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Whilst I was hoping to have RPG Review out this Monday, I fell sick late last week which knocked a couple of days off my planned schedule. Just as well it was advertised with the ambigious "late September". As it is I'm just finishing the final pages and layout and as opposed to the advertised 48 pages, it looks like the first issue will be a fairly massive 64 pages - and a fair bit of the second issue is already done! Perhaps, just perhaps, it is indeed well about time that something like RPG Review was released. Despite illness I managed to work in several story threads for Sunday's RuneQuest game for the second scenario of Shadows on the Borderland.

Not for the first time my workplace has indicated that they are more than pleased with my abilities. After receiving a "not insubstantial" pay rise recently, I have also been told that work will pay for the $2K+ tuition fees of a Certificate IV in Training and Assesment. VPAC does more than a fair bit of training and I've had a fair bit to do with writing the basic training manual and tutorials for the partnership. On another work related topic much of this coming week will be dedicated to preparing a presentation to the eResearch Australasia 2008 conference.

Everything you need to know about the US election in one comprehensive post. The United States and Pakistan on the edge of war against each other. No surprise to regular readers of this journal; cheap credit and land speculation runs riot - and then stops with an incredible crunch: Tectonic Shift on Wall Street as Lehman Fails, Merrill Sold. How long have I been ringing this warning bell?!

Date: 2008-09-23 03:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ariaflame.livejournal.com
If you haven't already seen this, I found it amusing.

Date: 2008-09-23 11:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Ah yes, I saw that late last night. Very good.

Reminds of me of this one:

http://philip.greenspun.com/humor/bush-nigerian-spam

Date: 2008-09-23 05:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] synabetic.livejournal.com
Hey, that's the great thing about quarterly publication... couple days late? No problemo! :)

Hope you're feeling better; and if there's anything you need a hand with, please don't hesitate to drop me a line.


Don't forget, kids!: REMEMBER THE MAINE! VOTE MCCAIN!

Date: 2008-09-23 07:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amazinggoatgirl.livejournal.com
COUNTRY FIRST! ('Cause I'm a little bit country...)

Date: 2008-09-23 07:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] synabetic.livejournal.com
You know who's not country?

Admiral Patricio Montojo y PasarĂ³n! That's who.

:P

Date: 2008-09-23 10:41 pm (UTC)

Date: 2008-09-23 11:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Well when you're carrying ENC points in sashes and medals you're at a disadvantage in the first place.

Date: 2008-09-24 12:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] must-sew-faster.livejournal.com
Damn, I live in South East Metropotania. Or something.

Date: 2008-09-24 09:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Hey, I hear it's the place to be :)

Date: 2008-09-25 11:07 am (UTC)

Date: 2008-09-23 11:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Yeah, a couple of days ain't so bad, especially when it's 25% bigger.

Hey thanks for the RSS feed too... When the announce goes out I'll include notification. Awesome stuff.

Love the Orcus picture btw..

Date: 2008-09-23 07:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amazinggoatgirl.livejournal.com
Freakin' A. Imminent WWIII again?

Date: 2008-09-23 11:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
The third world war started in 1946. It's a war against the third world.

Date: 2008-09-25 11:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amazinggoatgirl.livejournal.com
I dun get it.. is that a pun? Or not? Wouldn't it have started when colonialism in general started, ie way before?

Date: 2008-09-26 01:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Yeah, it's a pun. I picked it up in "Crisis" comics from the early 90s.

Wouldn't it have started when colonialism in general started, ie way before?

In reality yes.... Human history seems to be one tribe invading another for resources.

Date: 2008-09-29 08:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amazinggoatgirl.livejournal.com
Uhh.. right. Hadn't seen that.

fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-24 07:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] decrypt-era.livejournal.com
How long have I been ringing this warning bell?!

It shouldn't need a warning bell really, though, should it?
It should be as obvious as the ground is
to a person who's fallen out of an aeroplane without a parachute.
It makes me sigh a lot.

Re: fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-24 09:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
It should be as obvious as the ground is

INDEED!

It is simply impossible to raise the price of estate when that price is not matched by improvements in productivity.

Land based wealth is an illusion, says a pro-capitalist economist. And he's absolutely right.. His solution however, indicates the usual intellectual and moral cowardice I've come to expect from the Institute of Public Affairs.. But then again we know who pays for the tune of those pipers!

Re: fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-24 11:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darknova666.livejournal.com
not entirely true, as its a matter of demand and supply.

immigration (as per oz) leads to greater demand and increased prices.

a growing population will push up prices.

also a move from rural to metropolitan areas will push up city prices.

also improvements to the land - houses etc add to its value

of course do we really own the land or does it own us.

howeever i do mostlyagree that:

"Much of the wealth represented by housing is illusory. It is created by government rationing of land. This causes inflation in land prices."

well around cities anyway. u can buy a block of land in the country and built in alot of spots if u dont want services.

however this right winger's real agenda is to get outer suburbs rezoned so his land banking mates can profit!

also a lowering of land values decreases consumer confidence leading to more chance of libs getting back in...

dont forget also that governments dont rezone excessively as they have to provide all the services, roads schools etc

dont forget also the very generous interest tax deductions that investors get that helps price out new buyers.

Re: fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-25 01:13 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
not entirely true, as its a matter of demand and supply.

Or more importantly, the relative elasticity land demand and supply to other goods and services, which explains why economists (since Adam Smith onwards) have all universally recognised the efficiency of land tax. As Paul Samuelson remarks.


The striking result is that a tax on rent will lead to no distortions or economic inefficiencies. Why not? Because a tax on pure economic rent does not change anyone's economic behavior. Demanders are unaffected because their price is unchanged. The behavior of suppliers is unaffected because the supply of land is fixed and cannot react. Hence, the economy operates after the tax exactly as it did before the tax--with no distortions or inefficiencies arising as a result of the land tax.


The problem with Alan Moran's remark:

"Much of the wealth represented by housing is illusory. It is created by government rationing of land. This causes inflation in land prices."

.. is that public and private landholders reduce supply. Thus his 'solution' is to take land out of democratically-controlled management in favour of private landlords. This too will increase the price of land by reducing supply. So it's not a solution at all - worse still, Alan Moran knows this. I am astounding by his dishonesty in this issue. It's not as if he needs the extra money that the IPA provides.

death to usury

Date: 2008-09-25 06:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] decrypt-era.livejournal.com
Stepping back from the immediate situation a little,
it should be equally obvious that the entire monetary system is faulty.
To quote another economist (Kenneth Boulding):
"Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world
is either a madman or an economist."

Re: fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-25 06:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] decrypt-era.livejournal.com
I don't think much of the behaviour of Julius Caesar
(i'm not much of a fan of empires, as you know),
but he did make some astute observations.

Re: fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt

Date: 2008-09-24 11:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darknova666.livejournal.com
yeah the economist was warning about the us housing bubble 3+ years ago

Date: 2008-09-24 11:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darknova666.livejournal.com
hey mate, i rocked up at the pizza joint but couldnt see u guys so headed off.

Date: 2008-09-25 01:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com
Eh, we were there... We even held off on our order for a while...

Maybe best to call Erica's phone next time?

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