Categories
Economics Humor Politics & government

[510] Of Michigan’s deficit

I was browsing for some jobs somewhere. There, I saw a position at the Michigan’s House of Representatives. The job description is as follow:

Job Qualifications
Interns should display an interest in politics/public policy, exhibit ample written and oral communication skills, maintain the ability to effectively convey ideas in a diplomatic manner, and be adept in working with diverse groups of people and perspectives.

Job Description
Interns would be responsible for assisting policy analysts with research pertaining to the following legislative issue areas: energy and technology, labor and industry, economy, transportation, education, mental health, banking, criminal justice, family and children services, environment, agriculture, tax and healthcare. We are flexible about times, days and the number of hours worked each week;

The catch line however:

however, given the state’s nearly $1 billion budget deficit, interns cannot be paid.

Somebody is actually using the deficit as a reason not to pay. Pretty hilarious, to me at least.

Categories
Kitchen sink Science & technology

[509] Of Google Maps

Lo and behold!

My place is somewhere in the red circle. Almost the whole Ann Arbor, at Google Maps, if you are interested.

Categories
Politics & government

[508] Of in retrospect

Does anybody remember Iraq anymore?

All I have to say is, once this is over, the Iraqi people better be the freest fucking people on the face of the earth. They better be freer than me. They better be so fucking free they can fly.

From Get your war on. It’s old but then again, it never gets old.

Categories
Economics Environment

[507] Of idealist’s curse

Earlier yesterday, during dinner, I couldn’t finish the food on my plate. I felt bad about it but I sincerely didn’t have the stomach for more. I probably shouldn’t have literally bit more than I could chew.

To be easy on myself, I was in fact served instead of helping myself with the stuff that I couldn’t even name. Hours later after leaving my table, I realize that I’m not unique in having leftover on the plate and I’m not entirely sure the server is at fault.

Then it came to me – the richer we are, the more we waste. To be precise as what has been implied in countless economic classes, the wealthier we are, the more we consume. However, though consumption itself produces waste, I’m talking about a different species of waste altogether. The waste I’m referring to is the things that are consumable but aren’t consumed and thrown out as filthy garbage nevertheless, just like the food I left on my plate.

I definitely expect better-off people to waste more than famine victims in Africa and elsewhere. I hold this but I still waste. It seems that I, no, we, are cursed to waste. Worse, I call myself a green – what a terrible curse it is. It’s painful to acknowledge this while knowing others would be willing to even eat our leftover if they were given the chance to do so, no matter how disgusting it is.

Perhaps, this is why I eat rather irregularly. Too scared to waste and too scared to violate my own principle. Yet, I violate it often and risk of being a hypocrite almost everyday. It’s the curse of an idealist I’d suppose.

Categories
Politics & government

[506] Of the UN permanent seats

By this September, a decision on the new structure of the Security Council, the most powerful body in the United Nations will be made known. Or at least, Kofi Annan wants a decision on it within the next six months.

Currently, two models have been presented. The first model includes six new permanent members. So far, it seems that should the members of the UN accept the first model, Germany, Brazil and India should have a great chance of getting their hands on the extra tickets for the seats. Two African nations and Japan would complete the quorum.

Model two is about tier membership of which, I have yet to understand. Whatever model two is, the former model has been talked about a lot and many favor it to the latter model.

For Germany, Brazil and India, there aren’t many obstacles for them. Germany in particular has a comfortable claim – France and Japan fully support the inclusion of Germany. Really, Germany and Japan are having a sort of you-back-me-and-I-back-you alliance, pretty much like, as I’d imagine China would imagine, in the last world war. China, if you haven’t notice, isn’t quite eager to meet a Japanese.

This has proven to be an headache to Japan. China and South Korea oppose the idea of giving Japan a seat. Both opposing countries have repeatedly mentioned that Japan hasn’t been apologetic enough for its past war crime. Japan or maybe it’s just Koizumi, despite needing support from China, has ignored China.

The war ended almost 60 years ago. Many of us on this planet don’t even remember seeing the war with our own two eyes. China and South Korea need to move on and quit whining for something that happened generations ago.

I’m just glad Japan has stopped apologizing. Else, China would have a too much fun bullying others.