October 2, 2007
Wages going up in China
As I have predicted in the past, China’s days as a cheap labor manufacturer may be numbered. And Alan Greenspan apparently agrees. Here is an excerpt from a CNN story about his recent trip to London:
In response to a follow-up question from the audience, Greenspan said there were some definite indications that China's disinflationary impact on global economic conditions was coming to an end.
He noted U.S. data showed that Chinese export costs had turned higher, after falling persistently until this spring.
"If in fact the price of Chinese exports is a signal of when the end of the golden era is in the process of occurring, then it says that we're getting there, and that the ability of China to continuously suppress the world general price level is beginning to run into trouble, in part because Chinese wages are going up," he said.
Wages are also rising in the service sectors in China. This story from China View states that employees in Chinese financial institutions now make about $2,000 / month----which annualizes to $24K per year.
---posted at 12:18 pm by Ed Trimnell
Just in case you were wondering….
Iran’s Press TV reports that the Persian Gulf is in fact correctly named, under the headline, Persian Gulf 'cannot be changed':
A Lebanese expert has said that the Persian Gulf is a historic name and one cannot distort the facts about the strategic body of water.
Talal Etrisi, a sociologist and university professor, told IRNA that the international community recognizes the body of water between Iran and its southern neighbors as the Persian Gulf and any other naming would not change historical facts.I’m glad that we’ve put that hot controversy to rest. (Iran was known as Persia before the mid-1930s.)
---posted at 8:30 am by Ed Trimnell
Interest in Persian language/culture on the rise
In line with today’s Persian theme, the University of Maryland news desk reports a rise in enrollment in Persian language and cultural classes.
I see this as a positive development. If you browse through my commentaries, you will see that I am quite critical of the Muslim Middle East. Nevertheless, we Americans need to gain an understanding of this region. For some of us, this will include acquiring proficiency in Arabic or Farsi (Persian).
President Bush has said as much. Speaking to a gathering of university presidents in January of last year, the president stated:
"We need intelligence officers, who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu, knows what they're talking about,"
Not that I am against all those classes in Western Civilization, or the study of French or German. Far from it. But we need to shift more of our attention to learning about the non-Western world----especially the portions of it which are predominantly hostile to us.
October 1, 2007
Vanishing languages
Slashdot notes that:
While half of all languages have gone extinct in the last 500 years, the half-life is dropping: half of the 7,000 languages spoken today won't exist by the year 2100……83 languages with 'global' influence are spoken and written by 80 percent of the world population.” (read here)
As a lover of languages, I hate to see any of them go. There is a whimsical part of me that would love to learn ancient Phoenician, Roman Latin, or Aramaic. (These languages have all been extinct as living tongues for centuries or longer.)
Nevertheless, there are only so many hours in so many days….No language learner will ever get to them all….Even if the number of influential languages has dwindled to a mere 83, the dedicated linguist has more than enough new tongues to keep him or herself busy for a lifetime.
---posted at 11:50 am by Ed Trimnell
Finally, some good news out of Iraq
In case you haven’t heard, civilian deaths are down in Iraq. Per the BBC:
The number of Iraqi civilians killed per month in bombings and shootings has fallen to the lowest level this year, the Iraqi government says…..In September, 884 civilians were killed by violence, less than half the figure for August, the government said. ----BBC News
This is still 884 too many, and of little consolation to the relatives of the unfortunate 884. Nevertheless, we will take any good news on Iraq that we can get.
U.S. military deaths were also down to 62 in September, the lowest rate since the summer of 2006.
---posted at 11:36 am by Ed Trimnell
September 30, 2007
No real division between Right and Left on the subject of Islamic extremism
As this letter-to-the editor in Arizona pointed out, radical Islam is repugnant regardless of your political affiliation:
The outrage from the "right-wing nuts," as the letter writer calls us, is because Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad advocates the destruction of the state of Israel, denied that the Holocaust ever happened, has women in his country stoned to death (I've seen the tape), and denies that there are homosexuals in his country while there is proof that he has them murdered.
Reasonable people can disagree on issues like trade policy, the proper role of government in the health care system, and tax cuts. (I hold a mixture of traditionally right- and left-wing views on these subjects myself.)
However, we all saw the real face of fundamentalist Islam last week when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Columbia University. This is a philosophy that should alarm you----regardless of whether you voted for Bush or Kerry in 2004.
---posted at 9:03 am by Ed Trimnell
Windows XP extended until 2010
Tech Republic blogger Sonja Thompson reports that Microsoft has agreed to allow computer makers to sell Windows XP machines in the developing world until 2010.
At present, you can still purchase a new “downgraded” XP computer in the U.S.
As I noted in several previous columns, the degree of enhanced functionality that Microsoft offers with each new operating system has been decreasing steadily since the Windows 98 days.
To offset flagging software sales, the company plans to shift its focus more toward internet-based revenue models like advertising. As Thompson notes, the risks/costs-vs.-rewards equation no longer compels consumers to jump at the latest Microsoft OS. Why struggle with Microsoft’s characteristically buggy new releases for an incremental enhancement to functionality?
---posted at 8:52 am by Ed Trimnell
September 27, 2007
Tell Junior to pick a college that fits the family budget
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Would you sell your home, put off retirement or dip into your 401(k) to buy a Lamborghini or Hermes handbag for your teenager? Didn't think so. Then why do so many status-minded parents insist on buying their kids a "designer" education at an expensive private university? Plenty of accredited public schools offer a better value and a solid education.
I have occasionally remarked here on the phenomenon of “extreme parenting.” I of course applaud the fact that this generation of parents wants to spare no expense (nor time, nor effort) when raising their kids.
Nevertheless, I know some parents who are agonizing over a presumed obligation to pay for an “Ivy League” education for each of their three kids. Here is an article that puts the renewed obsession with Ivy League in a bit of perspective.
Daniel Pipes on Islamic Economics
You may be aware that a strict interpretation of the Koran forbids the charging of interest for loans.
This is a drag on the economies of nations where Shariah is practiced. There is, however, an irony: the world’s dependence on oil from the Middle East has made Shariah-based asset management more widespread. Daniel Pipes writes about the phenomenon here...
Walter Isaacson’s Einstein biography
If you are looking for some good reading, may I suggest Walter Isaacon’s Einstein: His Life and Universe. An interest in the Theory of Relativity and physics will of course help you enjoy this book more. However, Isaacson’s portrait of Einstein the man (and his times) will also grip general readers.
I am more or less glued to this one right now.
