its just cool

May it be documented that this site is awesome:

http://www.shinybinary.com/art.html

The squelch of nations

It's OK.
If your anything like me, after seeing the picture to this post your probably not going to read pass the next couple of sentences. You and I already feel guilty enough for not 'doing our bit' to help out developing nations. Truthfully, those tiny African children you see on world vision commercials make me feel a little too uncomfortable and ashamed to actually dial the number. (and next time you see the ads take note of how much water from the town well actually makes it into his container).

But some of the real answers as to why the poorest nations live in perpetual poverty is not because you and I don't give enough or even because we don't go to the extreme of flying over and volunteering our time. Sometimes it's even better simply to donate the cost of the airfare than visiting just to hug children and paint orphanages (who's benefit is that for yours or theirs?).

And no, its definitely not because they live in the desert and therefore have no resources.

Did you know though that in Ethiopia starting a business requires a bank deposit of 18 years worth of average income, upon which the account is then frozen? Or maybe you want to buy some land for a factory in Nigeria? No problem... all you need to do is hold for the mandatory 21 process to be completed, roughly equivalent to 274 days waiting time! Oh and don't forget to deduct the 27% of the purchase price taken in fees by the government.

In an effort to contain blistering levels of unemployment some governments make it so hard to sack an employee that most business simply don't bother hiring anyone in the first place. "In Burkina Faso, for instance, to sack someone an employer must first re-train him, place him in another job and pay a lump sum equivalent of 18 months salary"¹. 90% of the people in this nation are still peasants.

It's not hard to see why these guys do it tough when there little or no incentives for people to start producing even the most basic necessities for themselves and their nation. I do realise though that I'm probably over simplifying such a complex issue like poverty. A truck load of other factors influence what separates rich from poor. The cool thing about economics, however, is that it enables an ability for change to be made on a much broader scale than say adopting an orphan.You can read the full world bank report here.

Learn how to swim

One of the more interesting things about working at a pool is that you have to deal with people at the two extreme ends of their life, they're either really young or really old. Words cannot describe the infinite joy in being dumped with a group of 5 two year olds and given the task of introducing them to the wonders of this new aquatic environment, all the while making sure they don't drown in the pool water let alone their own tears. The radiant reflection of over enthusiastic parents keen for their child to become the next Ian Thorpe all but makes the 100 or so dollars they had to shell out for some 18 year old to show their kid how to blow bubbles in water all the more worthwhile. (apologies, you can breath now, sentence over)

It is rather fascinating seeing these young ones every week gain more independence. Growing at a faster and faster rate as they discover and develop their new found abilities. However, I'm not trying to do a rendition of Robert Winston's 'The Human Body', it just recently occurred to me that in a culture obsessed with youth, prosperity and the continual search for the holy grail it must be difficult knowing that you are losing the ability to develop. People physically and mentally diminish. Like when a 90 year old man no longer has the capacity to move his right arm and leg and is dependent on others for all the most basics things such as walking, let alone being able to go swimming.

I wonder what keeps people going who have nothing left, not even their own mental sanity? Especially in the knowledge that in the future they will keep on losing even more function. Although very bleak, economics defines that when the marginal cost of living exceeds that of the perceived benefits of dying, then utility will be maximised if you were to die. My guess is that if this were true there would be a great deal less elderly folk around today. Rationality isn't always the absolute truth, and can't always give the most correct and 'logical' answer. There has to be something that humans cling on to, whether it be friends, community or faith it doesn't matter.

Mermaid aren't hot

The following grossly paraphrased and out of context quote was over heard by Sean, Katie and myself.

"You should have seen Ariel last night... what a slut."

The subsequent mermaid references were inevitable... that slurry just couldn't keep her legs closed.

This led to a rather heated debate, it is quite common for men to find Mermaids attractive. Yeah I know, this probably isn't the least bit shocking to you, but seriously consider the anatomy of a mermaid. It doesn't take long before you realise that whichever way you look at it they're nothing more than a half human half fish hybrid mutant.
This my friends is termed: Bestiality

If you still don't think this is gross, just conjure up an image of a 'reverse mermaid'. Still being a half human half fish technically qualifies this as still being a mermaid, only this creature of the sea is defiantly not fit for human consumption.

This, however, is beside the point. Let's assume for a moment that we do in fact live in world were mermaids actually do exist, and that as the Disney films would have us believe they are all charmingly attractive beings who dwell in an ancient under water utopia.

Well, I'm happy to inform you that this is true!... At least for the first assumption, the second is rather more subjective.


Yeah, its a real mermaid discovered by a fisherman in China.
For the full story and a full body shot click here.