Bahamians, PLPs in particular, should realize that they are doing themselves, their country and their children a grave disservice by honouring those who clearly abused their public positions of authority for their own private ends. Theft is not political, theft is theft. Party loyalty and theft are two mutually exclusive realms. There can be no party loyalty to a known thief or thieves. We must never again allow our country to become A Nation for Sale. If we're not careful, that is exactly where we are headed again.
Please enforce transparency and accountability so that we can actually have a better Bahamas where it is clear that there is actual belief in the citizenry of the Bahamas and real rule of law, not just rhetoric, and the politicians are held to account. Promises all too easily become lies, as this New Yorker cartoon reminds us and the latest batch of promises would make even the creator pause and question his ability to deliver, given the world economic situation. This action of the government is not respective to the concept of government in the sunshine. Hiding her swearing in under the Queen's Jubilee blanket doesn't make it any more palatable either.
Sunday 3 June 2012
Updated: Humour & Kate Upton
Kate Upton is one of the hottest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girls of all time, but she's also one of the funniest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit girls. Here's an example of that at a Clipper's game with Damaris Lewis, also of SI swim fame. Enjoy the video:
She also did a sexier and even funnier video with Terry Richardson, who somehow convinced her to do the 'cat daddy' dance in a bikini. Hat's off Terry. Of course every one of my posts must have some genuinely informative and useful purpose so, without further ado. Did you know that the word bikini comes from the fact that Louis Réard, the french engineer who in 1946 designed the modern bikini, invented it at the same time that testing of the nuclear bomb was being conducted at Bikini Atoll? True story! Louis reasoned that his design would have as much or more impact on the world as that bomb. Tough call that one. Either way, Terry's video is one for all of (hu)man kind to enjoy and share:
She also did a sexier and even funnier video with Terry Richardson, who somehow convinced her to do the 'cat daddy' dance in a bikini. Hat's off Terry. Of course every one of my posts must have some genuinely informative and useful purpose so, without further ado. Did you know that the word bikini comes from the fact that Louis Réard, the french engineer who in 1946 designed the modern bikini, invented it at the same time that testing of the nuclear bomb was being conducted at Bikini Atoll? True story! Louis reasoned that his design would have as much or more impact on the world as that bomb. Tough call that one. Either way, Terry's video is one for all of (hu)man kind to enjoy and share:
Saturday 2 June 2012
Friday 1 June 2012
Joseph Stiglitz on Economics
Joseph Stiglitz's recent article in Vanity Fair is an excellent analysis of the western world's current economic problems. Stiglitz is a professor of economics at Columbia University and a Nobel prize winner. The article asserts a central tenet of modern economic theory that strikes me as elementary. That tenet is that a strong economy is based upon the spending of a robust middle class. That, historically, is what drives consumption. In America, the owners of businesses are short sighted to simply cut taxes to their own class, because their own class benefits most from a flush middle class. What they gain in the short term, they lose in the medium to long term. In addition, they condemn their businesses and the overall economy to more frequent and unnecessary boom and bust cycles in the process. The American economy is undermining its own engine of growth, consumption, in the hapless pursuit of immediate riches for the wealthiest Americans, who need the money the least and are the least likely to instantly increase their consumption or even their investing with any additional funds attained. With taxation policy, one must always seek an organic balance that first and always maintains the engine of growth, the consumption of the middle class. All else flows from that reality. It is they who are America's job creators, not the wealthiest few.
Here's a follow up Q&A with Stiglitz, also done by Vanity Fair.
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While many Bahamians were aiming their televisions, radios and internet feeds towards the Queen's Jubilee ceremonies in the United...