Tuesday, December 25, 2007
America Alone by Mark Steyn
I came across it by accident, read it while in the UK, and I was riveted.
Not in a happy way.
Steyn's basic premise is that before too long there will be a non-Muslim country called the USA, and the rest of the world will be Muslim, and will be their enemy.
It's outrageous, but he's exaggerating to make a point.
Many points that are detailed in his book give me concern:
Italy and Spain have a fertility rate of 1.2. You need 2.2 to maintain the same level of population. With such a low birth-rate, the only way of supporting the elderly in future years is by either having more kids, or immigration.
In Britain, some government offices have removed the English flag because it is offensive to Muslims (due to the Crusades 1000 years ago).
Strict Muslims tend to put their religion ahead of their country of residence.
Dubai is spending its oil money on developing their country as a tourist destination. Saudi Arabia is spending their oil money on spreading the Muslim gospel around the globe.
(those four points combined should allow you to work out what Mr Steyn is saying...)
Read his book, no matter who you are, or what you think. It will stimulate necessary debate, and he's funny.
Not in a happy way.
Steyn's basic premise is that before too long there will be a non-Muslim country called the USA, and the rest of the world will be Muslim, and will be their enemy.
It's outrageous, but he's exaggerating to make a point.
Many points that are detailed in his book give me concern:
Italy and Spain have a fertility rate of 1.2. You need 2.2 to maintain the same level of population. With such a low birth-rate, the only way of supporting the elderly in future years is by either having more kids, or immigration.
In Britain, some government offices have removed the English flag because it is offensive to Muslims (due to the Crusades 1000 years ago).
Strict Muslims tend to put their religion ahead of their country of residence.
Dubai is spending its oil money on developing their country as a tourist destination. Saudi Arabia is spending their oil money on spreading the Muslim gospel around the globe.
(those four points combined should allow you to work out what Mr Steyn is saying...)
Read his book, no matter who you are, or what you think. It will stimulate necessary debate, and he's funny.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Why I Won't Live in England #5 - Plastic Tubs in Kitchen Sinks
Anyone I know would agree that a plastic kitchen sink is cheap, nasty and unhygenic - which is why 99% of kitchen sinks are made from stainless steel.
In England the norm is also a stainless steel kitchen sink, but they have a strange habit of sitting a plastic tub in it.
What is really sad is that they don't know why!
Except that, this is just what we do - it's what our parents and grandparents did, so we do it as well. The is the same mentality as people who work in coal mines "because my dad did, and so did his dad". It's a mentality I'd rather not come across in my day-to-day living, so England is not for me.
Back to the tub - it is so bloody pointless:
- it reduces the size of the washing-up area
- it hasn't got a plughole!
It's much harder to pour water out of the tub than it is to pull out a plug. Plus, when I wish to quickly rinse something under running water, or wet a cloth, the water sits in the tub, rather than running down the drain.
Supposedly it is a relic of the days when water was carried in from outside...
WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Labels: kitchen sink, plastic tub
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Peter Hook - DJ Aerobics
For all the dancing and waving, Peter Hook of New Order fame isn't actually doing the DJ work he was presumably meant to be - the music is pre-recorded and he is holding onto plugs, and that's all. More at In The Mix
Labels: new order
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Why I Won't Live in England #4 - Over-crowded and Antiquated
If it often mentioned that Japan and Germany actually benefited from being bombed to bits and having to rebuild. Evidence for this is England.
English cities, towns and their infrastructure are very, very old. They were very suited to a scenario of:
- people sharing bedrooms
- outdoor toilets
- no such thing as cars, people mostly walked
- working and shopping locally
- small terraced houses easier to heat, cheaper to build
Today is different:
- we want our own bedrooms, with en-suite
- half of us own a car
- we work and shop further away (because we have cars)
- heating and building houses is relatively cheaper
The solution:
1. Reduce population - as part of the EU, the argument of more people = better economy is kinda redundant
2. Bulldoze the whole country, one suburb at a time (for minimum displacement), and rebuild it
3. Build houses with space and individuality
4. Rebuild the road and motorway network from scratch
This would restore a sense of pride, and efficiencies, that England sorely needs.
English cities, towns and their infrastructure are very, very old. They were very suited to a scenario of:
- people sharing bedrooms
- outdoor toilets
- no such thing as cars, people mostly walked
- working and shopping locally
- small terraced houses easier to heat, cheaper to build
Today is different:
- we want our own bedrooms, with en-suite
- half of us own a car
- we work and shop further away (because we have cars)
- heating and building houses is relatively cheaper
The solution:
1. Reduce population - as part of the EU, the argument of more people = better economy is kinda redundant
2. Bulldoze the whole country, one suburb at a time (for minimum displacement), and rebuild it
3. Build houses with space and individuality
4. Rebuild the road and motorway network from scratch
This would restore a sense of pride, and efficiencies, that England sorely needs.
Labels: England, infrastructure
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Park(ing) Day
This is such a brilliant concept!
By putting your money into a parking meter (depending on your local government), you are actually leasing that small space.
You don't have to park a car there! You can do virtually anything you choose, anything that you could do on your own property - as long as it is temporary.
Perhaps a park?
By putting your money into a parking meter (depending on your local government), you are actually leasing that small space.
You don't have to park a car there! You can do virtually anything you choose, anything that you could do on your own property - as long as it is temporary.
Perhaps a park?
PARK(ing) Day is a one-day, global event centered in San Francisco where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.
Labels: parking
