Connections

Connections (2007) by James Burke is a superb book about the development of science and technology. Burke was Oxford educated and has an MA in Middle English. He became a science reporter and was the BBC’s chief reporter on the Project Apollo mission. He was a reporter on the Tomorrow’s World program and learnt how to make science and technology interesting. He also had a deep understanding of European History. He made the documentary video series of Connections in 1978 in the tradition Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man. Connections the book is the adaption of the video series to print. Connections looks at how technology and science developed historically. Each chapter in Connections looks at a modern technology and then traces its development from the past. Burke is brilliant at finding a story that runs through these developments.

Burke’s video series allow him to use his voice, actions and video footage to emphasize the points that he is making. In the book Burke has to write and provide illustrations. He does both well. Video is more spectacular, but with a book the reader can go back and forth over things more easily. Burke makes the point that much technological innovation has not been commissioned by Research and Development offices and planned. Instead an invention somewhere, for instance in weaving technology through paper patterns has led to machinery for automation that led to automated counting for the US census that led to the punch card for computing. Some technological innovation has been directed by government and has come from theoretical underpinnings. The development of improvements in navigation through accurate clocks that worked from springs rather than from pendulums is one example. In modern times atomic power and weapons and the delivery systems for them, the jet aircraft and the missile and rocket, are another.

Science, engineering and mathematics is not taught as it was developed historically and instead tend to be taught axiomatically from the most rigorous start possible. Academics also have a tendency to put forward a view where it is ideas from academies that are then developed by practical people. This may be the case recently for some inventions, such as the transistor and atomic bomb, but for much technological development it has not been the case. Connections makes this case.

Connections has 10 Chapters:

1) The Trigger Effect – that traces the breakdown of the US electricity network to the beginning of agriculture and introduces the book.

2) The Road from Alexandria – that goes from the extraction of gold in North Western Turkey in millenium before christ to the atomic bomb.

3) Distant Voices – Starts with the nuclear fusion and fission and then jumps back to The Battle of Hastings and the stirrup and then returns to the present with the  development of the telephone.

4) Faith in Numbers – Starts with telecommunication and electro-magnetism and jumps back to the monasteries and then goes to the development of punch cards.

5) The Wheel of Fortune – Starts with the computer from the punch card and then goes back to early astronomy and finishes with the development of factories.

6) Fuel to the Flame – Starts with tools and factories and then goes back to Medieval Warm period and the cooling that went for several hundred years and then goes through developments that led to the car and the internal combustion engine and mentions early aircraft development.

7) The Long Chain – Starts with the jet engine and then goes back to Holland being the world’s leading trading and financial power and then moves through history to the invention of PVC.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry – Starts with plastics and then leaps back to the development of credit and then the history of muskets and then to the development of refrigeration and rocketry.

9) Lightning the Way – Starts with the Moon Landing, mentions the accelerometer then goes back to forts, cannon and then on to television.

10) Inventing the Future – Summarises the book and talks about how history neglects technology and why we should look at the history of technology.

The book is very clever in the way each chapter sets up the next. The jumps that occur when going backward are natural. The history that Burke looks at is fascinating. The view if euro-centric but does include Arabic mathematics and credits China with inventions that were critical to Western Science and technology, that of the compass, gunpowder and paper and the printing press. But as modern science has developed from European science it is not unreasonable to concentrate on their development. Burke does allude to the Needham Question. It was interesting to see the Medieval Warm period, which since 1995 has been disputed by some paleo-climatologists as being regarded simply as historic fact.

The book also provides an interesting view in contrast to that of A farewell to Alms on development before the industrial revolution. Burke clearly sees life as getting better for many people. He does brush on Malthusian views but describes technology progress as proceeding apace. Burke discusses the impact of the plague and the resultant labour shortage on technological development. Burke also provides short views into finance and talks about banks, providing a view into what The Ascent of Money would explore. This is to be expected, Civilisation and The Ascent of Man also overlap.

The book is fantastic. For anyone who is interested in history or technology it’s a great read. For those interested in both it’s a must read.

4.5/5

Africa Rising

Africa Rising by Vijay Mahajan (2008) is a really interesting book about Africa and the opportunities that it offers. In contrast to other books on Africa like Dead Aid and The Trouble with Africa the picture put forward is considerably more positive. Perhaps in part because the book looks forward rather than back. Mahajan is a very bright guy who went to IIT and then went on to study management and public policy. He’s an Indian so he has an interesting perspective on how places develop. His main point is that in the 1960s and 1970s many in the West thought that India was going to be a basket case. Paul Ehrlich stated that “India couldn’t possibly feed two hundred million more people by 1980,” and “I have yet to meet anyone familiar with the situation who thinks that India will be self-sufficient in food by 1971.” Whereas now, 40 years after these sorts of thoroughly erroneous predictions India is not only feeding hundreds millions more people it is growing rapidly economically and is seen as a huge economic opportunity. Mahajan believes that similarly the Western take on Africa is wrong and that Africa is set to grow and become a bigger and bigger market.

Mahajan makes the point that there are a dozen countries in Africa with GNI per capita that is larger than China and six more with a GNI between India and China as well as the others where GNI is lower than India. The Economy of Africa is not the basket case that many people assume. This argument alone should give people pause for thought. It’s interesting that Mahajan does not make the point that India and China are increasing demand for what Africa already supplies, raw materials, to the world but it is yet another argument as to why Africa is about to take off. One thing he points to is current African growth, which stands at 5.16% over the past 2 years of the Global Financial Crisis and resultant recession, a very impressive performance.

The book is divided into two Parts, The African Opportunity and Part II Realizing the Opportunity. In the first part Mahajan introduces his view of Africa in baking bread in Zimbabwe where he looks at a mall is what is for many the prime example of African failure. He points out that even despite the Mugabe totalitarian regime the market finds ways to work and improve things. He puts forward the trade not aid case. In the second chapter, Africa is richer than you think Mahajan looks at what Africa already has and the things that have recently happened that are helping Africa enormously. He points out that cell phones and the internet are, in many ways a bigger aid for Africa than they are in the West because they break the state monopolies on communication and information. He talks about how cell phones are being used for banking and have already allowed millions in Africa to communicate. Mahajan breaks down Africa in Africa One, the already rich part of Africa One, the 50-150 million people who already have a  considerable income, Africa Two, those working hard to education their children and who have some disposable income of 350-500 million people and then Africa three, the poorest Africans, who aspire to Africa two but are still purchasing goods but who are also trying hard to keep food on the table. This 500-600 million group has less potential for those selling goods, but still some. Africa two, which is discussed in Chapter 2 Mahajan regards as the sweet spot for those targeting Africa because of its size and potential.

In Part II Mahajan looks at how people are already making profits and enriching the lives of those in Africa. Mahajan makes the point that doing business in Africa requires knowledge of the way Africa works. In Chapter 5 he looks at The Hanouti, which are small shops in Morocco. By looking at how they operate a chain of Hanouti has been created that is capable of being both cheaper for people by using economies of scale and profitable. In Chapter 5 the possibilities for providing the infrastructure that Africa lacks are probed. Water pumps, airlines and refrigeration and discussed. In Chapter 5 Generation Cheetah Mahajan talks about how youth offers great promise in Africa and how young people in Africa don’t rail about ‘colonialism’ being responsible for their ills but instead want to make money and have better government that allows them better lives. Mahajan looks at Nollywood and how entertainment works in Africa. Who knew that one of the largest film industries in the world existed in Nigeria? In chapter 8 Mahajan looks at the African diaspora and the role that it plays in enriching Africa and the world.

In the Conclusion: Ubuntu Market Mahajan provides a conclusion to the optimistic picture that he has created. He makes a strong case. As an Indian he points out that once things start working they can really take off and the West’s pessimism which has been shown to be wrong across the world may also be wrong in the case of Africa now. The book is filled with data on the value of African markets and the growth and profits of companies and people in Africa and anecdotes about success stories from Mahajan’s travels in Africa.The book is perhaps over optimistic and spends little time looking at African problems like poor infrastructure and terrible government. However, the book is clear, well written and well worth a read for those who doubt that Africa too can rise and enjoy the fruits of the market and globalisation that have been so successful in reducing hunger and poverty in the rest of the world. Let’s hope Mahajan is right.

4/5

The March of the Patriots

The March of the Patriots (2009) by Paul Kelly is a fantastic book that will probably wind up either being one of the most important books describing Australian politics in the 1990s and the early part of the 21st Century or the most important. Kelly writes masterfully well and has the advantage of knowing the protagonists well. As editor of the Australian for much of the period and editor at large as well Kelly was in the ideal position to see what developed. What’s even more remarkable is his even handedness is treating both sides. He certainly has his views, but they are not common views. Most Australians are partisan toward one of the major parties. Kelly isn’t.

Kelly divides the book both chronologically and by theme. This is a good idea overall but does split related events if their themes are chosen to be separate. In particular the rise of One Nation is not shown to be related to the tough gun laws that Howard introduced after the Port Arthur massacre when there is a link. Also Howard’s treatment of illegal boat arrivals is separated from the rise of One Nation.

The books starts off by looking at the early life of Keating and Howard. The two grew up under fairly similar circumstances in Sydney’s West. Both of their parents were business people. Howard’s father died when Howard was 16 which clearly affected him. He also had a hearing impairment that caused problems for him. Nonetheless he was able to study law at Sydney University and became a solicitor for a short time before becoming a politician. Keating left school at 15 and then quickly became involved in Unions and then politics. Kelly describes the theme that the book puts together, that Keating and Howard are continuum of similar real politics but differing temperaments.

After introducing his protagonists Kelly looks at Paul Keating in Part 1: The Keating Miracle, and his ascension to Prime Minister after toppling Bob Hawke and his victory in the 1993 election. Kelly also brushes on the theme of the 24 hour news cycle. He describes Keating as hating it and not handling it well. Kelly looks at Hewson and his naive strategy that so remarkably enable Keating to win. Keating’s victory was impressive, his political cunning would serve him well but he was given an opponent who was weak. Costello’s disdain for Hewson, also evident in Costello’s book. Is also presented.

After giving fairly quick treatment to Keating’s win Kelly turns to look at Keating’s ideas in the second part, The big Picture. Kelly writes about the remarkable push by Keating that had started in the 1980s of adding more people into superannuation. His final push in 1991 that pushed superannuation into law was very impressive. It was on the eve of a recession that Keating must have had some idea was coming. The deal was done just before Keating became PM but the details had to be worked out by Keating and his then treasurer John Dawkins . Kelly does appear to respect Keating considerably but presents him as being a disorganized PM who wanted to be an ideas man, perhaps in a way to compensate for his lack of formal learning. Keating was certainly a very successful treasurer, as PM he appears less so. The severity of the early 1990s recession hit him hard. He essentially owned the problem. Kelly paints him as someone who instead wanted to be a big picture person, perhaps because he was not overly proud of his economics at the time. Whether Keating should have switched to this big picture view is questionable. But he did and also successfully courted the Left Wing intelligentsia (LWI) of Australia. The LWI was impressed by Keating’s desire to become a Republic, change the flag and engage in reconciliation with Australia’s Aborigines. Middle Australia was less impressed. One legacy of Keating’s big picture did yield results, his engagement with Asia was successful and has had long lasting effects. Despite Keating starting by lecturing Brent Snowcroft, one of the architects of the US victory in the Cold War and in the first Gulf War in a manner that was really quite amusing he did get US support for APEC and he strengthened Australian relations with Indonesia. Kelly also notes that Keating introduced mandatory detention, a policy that would be continued but explode under Howard.

In Part III The Showdown Kelly describes the contest between Howard and Keating where Howard managed to split the LWI, which was the Labour leadership, from much of the Labour base that became the Howard battlers. Howard’s rise as the Final Option due to Hewson’s dismal failure and Downer’s amusing one is given fairly short shrift.

In Part IV, The Howard System, Howards setup as PM is described. Howard is described as setting up a system where he was key and one in which he would continue the politicisation of the senior ranks of the public service. Howard also had an asset in a strong treasurer in Peter Costello. The two were not friends but had a very successful working relationship. Together they would balance the budget under fire from the public service and the unions. This was not, as Labour would later attempt to paint it as, balancing the budget in good times. Howard and Costello would also make the Reserve Bank legally independent. It was quite a step that would cause the Liberal Party pain in the short term but gain in the long term. Kelly also writes about how Howard would engage in a cultural conflict with the LWI that Keating had deliberately launched with his big picture ideas. Kelly describe’s Howard’s relations with indigenous Australia as being an opportunity wasted. Kelly has spoken to Noel Pearson who would be important in this part of Liberal politics and Pearson provides numerous interesting quotes throughout the book.

In Part V The Crisis of Legitimacy Kelly writes about the problems that would hit the Howard government early on, the waterfront crisis, the Native Title Crisis and in particular the rise of One Nation and Pauline Hanson. Howard’s tough victory in the 1998 election where he had all these setbacks but still courageously and openly proposed a new tax and won is described. With that Howard laid to rest the Ghost of Billy McMahon.

In Part VI, John Howard discovers the world Kelly writes about the Howard government, Downer and it’s relations with the world. After initially not engaging with Asia Howard and Downer’s change to further engagement is given examination.

In Part VII Howard Unleashed larger chunks of Howard’s government and the particularly successful phase that ultimately made it such a long lasting government is examined. Kelly describes Howard and Downer’s handling of East Timor as improvised but successful and establishing real foreign policy credentials for them. The introduction of the GST and the avoidance of the 2001 recession is given a surprisingly short treatment. Kelly says that Howard was skillful but that Costello was too hard line and would have failed to have passed it. Kelly hints that Howard looked at this as showing the Costello would not have made a good leader. Tampa and the Children overboard affair is described with an interval where the events of 9/11 and the Howard/Bush relationship are examined. Kelly describes the former as being unintentionally mishandled, in contrast to the myth that the ALP and others have subsequently attempted to construct of the whole issue as being a dog whistle. Kelly’s narrative is solid and makes far more sense than allowing the Left’s hatred of Howard to run wild and paint him as some evil Machiavellian genius. Kelly also points out that much of the setup was inherited from Keating. Kelly does not paint Howard and in particular Reith as being blameless, indeed he appears certain that before the 2001 election both were aware of the inadvertent construct they had painted but neither, in the run up to an election being prepared to fully overturn what had appeared.

The book ends with the 2001 election with Howard ready to step into the salad days of his time as PM when budget surpluses and the China boom would kick in.

The book is very impressive. For anyone who is seriously interested in Australian politics it’s a must read. The faults that the book has, in particular the separation of themes with chronology disturbed are justified in that they give a good view of topics. The more natural choice of strict chronological order would have broken the overview of the issues that the book instead does so well. Kelly gives more time to Howard’s 5 years than Keating’s and this is justified. The Hawke government did more than the Keating government did. Keating’s role in that was critical. By the time he became PM the ALP was always on the defensive. Keating also lost the momentum to finish the program of reforms that he had so brilliantly started. It would be left to Howard to finish the painting by bringing in the GST, balancing the budget and formally separating the Reserve Bank. The book is long, it could be called The Long March of the Patriots. But this is clearly necessary. It would also have been good to have summaries of the economic and demographic status of Australia for the period. But these are minor quibbles. The book stands as a huge achievement.

4.5 / 5.

Looking for Eric

Looking for Eric ( 2009 imdb ) is a charming Ken Loach film that Loach pulled from MIFF because MIFF receives money from Israel.

It’s a fine, fun film. It’s great to see a film that makes you feel good and that is intelligent. The lead role is played by Steve Evets, one time bassist for The Fall, and he does a great job. He’s a divorced man in his 50s who is having a tough time. He has two step sons who live in his house and treat him with disdain. He works as a postman. But he does have a bunch of mates who stick by him, united as work mates and as football fans.

The film treads the line between depressing realism and a fun film well. It looks like it is going to sink into the often very depressing world of British life on film.

Looking for Eric also looks at how people view celebrities and sports heroes. Cantona is an interesting figure for this, he was crucial in Manchester United’s change from also rans to being one of the biggest clubs in Europe. He was also a problematic figure, playing brilliant football but then having a serious disciplinary problem. He also made some insightful and enigmatic comments to the press.

Looking for Eric is well worth a look, it’s charming.

4/5

Australia’s Welfare Habit

Australia’s Welfare Habit (2004) by Peter Saunders is a fascinating book by one of the rarest of things, a sociologist who is not left wing. It’s a fascinating book that is well worth reading. I’d also link to personally thank Wayne Swan for putting me onto to Saunder’s book in his decidedly average book Postcode: The Splintering of a Nation.

Saunders looks at what has happened to Australian welfare, how it compares to welfare in other countries and goes on to make recommendations as to what he thinks should be done. The first two things are done better than the last. Welfare is a really hard issue to discuss. Saunders points out that the welfare lobby, comprised of academics who study the issue and lobby groups are effective at blocking much change that they do not agree with. He also makes the point that welfare lobby is also fairly candid about wanting higher taxes.

In the book Saunders makes the huge point that Australia’s welfare spending and the proportion of people who are dependent has exploded. In 1969 just 2% of the working age population received unemployment, disability and the single parent allowance while in 2002 around 14% do. It’s a serious problem. The growth in unemployment is part of the issue as is the increase in single parents, but to see that disability pensions have more than doubled as a percentage of the workforce is really surprising. People do less physical work and are generally healthier than in 1969. Fewer smoke and we live longer.The increases have also occurred while society has gotten considerably richer, with the economy doubling in the period. Welfare continues to solidly rise. Under the Howard government, which many of the Left attempt to present as a hard right ‘neo-liberal’ regime social spending increasing from 40% to 44% of government spending.

Saunders provides a good overview of relative versus absolute poverty measures that range from under 5% of the population to over 40% . Saunders points out that no objective measure exists. The relative measures favoured by the lobby have the remarkable and curious effect of causing poverty to rise if only some parts of society get richer while no one gets any poorer at all. Saunders also points out that the welfare lobby itself claims that poverty keeps growing and that poverty spending is ineffective, and thus it demands still more money be spent. He also points out that being on welfare is demeaning and removes people’s self-respect and their ability to be independent.

Saunders look at Australian social spending and does point out that it is amongst the most efficient in the OECD with payments being directed towards those with the least money. This in turn has the effect of creating enormously high Effective Marginal Tax Rates ( EMTR s ) that provide a dis-incentive for people on welfare to find work. He also points out that Australian social security spending is different from most countries social spending because the money comes out of general revenue and that our benefits are paid without end. Saunders looks at how the US 1996 welfare reforms had a considerable effect. The participation rate grew and people were able to find jobs.

The section where Saunders looks disability payments is fascinating. In Australia over 50% of recipients of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) fall into two categories, Psychological/psychiatric and Musculo-skeletal/connective tissue, typically bad backs. Saunders points out that a huge proportion of these people are older men who are essentially taken off the unemployment list by shuffling onto DSP. Saunders also uses the figures to put the Dutch and Swedish unemployment figures into perspective. Using 2003 figures Dutch unemployment was only 4%, but a staggering 9% were on DSP type benefits. In Sweden the figures were 5% and 8% respectively. In Australia the figures are 6% and 5%. The Anglosphere countries average 11% combined unemployed and DSP while the main European economies average 13%. Saunders suggests that the current criterion of being unable to work for 30 hours is too strong. If it were reduced to being unable to work for 15 hours considerably more people would be able to work. He also suggests that activity requirements should also be used for people on DSP benefits.

Saunders discussion of single parent payments is also very good. He talks about how Australia does not require parents to fulfill any activities until the youngest child reaches 16 years of age. This is more generous than Sweden where at 3 years old parents are required to look for work. Saunders suggests that requiring single parents to undertake activities and look for work from the time their children reach school would be wise. He also points to substantial polling on the issues that state that 84% of Australians also believe this is the way things should be.

Saunders also looks at how many middle income people in Australia are part of a substantial tax churn, where they pay tax and then receive benefits which he sees to be crazy. He certainly has a point.

In the sections on what to do Saunders has solid suggestions for activity requirements and punitive measures for those who fail to fulfill them for the unemployed, changes to single parent benefits and to DSP benefits. He also goes further to suggest that lowering the minimum wage would be a good idea and removing government from many areas would improve things. This he provides far less support for. In the book he also makes the point that Australia social spending is, compared to many countries, quite low and very efficient.

The book is really, really interesting. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in social policy at all. Saunders solid presentation of clear data is excellent. Even if you disagree with Saunders his views are well worth reading. It’s also hard to imagine that people looking at balancing the Australian budget have not read his book. With much public support for some of the changes shown in polls, a centre left Australian government could easily implement some of his suggestions.

4/5

Tyson

Tyson ( 2009 IMDB ) is a documentary about the boxer Mike Tyson and directed by James Toback. Most of the film is an interview with Tyson. Tyson comes across as a surprisingly interesting figure who came from very harsh circumstances and rose to great heights but then through crime and drugs failed to maintain his position and really failed to live up to his potential.

Tyson the boxer was a phenomenon, certainly one of the greatest fighters of all time. He combined the huge hitting power of a heavyweight with the speed of a much lighter boxer. The documentary shows some of his fights as he was rising and when he was at the height of his powers, his speed and power looks to be something out of a computer game or a film and looks super human. And this is against some of the toughest fighters in the world. Tyson was fairly small for a heavyweight and had considerably less reach than many of his opponents.

Tyson’s life story is interesting. In his childhood his probable father walked out, he was subject to rampant violence and gun threats and wound up in crime himself, he went to detention and then discovered boxing which transformed him and gave him the discipline to use his prodigious gifts. His trainer was Cus D’Amato who would be a father figure to Tyson. D’Amato died in 1985, early on into Tyson’s career.

Tyson rose to become the undisputed world champion, but in the late 1980s he would get married and divorced and as he says he began to consume drugs and become very promiscuous. The money that Tyson was earning attracted sharks like Don King. He went on to lose the World Championship and then his life went off the rails. He was convicted of rape. He spent 3 years in jail until 1995. The rape is discussed, Tyson maintains his innocence and believes he was set up.

When he returned to fighting in 1995 he would go on to earn a considerable amount of money, but he had slipped. He fought Evander Holyfield in 1996 and lost which was big surprise. Tyson accused Hollyfield of head butting him to gain an advantage. The two had a rematch in which Tyson bit Hollyfield’s ear twice. Tyson was then disqualified.

Tyson continued to fight, but was in decline. He retired in 2005. He quit in the seventh round against a journeyman fighter. The doco has a really honest interview that Tyson gave at the time.

The documentary is interesting but ultimately doesn’t really grab the viewer. It’s similar to the documentary on Maradona . Both films are worth watching if you have some interest in the subjects but are not particularly good. Tyson is no When We Were Kings which is gripping even for those with no interest in sport.

3.5/5

A Farewell to Alms

A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World by Gregory Clark (2007) is a very solid look at the economics of the Middle Ages and the transition to the Industrial Revolution and a short look at why the divergence in wealth between nations has grown during the twentieth century.

What’s great about the book is how data driven it is. Clark has systematically gone through a wealth of sources and presents the data they contain clearly and with ample reference. Even if the book’s conclusions are wrong, the book furthers the quest to understand why growth took off during the Industrial Revolution and why world growth is so uneven.

Clark first characterizes growth before the Industrial Revolution as Malthusian Growth that Clark defines as low growth while the per capita income of each person changes little. The term is curious because Malthusianism in common use tends toward saying that there is a hard limit on population size that populations reach. Clark describes the era from 100 000 BC to 1700 AD as showing very little or almost no growth in wealth per person. He does point out that during this time the world’s population increased from approximately 100 000 people to 770 million, so the total amount of wealth grew enormously. But there are indicators in terms of the amount of rich energy source food consumed and life expectancy that make the point very reasonable. However it is interesting to assert that a citizen of Britain in 1700 was only as wealthy as a cave man. Surely the possessions of the average Briton of the time would have been more than that of the cave man.

Some economists have put forth the idea that the Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain because of British institutions. Clark makes a very good point to suggest this is not the case as he points out that the institutions that fostered the industrial revolution had remained the same for centuries in Britiain with low growth before the Industrial Revolution.

Clark’s thesis is that the Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain because of higher fertility of wealthy people had bred work of the kind that makes modern economies work well. He backs this argument up with data from the long history of British inheritance and number of descendants. He also makes the point that the values that make economies work are not values that are presumably successful for hunter gatherers, hard work, rationality and education.

He goes on to suggest that cultural reasons are the reason for the divergence between the developed world and the less developed world in the 20th Century. He again goes to the data looking at the productivity of works on automated weaving machines. Even if the argument is wrong it is extremely thoroughly and transparently supported.

An alternative thesis for the Industrial Revolution are abundant as described in wikipedia in the entry on The Industrial Revolution. New theories combining elements of previous theories continue to be created. The question is one that will probably never be resolved. The technological argument that coking to produce cheap cast iron lead to coal being more cheaply extractable to produce still cheaper coal and then to the invention of the steam engine that enabled, for the first time in history, the use of the massive amounts of energy in fossil fuels to be used on a huge scale is still strong. Indeed, the book describes the price and amount of coal being mined from 1600 to 1860 which indicates that this was at least occurring even if it was not driving the Industrial Revolution itself.

The divergence in growth between developed and less developed countries over the twentieth century is not, however, explainable by cheap energy which should, if it’s effective were the same regardless of culture and institutions, have reduced the divergence. Only in the developed world where per capita incomes have remained fairly similar to each other is this the case.

The book is, regardless of whether the conclusions are agreed with, a great book. Ross Gittins, reviewing it in the SMH also makes this point. The reviews in most places, including the NYT, have been glowing. The wealth of data, thoroughness and clearness of the explanations contained and the quality of the writing really shine.

4.5/5

Bigger Stronger Faster

Bigger Stronger Faster ( 2008 IMDB ) is a fun, informative and insightful documentary about steroid use in the USA. The story is narated by Chris Bell, a body builder and power lifter who has used steroids and has two brothers that use steroids.

The documentary starts with the story of Chris and his brothers who grew up in the 1980s and watched WWE style wrestling. This led to body building that gave  the brothers something to do. When they progressed further on they all began to take steroids. Chris, the narrator, quit using them.

Bell goes on to present a number of doctors who have different views on the dangers of steroids. A number of the doctors point out that there is no solid evidence that links steroid use to many of the health problems ascribed to it. The alarmists who propagandize against the use of steroids are also given time to present their case which is great to see. They are also solidly undermined by the doctors who don’t believe steroids to be a great health threat.

Bell looks at steroids in other sports and how their use is common in the NHL and Major League Baseball. It’s hard not to think that they are also common in most sports. The critical point is made that No amount of steroids will make someone who doesn’t have the skill into a pro-footballer or a pro-baseballer.

The attitude toward steroids in politics is targeted and shown to be gross hypocrisy and political grandstanding. It’s pointed out that the US congress had longer hearings on steroids in baseball than on the Iraq war. Some of the politicians who led this sad witch hunt, Joe Biden and Henry Waxman, are shown to be either hypocrites or ignorant. Henry Waxman is interviewed and also give a fair chance to present his case. One of the players the Texas Rangers,  the team owned by George W Bush, states that he was sure the owners knew of the practice. The remarkable career of Arnold Schwarzenegger also comes in for critique.

Bell talks to people in the bodybuilding industry and the interviews are interesting and amusing. He branches out to look at the supplements industry and makes his own supplement and sets up a fake campaign to sell it. He talks to some muscle models who sell their own stuff and they talk about steroids. He also talks to a muscle photographer who comments that he can do the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots in one day with some makeup and photoshop. He then promptly does this. It’s very impressive.

The documentary is really fine. It’s fun, informative and Bell is charismatic as the presenter. Steroid use is a fascinating subject and Bell handles it with knowledge, insight and a good sense of humour

4/5

Battlelines

Battlelines ( 2009 ) by Tony Abbott is an interesting, well written book that is rare in Australian political books in that it is also a book that is of interest for the future, not just the past. It’s no Audacity of Hope but it is a book that also makes the writer more sympathetic.

The book is a collection of related essays rather than a book with one theme. The chapters are: The Making of a Liberal Politician, A Tale of Two Governments, What’s Right, Unfinished Business, Australia’s Biggest Political Problem and How to fix it, Making the States do better, If the 2020 Summit had been fair dinkum and Postscript: Days from Hell.

In the Making of a Liberal Abbott goes over his upbringing and early life. Abbott is absolutely frank in saying he was very privileged. He also writes about how he was reasonably wild as young man. He goes on to talk briefly about his girlfriend who thought that Abbot fathered her child and his foray into the seminary and his time as a Rhodes Scholar. He doesn’t emphasize his intellectual credentials, probably because he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to pretend to be a wonk. He also talks about being invited to join the ALP which is unsurprising.

In A Tale of Two Governments Abbot talks about his time in office and the Howard government. He clearly greatly admires Howard for his skill in running things. He liked the way that Howard respected his ministers but would on occasion make overriding decisions. He is clearly annoyed that Howard’s legacy has not been better treated. In doing so at this point he is also helping the Liberals avoid what the ALP suffered after their loss in 1996 where the ALP unwisely disowned the Hawke / Keating legacy. In the book it also clear that Abbott does not loathe the ALP and respects them. It’s good to see this lack of vicious partisanship.

In What’s Right Abbott discusses the Liberal Party’s ideology and the way that it is an interesting combination of liberal and conservative views. He dismisses critics of Howard who regarded Howard as a Free Market fundamentalist. And correctly too. Howard raised social spending, introduced harsher gun laws and other measures that don’t fit into the US Republican style of conservatism. Australia is very lucky to have two major parties that are pragmatic.

In Unfinished Business Abbott goes over social policy and payments under Howard. Interestingly, he wants a reduction in means testing and increased family payments. I.e. he wants more government. He is absolutely upfront about this. This again shows that the Libs are certainly not purely a small government free market party.

In Australia’s Biggest Political Problem Abbott goes over the relationship and responsibilities of the State and Federal Governments. He clearly sees the States as poorly run and failing. He thinks they have little value and should have their powers reduced. It’s a big change. He doesn’t believe that some of Australia’s regions and cities would suffer by the Federal Government picking and choosing issues for electoral reasons. Amusingly, he cites the Mersey Hospital in Tasmania as an example of why the Federal Government should run things. This would appear highly unwise. It did look like the Federal Government was playing politics on that occasion, it was like the Sports Rorts whiteboard affair during the decline of the ALP.

In the chapter on 2020 Summit we get a plethora of policy outlines. Abbott sees the ALP as practicing magic pudding economics. He clearly things they will run into trouble with an inability to balance the Federal Budget. On the environment Abbot is sharp. He has read and knows who Bjorn Lomborg is. It is great to see a politician who has done this. He also quotes Ian Plimer. He is aware that the historical record shows considerably colder temperatures in Europe during the 1500s to 1800s. But he is prepared to go along with popular feeling on the issue and points out that the ALP’s ETS is similar to Howard’s proposed ideas.

In the final chapter Abbot calmly and humbly describes his terrible few days during the 2007 election. He talks about having to tough things out. He then writes about how there is hope for the Libs in future with some voters quite likely to ditch Rudd when things worsen. He also talks about how politics is a vocation that you should take through both the thick and the thin. This is clearly to contrast with Liberals who have decided that the party won’t win the next election and probably the one after that and those who have been parachuted in to leadership. Abbott makes his position clear. He is going to stick around. He is also making clear that he wants to lead the party. He will. This books is a statement of what the Libs will look like when Abbott becomes leader. For this reason alone it is worth reading. It’s also pleasantly short, crisp and is well written. A Rhodes Scholarship and time as a journalist make for a good writer.

3.5 /5

Amreeka

Amreeka ( 2009 imdb ) is a reasonable film about an emmigrant mother and son who leave the Bethlehem to go and live in the US. The two move to Illinois at the start of the Gulf War. There reaction to and integration into US society is looked at. It’s an admirable film but it doesn’t have a strong enough narrative to drive it or that much difference from other films and tv shows about being an immigrant. The film might have been better as a tv show. It would have given the characters more time to develop and would have allowed a longer look at the issues that confront immigrant. None the less, it’s not a bad film.

3/5