It’s not only the US where there’s an immigration debate. There was an interesting piece in a recent issue of the London Spectator on the situation in the UK. Here’s an extract:

“Mass immigration — as opposed to limited immigration of skilled workers to meet shortages — damages the employment prospects of those already here, particularly the unskilled. The Home Office commissioned an economic study on the impact of immigration, which found that ‘an increase in immigration amounting to 1 per cent of the non-immigrant population would lead to an increase of 0.18 percentage points in the non-immigrant unemployment rate’. However, in an extraordinary act of politically correct immigration denial, the immigration minister Beverley Hughes issued a press release saying, ‘The research shows that it is simply not true that migrants “take the jobs” of the existing work force.’ However, London, where most immigrants come, has become the unemployment black spot of Britain, with 7 per cent joblessness, higher than any region of the UK. There is such a large pool of cheap labour that, for the first time ever, national chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King are no longer paying their highest rates in central London. Shop shelf-fillers now earn 10 per cent less in London than the average for the rest of the country. The world’s leading expert on the economics of migration, Professor George Borjas of Harvard University, complains that everyone is happy to accept that increasing labour supply reduces wages in all circumstances except when it comes to immigration, when they enter denial.”

Food for thought?

I haven’t been following the controversy over Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and his monument to the Ten Commandments with a great deal of attention, but these comments of his from January (if they are accurately reported) on 9/11 suggest that Moore is a judge who doesn’t always have the best judgment.

Cybill Shepherd: A Schwarzenegger victory “would be the worst tragedy in the history of California.”

Hyperbole, I know, but really….

From the LA Times :

“But talk quickly turned to the subject of the recall when a reporter asked Feinstein whether Schwarzenegger is glorifying using assault weapons by featuring them in his action movies.

"Of course it glorifies those weapons, absolutely,'' Feinstein said.”

And if we’re on the subject of words, here are a few from an early 16th Century guide to the running of a nobleman’s house. As the London Spectator’s Dot Wordsworth notes, the food sounds delicious.

And so it does:

“Frumenty with saffron; jussell, like bread sauce with sage; marmony of dates and pine nuts; mortrus of ground chicken, almond milk and rice flour; and, of course, fresh bread wrapped in its own napery, accompanying the fresh meat of fawn or coney or trout carved into mouth-sized pieces with professional skill. Each creature would not merely be carved — you had to rear a goose; spoil a hen; unlace a coney; untache a curlew; disfigure a peacock; culpon a trout; and splatte a pike.”

Would have tasted pretty good too, I reckon.

Ray Bradbury turned 83 this Friday. Judging by this, the old maestro still has plenty to say:

“Some five years back, the editors of yet another anthology for school readers put together a volume with some 400 (count ‘em) short stories in it. How do you cram 400 short stories by Twain, Irving, Poe, Maupassant and Bierce into one book?

Simplicity itself. Skin, debone, demarrow, scarify, melt, render down and destroy. Every adjective that counted, every verb that moved, every metaphor that weighed more than a mosquito – out! Every simile that would have made a sub-moron’s mouth twitch – gone! Any aside that explained the two-bit philosophy of a first-rate writer – lost!

Every story, slenderized, starved, bluepenciled, leached and bled white, resembled every other story. Twain read like Poe read like Shakespeare read like – in the finale – Edgar Guest. Every word of more than three syllables had been razored. Every image that demanded so much as one instant’s attention – shot dead.

Do you begin to get the damned and incredible picture?”

Way to go.

I’ll have to re-read some of his stories this weekend to celebrate his birthday. Something Martian may be particularly appropriate at the moment.

Via Reason

It’s currently Italy’s turn to hold the EU’s rotating presidency. As such, it is responsible for moving forward with the Union’s agenda – and one of the main items on that agenda is the attempt to secure agreement on the draft EU constitution. The Brussels flack who claims to be Sweden’s foreign minister is now arguing that Berlusconi’s government is not well positioned to push this forward because it is, supposedly, a government “that isn't very deeply rooted in the rest of Europe”. While no one should shed any tears if the EU’s despotic constitution runs into difficulty, the Swede’s comments are revealing. Contrary to some of the wishful thinking over here, Berlusconi is a supporter of deeper EU integration, so that can’t be the problem. So what is? Well, it’s not difficult to suspect that it’s Berlusconi’s support of the free market and Atlanticism, beliefs that apparently mean that the Italian premier is not a ‘real’ European.

The EU’s ideology becomes, it seems, ever more intolerant.

Germany’s curious – and seemingly increasing – nostalgia for the East German dictatorship continues to grow, a disturbing development in a country that ought to be more careful than most about its history.

Former dissident Rainer Eppelman has now weighed in on this topic:

“It is irresponsible, unhygienic, dishonest, dishonorable -- and because of this it is also extremely dangerous, above all for the youth, particularly those born after 1985, who never knew or experienced the DDR.”

The Billspricht blog has more.

On the Right Arnold's Hour?

The scene of Arnold Schwarzenegger with Milton Friedman (no less) figuratively on his right, and George Shultz (no less) on his left, declaring his intention to run for governor of California is heady conservative endorsement. For one thing, the contrast was vivid. The first announcement was done under the auspices of Jay Leno.

There was the distracting presence of Warren Buffett, sitting next to Mr. Shultz. Mr. Buffett is richer even than Arabian sheiks, but to the conservative community he is noticeable mostly for having endorsed high death taxes and capital gains taxes. The fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is endorsed by the richest man in the world tells us very little about what Californians can hope to accomplish after Mr. Davis is ousted. But Friedman-Shultz is another matter. Mr. Friedman is the prime figure in the conservative pantheon in matters that have to do with economic growth and statist continence. Mr. Shultz is, after Henry Kissinger, the senior alumnus of conservative statecraft.

But why Schwarzenegger (hereinafter, Arnold, for convenience)? California conservatives have correctly dismissed any argument that he has gained his eminence by toiling in the vineyards of political thought. Comparisons with Ronald Reagan are mindless--Reagan spent ten years developing his political thought before seeking the governorship. Arnold and Ronald have in common only that they were theatrical celebrities, their names and faces instantly recognized by the voters.

But Arnold is out of step with conservative thinking on social policies, most particularly the question of the rights of the unborn child. He is vigorously in favor of abortion, and it pays to remind oneself that neither Friedman nor Shultz is active in social conservatism. Richard Nixon once told a friend that he had learned from his own experience running for governor of California in 1962 that you can't win merely by appealing to conservatives. "But you can't win unless you do appeal to conservatives."

So what does Arnold have to offer to California conservatives?

He has primarily to offer his clean notoriety. He is the man who made it as an immigrant, radiates a pumped-iron health, made his urbane way into the Kennedy clan without taking vows of eternal servility, made and enhanced a considerable fortune by exploiting his physique and investing prudently--and he nicely accommodates the fantasy that to survive the greyness of California life, you need a touch of Cinderella. The awful conundrums of California economics and political demography welcome a Hollywood ending. But to get that, you need to come up through the ranks of the initiated. If you hope for theatrical recovery, you can't achieve it by voting for Bustamante.

Everyone in the United States, it seems, has commented on the California scene. The insight of Jerry Brown warrants attention. Mr. Brown is a little screwy, but very bright, and did two terms as governor. To skeptics he said, "It's obvious Schwarzenegger is qualified. I mean, what does it take to become a governor? I've been there, I've known all the governors since Earl Warren's time. And basically, if you have above-average intelligence, you have common sense, and you can speak in front of a camera and to a crowd, you can govern the state. I mean, after all, the governing process includes the legislature, a very competent civil service, and all sorts of rules and regulations that guide the state on its way. The whole thing about experience is a canard."

All of this may be so, and the voter can assume that Arnold could plausibly serve, but Friedman-Shultz must have winced at the decision to pass over Bill Simon. Simon, after all, is the nominal head of the Republican party of California, having won its primary election and competed with near-success against Gray Davis. Simon has a portfolio of right-minded positions on dealing with California's excesses. Institutional loyalties would suggest he be given the support of California conservatives, and it is poetic justice that the man who defeated him in the general election should have served less than a single year before being recalled.

There are the special difficulties of October. There will be no primary. And there is only one visible Democratic candidate, competing against three substantial Republicans. What force will bring unity? A proposal: All three Republican candidates who trail the leader in the polls two weeks before October 7 should agree to withdraw, in favor of the leader.

Officials said 85 per cent of all public and private retirement homes in France were permanently understaffed. At holiday times, staffing levels fell even further.

It is the most powerful movie I have ever seen. In the days since watching that rough cut, I have not been able to get the film out of my mind. Although I have read many books on the death of Jesus, and heard countless sermons dwelling on its details, I would never have believed a human being could suffer as much as Gibson's Christ does. Seen through the perspective of the mother of Jesus, as this film allows the viewer to do, the suffering is doubly painful--for with her, we watch the unbearable scourging, gustily delivered by the Romans at Pilate's orders nearly to the point of death. The pillar to which Jesus is chained is less than waist-high, so that his back is bent while he must keep himself on his feet. When he is dragged away, blood lies pooled and splattered on the white marble floor. The soldiers' laughter echoes again at the moment of the awful downward push when he is crowned with thorns. And then there are the thundering falls of the scourged Christ upon his flailed and bleeding back, under the impossible weight of the cross.

Well, here we are in election hell with several unbearable candidates. But, who has the power, intelligence, charisma and lifestyle to be governor of this state - and needs a job? Bill Clinton! I can only encourage Bill to buy a small apartment in Lodi and come out here to save us from ourselves.

"If we assume that the weight of what was stolen was one ton, [its worth] doubled every 20 years, even if the annual interest is only 5%. In one ton of gold is 700 kg of pure gold – and we must remember that what was stolen was jewelry, that is, alloyed with copper. Hence, after 1,000 years, it would be worth 1,125,898,240 million tons, which equals 1,125,898 billion tons for 1,000 years. In other words, 1,125 trillion tons of gold, that is, a million multiplied by a million tons of gold. This is for one stolen ton. The stolen gold is estimated at 300 tons, and it was not stolen for 1,000 years, but for 5,758 years, by the Jewish reckoning. Therefore, the debt is very large…

Is photoshopped.

Where is the light from backup generators? NYC was not really blacked out, because so many buildings had backup generators.

There are several other errors and clues. I leave them to you to discover.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 55 percent of abortions in the United States occur in the first eight weeks of gestation, and 88 percent within the first 12.

London's ill-judged 'congestion charge' has inconvenienced millions and hit business. To add injury to injury, the city's leftist mayor is now proposing that 'tube' fares be increased by 25 percent - but for central London only. Overall, ticket prices for the London Underground will be increased by a rather less onerous 3.6 percent. Why the discrepancy? Passengers boarding the trains in the central zone tend (allegedly) to be from higher income groups or, worse still, are tourists. They must, therefore, be punished.

Socialism - a bad idea that just won't go away.

Innocent Saleh Jombo,

Plot 22, Dry Well of Kings Ave,

Bgbuuti Blanco, Lagos.

Dear Friend, My uncle, Dr Abraham Saleh Jombo, is the Chief Urologist for the Peoples National Congress. He has developed an all-natural formula for Manhood enhancement guaranteed to put a Nigerian Nightmare in your dungarees. Unfortunately, the current civilian government is attempting to seize the millions of dollars my uncle is making with his Big Jungle John Thomas formula. This is why I am contacting you in the hopes that you might establish an account for my uncle’s money so the government may not confiscate said funds. There is only required a small transfer fee that you could readily acquire by taking advantage of today’s LOW! LOW! INTEREST RATES to refinance your home. In most cases no appraisal is necessary just your good credit. Of course my uncle who is bringing joy to millions with his Big Jungle JT would pay you a caretakers fee of up to 50% of all profits. This will come in handy for starting your home-based business providing HIGH QUALITY INKJET CARTRIDGES & LASER TONER AT DISCOUNT PRICES! Everything will be over within 7 working days. For reasons best known to me, as it also affect my office, I have decided to reach you through the internet until I get your interest indicated. I will give you a confidential phone and fax numbers for easy communication on the directives.

Runner-up from Joe Huenke, with one of those compositions that make you feel the writer is not totally in control of his material.

I am Mari Neke Soso, daughter of M. Sese-soko, deposed benevolent ruler of Congo in Africa. I have just turned 18 & got youre name from a chat room. I have inherited $14 million dollars when my father was forced to flee my country. Using this money I have made wise investments & have gotten my breasts enlarged 2 full cup sizes. I am certain that if you take opportunity of this exciting opportunity, you too can add 4 inches to your male member, as this offer will get to free prescription Viagra from Canada with absoulutley no cost. All I ask is that you send me your bank account number so that I can rush you FREE color ink jet ink cartridges for CHEAP! This is a once-in-a-life-time-opportinuty that is waiting for you as am I with my fun new large breasts. DO NOT DELAY!!

The fall out from Arnold's bizarre decision to add the scold of Omaha to his campaign team continues. Conservative gubernatorial candidate Tom McClintock is now claiming that contributions to his campaign surged after remarks from Buffett that suggested that the billionaire was "pining for the days people lost their homes because of spiralling property taxes". Well, there may be just a little bit of hype there, but Buffett should remember this old adage: when an adviser becomes the news story, it's time for that adviser to quit.

I found a copy of the New York Times up here in Maine. Apparently Gray Davis is denouncing the recall because it is "un-democratic." This is bass-ackwards nonsense. As I've written before, the problem with the recall is that it is too democratic. It puts the will of the voters above the mechanisms of republican government. In a democratic republic we vote on who should decide the issues, not the issues themselves. The vote may be un-Democratic insofar as it is against the interests of the Democratic Party, but the recall vote itself is the height of democracy in action.

Many Arabs are split between two contradictory political forces. They deny the right of the American-led coalition to control Iraq's future and they resent the way in which the coalition is wasting its opportunities and is not incorporating Iraqis into the government fast enough. Yet at the same time they are grateful to the coalition for removing the shocking regime, and giving an opportunity to build a new Iraq which would not have been imaginable before the invasion. The Arab world cannot simply ignore the brutality of Saddam's regime. The fact that it happened has to be accepted, and blame taken for not speaking up against it should also be accepted, so that the region can move on to a better future based on more honesty and transparency.

Muslim women could easily check the fraudulent nature of the neo-Islamist hijab by leafing through their family albums. They will not find the picture of a single female ancestor of theirs who wore the cursed headgear now marketed as an absolute "must" of Islam.

This fake Islamic hijab is nothing but a political prop, a weapon of visual terrorism. It is the symbol of a totalitarian ideology inspired more by Nazism and Communism than by Islam. It is as symbolic of Islam as the Mao uniform was of Chinese civilization.

Look: The bomber yesterday may have been a Ba'athist. Or an al Qaeda terrorist. Or a member of Islamic Jihad or Hezbollah on a little pleasure trip. There is precious little in the way of distinction to be drawn between these forces anymore. They all hate us, and they hate Israel (as yesterday's bombing there proved yet again), and they are going to do what they can to destroy whatever they can.

And they want to know what the West is going to do about it.

Over the past several days, the Iraqi hardliners and their terrorist allies attacked an oil pipeline and a water main. Yesterday, a terrorist drove a truck bomb into the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing dozens and wounding more than 100 people.

Our enemies' initial "Mogadishu Strategy" - based on the faulty notion that if you kill Americans they pack up and go home - was a disaster for them. Our response devastated their already-crippled organization. Now, with reduced capabilities and decayed leadership, they've turned to attacking soft targets. It's the best they can do.

It's ugly. But it's an indicator of their weakness, not of strength.