fearthemeatball

Well….Fuck.

2011-04-29T05:08:15Z

This….Is a moment I wasn’t looking forward to. It’s just a shitty realization that, let’s be honest, has been building to a head for months now. I’ve been kidding myself, and lying to myself, and really, it’s time to stop running and just be honest….
*Deep breath* BurlyYouWereRightMisfitsIsAwesome!!!!! I can’t believe I’ve never watched an episode till now!!!
I mean, superpowers, and British slang, and boobies, but then they turn into old and that’s not good but up till then they’re spectacular! I watched the whole season in one sitting (only six episodes, but STILL!!!!)
Also, there may or may not be an internet video of me watching the boobie episode and then having a moment of pure terror as they turn….not awesome…Just sayin’. Keep an eye out for that!

Because Peer Pressure's A Bitch...

2010-11-18T06:12:47Z

1. I am a minion in the Customer Service Industry. While I never expected to end up here, apparently I have a gift at randomly chatting up the customers.

2. I find the previous statement absolutely hillarious since, in social situations that require ACTUAL MEANINGFUL INTERACTION with people I don't know, I clam up tighter than Michael Jackson's plastic face

3. I'm a wonderful mix of socially retarded with an obsessive mindset. This has led to me thinking that I've scared off friends I've known for DECADES simply by being who I am. Then apologizing profusely while they look at me trying to figure out what it is I think I've done.

4. I have spent the better part of a year on the biggest art project I've ever attempted...Or even CONCEIVED for that matter. I've drawn 65 characters so far and I'm not even a third of the way done.

5. When that hellish job is done, I've already thought up TWO MORE similar projects that I'd like to attempt. Rough estimate of completion date: January 2020

6. I wanted to be a cab driver when I was 6. Dunno why, but that was my goal apprently?

7. I'm boring to the point where there are more than a dozen staff members from 5 different restaurants who know what I want to eat the second I step through the doorway

8. At nearly 28 years of age, I've only had two girlfriends and gone on dates with five girls. the fact that I'd gone nearly a decade between girlfriends was, oddly enough, a point of pride AS WELL as depression for me

9. I've been verbally "accused" (for lack of a better word) of being gay by at least 5 people, with more than a dozen others saying they'd thought I was at some point or another .

10. I've been told by girls that, before they get to know me, I give off a creeper vibe. Apparently that changes after I say more than three sentences.

11. I've only left North America once. I never realized that beaches had such clear water before then.

12. I consider myself a huge geek, loving anime, children's cartoons, comic books, science fiction, fantasy, steam punk, alternate timeline stories and video games. There's probably more I'm forgetting.

13. I've had my comics published in the Haldimand version (or at least the closest facsimile) of a town newspaper, my high school paper, a job search website (long story) and most recently, my own web comic (most recently being, like, 2 years ago)

14. My genetic background has, thus far, "gifted" me with Obsessive Compulsive, ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome, a mood disorder, a sleeping disorder, and type 1 diabetes. But at least now I have a cool cyber pancreas that plays MP3s :P

15. It's 1am and I've totally forgotten to take my sleeping pill *Goes down to the pill cupboard*

16. I make WEIRD CRAP outta cardboard. It's gone from a random hobby (board games, miscellaneous props) to something that I'm actually impressed at (Mostly-To-Scale proton pack). How long these items stay together is another story entirely

17. I'm generally not an angry person. In fact, I've only gotten TRULY FURIOUS twice. Both times I've been told I'm kinda terrifying when it happens.

18. I found a grey hair yesterday. This labels me as old. Despite this, it's almost impossible for me to call myself an adult without severe conscious effort

19. Since moving out on my own, I have yet to cook myself a meal that doesn’t involve pasta in some way, shape of form.

20. I'm a bit of a slob, but when I DO clean, my OCD kicks into overdrive. Everything is organized by colour, type, use, brand, genre, etc. it's kinda terrifying o_O

21. I collect Optimus Prime figures. It's the longest collection I've had without me getting bored and selling it off piece by piece. I kinda have a short attention span.

22. I can do pretty decent cartoon voices and kick ass at singing the Genie's songs from Aladdin. I actually toyed with the thought of being a voice actor for a while.

23. I constantly wonder what my life would be like if it were a video game. Not me-being-the-main-character-going-off-on-a-quest type video game, but just my daily grind.

24. The more I watch the news, the more I get the feeling that we, as a species, wont survive past the next fifty years. The more I'm forced to hear about celebrities and their day to day drama, the more I HOPE that we wont survive past the next fifty years

25. I'm not normal. Never have been, never will be. There were years gone by that this fact bothered me. But the older I get, the more I surround myself with like-minded lunatics, the more I realize that I don't really care. Normal is boring, and COMPLETELY overrated!

Off to the land of Geeks and Losers...My people!!!

2010-07-16T02:09:31Z

Polaris!!! This Weekend!!! I will be dressed like a ghostbuster.
fun fact, proton packs made out of cardboard do NOT like to stay together, and are STILL heavy like a bitch :P

fearthemeatball @ 2010-06-27T19:49:00

2010-06-27T23:49:30Z

OK....Let's make one thing perfectly clear...I *HATE* talking about myself....
I mean, I can write/talk up a storm when it involves stupid, day to day stuff, but the REALLY important stuff I always feel like I'm bragging/pitty whoring. So, many things are happening right now, and I'll probably get beaten up if I dont put a few down (I think Giggly's already planning my early death for lack of appearance...)
In order...
1) Broke up with Girly friend....Wasn't working. Didn't have the necesary feelings for her, fealt like I was staying with her because she liked me and was available. Also, known her for about 6 months and knew nothing...NOTHING...about her. not even her favourite colour. She talks to me but has nothing to say....BLARG! single again!
2) Moved out! Yup! I now live in Mount Hope with a buddy from work. I has two nice sized rooms and a bathroom allllll to myself :P Been here for a few days now and is quite awesome!
3) The girl who I've been in love/infatuated with for about four years, Megan, is moving back to the states and probably never coming back. This, immediately following conversations that made it sound like she actually, FINALLY, liked me as much as I liked her. My romantic/social life is a God-damned teenage drama. Fuck :S
I think that's about it. Peace!

Planning, Planning, Planning....Shit, late for work!!!

2010-04-08T15:16:55Z

Good day peeps and peepettes....OK, mostly peepettes XD
as far as the movie on saturday goes, the only one I'd be able to make it to would be the 9:15 one, since i work through all the others. Does this still work for peoples?
what time would we wanna get together? do we wanna get foodstuffs? I'll be getting supper after work regardless, but I wanted to know if I should wait and eat with y'all...

also, if their needed, rides are on the house, but since there will be 4 or 5 of you (is the goth bringing her girlyfriend?) it MAY be a wee bit cramped

anywho, could we gets a sound off on who's deffinately going and who'll need a ride from where?

Geriatrics of the world UNITE!!!!

2010-01-19T17:34:12Z

Oh my God I'm OLD!!!! *Spasm/flail/faceplant*

In other news....do we know what's going on for wednesday? Inquiring minds want to know!!! (Psst!!! I'm talking about me!!!)

Lemmings Follow Blindly Behind The Burly!!!

2010-01-01T06:29:15Z

Because Burly did it, and I wanted to see if I could even REMEMBER what happened to me in the last 10 years.....lets see here

-Had a medication screwup that caused me to lose a semester of highschool, due to random excessive twitchiness
-Graduated high school
-Had a comic strip in the town paper and the school paper, as well as having some prints show up in my aunt's online business site from time to time (yay webcomic roots!!!)
-Worked (in order) at a pizza place parking lot sweeping, a hay farm, an office as a data entry drone, a pizza place, a Pier 1, a Mark's Work Wearhouse, A greenhouse, and a Costcoooooo in a Pear Treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
-Went into Mohawk for Graphic Design
-Failed out of Mohawk for Graphic Design (they don't like it when you don't show up for most of your classes...I figured that out my own self!!!)
-Finally realized that I like myself as a geek and a freak and finally decided to stop (for the most part) trying to fit in!!!
-Went on dates with five people, only one of which went on to become a girlfriend (also known as queen batshit) 4 of which were since 2008 (Bonus points if you can name them all....which you can't since you don't know about one of 'em!!!)
-Went to Mohawk again for General Arts and actually showed up for classes (having friends there helped!!!)
-had a webcomic, changed the direction of the webcomic, stopped doing the webcomic, then started ENJOYING drawing again!!
-Grad-ja-mated Mohawk (YAY!!! Gold Star!!!)
-Got in no less than 3 car accidents (only one of which was my fault, DAMN YOU ARABIC CAB DRIVERS!!!)
-Became the subject of the Costco rumour mill THREE TIMES for dating girls that I wasn't actually dating (That'd be Burly, the Goth, and someone else you don't know!)
-Went batshit-fucking-round-the-bend INSANE (oh, wait, no....I was always like that :P)

I think that's it? anything I left out?

A Clusterfuck of Yuletide Proportions!!!

2009-12-18T18:54:00Z

Damn this infernal season :S

Okeedokee. So, the plans for saturday seem to be SOMEWHAT in flux this week. I've been surprised to find out that a) I already had plans for saturday, which, with a little finesse, have been altered just enough that I can actually spend time with you guys (my brain is not a good calendar, for this I appologize) but damnation, I was gonna spend some time with y'all if it killed me...does it make me a slightly mental person to say that i just can't get the same grade of warped conversations with people at work?
b) work sucks (i know, she left me roses by the stairs....uh....never mind :S) turns out that we're open EXTRA LATE this saturday....SURPRISE!!!!! so at the moment, I am schedualed in till 7:30 MINIMUM! I am calling in every favour I can find to try and get an earlier shift, but I'm on door, and everyone seems to hate the door (because it SUCKS!!!) so that's still in the air.
c) I haven't really been on LJ much recently...sadly I have not had much excitement in my life and therefore nothing to post....I have NOT ABANDONNED YOU GUYS!!!! *spasm/flail/faceplant*
hmmmmm....I think that's it.....OH! New disney cartoon is awesome, I don't care if Nair's ruined Disney for the rest of you, 'twas GRAND!!!

See you saturday (I hope :S)

Fa la la la la la la, I'm DOOMED!

PS, YAY! another excuse to use my Khan Icon!!!

Because Burly Told Me To!!!!

2009-12-04T16:27:02Z

Apaprently Burly wants a list of ten? *sigh* work work work

I would like gift cards from

1. EB Games
2. Chapters
3. Michaels Art Supply
4. HMV or another joint in which I can purchase movies

Non gift card thingers include

5. Nothing
6. I
7. Can
8. think
9. of!!!!
10. ~~A girl who puts out~~ World Peace!!!!

Shit, that really IS hard to think of a bunch of things :S

Surveys Surveys Surveys...

2009-11-15T06:02:31Z

Because I like to cave to the demands of my peers....I Give you ANSWERS!!!

1. Favourite cheese?
MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Mozzerella!!!

2. What one TV show from your childhood (or aimed at children) that is no longer on TV would you bring back for the children of today to watch?
I was always fond of the Centurions. Well drawn, and written by some big names in science fiction....great fun :D

3. Do you feel more manly when you have a beard?

Oddly enough no, but other people apparently feel I'm more manly with the beard. I just think it suits my face better!

4. Best Star Trek? (Original, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, the cartoon or the new movie?)
I really liked the war with the dominion, but TNG was what I grew up with every week. Me and mom would watch it together....It was more fun to watch her being terrified of the borg than anything else!

5. Which is worse, to star in an internationally aired herpes commercial, or be forced to watch Tyra, once everyday for the rest of your life?
You....Watch too much Supernatural (Yeah, that's right, I caught it) I have never watched Tyra, so with my lack of understanding, I would have to say the herpes advertisement....for now anyways!

Neener Neener Neener Neener....Doogie Howser!?!?!?

2009-10-04T04:02:45Z

...I bring this up as only a public service anouncement....
Not sure if you remember me bringing up Batman: The Brave and the Bold....which had Deidrich Bader as Batman....I still can't tear my eyes away from it...
...But that's not the point....I know a few (ie pretty much ALL of ya) are Neil Patric Harris fans....well, if you has the chance, look up the episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister". 'Tis a musical episode (a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer) with NPH as the main villain....and honestly....the damn music is stuck in my head and will NOT GO AWAY!!! so you must all suffer too!

For those of you who cannae or dinnae download stuffs.... Here and here are the two parts on Youtube...I specifically look towards the bedridden of the group.....may bring you a moment of giggles :D

School's a Bitch, School Teachers are Bastards....

2009-09-07T22:59:09Z

Because I said I would, the saga that was my schooling failure...

So, I was all prepared to go to school....Looking forward to it really, but then it happened (dun dun duuuuuunnnnn). I got me a call from the head of computer animation and character design (NOT comics and illustration, which is the course I applied for, but the head of ANOTHER course in Mohawk). The head of this porgram (who's name I cannae remember) said that due to the economy, and the fact that there was serious lack of proper applications for the comics and illustrations course, the course I applied for was cancelled. the head of computer animation and character design had called me so that he could convince me to change my course and go into his (most likely so that HIS course wouldn't be cancelled due to lack of interest and the economy :D)
well, the phone number from which he called me checked out (God bless call display) so I knoew it wasn't just some ass trying to prank me. I called the comics and illustrations head, and couldn't get ahold of them, I also called the head of the graphic design course, which "comics" is under, and couldn't get ahold of her. I left numerous messages and never got a response. I called the head of computer animation and character design and asked for more details. turns out that they will be doing the course again next year, but there will no longer be a need for prerequisits (like, say, GENERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE!!!) so THAT was a waste of money (but not time, I did enjoy it....for the most part :P)
they were planning on making the comics course a two year course as of next year. This meant that, with the year off in between, and the two years of courses next year, I'd be in school, and living at home untill I was 29 or 30. I had one response to that...

FUCK NO!!!

I loves my parents, and they have been all nice and kind and generous to let me live here this long, but I gots to get the hell out of here before I go BATSHIT!!! It was a course that I was taking this course for my own entertainment only. A Mohawk art course is NOT gonna get me a career...EVER. I met one of the guys who went through the comics course, he's dating a coworker of mine. He is now a manager of the Silver City in Ancaster, and living with his parents at 32. No-Fucking-Thanks.

As time moved on, I realized that I was actually looking forward to going back to work. I've probably said this a million times, but I miss disposable income. I'm saving, and planning, and HOPEFULLY moving out in a year's time....maybe less.

So yeah...That's the entire saga....wheeeeeeee :S

Also.....This may be the last time I get to use my School-a-cide icon :D

Because I've NEVER been one to bow to peer preasure...

2009-09-04T15:31:58Z

1. I LIKE NUMBERS TOO!!!! And I want to be cool like the front row kids...wait...

2. My life of constant work is boring, but entertaining....does that make sense? Also, I have only JUST realized that I never went into much detail on my course being cancelled...I shall do that in the near future. Also, I have just realized that I only said stuff about that on Facebook, so Burly may be shocked and/or pissed off to only just find out about this stuff...SORRY BURLY!!!

3. Saturdays? OFF? HA! I doubt it's gonna happen, but if I do miraculously happen to find myself free on a saturday, I am THERE!!! (PS, my spirit animal is a vegetable....don't ask, 'tis a long story)

4. Aside from the fair(e) there should be hangouts of awesomeness and, well, i dunno, that's about as much as I can think of...

5. I gotta go now.....more to come...probably :P

fearthemeatball @ 2009-07-30T13:32:00

2009-07-31T17:34:08Z

So I seem to recall some of y'all complaining that you couldn't get to your old emails (and that is most definately a good reason to complain). but, i just noticed (and i could be a few weeks out of date here :P) that if you click the email icon on mocomotion, that one of the emails allows you to access old eamils.
just figured y'all may wanna know that

Ah, nerddom....My home sweet home :D

2009-06-15T03:02:55Z

I have been in a seriously Comic-Geeky mood since purchasing the Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe game a week or so ago, and I bring you internet exploits and discoveries caused by said geekiness.....

Spiderman live action show (Apparently Spiderman has a MEGAZORD!?!?!?)

A rather kick-ass CG animation made for the sole purpose of advertising comics....sweet!

Spiderman meets STAN LEE!?!?!?

X-Men? In LEGO!!!!!

HA!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Australian Wolverine!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

OCD in the Hiz-Ouse!!!

2009-06-08T23:06:11Z

Alright boys and girls...well, i guess it's just girls idn't it?
we has reservations for Mandarine, at 5:00, although we don't expect some of the people to arrive untill 5:30, so it's a good guess that we won't eat till then. we have reservations for a bigger party than we actually have, so if some others wanna come, they're more than invited.
what i need to know is, since I'm coming down to pick up the giggly goth and her girly friend, does the Elle need a ride? are you coming to the grad? because I seem to remember that you were kinda on the fence. If you're not, i can come and pick you up, but if you were to get a ride to a more centralized location, it'd make my life easier...
get back to me (those who need to) with the details, and I shall see y'all on the 15th!

But will I be able to play piano again doc?

2009-05-30T03:08:32Z

So, since things can never go to smoothly...
Tonight, I was at a friends, helping him do odd jobs around the house. I'm coming off of his back deck, and i miss-step, my foot goes sideways, the rest of my body does not. I have torn ligaments in my right ankle, as well as a liiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit of internal bleeding (not the bad, "oh god yer gonna die" kind).
This limits me in some fun ways....right foot=gas peddal foot...NO DRIVING for me :(
Burly, WILL be picking you up at same time, but will be with parents, as my driving foot is injured.
but this kinda means we are forced to follow THEIR plans. might stay late, might not....depends on how they feel...that being said, if it DOES get too late, mom says yer more than welcome to bring some sleeping supplies and sleep in our TV room...
sorry this is so late, i been in the ER :P
also, I have brought this up before, but I shall write it again...
mom is making plans for the whole dinner at grad night thing. she wants to know exact (or as close as possible) numbers by monday june 8. this will allow us to make reservations. and mom decided to change the deal a weeeeee bit. she will buy those who are being paid for "normal" drinks, but she don't have enough for al-ca-ma-hols, so yer responsible fer yer own booze.
Elle, are you coming? is yer parents? they too are invited, but mom ain't payin' for them :P
I think that's all the rembling for now,
PEACE!!

RSVP, ASAP....LMNOP!!!!

2009-05-22T18:09:58Z

so, here's the deal (in case you guysh have forgotten). Dinner! on the night of grad!!! paid for by me mudder!! At the Mandarin no less!!!(!)
so, mom wants to know what the group is gonna look like (so she knows what to put aside financially speaking). so...

Those who are invited and paid for...
Elle
Giggly
Giggly's Girl
Burley

Thos who are invited but NOT being paid for by mom
Elle's parents
Burly's hetero life partner...

(no offense to these people, but mom only has so much money...so i appologize in advance)

we weould like if we could get a relatively definate number in advance, since, with the size of the party, we will most likely have to make a reservation, ya?

also, most likely to be making an apperance are Megan, and Adam...and just for Burly....MY DAD!!! (most likely:P)

So, yeah, a response sooner than later would be appreciated...and i give you the ninja turtle since it's my only food icoon!

Graduation, Celebration, Mastication...

2009-05-11T20:32:46Z

OK, so...I could talk to you guys about this tomorrow, but I need to get directions anyways, so I figure I'll write this out, and then we can go over specifics tomorrow.

Firstly...Gage Park....is that off of the first road you can turn right onto after coming down the upper james mountain access (I think it's main)? Also, where would a good place to park be?

Secondly...me muther was thinking stuff (as she does from time to time). She was thinking that she wanted to go out for dinner on th' day of our grad-ja-mation...She was also thinking that she'd like everyone to come along. She was thinking that for those of you who might not have the funds (specifically Giggly and Burley) she'd pay. Elle, if yer coming to grad, do you want to come out too? Do your parents wanna come to dinner? (this was ALSO mom's idea). If parents do not want to come, but you do, but you cannae afford it, mom will pay for you too. But, since she's paying a lot, if you CAN afford it, or your parents can pay, she'd appreciate it if you payed for yer meal...

Thirdly...Giggly, mom also says the girly friend is invited, and she will be paid for. Also, I has three invites for grad, if you wanna come, you can, and I can see if I can get an extra one for the girly-friend.
what does everyone think about this? questions comments concerns?

PS-KD...I leave you out of this only because I'm pretty sure yer not gonna be in the area on grad. If you ARE in the area, and i'm an idiot, then yer more than invited, but the same condition as Elle applies (mom ain't amde of money....only 40% of her is :P)

I leave you with my Ninja Turtle icon since it's the only one to do with food :P

It's all Geek to me...

2009-05-04T19:07:58Z

yay 4 free comics!!!
went to london on saturday, and i have to say...it's a lot better than free comic book day in hamilton. they has 4 big comic stores, and an anime store...and i don't think i saw more than 50 people all day who didn't have a bag of free comics!!! (Burly, didja happen to get the dresdin files comic? if not, i shall toss it your way next time we meet!) did anyone else go to free comic day? what was it like in toronto, elle?

best moment, a big store called heroes had a lineup because they only let 30 people in at a time (otherwise there'd be a big mess!!!). while we were waiting in line, a limo pulled up, and a group of four peoples came out of it, three dressed like anime characters, one dressed as warschach (or however the hell you spell it) and got in line....that seems like a good idea to me :P

also, they have a full size mjolnir from ultimates....want want WANT!!!

Because Everyone Liked It So Much Last Time...

2009-04-22T22:05:27Z

MOAR NOTES!!!
Now in History flavour!!

also, I think I may be missing one or two days...if anyone has 'em and wants to put 'em on here, I would have no objections :D

April 7, 2009

Fascism appealed to people traumatized by these treaty provisions
Fiercely nationalistic
Anti-individualistic
Anti-civil liberties
These things hinder national goals
Authoritarian
Militaristic
Promise/suggest order
Cult of the leader

National socialism…the first two letters in the German word for National and Socialism=NAZI
One form of fascism

They build a political program/platform based around national pride (denouncing the Versailles Treaty) and promising order (economic and social)
This would all be achieved at the expense of civil liberties, individual rights, etc.
Nazis "identified" a problem=>Jewish conspiracy
Scapegoat the Jews as responsible for all Germany's problems
The advent of the great depression in the early 30s greatly increases Nazi popularity
By 1933, the Nazis are in power-through three things, they increase their power;
1) police state/concentration camps=>Hitler eventually gets absolute power
2) controlling the economy through a state and business partnership
3) spectacle=>huge rallies, propaganda
He begins to boost national pride by repudiating the Versailles treaty
1) 1935-1936-ignores the treaty provisions regarding de- militarization, no air force, etc
2) no one does ANYTHING about it
APPEASEMENT
England, France, etc, were so traumatized by WWI that they were largely pacifist now
They had other things (social programs) to spend money on
3) a growing sense that the Germans had suffered enough and maybe the treaty had gone too far
British prime minister Chamberlain
Hitler's aggression begins 1938-1939
1938-spring Hitler annexes Austria (without a fight)
Fall-Hitler threatens Czechoslovakia (over the Sudetenland)
The Sudetenland happens to have the best arms factories in the world
Chamberlain flies to Munich to meet Hitler…and brokers a "deal"=>Hitler can take over the Sudetenland IF he promises to stop expanding Germany
1939-spring-Hitler invades the rest of Czechoslovakia
FINALLY, appeasement is discredited
Fall-Hitler invades Poland
Because the British had (FINALLY) drawn a line in the sand and guaranteed the safety of Poland, WWII begins with this event
The situation in Russia:
1917-democratic-socialist revolution eventually followed by a communist or "revolutionary-socialist" revolution
In theory, the "dictatorship of proletariat" is instituted
Dictatorship is an important part of it!!!!(!)
1st dictator-Lenin
2nd dictator-Stalin (mid 1920s to the mid 1950s)
Similar to Nazism
A) extensive welfare system
B) lack of civil liberties (Police state, use of terror systematically to control the population)
Key difference: Nazism operated within a capitalist (largely) framework and had more survival of private ownership in the system generally
Russia became the key member in "the union (by force) of Soviet Socialist Republics"
Soviet=workers committee
(they'd been key during the revolution)

April 14

While Britain and france were pacifist in the 1920s and 30s, the US was isolationist (they felt betrayed by the Versailles treaty…they hadn't been listened to)
The US president during WWI=>Wilson…was an idealist
He did NOT want to punish germany, had an idea for a "League of Nations"=>he was not listened to
The French were confident that germany couldn't invade…
They'd built a massive, defensive wall
"the Maginot Line"
But the germans will eventually just go around it (through Belgium)
Blitzkrieg
The RAF (Royal Air Force) fought the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) with the help of RADAR…and great heroism
The Japanese decide to expand their empire to get raw materials (oil, rubber, etc) and attack the US to prevent retaliation
They attack the US on December 7, 1941

April 15, 2009

Bushido-Japanese warrior code: no surrender
September 1939-Albert Einstein fled, contacted president Eisenhower about nuclear weapons.

For The Goth....Yet Again!

2009-04-21T15:29:21Z

let's try this again, and see if'n it don't work all proper like :P

March 26, 2009

What does globalization mean? a regional phenomenon transformed into a global one
Globalization in the 21st century=>Bretton Woods Agreement 1944
Wider purpose…informed by domestic, economic and political priorities
"Peace through prosperity"
3 mechanisms:
international bank for reconstruction and development (World Bank)
The international monetary fund (The IMF)
The general Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT, Now WTO)
Globalization
1600 The East India Company
Joint stock-Multinational Corperations with exposure throughout the near east India
Raising money
Distributing the risk
Corperations extended their reach and secured their investments through the royal navy and the East India Company…Private Army
Noam Chomsky says Globalization means the triumph of neo-liberal, economic and political ideology
Often with the aid and compliance of "Denationalized Elites" (In Middle East they are referred to as the Arab Façade)
Chomsky says the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO are all under the neo-liberal banner
Those who trumpet globalization speak of it as a rising tide that floats all boats
Ion china and throughout asia a dramatic decrease in the number of people earning less than two dollars a day
ASIA
1981 60% made less than $1.00 US/Day, Today 11% make less than $1.00 US/Day
1981 84% made less than $2.00/Day, Today 40% make less than $2.00/Day
LATIN AMERICA
1981 10% make less than $1.00/Day, Today 9% make less than $1.00/Day
1981 30% make less than $2.00/Day, Today 23% make less than $2.00/Day
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
1981 42% make less than $1.00/Day, Today 44% make less than $1.00/Day
1981 33% make less than $2.00/Day, Today 75% make less than $2.00/Day

What does this mean for countries that have school fees? No school for the poor families

Life expectancy
With industrialization comes increased life expectancy
Technology/healthcare
Technology, vaccines, and better diet makes for longer life expectancy
Throughout the developing world since WWII, on average the life expectancy doubled
End of WWII Sub-Saharan Africa life expectancy was 30 years
Life expectancy from WWII to 1980 life expectancy increased to 50 years
Until the revelation of the HIV virus, Malaria was the number one sub-Saharan African killer
Since the HIV epidemic, the life expectancy of sub-Saharan Africa is now 47%
Infant mortality has declined everywhere
Chinese economy produces much more today than 40 years ago. Why? Two factors: capital and education.
Education is the major factor
Throughout the developing world, after WWII 52% of the population was literate
Today 81% percent are literate
Female literacy rate in 1960 59%
Today is 80%
1960 developing world, 24% of children were working
Today 10% of children are working

Criticisms
World bank-"Green Room" negotiations
IMF-voting mechanism-nations vote according to their contribution
The real voting takes place not out in the open, but in backroom deals amongst the rich countries
Criticisms about the WTO
Evolved out of the GATT
Club made out of UN nations
WTO regulations-seek to limit tariff barriers to trade
Non tariffs barriers to trade
EU subsidizes agricultural producers-price goes down
Quintile=20% of something
The top quintile worldwide use 83% of world's resources

March 31, 2009

The triumph of neo-liberalism
Neo-Latin for new
The individual in neo-liberalism is more "thinly sliced"

Adam Smith-classical liberalism
The thickly sliced individual who's self-love includes a knowledge of a greater purpose
"The theory of moral sentiments"
For smith, an individual's merit or demerit is determined by an impartial (disinterested: no personal interest in the outcome of their…) arbiter

Back to globalization and IMF loans
Not the lender of choice but of last resort
IMF conditions imposed on recipient nations…
Structural adjustment programs
Recipient nations get spending in line with income
Infrastructure, water, electricity, health care and education

Lester "Mike" Pearson…recommended that the wealthiest nations contribute 3/4 of a percent of GDP to forgive third world debt.
The triumph of economic and political liberalism
Liberal preconditions for economic growth
Liberal: less likely to be the thickly sliced liberal of Adam Smith's day
1991 Francis Fukyama
Worked in the reagan white house
Fellow of the conservative rand corporation
LIBERAL conservative
"the end of history"=>the collapse of communism
The debate over the best form of social organization…LIBERALISM. The crowned king of social organization
Why?
Government's guarantors of natural liberty? and free markets

1. Investment in post-secondary education…why?
The better educated the worker, the more productive and efficient it could generate greater wealth
10 lbs of potatoes
An automobile
Microsoft Word 2007
-------------------
Requires differing
Levels of education
And especially for young women (increase competition)(women hold up half the sky)
Educating women increases gains from human capital
(cost benefit analysis)
Where women are defined by their biology they MAKE BABIES! (Fertility rates high)
Children absorb increases in GDP and per capita GDP
In Quebec, before the quiet revolution (1960) unilingual francophone females finished school at grade 7
Today, women in post secondary outnumber males
In Quebec before 1960-highest fertility rate in west…Today 1.8 births/fertile female (below replacement rate of 2.4)

2. Investment in health care…Why?
Healthy workers are happy/productive workers
Take fewer days off work
More productive and work longer
Up front costs to student and state are amortized over a longer working life…
Healthcare and institutional IQ of industry
Babies:

April 2, 2009

Globalization revisited
Winners and losers
Canada after WWII
Winners-South Korea (14 on UN's list of economies)
Losers-Saharan Africa
China
The global economic crisis
Oops
Glass-Steagal act following the market crash of 1929

Canada-nanny state to neo-liberal agenda
Globalization-better to have been born in a developed nation (Canada). But, if born in less developed world, better to have been born after 1970 (End of WWII and creation of…something?):
A generation after-realize the consequences of state financed development programs
In Canada, better to have been a baby boomer
1945-1980: the golden age of
The Keynesian welfare state
Industrial labour
Location, location, location
Spatially and temporally.
Geography and time
Economic in the Americas shifts from war production to consumer production almost effortlessly
Driven by: Europe and Asia "bombed into the stone age" and needed rebuilding. Gave momentum to domestic industry
Baby boom (bombs made out of small children) 1945-1960
Manufacturing and industrial labour
Dramatic increase in wages and benefits for relatively unskilled but hardworking labour (undereducated)
Not yet subject to competition from lower cost regimes…big wows: single family income, house in suburbia, a new car in the driveway

Politics and the role of the state
Politics informed by Keynes.
Big government has its day
Governments identify social problems (or dysfunctions)
1. Urban "slums"=>urban renewal
2. Education…as a response to technological change
By 1967 post secondary, but not university?
3. Community colleges of arts and technology
24 community colleges in Ontario $144 million/year
K to 5 primary schools
4. Portable, comprehensive, universal healthcare
In Ontario $48 billion this year
Mid 1970s
Commodities produced in lower cost regimes gain access to north American market
1970's oil shock
Mid 1970's OPEC
Dramatic slowdown in economic activity
Unemployment goes up
Government revenue goes down
Government expenses go up
Perfect storm
Milton Friedman
University of Chicago-economist
Government should get smaller
Liberalism is late arriving in Canada, but it's here now
Neo-liberalism has not as much success here as in the states
We have wed liberal capitalism to socialism

Architect of the nanny state: Paul Martin
The dude who dismantled the nanny state: Paul Martin Jr.

Under neo-liberal agenda-government is seen as a problem

April 7, 2009

Shared cost programs
Federal government spent money in areas of provincial concern
1940-$0.50/$1.00
Fifty cent dollars
$0.18/$1.00
Provincial governments have less money for health care=>longer wait times, the closing of hospital beds, the closing of hospitals
Education: closing schools, laying off teacher's assistants, librarians, art, music, drama etc gone the way of the dodo
What about community collages?
1967 your dad could have paid through tuition 1/6 of the cost of his tuition
Today, you pay 1/3 of the cost of your tuition
Tuition hikes in the near future
Since 1980's maybe government has come to be seen as "The Problem"
Amalgamation: if you live in Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, etc, you don't elect a number of representatives, but ONLY ONE!
Aging infrastructure: roads, bridges, sewer systems, etc
USER FEES!!!!
South Korea-an asian tiger (sometimes associated with the Asian Miracle)
1960 South Korea=>per capita GDP $300.00 US/Year
Ghana=>the same as South Korea
Today, South Korea GDP/Person is $20 000 US
14 on the international list
Ghana GDP/Person is $2 000 US
After WWII Golden age of industrial labour in the new world (North America)
Before the "miracle" south Korea relied on foreign aid and only a few agricultural staples
Rural and economically backward…location
The cold war and the domino theory
IBRD designed to rebuild war torn Germany and Japan to keep both from falling into the arms of the communists
After the Korean war
Early 1950s
A partnership between government and big business and big banks
State capitalism
Looks like mercantilism
To manufacture for the export market and limit competition from foreign economies
Import substitution: manufacturing what might have been imported from elsewhere (Subsidy of domestic manufacturers)
Manufacturing for export
Import substitutions and tariffs
Little spending by Koreans on consumer perishables
Levels of savings increase money in the banks for development of manufacturing
Wages suppressed , increased Korea's competitiveness until 1980s
Since the 1990s, government has withdrawn from management of the economy and Korea has moved to free market capitalism from state capitalism
Walter Rostow and communism (state managed economy)
Disease of transition
Walter Rostow-free marketer
Project undertaken by government: infrastructure
Highways and communications systems (Koreans are leaders in communications systems now)
A system of primary and secondary education
Korea's literacy rate is 99%, equal with most areas
Japan (99%) China (77% and rising)
Singapore and Taiwan (90% and rising)
Canada (99%)
Ghana (60%) one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa
Uganda (48%)
Zaire (28%)
Correlation between literacy rates and per capita income
Life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is 47 years
GDP through sub-Saharan Africa is under $500/person
57 work week in S. Korea
Average rice farmer works 3000 hours a year
Average European or American farmer works 1000 hours

Overall theme, Asia works harder than us. Outliers-stand on the outside, as in exceptional.

S. Korea creates more engineers than U.K., Germany, and
Sweden combined.

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let's try this again, and see if'n it don't work all proper like :P

<lj-cut text="Oh God, more than I thought :S">

March 26, 2009

What does globalization mean? a regional phenomenon transformed into a global one
Globalization in the 21st century=>Bretton Woods Agreement 1944
Wider purpose…informed by domestic, economic and political priorities
"Peace through prosperity"
3 mechanisms:
international bank for reconstruction and development (World Bank)
The international monetary fund (The IMF)
The general Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT, Now WTO)
Globalization
1600 The East India Company
Joint stock-Multinational Corperations with exposure throughout the near east India
Raising money
Distributing the risk
Corperations extended their reach and secured their investments through the royal navy and the East India Company…Private Army
Noam Chomsky says Globalization means the triumph of neo-liberal, economic and political ideology
Often with the aid and compliance of "Denationalized Elites" (In Middle East they are referred to as the Arab Façade)
Chomsky says the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO are all under the neo-liberal banner
Those who trumpet globalization speak of it as a rising tide that floats all boats
Ion china and throughout asia a dramatic decrease in the number of people earning less than two dollars a day
ASIA
1981 60% made less than $1.00 US/Day, Today 11% make less than $1.00 US/Day
1981 84% made less than $2.00/Day, Today 40% make less than $2.00/Day
LATIN AMERICA
1981 10% make less than $1.00/Day, Today 9% make less than $1.00/Day
1981 30% make less than $2.00/Day, Today 23% make less than $2.00/Day
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
1981 42% make less than $1.00/Day, Today 44% make less than $1.00/Day
1981 33% make less than $2.00/Day, Today 75% make less than $2.00/Day

What does this mean for countries that have school fees? No school for the poor families

Life expectancy
With industrialization comes increased life expectancy
Technology/healthcare
Technology, vaccines, and better diet makes for longer life expectancy
Throughout the developing world since WWII, on average the life expectancy doubled
End of WWII Sub-Saharan Africa life expectancy was 30 years
Life expectancy from WWII to 1980 life expectancy increased to 50 years
Until the revelation of the HIV virus, Malaria was the number one sub-Saharan African killer
Since the HIV epidemic, the life expectancy of sub-Saharan Africa is now 47%
Infant mortality has declined everywhere
Chinese economy produces much more today than 40 years ago. Why? Two factors: capital and education.
Education is the major factor
Throughout the developing world, after WWII 52% of the population was literate
Today 81% percent are literate
Female literacy rate in 1960 59%
Today is 80%
1960 developing world, 24% of children were working
Today 10% of children are working

Criticisms
World bank-"Green Room" negotiations
IMF-voting mechanism-nations vote according to their contribution
The real voting takes place not out in the open, but in backroom deals amongst the rich countries
Criticisms about the WTO
Evolved out of the GATT
Club made out of UN nations
WTO regulations-seek to limit tariff barriers to trade
Non tariffs barriers to trade
EU subsidizes agricultural producers-price goes down
Quintile=20% of something
The top quintile worldwide use 83% of world's resources

March 31, 2009

The triumph of neo-liberalism
Neo-Latin for new
The individual in neo-liberalism is more "thinly sliced"

Adam Smith-classical liberalism
The thickly sliced individual who's self-love includes a knowledge of a greater purpose
"The theory of moral sentiments"
For smith, an individual's merit or demerit is determined by an impartial (disinterested: no personal interest in the outcome of their…) arbiter

Back to globalization and IMF loans
Not the lender of choice but of last resort
IMF conditions imposed on recipient nations…
Structural adjustment programs
Recipient nations get spending in line with income
Infrastructure, water, electricity, health care and education

Lester "Mike" Pearson…recommended that the wealthiest nations contribute 3/4 of a percent of GDP to forgive third world debt.
The triumph of economic and political liberalism
Liberal preconditions for economic growth
Liberal: less likely to be the thickly sliced liberal of Adam Smith's day
1991 Francis Fukyama
Worked in the reagan white house
Fellow of the conservative rand corporation
LIBERAL conservative
"the end of history"=>the collapse of communism
The debate over the best form of social organization…LIBERALISM. The crowned king of social organization
Why?
Government's guarantors of natural liberty? and free markets

1. Investment in post-secondary education…why?
The better educated the worker, the more productive and efficient it could generate greater wealth
10 lbs of potatoes
An automobile
Microsoft Word 2007
-------------------
Requires differing
Levels of education
And especially for young women (increase competition)(women hold up half the sky)
Educating women increases gains from human capital
(cost benefit analysis)
Where women are defined by their biology they MAKE BABIES! (Fertility rates high)
Children absorb increases in GDP and per capita GDP
In Quebec, before the quiet revolution (1960) unilingual francophone females finished school at grade 7
Today, women in post secondary outnumber males
In Quebec before 1960-highest fertility rate in west…Today 1.8 births/fertile female (below replacement rate of 2.4)

2. Investment in health care…Why?
Healthy workers are happy/productive workers
Take fewer days off work
More productive and work longer
Up front costs to student and state are amortized over a longer working life…
Healthcare and institutional IQ of industry
Babies:

April 2, 2009

Globalization revisited
Winners and losers
Canada after WWII
Winners-South Korea (14 on UN's list of economies)
Losers-Saharan Africa
China
The global economic crisis
Oops
Glass-Steagal act following the market crash of 1929

Canada-nanny state to neo-liberal agenda
Globalization-better to have been born in a developed nation (Canada). But, if born in less developed world, better to have been born after 1970 (End of WWII and creation of…something?):
A generation after-realize the consequences of state financed development programs
In Canada, better to have been a baby boomer
1945-1980: the golden age of
The Keynesian welfare state
Industrial labour
Location, location, location
Spatially and temporally.
Geography and time
Economic in the Americas shifts from war production to consumer production almost effortlessly
Driven by: Europe and Asia "bombed into the stone age" and needed rebuilding. Gave momentum to domestic industry
Baby boom (bombs made out of small children) 1945-1960
Manufacturing and industrial labour
Dramatic increase in wages and benefits for relatively unskilled but hardworking labour (undereducated)
Not yet subject to competition from lower cost regimes…big wows: single family income, house in suburbia, a new car in the driveway

Politics and the role of the state
Politics informed by Keynes.
Big government has its day
Governments identify social problems (or dysfunctions)
1. Urban "slums"=>urban renewal
2. Education…as a response to technological change
By 1967 post secondary, but not university?
3. Community colleges of arts and technology
24 community colleges in Ontario $144 million/year
K to 5 primary schools
4. Portable, comprehensive, universal healthcare
In Ontario $48 billion this year
Mid 1970s
Commodities produced in lower cost regimes gain access to north American market
1970's oil shock
Mid 1970's OPEC
Dramatic slowdown in economic activity
Unemployment goes up
Government revenue goes down
Government expenses go up
Perfect storm
Milton Friedman
University of Chicago-economist
Government should get smaller
Liberalism is late arriving in Canada, but it's here now
Neo-liberalism has not as much success here as in the states
We have wed liberal capitalism to socialism

Architect of the nanny state: Paul Martin
The dude who dismantled the nanny state: Paul Martin Jr.

Under neo-liberal agenda-government is seen as a problem

April 7, 2009

Shared cost programs
Federal government spent money in areas of provincial concern
1940-$0.50/$1.00
Fifty cent dollars
$0.18/$1.00
Provincial governments have less money for health care=>longer wait times, the closing of hospital beds, the closing of hospitals
Education: closing schools, laying off teacher's assistants, librarians, art, music, drama etc gone the way of the dodo
What about community collages?
1967 your dad could have paid through tuition 1/6 of the cost of his tuition
Today, you pay 1/3 of the cost of your tuition
Tuition hikes in the near future
Since 1980's maybe government has come to be seen as "The Problem"
Amalgamation: if you live in Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, etc, you don't elect a number of representatives, but ONLY ONE!
Aging infrastructure: roads, bridges, sewer systems, etc
USER FEES!!!!
South Korea-an asian tiger (sometimes associated with the Asian Miracle)
1960 South Korea=>per capita GDP $300.00 US/Year
Ghana=>the same as South Korea
Today, South Korea GDP/Person is $20 000 US
14 on the international list
Ghana GDP/Person is $2 000 US
After WWII Golden age of industrial labour in the new world (North America)
Before the "miracle" south Korea relied on foreign aid and only a few agricultural staples
Rural and economically backward…location
The cold war and the domino theory
IBRD designed to rebuild war torn Germany and Japan to keep both from falling into the arms of the communists
After the Korean war
Early 1950s
A partnership between government and big business and big banks
State capitalism
Looks like mercantilism
To manufacture for the export market and limit competition from foreign economies
Import substitution: manufacturing what might have been imported from elsewhere (Subsidy of domestic manufacturers)
Manufacturing for export
Import substitutions and tariffs
Little spending by Koreans on consumer perishables
Levels of savings increase money in the banks for development of manufacturing
Wages suppressed , increased Korea's competitiveness until 1980s
Since the 1990s, government has withdrawn from management of the economy and Korea has moved to free market capitalism from state capitalism
Walter Rostow and communism (state managed economy)
Disease of transition
Walter Rostow-free marketer
Project undertaken by government: infrastructure
Highways and communications systems (Koreans are leaders in communications systems now)
A system of primary and secondary education
Korea's literacy rate is 99%, equal with most areas
Japan (99%) China (77% and rising)
Singapore and Taiwan (90% and rising)
Canada (99%)
Ghana (60%) one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa
Uganda (48%)
Zaire (28%)
Correlation between literacy rates and per capita income
Life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is 47 years
GDP through sub-Saharan Africa is under $500/person
57 work week in S. Korea
Average rice farmer works 3000 hours a year
Average European or American farmer works 1000 hours

Overall theme, Asia works harder than us. Outliers-stand on the outside, as in exceptional.

S. Korea creates more engineers than U.K., Germany, and
Sweden combined.

<Americans are weird and backwards when it comes to religion.>

S. Korea=Number one in scientific literacy, no. 2 in mathematical literacy. Yanks and Canucks are way below general populaces knowledge about science and math,

Life expectance =74 years (working themselves to death?)

North America is the most wired/highest broadband per capita on the planet
5th place manufacturer of cars: KIA
Since 1960, Korea has moved from being a largely agrarian economy to one where the majority of people work in industry or the service sector
Koreas GDP is ranked 14 in the nation
Literacy is amongst the top
Life expectancy is lower than would be expected
2% live below the poverty line
Korea imports MOST of their raw materials (same as the Japanese)

April 9, 2009

The south Korean economy has been changed from agrarian economy (backward) to the 14th ranked economy on the planet
They excel in electronics, high tech IT, 5th ranked auto maker, ship building,
How'd this happen? Location and the Cold war (American investment)
Denmark is number one in terms of third world assistance, followed by Netherlands, Sweden, Norway
Belgium
We're at the bottom

The Chinese Miracle-Deepak Lal, Yibin Mu
On average, a steel worker would work 2000 hours a year, college prof works 1400 hours a year
Chinese had a "rice farming tradition" (They're used to working hard)
1978
Movement from demand economy=>free(r) market economy
Market Leninism
1949 communist revolution
Mao installed as head of government
Was rural and agrarian
The communist party undertakes "the great leap forward"
Forced collectivisation of agriculture and agricultural revenue
At 1949, it took 80 peasants to feed 100 Chinese.
Need to create surplus agricultural labour
Then formed industrialization, moving surplus agricultural labour to urban industrial locations
Mobilizing human, natural and economic resources for the collectivist utopia…
1975-china produced 140 000 autos/year
1985-china produces 440 000 autos/year
2002-china produces 3.25 million autos/year
2007-china produces 9 million autos/year

Americans use 12 million gallons of gas/day

Jeanie index-level of economic change in an economy
China is .40
Canada .31
US .41
Brazil .59
If there was no social inequality it would be 0
a lot of inequality would be one

1949-life expectancy in japan was 35 years
Today-70 years

China is not a member of the organization for economic cooperation and development, but It qualifies
Male literacy is 95%
Female literacy is 91%

India ("World's largest democracy")
Male literacy is 70%
Female literacy is 60%

Life expectancy
Males 64
Females 65

Today, the private sector accounts for between 68-70% of GDP of china
Before reforms-very little…10% or less

Per capita GDP in china
China has a hot growth rate, so much so that those in charge try to slow it down a bit
Chinese economy has increased 10%/year (10 fold)
India's economy is 2 fold
Purchasing power parody
In 1978 $320 US in china
Today, a 21 fold increase in a 20 year period

Cast of characters (who's who in Chinese economy)
Banks-established in 1949, controlled by state
Commanding heights-heavy industry, transportation, banks-control those and you control the economy
In china, banks are almost completely gov't controlled, except for Hong Kong (British colony)
90% of deposits held by Chinese are in gov't controlled banks
SOE-state owned enterprises-1977 there were many, largely in heavy industry (means of production)
TVE-township and village enterprises-commercial enterprises in rural areas, set up after 1978

The monetization of china's economy

SEZ-Special Economic Zones-found in and around Hong Kong (point of entry of goods coming in to be turned into things like computers) least gov't interference intervention
Also called economic engines, funded by foreign economic investments
Responsible for china's dizzying increase in GDP
Financial sectors, hugely important…in china, but ISOLATED from china
China is member of WTO-WORLD TRADE
Taking down tariff barriers, promote global division of labour which, theoretically, creates bigger wealth for everyone involved

4 factors that contribute to the Chinese miracle

1-efficient and effective growth friendly economic policies
2-Chinese traditions frugality
Value education
Hard work
3-historical demographic opportunity
4-deepening of monetization and division of labour

State owned enterprises are a problem…they are a drain on the economy and will eventually have to disappear. They employ millions of locals
Big problem, to be solved later
Chinese own 1 trillion dollars in American debt, transfers from country to country through government paper
"Social Reconstruction Fund" SRF
Take the 1 trillion Chinese owned government money and invest it in Hong Kong
Investment will reap benefits
If we invest 500 000 000 000 in hong kong investment banks we would get interest,
@5%, the return would be 25 000 000 000/year

April 14, 2009

Global Financial Crisis: 2008-2009
Threat to financial stability of investment banks…Leahman Brothers
Insurance companies…AIG
American International Group
Mortgage bank…Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Fannie Mae-Federal National Mortgage Association
Freddie Mac-Federal National Mortgage Corporation
Consequences for homeowners, commodities producers, their employers and customers
The build-up for the housing bubble began in the Clinton administration, burst in 2006...a decade or a little more
Bubble=An increase in housing start-ups (housing good indicator, because it's a person's biggest investment), dramatic decline in retail values, the misapplication of risk controls (Sub prime mortgages, variable rate mortgages-paying no principal with anticipation of house's value increasing, leading to wheeling and dealing), collateralization of debt insurance (Spreading the risk)
Made to put Americans who couldn’t apply for a loan from a commercial bank in a position where they can buy a house (ignoring the risk of zero credit rating)
Sub prime=loans given at a rate lower than commercial banks are able to give to their "good customers"
Investment banks bundled these loans and traded them on the stock market
Called mortgage backed securities
This is spreading the risk
By 2008, 30% of all mortgages issued by Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac were to first time homebuyers who would not have qualified for a mortgage from a commercial bank
1994-2006 housing prices increased by 124%
Housing prices reached a level of 2.9-3.9 times the median household income by about 2000
By 2004 home prices to family income up to four times
On the eve of the bubble burst, home prices had reached 4.6
Value of the house compared to family income 2.9-3.2, then up to 4.0, then to 4.6
The value of residential real estate between 1994 and 2006 spiralling upward
"Leveraging"-borrow at a lower interest rate to pay off a higher interest rate
House hold debt in US in 2007 as % of annual income-130%
The average american owed more than he/she made in a year
In 2007, americans spent 800 billion more than they earned
US gov't owe 14 trillion dollars
In 1974-household debt stood at 640 billion
Last year-14 trillion
2006-for the first time in 12 years, housing starts to drop
Threshold of a looming catastrophe
1. Millions of americans whose credit rating would not have gotten them a mortgage get sub-prime rates
By 2007 9 million homeowners had no or negative equity on their property
By may 2008, housing prices fell by 20%
Millions of sub-prime mortgage home owners are homeless, number has jumped by 80%
1933 congress Glass Steagal act-separates mortgage banks from investment banks (conflict of interest)
1999-Glass Steagal act repealed
Allowed commercial banks to trade in mortgage backed securities, collaterized debt obligations, and structural investment vehicles
Conflict of interest between granting and investing of credit

April 16, 2009

1. Globalization
A rising tide that floats all boats
And 6 liberal preconditions for economic growth
Weave them into the answer
Asia, latin america, sub-Saharan Africa
Increased income, investment in ed, life expectancy, lit. rates, children in the labour force,

2. Globalization
In what way do WTO policies benefit the richest nations?
Is the playing field level? NO!!
Triumph of neo-liberalism, WTO, world bank, IMF benefit developed nations
The playing field was not level
Structural adjustment programs
Non-tariff barriers to trade
EU Canada, USA, and japan
EU subsedizes farmers, effectively keeping out sub-Saharan farmers

3 Canada 1945-1980, 1980, 2009
What went wrong
Federal level-comprehensive healthcare
Provincial level-building of community colleges
Municipalities-infrastructure
What went wrong?
This will be an either or, but you need to understand BOTH

4. Korea and Ghana
What did the Koreans do right?

5. The Chinese "miracle"
After 1978 and
Mau died in /76ish
Move to freemarket, township and village enterprises
What to do with "sunset" SOEs (state owned enterprises) and 1 trillion in us government backed paper

6. The global financial crisis
Leahman brothers, bankrupt
AIG-79.9% owned by the federal reserve bank
Fannie Mae and Mac in conservatorship (administered by federal govt.)
Housing bubble 1994-2006
Value of resale after 12 years
Home prices as a value of household income over twelve years
Clinton and bush administrations and sub-prime mortgages…for what risk remains…the relief
Mortgage banks and fannie and Freddie
Investment banks and sub-prime loans
Frannie and Freddie
Securatized risk vehicles
Mortgages banked securities (as good as gold)
Investment opportunities, risk management
Glass-steagall put in place in 1933 (separate investment banks from mortgage banks) repealed in 1999
Why?

Household indebtedness…and realestate emnity

Banks, insurance companies, and house builders are the biggest spenders in Washington in lobbying, and might contribute to your campaign for re-election

but wait, there's MORE (exams)

2009-04-21T02:01:49Z

Okeedokee, so's i just got an exam overview from O'brien, and the summary diagram thinger is part of it, i was wondering if one of you fantastic individuals would be able to send it to me so's that i might not fail this exam of o'brien-y awesomeness?
thankyou so very much!!!

why wont it stop, oh god, why wont it STOP!!?!??!

2009-04-17T16:28:01Z

so, in my fit of cleaning a few weeks back, i believe that i may have thrown out my class work schedual...so, that being said...
does anyone know the dates/topics that the current tests are starting from as far as notes go?
i need history, political economy, and social psyche
thanks!

fearthemeatball @ 2009-04-15T20:18:00

2009-04-16T00:23:49Z

I think this is about it, but I'm not positive. If i have missed anything, i'd love it if you could inform me :P

with THAT being said, i give you (the gothic of the group) the study notes for this test tomorrow...

What did Friedman recommend governments everywhere do? And provide examples

first governments must remove all rules and regulations standing in the way of the accumulation of profits.
second, they should sell off any assets they pwn that corperations could be running at a profit.
third they should dramatically cut back funding of social programs

taxes, when they exist, should be low, and rich and poor should be taxed at the same flat rate.

corperations should be free to sell their products anywhere in the world, and governments should make no effort to protect local industries or local ownership

all prices, including the price of labour, should be determined by the market. there should be no minimum wage.

for privatization, friedman offered up healthcare, the post office, education, retirement pensions, even national parks

in short, any protection workers had, any services the state now provided, should be CANCELLED

Who were the Chicago boys? What role did they play in the coup d'etat in Chile?

any chilean student who either went to the chicago school, or it's unnoficial satellite schools (schools in chile where students of the original chicago school taught classes identical to the original school) were called los chicago boys. in these schools, chilean students were taught by americans that the economy of chile was backwards.
the point of admitting chileans to the chicago school was to basically assimilate the minds of those in chile and latin america to grow in the American way, as opposed to climbing out of poverty through communism, stallinism, etc, by "raining a generation of students "who would become the intellectual leaders of economic affairs in chile"

in the end, it didn't work. Chilean natives wanted companies like mines and telephones placed in the power of the state. the Chile project was an "expensive bust".

Allende, a man with a plan to place a number of American-owned business back in possession of the state (Chile) was voted into power. A number of American companies decided that he was a danger to their bottom line, and therefore went about a plan to have him removed from power. All this plotting was made possible by the election of Richard Nixon, who was considered to have "an imaginative, and on the whole effective, foreign pollicy".

these companies stopped american banks from loaning money to chile, tried to "put the squeeze" on the government and its activities, and even tried to anger the Chilean military by influencing dissent, to hopefully lead to a military revolt, a coup d'etat.

What was "the brick"?

the brick was a five hundred page "bible" made by los chicago boys-a detailed economic program that would guide the junta (military gov't) from its earliest days. 8 of the ten principal authors of the Brick had studied economics in the university of chicago.