Wednesday, July 2
I Am Like A Chair
Firstly, a new competition-type thing. I've decided to start doing cryptic titles for each post I make from now on. Prizes (Note: there aren't actually any prizes) for the first person to spot the connection and post on the right. Mostly, I'll probably be using the name of a musician / band for the title, with the connection being a song by that artist. You can check out my musical tastes to get some inspiration for the answer. This title, however, isn't musically oriented...
You've got to love being in a situation where you can get out of bed at 3.30pm without being moaned at by anyone. Of course, this is because I'm not getting to bed until gone 5am, but still, it's all good. This is all because the job I've currently got through the agency I signed up to is on a night-shift in a warehouse on a nearby industrial estate. The job is fairly mindless, but it's pretty hard going, lifting heavy boxes all night long. Last night I was there for nearly 10 hours, which is a hell of a long time to be doing physical work. At least they pay our breaks. I just switch off and read my book for half an hour each time.
My book, incidentally, is turning out to be a great read. It's still Globalization And Its Discontents, by an ex-Chief Economist at the World Bank. I love how even the "leader of the free world," the USA, is completely hypocritical concerning trade agreements. Through the International Monetary Fund, in which the US is the major player, it pushes market liberalization on many developing countries throughout the world. This means opening that country's borders to foreign imports, in an effort to stimulate that country's own industries to compete more efficiently. What actually happens is that the foreign companies overwhelm the national companies with their lower prices and greater power. The US, on the other hand, does everything it can to stop cheaper foreign imports from flooding its own market by imposing quotas on their being imported, as well as subsidising its own products. You've got to love it.