Money well spent?

Aid agencies good or bad? I often wonder. My own experiences have shown me that they do a lot of good, yet I also hear that the opposite is true. I am also puzzled with how aid is distributed, however when you see it in action, like I did often in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta I did feel like it does make a difference to peoples’ lives.

When big sums of money are involved there is the possibility of corruption. I was impressed about the moral stand of an employee of an international organisation who came out to criticise that organisation on its role in corruption. By the end of the article I was saddened to learn that her brave moral stance resulted badly for her.

Then there is the question that having large sums of money, requires spending large amounts of money to ensure that you get large sums of money next year in your budget. So, there is some waste as agencies try to assist the less fortunate to better their lives. Being the year of the potato lots of money is being used in helping farmers with better techniques of potato farming or something like that. However, thinking about the cost to develop, I didn’t understand the point of the potato world.

I went back to the books reading about price formation and value then light finally penetrated dense wood.

The assurance that consumers want and will pay for many be over something as trifling as the crispness of a French fry. You might say, “Fries are fries.” This would merely show that you do not have it in you to be a burger mogul. In the 1950s, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, was obsessed with them. “The French fry would almost become sacrosanct for me,” he said later, “its preparation a ritual to be followed religiously”. He sent employees with hydrometers into farmers’ fields, rejecting potatoes lacking the optimal water content. He devised a way of curing the potatoes to convert natural sugars into starch. He developed the “potato computer” to calibrate the cooking time for a batch of fries. Kroc found his firm’s competitive edge in the uniformity of his fries – the reliably precise combination of starch and grease. In Minneapolis or Minsk (not HCMC though), the brand name McDonald’s promises you exactly what you will get (Page 54).

And that leaves me to another thought that is hanging around in my mind; does McDonald’s (or any other fast food franchise) really taste the same in Australia as anywhere else? I hope I get to test that soon.

Over consumption

I have been very disturbed lately. About a month ago I watched a music video show and noticed that for the whole time the music was the same. I don’t mean the same song playing over and over, just the same sounds, baseline and rhythms, and melodies. And it was not to my taste. Most of the videos featured sexy bodies dancing to the music obviously appealing to the animal instinct of the human psyche.

I have also noticed that a lot of the TV shows on the box at the moment are identical too. The CSI’s are all the same, as too are all these reality shows, etc. It got so bad that I haven’t watched much TV this week for fear of becoming boring as the shows. Yet, when I am out I hear people talk about how great the shows/ new songs are.

I thought first that I am getting too old, yet still can’t find any grey hairs. Then I thought by living overseas, my tastes had refined. No, that’s not true either. I also noticed that I was not affected by the evolution of what is mainstream while overseas, which means coming back and listening/ watching entertainment I have a new perspective, one that is possible to attach value by making accurate snap decisions.

And this brings up another point. When the entertainment firms do their market research why do they choose things that are the same and many good things go amiss. When I was in Uni in Brisbane I had a friend who was setting up a band, think a softer version of Limp Bizkit or 28 days (I think they were groups most similar to the fusion sounds of my friends group). They were never able to book a gig as they were to alternative and the venue owners were afraid no patrons would come. That was a shame as I had the pleasure of listening to them play at a house party and they rocked. I bet this story is repeated all over the world.

According to economic theory, the reason for this is not to take chances. The trade off the promoter (or venue owner/ publishing company etc) faces is either mass appeal or fringe. This I think leads to a lack of new quality entertainment. And to generate the mass appeal we, the people, need to have our tastes modified by ceaseless advertising and hype so we know what to like. With the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 approaching, I can not help notice that the games shop that I pass everyday has the walls plastered up with advertising, and today they had a big poster telling everyone that exactly midnight of the day it is released the shop will open to sell the game.

I think since I have returned to Australia, this constant consumerism driven by advertising has finally worn me down, and I actually feel that in general this is bad for people’s well being as it creates unnecessary stress. I feel it takes people out of enjoying the little moments that make a life. I must confess that I do long for a simple advertising free world.

Random advertising outside the mainstream thinking

Post Thought Clarification

I am not against advertising (in its true form) as its purpose is to make people aware of things that can help them enjoy more from life. What I am against is the way it is used to influence people to buy or consume things that are not needed, and its constant overuse.

Blocked

I was surprised to find that Vietnam, Australia, and America all have the same level of Internet censorship. From discussions that I had with people, it seemed a lot different when I was there. I didn't have any problems though. These thoughts were all from something I read in the Economist (although belated - I am so behind) about censorship.

WHAT you see—or rather, what you don't see—on the internet may be determined by your government. The attitude of officialdom varies when it comes to filtering content of a social nature. In many places agreements are set with service providers to block nasty stuff such as child pornography. In a few countries intervention is stronger, up to the level of pervasive censorship. This week Pakistan's block on YouTube accidentally caused an international outage for that website. Iran and Saudi Arabia have also prevented their citizens from accessing the video-sharing site.

Bursting my bubble

Today I went with my friend Said, to get this Malaysian food. It is like a beef mince curry wrapped in breadcrumbs and deep fried. I find it is soft and delicate tasting that feels like something new is being created in my mouth with each bite. I think it is divine, and tasting so good it has got to be healthy.

On the way back we were discussing the weekend that had passed when suddenly I saw this tall guy dressed in long black clothing walking next to this short girl also dressed in long black clothing. Nothing unusual in that really, even if it is about 30 degrees. Yet on closer inspection I noticed something and just thought it was the heat messing with my head. Then Said asked me what was that. Then I realised that I had seen a collar around the guy’s neck and the leash. A Big black stud encrusted dog collar, with a dog leash. My jaw dropped to ground in amazement as the frontiers of my reality enlarged. After cracking jokes about what we saw on the way back to the office, I thought nothing else could enlarge them and amaze me today until I read this. Ignorance is bliss, yet extreme behaviours are funny.

GM Foods

No I am not talking about general motors foods, I am talking about genetically modified foods. This appears to be quite an issue at the moment due to food safety concerns about GM foods. Japan has even asked Australia to not use GM foods. Even the TV was bombarded with anti GM food advertising. This is short sighted I feel. Genetically modifying foods is something we have been doing for a long time. When we splice genes together of different wheats to get a new variety of wheat it is the same as getting two different genes from plants to boost drought resistance. In principal it is the same, and GM foods do need to go through a rigorous safety screening.

Now I admit nothing is fool proof and mistakes may happen yet I feel the risks associated with GM foods are outweighed by the benefits. Some of the existing benefits include increasing vitamin/ mineral content of foods and higher yielding crops. Presently, I am working on Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and methane and nitrous oxides are big problems less focussed on in the context of climate change. I feel that GM technology really can help with cutting back these gas emissions. Perhaps scientists can make crops less nitrogen dependent, rice that emits less methane when growing, and my personal favourite cows that fart less.

The economist this week presented the map below showing the top 10 producers (by million hectares [1 hectare = 1000 m2]) of GM foods worldwide and countries that have adopted them. As the accompanying story suggests, Europe may no longer be able to keep out GM foods as trade regulations are forcing changes.

More random thoughs on perceptions

Why am I not surprised

Today I was searching for a paper reviewing an important, if not the most influential, Economic-climate model (DICE) and a search of the author took me to Wikipedia. Thinking this is a good place to start I consequently read the piece to find that this person, Duane Chapman, is a bounty hunter operating out of Hawaii, and not an influential energy economist (influential according to Cornell University). I was a bit miffed to find someone’s claim to pop culture was a TV show about bounty hunting.

Then again I should not be surprised. Having study a subject or two about economics I have come to realise demand is based on what people perceive to be valuable. Now energy economics is only interesting, hence demanded, by a small section of the population while bounty hunter insights would appeal to a rather large section of the population (presumptuous assumption relegated to the fine print). Hence the bounty hunter should be more famous than the economist.

Also, let us consider the role of advertising. I feel that its purpose is to create demand. How does it do this? I find it manipulates your perceptions. And how does it do this? Creates needs where there were none. I found I now have the desire to have a whole lot of things which I didn’t need or want a year ago. It has distorted my reality. I found an interesting case of distorted reality in this video. I will leave you with my current thoughts – what is beauty anyway?

One year on

It has been one year since I have started to document parts of my life here. In this year I have gone through many changes, in locations, emotionally, and physically. The only thing that hasn’t changed are the finances. It seems like I have hit a plateau here.

The location is first as it is easy from Long Xuyen to Rosedale to Melbourne. Definite changes in the way the world operates around me. Long Xuyen was great I found warm and friendly people everywhere. Rosedale was the same, except smaller – think 100 people at most. The big city seems stagnated, lots of motion yet I find no direction. I feel comfortable here because nothing seems to move or change.

Physically I have changed. I have been fortunate enough to watch my weight move around like a scrap paper caught in the wind. It appears to have moved up recently, and I will blame all the delicious foods I ate at X’mas. I don’t think I have eaten so much in such a short while. Exercise wise, I have definitely lost any bulk (real or perceived) that I had acquired. All the shirts I got made to measure in VN now seem to slip on the shoulders quite a bit. Need to address this issue with some gym work or something J. Maybe even beer, if I can afford new pants.

Emotionally I have been through the ups and downs. Moving back to Melbourne was a tough adjustment trying to get used to a new lifestyle and climate. Along with that I feel the death of my grandmother (who I was close to) and a back injury added to the toughness of the adjustment process. It has been a few months now and the optimism has grown with a variety of small victories. This coming year I expect will be better than the last 6 months.

Work life has been successful. My fish industry project was a success, as with SEEK employment projects (yet this seems to never end J), and the climate change projects have definitely been done well.

My goals over the next year include starting my phd, getting out more to travel, and holiday in VN.

Corporate world

Today I found was going through an art site to looking for pics and I was surprised by these more serious art pieces. I couldn't help feel that their really is such a focus on material possesions and super achievement, that people have forgotten what it means to live your life. One day we will all wake up like Lester and wonder what the hell happened. Maybe it is because I recently watched American Beauty and feel reflective. I don't know :)

Anyway here is some thought provoking art.

Bonded!

A while ago while Tyler, Hendrik, and I where still in Long Xuyen we challenged Tyler's Photoshop skills. We asked him to make some photos of people. I got James Bonded. I came across that photo today and thought I might share it with the world. It brings back a lot of good memories, about partying in the ER in LX.

As I stand now, while it was possible to be that popular with the girls in Vietnam, it ain't happening to me here yet!

Random thoughts about work

Sometimes at work when I think about what I need to do to get a promotion ( a little premature, I know). I also think about how the field of economics is just too constrained within its little structure. For example, I was reading a blog about environmental economics and saw that the author was rejected from the journal he submitted the paper to. The problem was that the author didn't use an optimising model of behaviour - such as to maximise happiness (utility) or profits, etc. I am against this sort of thinking personally, as most of us in the real world know that when you go to the shop or restaurant you don't have perfect information to make an optimal choice so we do the best we can (I know it can seem like optimisation). Other choices are made much in the same way.

Some times to get ideas about an optimisation paper I might search the Internet newspapers so that I can something off the wall. One such site is weird news asia, with a tonne of interesting reads. Check out the picture below from China, what was this guy optimising when he was constructing his house? I like music a lot, yet not that much. Perhaps if I was playing an instrument it might suit me more. Anyway, I am confident that once he plants a garden it would be a gem of a house. Definitely a talking point.

Scrolling down the page I came to a picture that pretty much sums up academic economics as I think it stands.