I was referred to this journal article on "Economics of POW Camp" as a classic paper in economics. I can see why economists get their students to read it. The article describes a number trade arrangements that emerged spontaneously, and as a result serve to reinforce economic principles. It's long, but interesting.
The article was written very shortly after the end of the war, so memories are fresh. The author was a former POW, with first hand knowledge. The diction and prose is very sophisticated. It uses relatively complex sentence constructions, that are surprisingly easy to understand. I don't know anyone who writes like that these days. I know I don't, because I'm always worried about making complex ideas understandable. Consequently, I write wordy, informal text. The writing in the article is formal and preserves the complexity.
It talks about how systems of trade, barter, and commerce were developed around rations in POW camps in Germany during World War II. Note that these are POW camps and not concentration camps, so the residents were actually fed. The soldiers received basic rations from their German captors, so their basic needs were looked after. The Red Cross also distributed rations that included cigarettes, chocolate bars, tea, and so on. Occasionally, care packages would arrive in the post.
These were soldiers who were used to working in a hierarchy and ranks were preserved and respected within the camps. As well, sections of the camp organized nationally, partly due to Germans having separate camps for some countries, but also the military shadow organization establishing chains of command and lines of communication.
While people did initially barter and trade for goods, the cigarette became the basic unit of currency to establish fair prices across permanent camps and limit arbitrage.
The British eventually set up a store and a restaurant! People came to the restaurant for prepared foods and entertainment.
Probably the most interesting POW camp that I have heard about was the one after the Korean War. "They Chose China" is a film about US soldiers who decided to stay in China after the Korean War. Video of the film is available on YouTube
. These men went on to have wives and families. Some went back to the US after some years, but others never returned. Anyhow, the POW camp was run by the Chinese in consultation with some officers were who selected to represent the men. The Chinese asked the representatives about what Americans liked, and for the most part they provided. They had games, sports, crafts, activities... the list is endless. At one point they had an Olympic games. The Chinese treated the soldiers as guests and provided lots of education about communism and Chinese language. After all that good treatment, it's not surprising that some chose to say behind, especially ones who didn't have good prospects back in the US and UK.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Cake Wrecks
A post on MetaFilter alerted me to this very amusing blog, Cake Wrecks. The topic is self-described as "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong."
This cake was especially appealing to my scatological sense of humor. Perusing the comments, I learned that the traditional Chinese characters say Happy Birthday and that in Japan poo is lucky, symbolically anyways. Apparently, the word for poo begins with the same sound as luck, and that when using squat toilets, producing a long coiled poo is an accomplishment indicative of good health.
The wedding cake that didn't live up to the photograph provided by the bride is worth a look too.
This cake was especially appealing to my scatological sense of humor. Perusing the comments, I learned that the traditional Chinese characters say Happy Birthday and that in Japan poo is lucky, symbolically anyways. Apparently, the word for poo begins with the same sound as luck, and that when using squat toilets, producing a long coiled poo is an accomplishment indicative of good health.The wedding cake that didn't live up to the photograph provided by the bride is worth a look too.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Petition to Urge the Obama Family to Adopt Their New Dog Petition
Petition to Urge the Obama Family to Adopt Their New Dog Petition
I signed a petition today.
The Obama family is reportedly planning on getting a dog next spring, after the election. The petition urges the Obama family to adopt a rescue dog, instead of buying a purebred from a breeder. This petition, in part, is a response to the American Kennel Club's breed recommendations and member poll.
This is something that I can get behind. I'm a big fan of "Animal Cops Houston" and I have seen so many success stories. Rescue dogs (and cats, and horses, and...) make great pets. They are not damaged goods as many people believe. They have the same personality range as non-rescue dogs. Typically, they are up to date on vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered. Some dogs have behavioral problems when they are rescued, but these issues are worked out before the pet is put up for adoption.
If you're looking for a pet, check out the Human Society or the SPCA.
I signed a petition today.
The Obama family is reportedly planning on getting a dog next spring, after the election. The petition urges the Obama family to adopt a rescue dog, instead of buying a purebred from a breeder. This petition, in part, is a response to the American Kennel Club's breed recommendations and member poll.
This is something that I can get behind. I'm a big fan of "Animal Cops Houston" and I have seen so many success stories. Rescue dogs (and cats, and horses, and...) make great pets. They are not damaged goods as many people believe. They have the same personality range as non-rescue dogs. Typically, they are up to date on vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered. Some dogs have behavioral problems when they are rescued, but these issues are worked out before the pet is put up for adoption.
If you're looking for a pet, check out the Human Society or the SPCA.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Bomb tossed through window of Halifax-area home
Bomb tossed through window of Halifax-area home
...and no one was harmed, because one resident had the temerity to pick it up and throw it back on the street! The bomb came flying in the window around 1am and police believe that it was not a random act.
This is a very interesting story for a number of reasons. One, that someone had his wits together enough at one o' clock to react. Two, this happened in Halifax, not the Bronx or Compton. Three, it wasn't random. I'm dying to know the story behind this. Who were these people who were awake at 1am? Are they adrenalin junkies with nerves of steel? Are they ex-military? Are they drug dealers?
Why do the police think it wasn't random? Are the residents members of a minority group? Are they refugees from abroad? Are their teenage children involved in a neighborhood conflict?
Who knows?
...and no one was harmed, because one resident had the temerity to pick it up and throw it back on the street! The bomb came flying in the window around 1am and police believe that it was not a random act.
This is a very interesting story for a number of reasons. One, that someone had his wits together enough at one o' clock to react. Two, this happened in Halifax, not the Bronx or Compton. Three, it wasn't random. I'm dying to know the story behind this. Who were these people who were awake at 1am? Are they adrenalin junkies with nerves of steel? Are they ex-military? Are they drug dealers?
Why do the police think it wasn't random? Are the residents members of a minority group? Are they refugees from abroad? Are their teenage children involved in a neighborhood conflict?
Who knows?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sexual Healing - News - Broward-Palm Beach New Times - Broward-Palm Beach New Times
Sexual Healing - News - Broward-Palm Beach New Times - Broward-Palm Beach New Times
This article is a really beautiful story about a sex surrogate in Florida. A sex surrogate is a kind of therapist who helps people with sexual dysfunction with hands-on exercises. They work on intimacy far more than actual intercourse. The patients are often people who had been molested, raped, or other traumatic early sexual experiences. Or repressive mothers, no kidding.
I had heard of sex surrogates before, but not at this level of detail. The article is long, and the beauty comes from reading about people making psychological breakthroughs and becoming more at ease with themselves.
This article is a really beautiful story about a sex surrogate in Florida. A sex surrogate is a kind of therapist who helps people with sexual dysfunction with hands-on exercises. They work on intimacy far more than actual intercourse. The patients are often people who had been molested, raped, or other traumatic early sexual experiences. Or repressive mothers, no kidding.
I had heard of sex surrogates before, but not at this level of detail. The article is long, and the beauty comes from reading about people making psychological breakthroughs and becoming more at ease with themselves.
BBC NEWS | UK | Maternity leave 'damages' careers
The extension of maternity leave to up to a year may be sabotaging women's careers, the head of the new equality watchdog has warned.
I think having a year for maternity leave (or better yet, parental leave) is great. It's a wonderful thing for the baby to be close to parents, especially mothers, in the first year.
The suggestion that a year-long maternity leave is damaging to careers is a problem with implementation. In Canada, parents are also entitled to take a year AND they can split that year any way they wish. This has had a number of lovely side-effects. A man or a woman can take time off for child-rearing, which hedges against hiring decisions like the one mentioned in the article. Also, we're seeing more and more dads staying home with their babies. It helps to establish a bond and increases the confidence of dads in their child care abilities.
Taking a year off can slow down a career for other reasons. One of them is the "not enough runway" problem. You need to get your career trajectory established early on, otherwise colleagues wonder why you haven't reached the level that you ought to by a certain age. This isn't necessarily a problem just for women or parents, but it's definitely an issue for moms.
Finally, a year of maternity leave sounds like a wonderful thing, and it is. But nuclear families are a recent social configuration. For much of human history, and even current geography, extended family groups are much more common. It's not easy for one or even two people to raise a child by themselves. They really need a social support network around them. So, in this view maternity leave is a kind of modern band-aid for our modern work-life imbalance.
I think having a year for maternity leave (or better yet, parental leave) is great. It's a wonderful thing for the baby to be close to parents, especially mothers, in the first year.
The suggestion that a year-long maternity leave is damaging to careers is a problem with implementation. In Canada, parents are also entitled to take a year AND they can split that year any way they wish. This has had a number of lovely side-effects. A man or a woman can take time off for child-rearing, which hedges against hiring decisions like the one mentioned in the article. Also, we're seeing more and more dads staying home with their babies. It helps to establish a bond and increases the confidence of dads in their child care abilities.
Taking a year off can slow down a career for other reasons. One of them is the "not enough runway" problem. You need to get your career trajectory established early on, otherwise colleagues wonder why you haven't reached the level that you ought to by a certain age. This isn't necessarily a problem just for women or parents, but it's definitely an issue for moms.
Finally, a year of maternity leave sounds like a wonderful thing, and it is. But nuclear families are a recent social configuration. For much of human history, and even current geography, extended family groups are much more common. It's not easy for one or even two people to raise a child by themselves. They really need a social support network around them. So, in this view maternity leave is a kind of modern band-aid for our modern work-life imbalance.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Wow-e: Malthusian Fear Mongering Can Be Annoying | MetaFilter
While the latest Pixar/Disney animated film, Wall-E (teasers, trailers and clips) debuted as the No. 1 movie this past weekend and has been met with critical acclaim, including a 97% "Fresh Rating" ...
This thread on MetaFilter was discussing how right-wing thinkers are panning the animated film "Wall-E." This thread links to the original article on ThinkProgress.org.
This amazes me. How is this little robot making the radical right so mad? Why does a message to look after our own garbage make the radical right so mad?
Apparently, the "The Incredibles" had the radical left pretty upset too. The movie supposedly espoused the objectivist principles of Ayn Rand. To the point of having a scene where Mr. Incredible shoulders a giant orb-shaped robot to emulate the cover of the book "Atlas Shrugged."
I had no idea.
This thread on MetaFilter was discussing how right-wing thinkers are panning the animated film "Wall-E." This thread links to the original article on ThinkProgress.org.
This amazes me. How is this little robot making the radical right so mad? Why does a message to look after our own garbage make the radical right so mad?
Apparently, the "The Incredibles" had the radical left pretty upset too. The movie supposedly espoused the objectivist principles of Ayn Rand. To the point of having a scene where Mr. Incredible shoulders a giant orb-shaped robot to emulate the cover of the book "Atlas Shrugged."
I had no idea.
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