The blog of the traveller, observer and writer, Woz.
Happiness is the man with rhythm. Copyright © 2003-2021, Woz

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Ah...

David Laws. I can't help but think he used his homosexuality as a diversionary tactic. After all, he broke the rules - you are not supposed to pay your partner rent.

Companies. Several months ago, many though Toyota was doomed. While several years of lawsuits remain, Toyota will survive. Not surprising, given that car makers regularly suffer from botched recalls - aside from the Koreans and Chinese, no other car maker was crowing over Toyota's troubles. But just look at BP. What a colossal screw-up. Luton, Texas and now the Gulf of Mexico. But are enough eyeballs on the US government and Eisenhower's old warning of 'the military-industrial complex'?

Reading: Stendhal's 'Cures for Love' - excerpts from 1822's 'De L'Amour'

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A thought on Korea

I'd be surprised if the two Koreas went to war, but I am troubled by the quality of some of the analysis. Kim Jong-il wants his son to succeed him. There may be those in the army who are against this. Was the sinking of the corvette the Cheonan a ruse by internal actors to back the 'Great Leader' into a corner?

Does anyone really want North Korea to fall? It would be like the reunification of Germany, but much worse. It would cause chaos for the Chinese and wreck the South Korean economy.

It'll be interesting to see the steps they take in this very close and careful dance.

What's Wozzy reading?

A lucid paper on the financial collapse from London Business School; a question mark over AI by an ex staffer; the LRB on 'Four Lions'; and the LRB (again) taking a swipe at BP and the US administration.

Monday, May 24, 2010

'The Birmingham Jail'

I had forgotten how beautiful this song is.

The scene was ironic in that the actor Erland Van Lidth was an opera singer (and a computer science graduate from MIT), yet the song was sung by Dorian Holley.