CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (2)
Why are the Norwegians so good at cross-country skiing, I asked back in March 2011? I could have asked the same question again today. Idly watching the TV during a coffee break from chopping up wood, I watched the end of a team cross-country World Cup race held in Norway. Other countries had one 4-man team, but Norway showed up with three, who were all very good. So good, in fact, that they nearly had a clean sweep. Instead they came second, third and fourth, only losing out to the Russians. But still miles ahead of anyone else.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Saturday, 7 December 2013
EDUCATED FOREIGNERS
All European countries face ageing populations and increasing welfare burdens. One solution is to bring in foreigners to do the work and pay the necessary taxes. But not just any old foreigners, because that tends to get people hot under the collar. No, clever foreigners, who will earn a lot, pay a lot of taxes and then (crucially) go home to retire.
Danish politicians talk about "uddannede udlændinger" (educated foreigners) ad nauseam. They think that there are vast queues of them beating down the door trying to get in. As an educated foreigner who has lived here for thirteen years, I think this is rubbish, for reasons I have said before. What is new is that foreigners outside Denmark tend to agree.
The OECD has just done a survey of 30 rich countries, looking at their ability both to attract educated foreigners and to keep them (not the same thing; Britain comes second in the first category, but only seventh in the second). Unfortunately for Danish politicians, Denmark comes 19th out of 30 in both categories, behind not only Norway, Luxembourg and the United States, but Chile, Korea and Israel. Basically, Denmark sucks at this.
Top of both lists, somewhat surprisingly, is not America or Australia or Holland, but Switzerland. It may have a reputation for being a bit boring, but it obviously knows what people want and goes out of its way to ensure they get it.
Walter Blotscher
All European countries face ageing populations and increasing welfare burdens. One solution is to bring in foreigners to do the work and pay the necessary taxes. But not just any old foreigners, because that tends to get people hot under the collar. No, clever foreigners, who will earn a lot, pay a lot of taxes and then (crucially) go home to retire.
Danish politicians talk about "uddannede udlændinger" (educated foreigners) ad nauseam. They think that there are vast queues of them beating down the door trying to get in. As an educated foreigner who has lived here for thirteen years, I think this is rubbish, for reasons I have said before. What is new is that foreigners outside Denmark tend to agree.
The OECD has just done a survey of 30 rich countries, looking at their ability both to attract educated foreigners and to keep them (not the same thing; Britain comes second in the first category, but only seventh in the second). Unfortunately for Danish politicians, Denmark comes 19th out of 30 in both categories, behind not only Norway, Luxembourg and the United States, but Chile, Korea and Israel. Basically, Denmark sucks at this.
Top of both lists, somewhat surprisingly, is not America or Australia or Holland, but Switzerland. It may have a reputation for being a bit boring, but it obviously knows what people want and goes out of its way to ensure they get it.
Walter Blotscher
Friday, 6 December 2013
WAR AND MURDER
It may seem odd to think about murder when you are talking about war. After all, the whole point of war is to kill people, and to kill them with intent, isn't it? Yet since time immemorial, people have been wrestling with this issue. In mediæval times jurists tried to square violent behaviour with the very clear biblical prohibition "thou shalt not kill"; the result was the concept of the "just war", which handily covered anybody who wasn't Christian. In more modern times, the bible has been replaced by conventions, regulating behaviour. It is OK to kill people, but not in every circumstance. Civilians, the wounded, and soldiers who have surrendered are covered by these rules; killing them is not an accepted part of a soldier's life, but murder.
I am sure that throughout history there have been a lot of deaths in war, which legalistically would be classed as murder. People run on adrenalin in a firefight; judging when the fighting has stopped or whether the guy who was just trying to kill you has in fact surrendered must be extremely difficult. And even if you get that call right, there must be a terrible temptation to finish the job, to make sure that your opponent not only loses today but never has the opportunity to attack you again. I have never been in that situation, but I can well imagine that it happens.
Armies have muddled through with these problems for the past 100 years or so. However, in recent times, a new element has come into the mix, namely the technological development known as the battlefield camera. Brilliant at allowing people far behind the lines to see what is going on up-front (and so bring in air support, artillery or other things), it also records incidents that in the past would not have been recorded. Soldiers have to be aware that what they can see, so can others.
I have been thinking about this because of the conviction for murder this week of a British marine sergeant, who shot a badly wounded Afghan fighter. The fight was over, the threat was over. This was an execution, as the sergeant himself recognised; turning to his colleagues, he said "I just broke the Geneva Convention". Unfortunately for him, the incident was recorded on one of those colleagues' helmet-mounted cameras, setting in train what eventually led to a prosecution. Murder in the U.K. carries an automatic life sentence; though when it comes to sentencing, he will probably end up serving a lesser term than whole life.
What is interesting is that the marine was not convicted by civilian judges with no idea of the realities he faced. This was a Court Martial board, in which seven officers and NCO's - his peers - judged his conduct and found it wanting. As the head of the marines said succinctly, murder is murder; the judgment this week shows that this is true, even in war.
Walter Blotscher
It may seem odd to think about murder when you are talking about war. After all, the whole point of war is to kill people, and to kill them with intent, isn't it? Yet since time immemorial, people have been wrestling with this issue. In mediæval times jurists tried to square violent behaviour with the very clear biblical prohibition "thou shalt not kill"; the result was the concept of the "just war", which handily covered anybody who wasn't Christian. In more modern times, the bible has been replaced by conventions, regulating behaviour. It is OK to kill people, but not in every circumstance. Civilians, the wounded, and soldiers who have surrendered are covered by these rules; killing them is not an accepted part of a soldier's life, but murder.
I am sure that throughout history there have been a lot of deaths in war, which legalistically would be classed as murder. People run on adrenalin in a firefight; judging when the fighting has stopped or whether the guy who was just trying to kill you has in fact surrendered must be extremely difficult. And even if you get that call right, there must be a terrible temptation to finish the job, to make sure that your opponent not only loses today but never has the opportunity to attack you again. I have never been in that situation, but I can well imagine that it happens.
Armies have muddled through with these problems for the past 100 years or so. However, in recent times, a new element has come into the mix, namely the technological development known as the battlefield camera. Brilliant at allowing people far behind the lines to see what is going on up-front (and so bring in air support, artillery or other things), it also records incidents that in the past would not have been recorded. Soldiers have to be aware that what they can see, so can others.
I have been thinking about this because of the conviction for murder this week of a British marine sergeant, who shot a badly wounded Afghan fighter. The fight was over, the threat was over. This was an execution, as the sergeant himself recognised; turning to his colleagues, he said "I just broke the Geneva Convention". Unfortunately for him, the incident was recorded on one of those colleagues' helmet-mounted cameras, setting in train what eventually led to a prosecution. Murder in the U.K. carries an automatic life sentence; though when it comes to sentencing, he will probably end up serving a lesser term than whole life.
What is interesting is that the marine was not convicted by civilian judges with no idea of the realities he faced. This was a Court Martial board, in which seven officers and NCO's - his peers - judged his conduct and found it wanting. As the head of the marines said succinctly, murder is murder; the judgment this week shows that this is true, even in war.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday, 5 December 2013
ANOTHER BIG STORM
I have just finished clearing up after the storm that hit Denmark on 28 October. Clearing up means getting rid of all the leaves, chopping up the two trees that fell down, and similar stuff. So it is a bit annoying to find that a second one is currently raging over the country.
Although mooted to be not quite as violent as the earlier one, it will last longer, nearly a full 24 hours. All of the bridges connecting the country's islands are closed, train and ferry services have stopped, and the police have advised everyone to stay indoors. Advice which I am heeding.
Hopefully, all of the trees set to fall down came down a month ago. But it's not until tomorrow that I will find out if that is true or not.
Walter Blotscher
I have just finished clearing up after the storm that hit Denmark on 28 October. Clearing up means getting rid of all the leaves, chopping up the two trees that fell down, and similar stuff. So it is a bit annoying to find that a second one is currently raging over the country.
Although mooted to be not quite as violent as the earlier one, it will last longer, nearly a full 24 hours. All of the bridges connecting the country's islands are closed, train and ferry services have stopped, and the police have advised everyone to stay indoors. Advice which I am heeding.
Hopefully, all of the trees set to fall down came down a month ago. But it's not until tomorrow that I will find out if that is true or not.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
DETROIT (2)
Back in August, Detroit seemed certain to go into bankruptcy. However, not everybody had an interest in seeing that happen. Foremost amongst them were former municipal employees, whose unfunded pension liabilities make up around half of the city's US$18 billion debt. They sued the state-appointed emergency manager in order to prevent his bankruptcy petition from taking place.
That attempt has failed. The judge handling the petition said that bankruptcy, and the protection which it gives the city from its creditors, was a "foregone conclusion" and the only possible way forward. The emergency manager will now put forward a plan to deal with Detroit's 100,000+ creditors. That plan will almost certainly include cuts in those otherwise sacred pension liabilities.
Detroit's bankruptcy is not only interesting in its own right, but will give some clues as to how America will deal with the colossal problem of unfunded (and unaffordable) state and municipal pension commitments, which run into the trillions of dollars. In particular, the idea that those commitments are untouchable will be tested and discarded.
Walter Blotscher
Back in August, Detroit seemed certain to go into bankruptcy. However, not everybody had an interest in seeing that happen. Foremost amongst them were former municipal employees, whose unfunded pension liabilities make up around half of the city's US$18 billion debt. They sued the state-appointed emergency manager in order to prevent his bankruptcy petition from taking place.
That attempt has failed. The judge handling the petition said that bankruptcy, and the protection which it gives the city from its creditors, was a "foregone conclusion" and the only possible way forward. The emergency manager will now put forward a plan to deal with Detroit's 100,000+ creditors. That plan will almost certainly include cuts in those otherwise sacred pension liabilities.
Detroit's bankruptcy is not only interesting in its own right, but will give some clues as to how America will deal with the colossal problem of unfunded (and unaffordable) state and municipal pension commitments, which run into the trillions of dollars. In particular, the idea that those commitments are untouchable will be tested and discarded.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
PISA TESTS
The Programme for International Student Assessment (or PISA) is a way of comparing educational performance across countries. Marks are given in mathematics, reading and science for pupils aged 15. The programme is run by the OECD, though it also includes countries who are not OECD members.
Given the variety in participant countries' cultures and educational systems, statisticians have long criticised the tests as overly simplistic. Yet since starting in 2000, the three-yearly results have quickly become the yardstick by which countries (and, in particular, their Education Ministers) judge themselves.
Denmark has the world's most expensive state school system, so there were high expectations when the latest 2012 results were announced today. However, the country achieved only middling grades in all three subjects, well behind the front-runners from East Asia (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea) and Finland, and below most of the E.U. countries with whom Denmark likes to compare itself.
Politicians were quick to try and put a gloss on things, saying that Denmark has too many less-able children in its survey. However, that cannot hide the fact that Denmark's results have not improved since 2006, and in mathematics have got worse. It is clear that more money does not necessarily lead to better educated children. The problem is working out what does.
Walter Blotscher
The Programme for International Student Assessment (or PISA) is a way of comparing educational performance across countries. Marks are given in mathematics, reading and science for pupils aged 15. The programme is run by the OECD, though it also includes countries who are not OECD members.
Given the variety in participant countries' cultures and educational systems, statisticians have long criticised the tests as overly simplistic. Yet since starting in 2000, the three-yearly results have quickly become the yardstick by which countries (and, in particular, their Education Ministers) judge themselves.
Denmark has the world's most expensive state school system, so there were high expectations when the latest 2012 results were announced today. However, the country achieved only middling grades in all three subjects, well behind the front-runners from East Asia (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea) and Finland, and below most of the E.U. countries with whom Denmark likes to compare itself.
Politicians were quick to try and put a gloss on things, saying that Denmark has too many less-able children in its survey. However, that cannot hide the fact that Denmark's results have not improved since 2006, and in mathematics have got worse. It is clear that more money does not necessarily lead to better educated children. The problem is working out what does.
Walter Blotscher
Monday, 2 December 2013
A BREAK-IN
There was a break-in at the cinema last night. They came in through the front door, using a crowbar to prise the lock, and took the flat-screen TV that sits in the window and runs trailers and adverts, plus the cash in the till (roughly £200) and all of the sweets on the rack. Not, however, the chips, popcorn or liquorice.
They were in there a long time, going through all the shelves both downstairs and upstairs, plus the area under the seating (which has nothing in it). Fortunately, they weren't interested in the computer or any of the other equipment upstairs, nor did they do any damage to the seats or anything else. They left the way they had come in, by the front door.
Given what they went for, their lack of interest in the equipment and the methodical way in which they searched the premises without vandalising anything, my guess is that it was someone with a drug problem. They need cash to buy drugs, and often need sugar to keep them going until the next fix.
However, that's merely a guess from someone with an interest in finding the culprit. The only thing that's certain is that the police are not interested in finding them. After we had reported it, they turned up three hours late and looked very bored. I don't expect to be summoned as a court witness any time soon.
Walter Blotscher
There was a break-in at the cinema last night. They came in through the front door, using a crowbar to prise the lock, and took the flat-screen TV that sits in the window and runs trailers and adverts, plus the cash in the till (roughly £200) and all of the sweets on the rack. Not, however, the chips, popcorn or liquorice.
They were in there a long time, going through all the shelves both downstairs and upstairs, plus the area under the seating (which has nothing in it). Fortunately, they weren't interested in the computer or any of the other equipment upstairs, nor did they do any damage to the seats or anything else. They left the way they had come in, by the front door.
Given what they went for, their lack of interest in the equipment and the methodical way in which they searched the premises without vandalising anything, my guess is that it was someone with a drug problem. They need cash to buy drugs, and often need sugar to keep them going until the next fix.
However, that's merely a guess from someone with an interest in finding the culprit. The only thing that's certain is that the police are not interested in finding them. After we had reported it, they turned up three hours late and looked very bored. I don't expect to be summoned as a court witness any time soon.
Walter Blotscher
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