Category: A Rationale
Posted by: Admin
Unsurprisingly the history featuring here reflects my history, the history I have studied and that of those I have come in contact with. It is therefore specific, subjective as to topic, perhaps eclectic and ever changing. History is another window to look through in the search for understanding and explanation....
(CNN) -- Barack Obama told supporters that "change has come to America" as he claimed victory in a historic presidential election.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.
With Obama's projected win, he will become the first African-American to win the White House.
Obama had an overwhelming victory over Sen. John McCain, who pledged Tuesday night to help Obama lead. Video Watch Obama pay tribute to McCain »
"Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant," McCain said.
McCain called Obama to congratulate him, and Obama told the Arizona senator he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together.
President Bush also called Obama to offer his congratulations.
Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
Obama will be working with a heavily Democratic Congress. Democrats picked up Senate seats in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, among others.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.
With Obama's projected win, he will become the first African-American to win the White House.
Obama had an overwhelming victory over Sen. John McCain, who pledged Tuesday night to help Obama lead. Video Watch Obama pay tribute to McCain »
"Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant," McCain said.
McCain called Obama to congratulate him, and Obama told the Arizona senator he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together.
President Bush also called Obama to offer his congratulations.
Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
Obama will be working with a heavily Democratic Congress. Democrats picked up Senate seats in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, among others.
Incredible images of urban yesteryear in the U.S.
12/07: Violent Victoria
"Victoria’s Wars", Saul David, Penguin Books, London 2007
Where Saul David’s book of unparalleled detail, “the Indian mutiny” tended to almost bog down in (undoubtedly accurate and carefully researched), detail, Victoria’s Wars strikes absolutely the right balance between historical research and pace.
Where Saul David’s book of unparalleled detail, “the Indian mutiny” tended to almost bog down in (undoubtedly accurate and carefully researched), detail, Victoria’s Wars strikes absolutely the right balance between historical research and pace.
02/07: Largest Settlement to Date
Treelords a first step for Tuhoe
By TIM DONOGHUE - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 26 June 2008
The Tuhoe people came in from the Urewera mist to Parliament and signed their first agreement with any government.
Tamati Kruger, senior Tuhoe signatory for the $500 million central North Island forestry deal which seven iwi signed at Parliament yesterday, went out of his way to play down the significance of the tribe's first deal with a government.
By TIM DONOGHUE - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 26 June 2008
The Tuhoe people came in from the Urewera mist to Parliament and signed their first agreement with any government.
Tamati Kruger, senior Tuhoe signatory for the $500 million central North Island forestry deal which seven iwi signed at Parliament yesterday, went out of his way to play down the significance of the tribe's first deal with a government.
Humans reached New Zealand no earlier than AD1280, much later than previously indicated...
The following sits in the history page because of its importance in N.Z. history. But the story is as interesting in terms of problems in explanation as it is in and of itself.
"Radiocarbon dating of the bones of Pacific rat, kiore, suggests the first Maori settlers arrived no earlier than that date.
Previous dating of rat bones had suggested that human contact took place about 200BC. Project leader Janet Wilmshurst, from Landcare Research, says the rats must have come with people on board canoes because they cannot swim far.
Dr Wilmshurst says the findings are supported by evidence such as rat-gnawed seeds, archaelogical sites and Maori whakapapa. She says the technique will be used in other countries in the Pacific to establish human settlement there accurately.
Copyright © 2008 Radio New Zealand
Now to the explanatory problems.....
The following sits in the history page because of its importance in N.Z. history. But the story is as interesting in terms of problems in explanation as it is in and of itself.
"Radiocarbon dating of the bones of Pacific rat, kiore, suggests the first Maori settlers arrived no earlier than that date.
Previous dating of rat bones had suggested that human contact took place about 200BC. Project leader Janet Wilmshurst, from Landcare Research, says the rats must have come with people on board canoes because they cannot swim far.
Dr Wilmshurst says the findings are supported by evidence such as rat-gnawed seeds, archaelogical sites and Maori whakapapa. She says the technique will be used in other countries in the Pacific to establish human settlement there accurately.
Copyright © 2008 Radio New Zealand
Now to the explanatory problems.....
The Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and China (NZ-China FTA) was signed on the 7th of April 2008 in Beijing, bringing to the end a negotiation process that spanned fifteen rounds over three years.
New Zealand is the first developed country to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.
Securing preferential access to China's economy has the potential to deliver significant gains to our exporters. It is the fastest growing major economy, currently growing at 9.5 percent per annum. China is our fourth largest trading partner, taking over $1.6 billion of New Zealand's merchandise exports and over $1 billion of services. China's middle class is now estimated to be more than 100 million people and growing - which will fuel the demand for New Zealand's agricultural products. There should also be gains to New Zealand's manufacturers and services operators.
Other countries are also lining up to negotiate preferential trade agreements with China. New Zealand's negotiations with China will keep our exporters in the 'game' and help defend existing market shares - particularly in areas where China is already New Zealand's largest international customer - such as milk powder, wool and education.
New Zealand is the first developed country to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.
Securing preferential access to China's economy has the potential to deliver significant gains to our exporters. It is the fastest growing major economy, currently growing at 9.5 percent per annum. China is our fourth largest trading partner, taking over $1.6 billion of New Zealand's merchandise exports and over $1 billion of services. China's middle class is now estimated to be more than 100 million people and growing - which will fuel the demand for New Zealand's agricultural products. There should also be gains to New Zealand's manufacturers and services operators.
Other countries are also lining up to negotiate preferential trade agreements with China. New Zealand's negotiations with China will keep our exporters in the 'game' and help defend existing market shares - particularly in areas where China is already New Zealand's largest international customer - such as milk powder, wool and education.
Ministry Foreign Affairs and Trade
Some time ago, here, I suggested that we may be seeing the dawn of a new capital order. Apparently this has occurred to others as they observe the Northern Rock debacle unfold.
Martin Jacques
The Guardian,
Monday February 18 2008
"The world is holding its breath, still trying to grasp the potential enormity of what is unfolding. Economic downturns and stock market crashes are hardly unfamiliar, of course, even if a decade or so seems a long time ago for western consumers habituated to rising house prices and non-stop shopping. But this crisis threatens to be rather different, a Big One. Already it has forced the government to engage in what has been a heresy for almost three decades: nationalisation. Major crises such as the Northern Rock debacle are not matters of punctuation or pauses for reflection, but defining historical moments, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. The 1970s was a classic case, as huge oil price hikes fed an inflationary spiral that brought both the long boom and the postwar welfare consensus to an end, and led to the rise of neoliberalism and deregulation."
Martin Jacques
The Guardian,
Monday February 18 2008
"The world is holding its breath, still trying to grasp the potential enormity of what is unfolding. Economic downturns and stock market crashes are hardly unfamiliar, of course, even if a decade or so seems a long time ago for western consumers habituated to rising house prices and non-stop shopping. But this crisis threatens to be rather different, a Big One. Already it has forced the government to engage in what has been a heresy for almost three decades: nationalisation. Major crises such as the Northern Rock debacle are not matters of punctuation or pauses for reflection, but defining historical moments, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. The 1970s was a classic case, as huge oil price hikes fed an inflationary spiral that brought both the long boom and the postwar welfare consensus to an end, and led to the rise of neoliberalism and deregulation."
11/02: Suggested Principles
Economic historian David Landes has suggested the following as policies which an ideal growth-and-development government might pursue:
1. Secure property rights to encourage saving and investment;
2. Secure rights of personal liberty against tyranny, crime and corruption;
3. Enforce rights of contract;
4. Provide stable government according to known rules;
5. Provide responsive government;
6. Provide honest government without rent or favour;
7. Provide efficient government which makes only moderate calls on the surplus via taxes.
'The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" London 1998.
Ferguson notes that with the exception of 2 and 5 the list largely describes at least the aim of colonial Britain.
1. Secure property rights to encourage saving and investment;
2. Secure rights of personal liberty against tyranny, crime and corruption;
3. Enforce rights of contract;
4. Provide stable government according to known rules;
5. Provide responsive government;
6. Provide honest government without rent or favour;
7. Provide efficient government which makes only moderate calls on the surplus via taxes.
'The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" London 1998.
Ferguson notes that with the exception of 2 and 5 the list largely describes at least the aim of colonial Britain.
By Niall Ferguson
Published: January 1 2008 18:37 | Last updated: January 2 2008 08:07 (in the FT)
Future historians will look back on the current decade as a turning point comparable with that of the Seventies. No, not the 1970s. This is not going to be another piece pointing out the coincidence of an unpopular Republican president, soaring oil prices, a sagging dollar and an unwinnable faraway war. I am talking about the 1870s.
Published: January 1 2008 18:37 | Last updated: January 2 2008 08:07 (in the FT)
Future historians will look back on the current decade as a turning point comparable with that of the Seventies. No, not the 1970s. This is not going to be another piece pointing out the coincidence of an unpopular Republican president, soaring oil prices, a sagging dollar and an unwinnable faraway war. I am talking about the 1870s.
