Blog Entries
Be careful what you wish for
3 June 2022 — One of the questions we should always ask ourselves is "what if we get what we want?" Let me give you some examples. Many people wanted Donald Trump impeached as US president. If they had succeeded, Mike Pence would have become president. From a liberal POV, Pence is far...
Raising interest rates — bad idea
20 May 2022 — Yesterday, in response to rising inflation, the South African Reserve Bank raised interest rates by 50 basis points. Once cannot really blame the team at the SARB who voted unanimously1 in favour of raising interest rates — “The primary object of the South African Reserve Bank...
I’m calling BS on this ‘loadshedding’
16 May 2022 — We can all understand “loss of generating capacity’. Units go out of service, the grid gets overloaded, etc. etc. But why would “loss of generating capacity” kick in only between 17h00-22h00 every day and be perfectly functioning for the other 19 hours? Especially as by 17h00,...
Explainer: Why does Russia now want payment in rubles?
23 April 2022 — For decades, Russia has been selling natural gas to countries in Europe. Initially, those countries would pay Russia in their own currencies (Example: Germany using Deutschmarks). In the modern era, those payments have been made in Euros. This year, after Russia began its “...
When incompetent journalism has financial consequences…
22 April 2022 — Two days ago, Netflix posted its first quarter results for this financial year. The share price plunged 31,5% — the biggest one day fall in over a decade. If you want to know why, consider these headlines: Netflix Loses 200,000 Subscribers, Counts Password-Sharing as...
Finland and Russia... "It's complicated"
21 April 2022 — Finland’s government is toying with the idea of joining NATO. And the decision will be made in weeks, not months, according to Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Finland has worked closely with NATO since the organization was founded in 1949, but has not made overtures to formally...
Is the Shanghai lockdown really about COVID?
20 April 2022 — There are some interesting words in the English language. Take the case of the verb “shanghai”. The word is derived from the name of the city on the east coast of China. In the late 19th century, there was frequent shortages of sailors willing to crew ships to far off...
Full cream versus low fat: the winner is...
19 April 2022 — Is low fat milk is healthier than full cream milk? If you’re fanatical about this because you think one is healthier than the other, let me set you straight: 1. Whole-fat dairy food intake is inversely associated with obesity prevalence. "Odds for global obesity (body mass...
IMF World Economic Outlook, Summary: 'We're Screwed'
18 April 2022 — The International Monetary Fund has released the April 2022 World Economic Outlook. Unsurprisingly, the ongoing Ukraine conflict is front and centre. Let me quote: War slows recovery The war in Ukraine has triggered a costly humanitarian crisis that demands a peaceful...
For womb the belles toil…
17 April 2022 — The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function, F Scott Fitzgerald said. And as I recalled those words, it sparked a David Bowie ear worm: 'Tis a pity she was a whore 'Tis my...
A brief history of our national roads
16 April 2022 — Many people will be travelling back home this Easter weekend and that sparked a thought rabbit hole about how our national roads have changed over my lifetime. So I went looking and found a Department of Transport map of our national road network from 1959 which confirmed a...