Like Dubai before it, the Qatari government has decided to introduce rent controls:

Reports from Qatar suggest the government is to ban landlords from raising rents for the next two years. The drastic action is to help combat record inflation rates. A 27.7 per cent surge in rents spurred inflation in the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas to 13.74 per cent in December, the second-fastest pace on record.

Good idea?

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PBS’ documentary Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy is one of the most fascinating and worthwhile documentaries I’ve seen in quite some time. Based on the book of the same name by Yergin and Stanislaw, the series describes the evolution of the world economy from the early 20th century until now.

The first episode — entitled “The Battle of Ideas” — discusses the post-war “battle” between the ideas of Keynes [pdf] and the socialists; and the ideas of Hayek and a small band of intellectual dissidents who maintained a belief in the free market when it wasn’t particularly fashionable to do so. As the PBS website explains:

For more than half a century the battle of ideas will rage. From the totalitarian socialist systems to the fascist states, from the independent nations of the developing world to the mixed economies of Europe, and the regulated capitalism of the United States, government planning will gradually take over the commanding heights.

But in the 1970s, with Keynesian theory at its height and communism fully entrenched, economic stagnation sets in on all sides. When a British grocer’s daughter and a former Hollywood actor become heads of state, they join forces around the ideas of Hayek, and new political and economic policies begin to transform the world.

The complete first episode can be viewed here.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently delivered an interesting lecture on the subject of shariah law in the United Kingdom; and naturally, it has been followed by the usual outrage, condemnation, and exaggerated claims of ‘tattered authority’ and African-led Anglican self-destruction as a result.

In essence, the Archbishop was simply suggesting that Muslims, like other groups in society, should be free to apply shariah law judgements to certain elements of their life. For example, in matters of divorce, inheritance and personal relations. He was not suggesting that Muslims be free to practice the hudud such as capital punishment for murder in their local communities; or that Islamic law should be given precedence over the law of the land.

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The BBC is reporting:

A story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale has been turned by a government agency’s awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims.

The digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who warned that “the use of pigs raises cultural issues”.

Is the humanisation of pigs in the popular culture really so offensive to Muslims?

After years of passive exposure to Porky the Pig, Miss Piggy, Piglet, Orwell’s Napoleon and Snowball and, of course, Wilbur of Charlotte’s Web I may have become desensitised to the insidious threat that such characters pose. However, it does seem like something of an overreaction. In fact, it’s seems just the sort of overreaction by a government body that I’m sure others will cite as evidence of the “Islamifascistification of Britain”, “Eurabisation” or whatever the latest idiotic buzzword is.

But it’s not just Muslims whose feelings they are hoping to protect. It’s also that other much maligned, highly sensitive minority group — commonly known as the “building trade” — who may face “cultural issues” if not protected from this literature.

They also warned that the story might “alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)”.

The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate pigs: “Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?”

Due to some unfortunate personal circumstances, I am not going to be able to maintain this site for some time.  I don’t know when normal posting will resume so please subscribe to the site using RSS in order to be notified when I’m back.  It could be soon, or it could be after some time.

The excellent Read/Write Web have published a guide to websites that allow people to support various charities and causes. It is interesting to see the extent to which Web 2.0 technologies are being used for charitable purposes. For example, there are now donation aggregation services, such as this one, that allow people and groups to donate to a large number of charities at once (a form of “distributed giving”). Then there are sites, such as Kiva, that work to offer microfinance loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world.

As is well known, charity plays a pivotal role in the faith of every Muslim — being, as it is, zakat, one of the five pillars of our faith — so it is surprising to see that there hasn’t been a similar innovation in terms of how we give charity. In Australia, for example, most Muslims would donate via an organisation such as Human Appeal International which then funds projects abroad, such as orphan sponsorship or well building.

However, I wonder if some of these models couldn’t also be extended or adapted to provide Muslims with an innovative service as well. For example, a number of the sites identified by Read/Write Web focus on ‘direct charity’ in which people post details of the project they wish to find and then others donate to it, using the site as an intermediary. DonorsChoose is an example of that, with the site allowing teachers at public schools in the United States to post their needs, such as funding for trips or materials, and others can choose to donate.

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Antiwar.com’s Justin Raimondo on the unholy alliance that has formed between the “extreme Left” and “neoconish Right” in response to the rise and rise of American presidential hopeful Dr Ron Paul:

The Ron Paul campaign has generated a lot of excitement, especially among young people. It has made political history by raising more money in a single day than any other presidential campaign, ever. It has inspired thousands and given hope to those who had given up on politics altogether – as well as thrilling longtime libertarians who have been laboring in the vineyards all these years and haven’t seen anything like this before. On the other hand, it has inspired – if that’s the right word – a counter-movement, an anti-Paul coalition that extends from the extreme Left to the neoconish Right, and all points in between. What’s interesting is that the lies told by these anti-Paulistas amount to pretty much the same tiresome mantra, no matter what the politics of the perpetrator, and it amounts to this: Paul is a secret neo-Nazi.

I kid you not.

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According to some research [pdf]:

The results of a multiple regression analysis of 49 metropolitan areas show that the greater the airtime devoted to country music, the greater the white suicide rate. The effect is independent of divorce, southernness, poverty, and gun availability. The existence of a country music subculture is thought to reinforce the link between country music and suicide. Our model explains 51% of the variance in urban white suicide rates.

(via The Frontal Cortex via Yobbo)

The so-called Ron Paul Money Bomb has exploded yet again with the great Ron Paul, libertarian candidate for the GOP nomination, raising a remarkable USD$4.5 million in one day of fundraising. On the internet.

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, an anti-war libertarian who has clashed with his rivals over Iraq, raised a record $4.5 million in a one-day Internet fund-raising event on Sunday, his campaign said in a statement.

Paul’s campaign said the Texas congressman had received more than 41,000 donations by early evening, shattering a $4.2 million record in a 24-hour period last month.

More analysis here.

And as for why I think Ron Paul is so good, here’s a recent interview with the 20/20 program in which Ron Paul summarises his foreign policy views:

The ABC’s Lateline Business ran a piece last night on Islamic finance in Australia. The program featured Andrew Reynolds, occasional Austrolabe commenter but, more importantly, one of the few people in Australia to have given serious thought to Islamic banking models in this country.

Of particular interest is this quote from the reporter Sue Lannin:

Several major and regional Australian banks are conducting business case studies to see if Islamic banking is feasible here. Earlier this year, one of the world’s biggest Islamic finance institutions, Kuwait Finance House, carried out a country study on Australia, and ratings agency Standard & Poor’s says it expects a stock market index that complies with Islamic law will be operating here over the next 12 to 18 months. That means it won’t invest in sectors like gambling, tobacco or alcohol.

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