isyulli: Greek

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Senin, 03 Januari 2011

Ancient Buildings Were Constructed With Instruction Kits

How were ancient buildings constructed? They followed instructions of course. Archaeologists in Italy have found building directions on structures near Potenza. The actual identity of workers has been ascertained. Greek artisans contributed to the palace at Torre Satriano. Friezes had numbered feminine marks on them while cymatiums had male markings. Ornamental figures were replicated in molds.

It seems pre-Roman people had architects in their midst who looked to the past for inspiration. The buildings were notably Greek in character. Much of daily life even today derives from established ideas. The ancient builders must have had records kept for such purposes. So culture strongly influenced life in the past. The tried and true was the norm for society.

Until today people have resisted change. Indeed, many in our time are uncomfortable with the rapid pace of scientific endeavor. Will Renaissance occur again? Probably it will when Mankind's experimentation runs out of steam. Then we will build, imitating great structures of times gone by. Perhaps we will do it by following some sort of set instructions.

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

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Senin, 18 Oktober 2010

Germany Disappointed With Immigration "Experiment"

If Germany expected immigrants to become German by living there it is no wonder people are disappointed. The best one can hope for is that the children of immigrants born in the new country will be fully integrated. If a model of "multiculturalism" was needed Australia could be the example. In the 50s, 60s and 70s the term "wog" was prevalent. Though Australians should have more correctly called people from the Mediterranean region "waps", these Greek and Italian "new Australians" quickly moved into enclaves of major cities. They not only imported themselves, but corner store businesses sprang up selling goods that no native born Australian would buy. The stores did quite well from the local clientele.

It was common to hear people on buses and in queues speaking the language of their mother country. Australians were not offended by this because the new people were hard working and they didn't try to change Australian culture per se. Their culture just ran "alongside" the dominant culture. If one was lucky, an invite to a party or a wedding was offered. There was this congruency between the cultures. All enjoyed having a good time where alcohol was consumed. Even Asian societies have this in common.

Today new arrivals come from the Middle East and Africa and they are predominantly Muslim. It is no wonder a clash of cultures occurs. While Christianity strongly affects Mediterranean societies freedom of the individual is paramount. Islam expects the individual to live strictly by the laws of this religion. This means no alcohol and no enjoyment. Fundamentally, the problem is a religious one. If the hope is for the children of Muslims to be socialized into their new country Islam needs to be interpreted in ways that for the most part do not clash with the dominant culture. Children of immigrants who strictly follow the ways of their parents are doomed to a life of not fitting in.

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Jumat, 16 April 2010

Greece Can Spend Its Way Out of Trouble

It is taught in economics at university that the way to get rid of debt is to print money. Though some will pull back in shock horror at the thought this is actually true. Keynesian theory dictates that a high spending fiscal policy, i.e., spending money that a country doesn't have, creates employment, improves GDP and wipes away debt.

A comparison can be made between the US debt after WWII and Greece's debt today. The US then owed 122 percent of its GDP to other countries. Greece owes 113 percent. The US printed money and spent. By 1956 the US debt was still the same but repayments could be sustained due to higher GDP. In fact the US ran trading surpluses during this period.

The alternative action for Greece is to cut back on spending, in other words cut services such as hospitals, the police and new roads. It is easy for people in other countries to say this is what they have to do. If you are Greek, however, life is going to be oppressive for decades. Many Greeks could consider opting out of paying the debt by moving to other European countries. They can do this because they have free movement in the EC. I predict that if spending is cut drastically then emigration will increase to a flood. Life is better on the other side of the fence.

Spending cuts have a bad side effect: it reduces buying power thus causing deflation. Note, the Great Depression was caused by deflation. There will be unemployment queues stretching for blocks. To believe otherwise is an error. Some believe that falling prices allows people to buy more - but paychecks fall even faster and stop completely for some. Rarely does deflation happen, but when it does it means big trouble. Goods remain on shop shelves because people have low, or no income. How can real wages remain high when business income is falling due to low prices?

Unfortunately the US has an advantage that Greece does not have: the US dollar is seen to be the world currency, like a gold standard. Though the US currently prints money and dishes it out worldwide especially where its troops are operating, the value of the dollar remains high.

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