Apparently the US government has debt totalling USD 38.4 trillion. This is a big number and it is up against a self-imposed limit that has to be reset upwards from time to time following a bizarre ritual that takes place when the elected representatives of Congress sort of pretend that they never saw this coming and mutter things like “My goodness me, that’s a lot of money”. “But let’s agree to increase the limit this time and we will really do something about it next time.” Unless or until the lenders stop accepting freshly minted US Dollar notes with the ink still wet, this show can go on indefinitely, just like Disney Land.
The time was when the World Economic Forum was a hot ticket to have. Especially if you thought of oneself as a bit of an expert in the world of investing. The trick of course was to get someone who made the decisions and controlled the purse strings to agree with this self-assessment. And bingo, there you were among the good and great trying to pretend that one’s South African winter clothes were stylish and adequate for the snows of Switzerland. Discussions on grave topics would take place. But as with all conferences it was the networking that counted. In the days before digital cameras and selfies one had to rely on the photographers to capture the moment when you were offering Warren Buffet advice. But these days the WEF has morphed into something vile and threatening. Delegates are openly proclaiming that they are a select group of human beings “almost extra-terrestrial” in their skills and foresight on “saving the planet” Elon Musk nailed it with the comment that “WEF is increasingly becoming an unelected world government that the people never asked for and don’t want.”
Loyal readers know that Tidemarks' antipathy towards electrically powered vehicles began with doubtful scepticism, progressed through scientific dismissal and is now unalloyed schadenfreude. The You Tube motoring channels are today filled with master classes in a new psychiatric condition called range anxiety. Simply because their new cars display ridiculously accurate estimates of how far their sleek chariot will travel before the batteries are depleted, they foolishly believe it. Add to this is the fact that recharging is currently a bit of a gamble with uncertainty of location, accessibility and time to charge and you have the ingredients for a full scale fret. It’s rather odd when you recall that motorists are quite used to interpreting the quite ludicrously lackadaisical liquid fuel tank gauges with a needle that drifts between F to E and not much else. Most drivers have become adept at judging where to stop to satisfy firstly passenger bathroom and biltong needs and then a tank top up. But today’s EV motorist has become totally unhinged by the theoretical superior accuracy of the range gauge and the power source reliability. This for smug-inducing TV.
Surely it has been irrevocably proven and accepted that there is absolutely no medical or clinical benefit to wearing a simple gauze mask. By contrast there is plenty of evidence for psychological damage, especially to children, caused by masks. It is therefore very alarming that mandatory masking is back for consideration. If our government wanted to demonstrate a real and valid effort to reduce unnecessary deaths in this country, then road traffic control is the area where actual effects will quickly be seen. Merely tracking down those responsible for the half dozen terrifying road incidents posted on the Internet every day and processing them with due despatch will make a difference.
The world of sport is settling back to normality after the hullabaloo that was the soccer world cup. And The Dakar Rally. Except that there are so many fresh new faces in the old favourites like the Aussie Open Tennis. Do the organisers operate a play room with building blocks and other toys to keep the contestants amused while they wait for their matches to start? The Sevens Rugby has a tournament in Hamilton this weekend which might not be easy watching for Blitzbokke fans. The local version of a cricket T20 shoot ‘em up is doing remarkably well in attracting spectators.
James Greener
Friday 20th January 2023
