The most incredible time lapse paint animation ever produced?


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Broken Laws, Broken Lives: Medical Evidence of Torture by US

In PHR’s new report, Broken Laws, Broken Lives, we have for the first time medical evidence to confirm first-hand accounts of men who endured torture by US personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay. These men were never charged with any crime.

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Domino PCs: The Real Thing: 86 PCs in a row! The Original

Domino PCs: The Real Thing: 86 PCs in a row! The Original


This is for anyone who has ever wanted to kick over their PC. How about kicking over 86 of them with a single kick?

My question to ABC’s Q and A show panel

Why don’t any politicians acknowledge the true cause of inflation, fractional reserve lending which allows banks to issue hundreds of billions in credit literally ‘out of thin air’? Why don’t ALP and Liberal governments take back our currency issuing powers?

What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You?

You scored as a Mystic

Sitting Buddha - Awakened One

You are a Mystic. Practical magic isn’t really your thing; you much prefer to take the inner roads to self-development and spiritual evolution. You find ecstasy in meditative silence and commune with the divine without aid of any church or religious leader to guide you. You will seek the light of heaven in your own way, even if that way is not apparent to the casual observer.

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-29

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My thoughts on “Turf wars hobble China’s financial markets”

Quotations extracted from “Turf wars hobble China’s financial markets” - By Alan Wheatley, China Economics Editor, Guardian.co.uk

“It was no surprise when China Investment Corp (CIC), the
$200 billion sovereign wealth fund set up last September,
bought into U.S. private equity giant Blackstone and investment
bank Morgan Stanley. CIC’s mandate, after all, is to take more
risk to earn higher returns on a chunk of China’s vast
reserves.”

It was a surprise to me, because I would have thought if CIC’s mandate was earning higher returns, the USA economy would not be the best place to seek returns given the current economic outlook for the USA is indicating a near-term recession with ongoing deflationary and inflationary pressures conspiring to flatten growth and devalue the USD relative to the Yuan.

The most interesting extracts with implications for Australia:

“Financial market innovation requires clear rules, and
China’s in desperate need of financial market innovation,” said
Michael Pettis, a finance professor at Peking University.

“What was a surprise was when the State Administration of
Foreign Exchange (SAFE), an arm of the central bank that
separately manages $1.68 trillion of China’s reserves, showed
up on the share registers of a trio of Australian banks and of
Western oil majors Total SA
and BP Plc.”

The need for greater financial market innovation in China could provide scope for that same trio of Australian banks (and other Australian financial institutions) to take reciprocal positions in the Chinese financial marketplace, subject of course to the provision of satisfactory market-opening measures being incorporated into the pending Australia-China FTA (Free Trade Agreement). There is a promising indication that this could occur, with some provisions being incorporated into the recently gazetted New Zealand-China FTA.

Most (un?)amusing extracts:

“By buying equities, SAFE is encroaching on CIC territory.
Word has it in Beijing financial circles that CIC is furious.”


“owing to a communications
gaffe, the first Premier Wen Jiabao knew of CIC’s (China Investment Corporation) $5 billion
stake in Morgan Stanley was when he heard about it on the
television news.”

Not Happy Wen Jiabao!

China’s financial market continues to be the most dynamic, expansionary capital market in these opening stages of the 21st century, rising in capitalisation and influence just as the USA capital markets undergo the paroxism of spasmodic contractions. Sub-Prime is far from over in the USA; more pain is yet to come.

But ultimately the giant global demand for energy, particularly acute in China, which is currently down to a very slender 12 days reserves of coal, will prove to be the limiting factor for growth in every economic jurisdiction.

That’s why economists need to spend more time talking to ecologists. Economics somehow pretends there is no imminent catastrophe decline in energy availability just as demand in China and India is skyrocketing, whereas that is the physical reality facing the globe.

May you live in interesting times, indeed.

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-28

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Robert Aitken Roshi’s Ten Grave Precepts of Zen Buddhism

The Ten Precepts of Zen Buddhism are:

01. no killing
02. no stealing
03. no misuse of sex
04. no lying
05. no dealing in drugs
06. no speaking of faults of others
07. no praising yourself while abusing others
08. no sparing the Dharma assets
09. no indulgence in anger
10. no defaming the Three Treasures – Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

From Sydney Zen Centre: The Ten Grave Precepts

“The Ten Precepts formulate the realisation of inherent good. This is not the opposite of bad but rather it is self nature, Buddha-nature. The Precepts are a guide from self-centred delusion and attachment to the Buddha’s own complete realisation of truth and compassion, pointing the way to our own Buddha nature.”

Robert Aitken Roshi’s extensive elucidation of the Ten Grave Precepts may be found here at SpringHillZen.org

This evening I have been sitting Zazen contemplating the precepts.  I am contemplating adoption of these ten precepts as the rules by which I govern my behaviour and conduct.

My belief is that committing oneself to the Dharma and joining a Sangha are not steps to be taken without serious contemplation.

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-26

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