PayPal is owned by eBay, and this decision certainly is a gross case of monopolising self-interest. Not only would sellers and buyers be forced to use Paypal, but no other (competing) systems are offered, such as Google Checkout.

PayPal isn’t bad, but like the banks we all detest, it takes yet another cut out of every transaction. For example, to transfer money from PayPal to one’s bank account, there is a deduction of $1 (regardless of the amount transferred). Every transaction also has an certain commission overhead, and even more if credit cards are used!

Not only is this a dictatorial proposal, is it disadvantageous to both sellers and buyers. Not everyone wishes to use PayPal, and certainly bank deposit transfer for many is a much streamlined method. The right of consumer choice of payment method needs to be maintained.

Indeed this is a tricky situation, since the middleman is eBay, making both the “sellers” and “buyers” customers of the company. eBay claims this change will benefit buyers (giving them more protection), but it also forces them to use a monopolistic system, and at the whim of eBay and PayPal when fees are (inevitably) increased. Indeed, PayPal does have it’s haters, as seen on sites such as paypalsucks.com. In my personal experience, using PayPal has been generally hastle free (although the fees do sting a little), but many sites require “credit card authorisation”, something which I cannot do (as I don’t wish to own a credit card).

Fortunately, the ACCC is allegedly looking into this case.

Set during final years of the French occupation of Vietnam, and the increasing combat successes of Ho Chi Minh, the Quiet American (based on the seminal Graham Greene novel of the same name) stars Michael Caine and Brendon Fraser.

Metaphor is pervasive throughout the film. Fowler is England: old, weary, and with the cynical experience of gaining, running then losing an empire. Diametrically opposite is Pyle, the young America: naive, moralistic, paternalistic, innocent; but also possessing increasingly dangerous powers. The political tensions are mirrored in the sexual tension between the old and the young man as they vie for the affections of the elegant, gorgeous and equally pragmatic Vietnamese lady, Phuong.

The film is far more critical of America’s actions than the occupying French, who are shown as demoralised and losing their grip on the country. Pyle is depicted as increasingly out of touch, wrapped up in the ideas of “York Harding” and paternalistically believing that the people of Vietnam need, want and will ultimately accept democracy (via the “third-force” — America). Indeed this interventionist attitude to political relations has brought America to war several times last 50 years, most recently in Iraq.

Similarly, as Fowler struggles with the journalistic ethic of being completely detached, this again is a metaphor for the struggle of policy and actions in international politics. Finally submitting, Fowler utters: “this is war.”

Phuong is somewhat characteristic of a young lady in a society where most do not have the financial means nor independence to marry for love. She is worldly and able to use her femine wiles pragmatically in order to assure and secure not just her own future, but also that of her family. An analogy could be drawn that Vietnam, with it’s separate and warring factions are similar to that of Phuong’s allegiences to her family, Fowler, and Pyle. Phuong may chose to be the lover of Fowler, but ultimately her family (perhaps a veiled analogy to the grass-roots Vietnamese Communist movement) is more imporant as she knows that Fowler may never be able to fulful her desires for marriage and a stable future.

Stylistically, the film attempts to contrast the foreign zones in Saigon with the mass of humanity in the other areas. This is relatively successful, as there is a definite pathos as the “European” calm is shattered by two simulataneous bomings, as well as Pyle’s final minutes - spent running down twisting alleys. However, the reality is that almost all South-east Asian cities are actually far more crowded, dirty, chaotic and interesting than the Saigon depicted by the film. In the film, the actors are able to successfully navigate the footpath, whereas it is actually the norm to walk on the shoulders of roads (the footpath being cracked, uneven and covered with a maze of bicycles and food stalls, and the road offering relative ease of pedestrian movement).

The film makes for enjoyable viewing, with a sharp political commentary veiled behind a social drama. The Quiet American continues to be relevant today.

And divide it by:

You get the idea that perhaps almost 10% (actually ~9.37%) of Australia is using facebook!

Obviously this isn’t super-accurate as there could be people who choose to associate with other countries instead (by joining a different country network) or not joining a regional network at all. There also could be “wannabe” Australians, skewing the results the other way.

It mildly bemuses me that this film is rated “R” in America — sure it contains drug use, perky breasts and a fair amount of graphic voilence, but I found myself more caught up in the tragedy and irony of the characters and the disastrous situations unfolding.

The biggest gripe one could have with Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, is that because of the omnipitent pathos in this production, combined with the nearly 2 hour running time… One feels emotionally drained by the end. This is definitely not a feel-good film. Really, it’s a hard film to watch.

Nonetheless, I’d encourage you to watch it (if you are prepared for the unrelentingly tense atmosphere) as the acting is extremely convincing, and the structure, while not the conventional chronological series of events, isn’t confusing.

See more informatin on IMDB.com.

Before I start my story/semi-rant, I’d like to point out that I do speak in generalisations. Not all of what I say will be applicable everywhere in mainland China. Really, you will be pleasantly surprised sometimes. :-)

Travel in China: The Bad

Most (mainland) Chinese tourists are very unpleasant, but sometimes quite amusing. For instance, every large tourist attraction has a rock (with the name of the place carved into it, usually in red letters) or a “traditional” style gate out the front. Generally you see people (usually groups with their uniform hats, who are led around by a guide with a flag and a megaphone) posing (and I really mean that in a “poser” sort of way) with the usual V-signs and strained cheesy expressions in front of the aforementioned edifice. Next, is the actual antics of these amusing people… The bus drives into carpark. Disembark. Pose in front of rock. Hop on minibus/chairlift/etc to “main viewing point”. Take photos. More posing. Get back on minibus. Go home. All of the aforementioned happens in the space of about half an hour. It’s really quite scary. And really common.

Most (mainland) Chinese men are chain smoking (you can smoke anywhere — smokers paradise, really!), constantly spitting (quite vocally), cocky (to an extent) and unfit. Really. It was really suprising to me, in a country with few overweight people (though it’s increasing), that people are actually very unfit (or just lazy when it comes to travel?). I’ve walked up quite a few Chinese mountains (Huang Shan, Lu shan, Jiuhua Shan, Kongtong Shan, Song Shan, and Wudang Shan… all… with… steps!) and observed. Usually they need to stop every 5-10 minutes for a rest. And then a smoke every 30 or so. All of the aforementioned mountains had chairlifts, too. The tourist mobs use the lifts.

Most (mainland) Chinese know next to nothing about the outside world (esp. Geography — they’re like the America of Asia). While this is in part to due to the nature of the government (ie: totalitarian fascist state — it’s definitely not Communist anymore) and the nature of the schools, it also extends to the national psyche. Curiosity and creativity is repressed (or at least there is limited opportunity in the education system) and perhaps because of this, suppressed by the individual. Time and time again, I’ve had to re-iterate that not everyone from overseas (the view is literally you are “Han Chinese” or “foreign”) has lots of money and a great job, and the reason why it’s easy for us (ie: “foreigners”) to travel in China is due to the very good exchange rate for us (not for Chinese who wish to travel overseas though). Also student backpackers have to be frugal. Despite being very fiscally responsible normally, when it comes to travel, (most) Chinese forget all that (and assume we are the same — ie: we are “rich Americans”).

The ticketing systems for many areas are very convoluted and incredibly mean. First a ticket to get into the area (usually between 30Y and 150Y). Then another to see place X (+10 to 20Y). Another for place Y. Then another to cross a bridge (+5 to 10Y), etc. This really leaves one with a bad taste in the mouth… and all these prices add up. I won’t go on about the toilets.

All (mainland) Chinese yell. Almost all of China is noisy. There isn’t much of a thought about noise pollution. People yell into phones. Yell at each other (and they’re not angry — it’s just the norm). Play their music openly, and loudly (really Chinese pop music is utter crap, eclipsing Western pop in idiocy… There are 10 [really terrible] mixes of the Numa-Numa song… I heard the same pop songs all year…). Cars, busses honk by default. It all accumulates into a sometimes unbearable white-noise, for those used to something different.

Travel in China: The Good

It’s not all bad however. If you can accept the fact that most parts of China are 2nd world, the odd place 3rd world, and a few otherworldly expensive places are 1st world, then it’s actually okay. It’s actually more than okay. China is an interesting and vibrant place, teeming with life and that constant rapid pace of “development”. There are even places to be found which offer moments of solitude. It also has excellent food (especially since different places have interesting local cuisine and your standard bowl of noodles is never the same wherever you go). The people really are friendly and helpful (when they don’t want your money), even if their habits/manners do sometimes seem a little lacking, different, strange, antisocial or just plain disgusting. I’ve had people offer me a bed/couch at their home, shout/cook me meals, and take me to meet their family and friends. Granted, if you know at least some Mandarin (beyond “Hello”, “Thank you” and “Good-bye”), this makes things so incredibly easy for getting along with people, and people’s respect for you will increase greatly!

Eating in China is very uncomplicated and easy affair (food is very important, and I agree!). Scraps are put on the table. You can slurp your soup, your tea and your noodles, and bring the bowl to your mouth to eat. Just remember to always bring your bowl to the serving bowls/plates/etc and not the other way around. The other big faux pas is to leave you chopsticks stuck vertically into your food (it looks like incense sticks, which are used to remember the dead).

Nice places to visit

• Tibet — it’s not China (though nearly all mainlanders will disagree, the rest being under house arrest :-S). It’s amazing. And a little sad, because of the repression. But still truly amazing and beautiful…
• Xinjiang (”East Turkestan”) — again, not China (people aren’t Han and speak a completely unrelated language). It’s a central asian state. They really like foreigners (and really, really dislike the Chinese). Avoid “Kanas” and the tourist stuff close to Urumqi (just another Chinese city), as it’s overrun with mainland Chinese tourists. Visit Kashgar! Kashgar! Also, Karakul Lake (there’s a nice guy offering a yurt and a few meals with his family). Good stuff.
• Northern parts of Guangxi province and southern parts of Guizhou province — not too many people travel to these places… There are numerous small Dong/Miao/etc (they’re not Han Chinese) villages. I could only visit Zhaoxing [Guizhou] and Chengyang [Guangxi], but they were both great.
• Southern Gansu province — beautiful place generally (and not very touristy)… Maiji Shan Grottoes (near Tianshui) are good.
• Suzhou, Jiangsu — numerous beautiful gardens, and an great museum by China’s only decent modern architect, I.M. Pei.
• Shanghai — enough said. It’s the best big city on the mainland.

In general, try and avoid all medium-large sizes towns and cities as they all look the same. Really. And it’s not particularly pretty. Try and escape to the countryside, and a few villages/towns which are “undeveloped” (or “developed” only to a lesser extent)… It’s worth it.

So…

If you stay in any country long enough, you’ll definitely see both the good and the bad (of the country, the country’s people, and of people in general). This is a double edged sword — your preconceived ideas of the place will most definitely be shattered, but on the other hand, you actually know something about the place, it’s people and even possibly more about yourself (such as how you react to certain situations, different environments, customs, cultures, etc).

Lastly, in order to get the most of your experience backpacking, you need to be prepared to get your feet dirty and really go out on a limb! Try and have a conversation with your 100 words of mandarin, take up that offer to have dinner with someone’s grandma, let someone practice their English on you, etc, etc. :-)

Latest fashion transgressions

After being in a western cultural vacuum for over 9 months (well okay there was Westlife, Backstreet Boys and Linkin Park — but they’re not what one would call culturally significant), I again find that many people (and unfortunately now my little sister) have no clue.

• Fluro! (My little sister has succumbed to this “retro” style… And I thought we left behind the fluro and lycra for good?)
• Emo (Anyone seen that Sprite billboard: “If emos are non-conformist, Why do they all look the same?” — it’s sheer brilliance)

And amusingly enough, the thick rimmed glasses are still around (I also recently found a pair in my nanna’s garage of funk, but promptly misplaced them somewhere). Personally I think only the Blues Brothers should be allowed to wear them. I was thankfully wrong about the shoulder pads.

My new toy

After about two months of consideration and two weeks hard work, I now have a white/pearl Asus EeePC 4G. :-)

I can say with pride (and a hint of smugness) that due to my foresight (ie: use a flexible style), this site works quite well on the 800×480 screen.

If you’re interested in one, check out EeeUser.com, as it’s more informative than the Asus page.

But then… you get… a SNORER! Not a light one, but one who sounds like strangulation times one-thousand (that’s Strangulation 1000^tm).

The resulting situation is tragically predictable (kind of like how it’s not a good idea to keep people in a building after a plane has flown into it, if you’ll excuse this crass reference). Unless you’re Chinese, and then you’re lucky enough to have the ability to sleep anywhere, any time, and in any auditory situation (damn, I envy them in this regard).

The moral of the story is: if you snore, please, please, please, please sleep in your own room (or give out free earplugs or at least hugs and/or apologies). It’s for the greater good of all the others in the room who would otherwise have no sleep and be cranky like yours truly is this morning. Thank you. :-)

This is due to the Homingnetwork.com (really only one guy running the show, apparently) becoming unfortunately bankrupt (after a few years of no apparent problems). Their hosting provider revoked their services, and thus all of Homingnetwork’s customers lost their stuff. And, alas, being overseas makes it harder to administrate a web site (not to mention resurrect one), when the only tools you have is an internet connection and a USB memory stick (and some not-so-good backups — shame on me)…

Anyhow, things are up again (at least partially)… Photos will be back soon, but Flickr is blocked in China, which makes things difficult for me (because I’m still here) and Chinese viewers. :-/

For the uninitiated, C-Dogs is an arcade/action shoot-em-up, supporting solo, cooperative and death-match play. Originally for coded for real-mode DOS by Ronny Wester, Jeremy Chin and I ported it to SDL in 2003, and these days I maintain it.

Most visible is the faster scaler, and multiple resolution support. Previously C-Dogs SDL could only run at 320×200, and could be scaled up with a significant performance hit. Now we can scale 2x, 3x and 4x and support resolutions of up to 800×600 (before scaling is applied).

There is now a windows binary, as I sat down and got it compiling and running using Visual C++ Express (which I found to be a very capable IDE).

Interested? Head to the download page. There are Linux and Windows binaries, and older ones for DOS and Mac OS X, as well as links to ports to other platforms (DS, GP2X, Amiga, etc). And of course the source is there, too!

PS: If you’re a Mac developer, and feel generous, feel free to create and send me an OS X package and disk image.

UPDATE: Oops! The version of C-Dogs is 0.4!

Sheyang itself

Sheyang is a small town (well technically Hede in Sheyang County) of around 100,000 people, an hour from Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. Shanghai is 5 hours away, by often cramped and smoke filled bus (you can smoke almost anywhere in China). It’s not particularly famous, although a former general and national defence minister grew up in Sheyang.

Like most Chinese towns, you’ll probably see plenty of weathered concrete apartment blocks, or white-tiled structures, which do make for a most depressing sight were it not for the presence of some greenery. The local roads are haphazard in terms of repair, a stark contrast to the well maintained national highway system. There aren’t many cars around (they’re very expensive), and most are small taxis. More prevalent are bicycles, scooters, motorbikes, mopeds and rickshaws. There is small river which runs through the town, and it’s quite common to see low barges meandering their way along it.

The place has very few foreigners (who are apparently all Conversational English teachers), perhaps 8 in total, and I never actually saw any around. As a result, staying in Sheyang has introduced Joe, Eliet, Heather and myself to the phenomena of being minor celebrities. This is double edged sword, as we gained free lifetime entry into the only Disco in Sheyang (more on this later), but at the same time endured the now stale mutterings, comments and exclamations of “Lao Wai” and “Wai Guo Ren”.

There isn’t actually much to do in Sheyang, besides eat. On that note, there is a pretty good selection of restaurants, so long as you wish to eat various types of Chinese food. Feeling game, we sampled so called Western-style “Berfsteak” [sic] and “TF Coffee” — both overpriced and major let downs. I never tried the local KFC (they always seem to be next door to “TIMES” supermarkets). Actually, a word of advice: avoid “Western” food in China. It’s just not the same, and definitely not worth the expense.

Table manners are much simpler than in the West. It’s polite to fill someone’s drink before your own. Never remove the main dishes from the centre of the table — move your bowl to them. Remember to match people’s toasts (ie: if they go bottoms up [”gambei”] you must as well). And lastly, never point your chopsticks at anyone, or stick them vertically into rice. Aside from that, it’s no holds barred. You can make a mess, leave your bones and scraps on the table, and it’s not a problem. There is no obligation to eat what is in front of you. You can eat dishes in any order (although here in Sheyang, people usually eat rice last). You only have to worry about Chopsticks, as they are your only utensils.

Food aside, there is a local Disco, which had a bouncy floor and the usual terrible techno, and it was good fun after a few drinks and with a few fellow friends. The drinks are essential as you need the confidence to get the party started! (There seems to be a propensity to do outrageous things like this when you’re away from home for extended periods…) Surprisingly, the local supermarket (”TIMES”) offered some interesting things, including the famous snack food “Wang Wang” (Joe and I dedicated a short film to it) and really cheap alcohol, especially the infamous “Baijiu” (White rice wine).

A word on Chinese drinking culture: Alcohol generally is only drunk with meals. Beer is usually to be had at dinner, but I’ve seen people drinking it at breakfast! “Baijiu” is generally reserved for more formal occasions, though depending on who you know, any excuse will do! Women generally tend to avoid the drink, or only in small quantities. This does not apply for men, and the universal competitive spirit exists among guys (”man points”) in relation to drinking prowess! Although there is no legal drinking age, most people under 18 don’t drink (it seems the Chinese start having a life once they reach university).

Sheyang High School

School here is not fun for the students, by any stretch of the imagination. Classes of 60. Cramped classrooms. A school day starting at 6am and finishing at 10pm (with only a 2 hour break at midday). A 6 day school week (sometimes even 7!). Mountains of homework. School consumes their lives — there is little time for much else. Many of my students used to do extra curricular activities when they were younger, but these were dropped due to sheer necessity. It’s very, very sad.

The reason for this madness: gaining entrance into University. Competition is extremely fierce, more so outside the major cities.

The school’s built environment is also pretty depressing — white tiled concrete buildings. They do, however, make for some interesting urban exploration. What is bizarre, considering the lack of space in classrooms (and absence of lockers for school books), is how many rooms are under-utilised or just not used at all. The school library is an eerie place indeed, and a testament to the fact that the students pretty much only read their textbooks. I never actually saw any library books inside — only dusty taxidermy exhibits and a room full of awards and medals. The school has a proper domed telescope, but again, it seems to be never used. Heck, the school even has a gym and an oval (with a running track), but they’re not used much either. It’s actually a real shame.

It’s not all gloomy however. There are two places of interest on the school grounds: the basketball and table-tennis courts, and the so-called “teacher’s garden.” The former attests to the popularity of these two sports, and the garden is actually very pleasant (Joe and I held our English corners there). I personally have little interest in basketball, but many students have asked me about various NBA players and teams — it really shows the paradox of China’s relationship with the United States. The culture is quite popular (this extends to pop music, clothing, and food, too), even though most people express a dislike towards the US.

Chinese students are immature relative to their Western counterparts, work ethic being the major exception! At the subtlest hint of kissing (or even a mild romantic moment) in a film (even an animated one), many looked away or appeared embarrassed. This is more pronounced with girls. That said, my students were always curious about whether or not I had a girlfriend, and had no qualms about expressing their views of my sister (many cries of “so beautiful!”), and jokes involving love or marriage got an easy laugh. They don’t receive any form of sex education whatsoever, and again I think that their social world (relationships, sex, etc) really unfolds once they leave high school.

That said, I am speaking in generalisations. The female students are generally very shy, but there are notable exceptions. For example, one asked me whether I thought pre-marital sex was okay, much to my surprise! Another regularly turned up outside Joe’s or my apartment door, invited herself in, and proceeded to demand things, much to our chagrin. I relished in small acts of revenge against this recalcitrant (she was not a student of either Joe or I).

Memorable Quotes

Many students left me some rather amusing messages, so here are some golden ones:

• “I love you, but I’m just a boy.”
• “A good dream every night!”
• “I want to kill you, because you will go!”

As you can probably see, it was fairly cloudy and foggy. The result was an mysterious, ethereal and overall stunning atmosphere. Alas, it also made taking photos quite difficult with my fairly basic camera!

The ascent wasn’t too difficult — about two and a half hours of climbing steps. What was a hassle, was the many workers hauling goods up the side of the mountain with us (to supply the hotel and other commercial operations at the summit). This led to some tight and potentially dangerous situations. For the lazy, there was the option of a cable car, at the not-to-cheap price of around 85 yuan (to put things in perspective, a bus ticket from Yancheng to Nanjing is about 80 yuan).

It’s really hard to illustrate the sense of scale there was when climbing Huang Shan. In the photo above, you can make out people climbing a near-vertical staircase… Unfortunately, I could not fit both parts of that peak into the shot from my vantage point.

The fog was clearly visible and semi-fluid… It often seemed like an peculiar organism.

See all of the photos in the photo gallery.

Which is cool after waiting 8 months… hehe…

So if you’re using Gentoo, and wish to test it out, simply:

$ echo "games-arcade/cdogs-sdl *-" >> /etc/portage/package.keywords
$ emerge games-arcade/cdogs-sdl
$ cdogs

For more details, check out the Gentoo Online Package Database Page for cdogs-sdl.

Now I really should get around to releasing 0.4 while I’m at it… ;-)

Nanjing ( lit. ’south capital’ ) is certainly one of the more beautiful cities in China — trees line virtually every main road, and the city itself is bordered by mountains, the Yangtze river and the old city walls. There is a certain charm to the place which is not seen in Beijing, which supplanted it as national capital.

We (most of us GAPers from Jiangsu) all tried to visit the Nanjing Massacre War Memorial, but, alas, it was closed for renovations (until November!) Slightly peturbed, we visited the Xuanwu lake. The lake (and the couple of islands in the middle) were impressive, and much fun was had playing pirate with the electric boats. Had a good lunch, then some tandem bike shenanigans.

Zhenjiang

The last stage of traveling to Zhenjiang was the spectacular — a huge suspension bridge spanning the Yangtze river. One could see the barges slowly ploughing the river, carrying all sorts of cargo.

This (I dare say) “junket” was financed by the local government — I suppose they figured it was in their interests to have lots of foreigners looking at the various things they chose to show us — a special school (for mainly the deaf), a bamboo screen factory (woven by hand, often taking several weeks for each piece), a clothes factory, the old administration complex (quite a few European buildings), a model farm, a new school (and became an instant celebrity. hah!) and a temple.

Two other GAPers were there with Joe and I — Andrew and Hugh. It was good to catch up again, and various amusing things transpired involving beer which I shall not go into much depth about.

Windows Movie Maker (it’s decent enough to do what we want, but can anyone recommend a better [free] alternative?) and a Canon PowerShot A530 were the primary tools we used. The soundtrack is “Ambush in the Passage” by Jeremy Soule from the Total Annihilation real-time game.

Many thanks to the Wang Wang (??) biscuit company for giving us inspiration and tasty snacks!

Beijing… North capital…! One really huge city, with incredible traffic chaos — nobody really follows the traffic lights or signs (however a policeman in the center of a huge intersection wields a degree of authority)…. It’s every car, bike and pedestrian for them self (and somehow it works). The layout is essentially a grid, with wide concentric “ring roads” speeding up travel.

Our hotel was the “Holiday Inn” (downtown). Apparently it was 4 star. I would be reluctant to describe our particular room as meeting those standards — it was often noisy at night and the beds were hard (however some other people got more spacious and comfortable rooms), but it was more than adequate. After all, one does not go to another country to enjoy the hotels… :-P

And the toilet and basin swirled in the opposite direction! How strange!

I felt a little sorry for the lady hotel workers who would have to stand outside (but dressed in a really cool red coat and hat thingie) in the cold… seemingly all the time. So I tried to practice my Putonghua with varying degrees of success.

I wouldn’t recommend this hotel for it’s price.

After asking about 10 people along the way, I ended up finding an internet cafe ( “wangba” )… It was tucked into a lane, up a flight of stairs. Inside, it was dark and smoky (people can smoke just about anywhere in China) and generally almost full of people [For those from Melbourne, the cafe was somewhat like N2C in terms of atmosphere]… Most were playing internet games, in particular one which looked like Diablo but wasn’t.

It was a new experience walking alone around the streets at night, and actually feeling safe. There are always people around, and everyone is generally friendly. People seem surprised at my state of singledom. No marriage proposals as yet, however. :-o

The Hutongs

We also visited the house of the illustrious Mr Feng — once a widely renowned breeder of singing grasshoppers and fighting crickets (it’s true!). He showed us his instruments and devices for the upkeep of these critters, including a minute set of scales! I don’t think many others noticed, but Mr Feng was Muslim — he had a hanging of the Hadj on his wall, along with the more traditional Chinese trappings. Mr Feng had some rather cute puppies out the back of his house, as well as some strange birds…

The Great Wall

It’s hard to appreciate the scale and immense nature of the wall until you actually walk a section of it. It was actually really really hard work in places, with the steps being over a foot high, as the wall impressively climbed the mountains. To think such a thing went on for thousands of kilometers over such terrain is still mind-boggling. Anyhow, the view from the top of the section I walked provided a good view of the surrounding terrain — semi-barren, steep and breathtaking in it’s ruggedness. One could see the wall curling over and around the landscape on the other side of the valley. There was also a smaller track running somewhat parallel to the wall which led to two pagodas (pictured)….

Tienanmen Square & The Forbidden City

It’s really hard to actually appreciate the sheer scale of Tienanmen Square, let alone The Forbidden City. The square not only houses the “North Gate”, Mao’s mausoleum, a giant pillar — it is surrounded by imperious communist buildings and presided over by the giant face of Mao hanging on the Northern wall of The Forbidden City. Red flags were everywhere. As were tourists and stodgy vendors (never ever, ever pay their asking price). Nevertheless, the Square was exceptional with its atmosphere of scale.

The Forbidden City was even larger. One can look all the way through the consecutive inner gates for at least a kilometer… Buildings everywhere, but placed with a sense of deliberation — nothing felt “crowded” or haphazard. The architecture was exquisite, and I felt lucky that it was still preserved to be seen, given the track record of “preservation” in this country (quite literally a land of cranes). Indeed and unfortunately, the main part of the forbidden city was under wraps because of restoration. A pity, but that was only one part that was missed out of a overly fantastic wander.

Other Things

We also saw an Acrobatic show, which was fantastic and often jaw-dropping, as well as a Kung-Fu show, which was exhilarating too.

The “markets” as they are called, are indoors, and there are floors and floors of all matter of menagerie. The girls were in 7th heaven. At the top of floor of these buildings typically is a food hall — and the food is really good value and for the most part, really good.

All in all, Beijing was fantastic. I am eager to re-visit on my own (as opposed to being in a semi-tour) as I found Shanghai more liberating in that I was able to explore to my heart’s content.

See more photos in my photo gallery.

Saturday — Chinese New Years Eve

Got up at 4am. People still in the streets of Beijing. Went to airport. Plane delayed by fog. Asked for how long: they replied “20 minutes”. Hah! Waited. Got on plane via bus across tarmac. Uneventful plane trip. Really good airline food (pick the “Chinese”, avoid the “Western” food [that they provide] like the plague. Some foreigners got suckered.) Landed. Very Very Foggy. Collected Luggage. Met GAP people, and link teachers. One of the GAP managers for Jiangsu was really cute. Met Huang Yao (William) for the first time in person. Car journey. Napped. Stopped for a really good lunch. Continued journey. Napped. Arrived in Sheyang. Got shown apartment. Only bedroom is heated. Still it’s all good. Unpacked. Went out to dinner with the principal of the school. Really really good food (again)! Learnt how to determine the head of the table on a round table and sundry seating arrangements in a formal situation (look for the special napkin, the door, and eggs). Came home. Lots of crackers and fireworks. Watched the celebrations on TV. Rather amusing. Very tired. Slept.

Sunday — Chinese New Year!

I got up at 8am today. Still lots of crackers. We walked with Huang Yao to his parents’ place, and had an excellent lunch (must be a universal constant that home cooking is pretty good). Had quite a few toasts (”ganbei!”). I like the rice wine and the beer here. Met Jerry Yang, a former student Huang Yao and now Joe and my school. He showed us around. The atmosphere here is very lively and friendly. The built environment is more dense compared to Melbourne, and there were plenty of people around. Had a great dinner. Then we (Jerry, Joe and I) went to Karaoke. I wasn’t expecting it, but it was good fun!

So for now: Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year!)

The city is huge! The traffic is pretty much chaos in motion. The only method of crossing the road is J-walking. And somehow it works. :-o

Zaijian!

The airport is huge! Think multiple terminals and multiple levels. There are trains between them. And inside each terminal are horizontal “escalators” which transport lazy (or tired) people like me… :)

Have fun everyone. I shall be in Beijing next!

China

Well, I’m heading off on the 13th! The flight is to Beijing via Singapore. I’ve decided I shall try and visit Tibet at some point during my travels, which should be very rewarding.

The general travel plan is to follow the east coast, around to the south, and around; then enter Tibet, leave tibet; then follow the silk road route into China; then perhaps back to Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong… However, it’s still up in the air as yet.

In the more immediate future, I’m doing a “teaching conversational english” [introductory] course next week. I wonder how useful it will be!

C-Dogs SDL

I’m hopefully going to do another release before I head off to China. Things to look forward to are:

• A Windows binary! It seems to work on XP…
• Fast scaling and multiple resolution support — you can now use C-Dogs on a variety of monitors/resolutions with ease
• Smarter timing, which doesn’t require threads
• And lots of cleanups and small bug-fixes

The first point will be of interest to most! :)

I’m not sure what will happen with C-Dogs SDL while I’m away… I’ll probably have to put things on hold for a while. Feel free to submit patches, however. :-D

Now for year off, then 5 of blood, sweat and tears… :-o

Latest aesthetic trangressions:

• “Butterfly” Sunglasses (you have a face behind those things!?!)
• Maternity-type tops/dresses (they make you look fatter than you already are)
• Coles and Bi-Lo “Green Bags” (hello homie)
• Country Road Canvas Bags (drug pusher)
• Black jeans and t-shirt (lacking imagination, emo-kid)

Watch out. 80’s shoulder-pads may be coming soon! Hide your women, lest they loose their femininity!

</end rant>

On a slightly ironic note, thick rimmed glasses are apparently in. It’s now cool to look nerdy. Oh, such strange twists of fate…

Yes. Mum found this at the chemist. Pretty neat, huh?

In other news, I watched Mars Attacks (hilariously quirky), Dirty Dancing (very good), Open Season (a let down), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (excellently tense) and Wild Wild West (a lot of fun).

Ack Ack Ack Ack! Akak!

Firstly, today (the slightly surreal day that it was — lots of smoke from bushfires, visibility was only a kilometer!), I went ice skating again. It’s been about a year and a half since I last struggled on a pair of skates (over many layers of socks) and faced the ice. I only fell over once this time (dignity rejoices!). The trip took a while by two trains and a bus (out to South Oakleigh), but was uneventful. It was great!

On Monday I dragged my lazy brother out for a bike ride. We went along the Merri Trail (it’s excellent), and ended up riding about 20 kilometres from Northcote to somewhere near Ruthven, then back. There was water in the creek, which is good, given the circumstances of a severe drought. However, parts of the creek looked decidedly sick — lots of algae and rancid looking water. On the Saturday before that, I rode slightly less (16km) by myself, along the same route. On the previous Thursday, Zach and I rode around Northcote, Alphington and Darebin. All this exercise has been very good!

In between all these shenanigans I’ve been working at that place of joy which is my means of employment for nearly two years — Coles Supermarket. The pay isn’t bad now, which is motivating. And most of the customers are great, with the exception of a few recalcitrants.

Have a safe, enjoyable and Merry Christmas everyone. :)

I’m going to Phillip Island for a week or so, so no updates ’till I get back. :-P

I also attended an interview for Architecture at RMIT. It wasn’t bad. However, I felt that 10 minutes wasn’t enough time to convey all I wanted to. Oh well!

I’m off to China on the 13th of February, and back on the 25th of August. It’s going to be great! :-D

Certainly, there was an amazing chase about 5 minutes into the film, with the baddie performing some amazing Parkour, with Bond barely managing to keep up.

However, where the film significantly diverges from the past couple of offerings (License to Kill, Golden-Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day) is that it examines Bond’s character in a degree of depth. Indeed, this surprisingly is, for a Bond film, a character driven panoply.

It seems to work, although one got the distinct feeling that his soul-searching was not going to last long. After all, Bond is a timeless character — the perfect device for sequels. There is going to be plenty of guys and bad guys and girls (well, married women, in this case) yet.

The plot wasn’t fantastic. It didn’t make too many satirical observations about the world today (a la the Tomorrow Never Dies Murdochesque media empire), aside from “things were better during the Cold War”, and the terrorism related parts were a little contrived. However, there was a well crafted tension in parts of the film, which demonstrates some of the sensitivity in this feature.

Obviously, being a Bond Film, it will not change your life. That said, it certianly and competently carries the the torch of the franchise. Quite a lot of fun, with some intriguing elements.

I found it a little ironic that the cracker was dissing the french using french.

Kamal (?) looked quite malevolant.

Anyhow. We’re back! :)

“Would you undertake 18 months National Service in order to gain the right to vote?”

In the context of the question (Paul’s hypothetical ideal state), the service in question would not necessarily be military, and participants would be given an monetary allowance per month. Food, clothing and basic living would be covered by the state as well. In return for duties (civil or military) to the state, the participant would be awarded the right to vote. Non-participants would not have the right to vote. A citizen could become a participant at any time in their life.

I answered an unerring “Yes”.

This was despite my disagreement with the proposed model of “national service-for-a-vote”. While there was a rationality of “If you care enough to want to vote, you undertake the service”, there is an element of coersion or blackmail in the proposal. However Paul did not purport that his state be a liberal democracy, but rather something closer (at least in terminology) to the democracy of the French Revolution, in the sense that there would exist a distinction between passive and active citizens. (Both males and females could be citizens, as well as migrants after a period).

I value my political voice. Indeed, there may be a valid argument for lowering the voting age to 16 or 17, given that many of that age are actively engaged in the workforce, or even supporting themselves. It would be a challenge to political parties to engage with the even younger demographic, something which is still not happening now (perhaps with the exception of The Greens). The Liberal’s recent offer of “free public transport for students” is blatant vote-buying.

National service itself is a good thing. It is a means of an individual to give back to society and the (hopefully compassionate) state, which have been the benefactor of many things, in particular education, health and welfare. I again stress that National Service is not limited to military service. Rather, National Service should be seen as a broader community service.

I end with the suggestion that perhaps Australia should consider giving National Service a greater role in society. Indeed, it is partly evident that the Army is now offering a (non deployment) “GAP year” for school-leavers (albiet with the ulterior motive of recruitment).

Wordpress keeps reverting back to about two weeks ago.

I suspect it’s a database problem. But it’s certainly a pain, since I’ve now lost at least two posts, and some comments as well!

Not happy. =/

(Hopefully things will revert back to their old state… but who knows?)

UPDATE: I found an archive of my lost posts, and restored them!!! :)

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon — do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

– Constantine P. Cavafy

I found after a few moments of reflection, that I couldn’t hold back a few tears. I think the message of this poem rung in such harmony with my own feelings. That is, in unjust simpler words, that life is the “journey not the destination.”

I cannot help but wonder: How many truly fulfull this ideal?

This copy of Ithaca was translated from the original Greek.

After that, I’ve got to do the RMIT Architecture “drawing exercise”. That should be interesting, and If they like my stuff, I’ve got to look forward to an panel interview. Still, despite this intimidating prospect (and a 5 year degree, no less), I’ll be over the moon if I get in.

Because of said appointment (on the 19th of November), I may not undertake schoolies at this point in time. I don’t necessarily view this as a bad thing, because I’m still trying to be careful with my money! Maybe I’ll settle for a small thing with friends, instead.

And of course, there are speech-night rehearsals which I need to attend. The upside to this commitment, is that I don’t have to sing! :-D

The parents have declared that we’re going to Phillip Island for Christmas. Apologies to those who I misinformed (for some reason, I thought we were going to New Zealand). I hope to convince them to let a few friends and I come up a bit earlier for a “Thank God VCE is over” celebration. Mum and Dad, we’ll make sure it’s clean, I promise. :-P

What next? 2007

Apparently linux.conf.au will be in Sydney in January. I may attend. In 2008, when it’s held in Melbourne, I might be part of the Gentoo miniconf (if mark_alec has his way).

At this stage, it’s pretty much a given that I shall be doing my GAP year. That is, I will travel to China for about 5 months, and travel and teach english. I can only hope I get boarded with someone interesting (hehe, I bet they’re thinking the same). I’ll be gone from February to around July.

Once I get back, chances are that I’ll do lots of work with Coles and save some $$$. My eventual hope is that I’ll be in a sound financial situation by 30 (2018!?!). That is, to be able to live without worrying about a lack of money.

Also, a friend (Edward Couper — he’ll be famous one day, I’m sure) and I may be going into business together, as a partnership. I won’t mention much more, as things haven’t been sorted out as yet, but it’ll probably be in Web Design.

I may also start seriously training for my 2nd dan.

And of course the inevitable dalliances… ;-)

We started with the most difficult thing — parking. I tried all the different variations: parallel, angular, perpendicular and reversing in and out. The difficult thing is getting a feel for the car, and then achieving good control and thus being smooth in the execution of actions. In my opinion, I still have a long way to go!

I must say, while the Volvo had no power steering, and because of this it was a battle to turn the wheel all the way around, it had a fantastic turning circle (I could easily chuck a U-turn in a relatively narrow space). One can feel the road under the steering wheel, especially at lower speeds. (Dad said it was because of the relativey high pressure in the tires).

Now I wonder how long it will take for me to get at least 120 hours practice, given the hour or so today.

Darkzone Shenanigans

Last night, I was invited to DarkZone Box Hill, an offer I could not decline! While we all only played 2 games, they were great fun. “Big Bird” (aka: Yours truly) won the first game (a standard deathmatch) overall. For the second game, a team match, I came second overall (as did my team). I am convinced the overall winning player cheated, because their score was over double my own (which was around that of the first game, which in turn was double that of person who came 2nd). Either that, or they were pretty good!

Afterwards, a subset of those who went to DarkZone had dinner. We all went to “The Booth”, a Taiwanese resturant, just around the corner from DarkZone. I had a delicious beef wrap, which contained slivers of tender marinated beef wrapped in some sort of egg pastry containing spring onions and (I think) chives. Yum. And it only cost $7, which was good value considering it was a generous serving (and tasted great). Just watch out for the ‘Milk Tea’ (ie: Bubblecup style) as it reportedly tasted strange.

Never underestimate the mind of a child

No really. Children aren’t stupid. One of the little whippersnappers who ate with us (I was actually the only legal adult in the group, a humbling thought!) asked for my name. Within about a minute, she had guessed my other nickname. Said nickname is not usually guessed by older people. Scary, no? Perhaps just a different perspective on things?

Small Rant

Coming home on the train (I seem to get about by myself these days), I witnessed some unparalleled acts of antisocial idiocy by some moronic teenager. While I had my book to amuse me, this fellow roused my ire — I genuinely wished to punch his face in (no shit). But I refrained.

Do not expect a Hollywood film, because Three Dollars certainly isn’t. It accounts the life of a typical middle-class Melbournian family of two intellectuals, in fairly grim detail as they loose their stability of their jobs and eventually their money. That said, this is what gives the film its charm — the accurate depiction of two people undergoing hard times, and their emotional responses throughout that period. Eddie (played by David Wenham) in particular embodies compassion and integrity — two central themes to the film.

Three Dollars might not endear viewers with its plot (the film is almost a random series of events), but it sends strong messages about humanity. Eddie’s charm, compassion and steadfast integrity is contrasted to less scrupulous characters and anonymous individuals, who engage in deceit, complacency and other less desirable human behavior. The character of Eddie’s boss is a poignant embodiment of the unsavoury aspects of the politics which is pervasive in every aspect of a person’s professional and home life.

While the film may often seem depressing, it does end on a slightly lighter note. The companionship between the jobless and homeless people in particular is humbling as well as inspiring. Eddie and his wife may also view their life in a different state of mind, given their newfound circumstances. So in it’s own way Three Dollars does offer an ideal for people to live up to.

‘Three Dollars’ is a reoccurring symbol in the film, and is fitting as the title. This is not the greatest film I have ever seen, but It certainly is better that many (*cough* Dungeons & Dragons *cough*).

Personal Aside

This evening, I also picked up my newly embroided school blazer (”MUSIC”) and full colours tie! Kinda seems almost stupid given that I only have 3 weeks of school left. Ever. (Speech night is the exception). Maybe someday the MHS administration will see fit to award colours earlier on…

Additional lessons:

• Never ride on cobbles unless you have some sort of suspension.
• Watch out for parked people opening their road side door.
• Watch out for pedestrians walking along the road.
• Bike lanes are your friend. People who use them for parking are not.
• Never trust drivers to drive properly.
• Bikes are slightly above pedestrians on the food chain.

P.S: Last night, I watched The Godfather. It was a poignant example of good film-making. It seemed to be able to marry all the various aspects such as camera shots, acting, music, symbolism, etc into an articulate work. Marlon Brando in particular lived and breathed the part of the Don. Al Pachino was excellent too. Despite being made in 1972, it is most definitely timeless. Strangely, it was rated R18+. While there was numerous acts of violence, I did not find it particularly disturbing (perhaps a little desensitisation on my part?). Not that I would show this film to anyone too young, partly because of the aforementioned violence, but also that it deals with fairly mature themes — family, respect, sex, love, betrayal, etc, etc, and thus truly appreciated by an older (or at least relatively more mature) audience. It is a very long film, and quite heavy going. I watched it in 2 sessions (before and after dinner)…

I went to the VicRoads center in Eltham. There were heaps of trees around the place. To compound my embarrassment, there were kids there taking the test. One kid looked about 10 years old. Now that made me feel old.

Anyhow, (of course) I got my cheese. I felt a little chuffed given that I didn’t study for the test — and got a nice 88%. That comes to about 28 out of 32, for those who are lazy.

To preempt any questions: I will not buy you cigarettes. I do not condone smoking. However, Alcohol carries a commission of 5% (the LSD). The Lucas Service Deposit — Think of it as a friendlier GST. Special exceptions are a rate of 6.66% for mixed drinks (eg: Cruisers, UDL, etc) and 4.2% for decent beer (eg: Stella, Leffe, Corona, Coupers).

• The Coming of the French Revolution — Georges Lefebvre
• The Crowd in the French Revolution — George Rude
• Rousseau and the French Revolution — Joan McDonald
• The French Revolution: From it’s Origins to 1793 — Georges Lefebvre
• Citizens — Simon Schama
• Reactions to the French Revolution — Richard Cobb
• The French Revolution — Peter McPhee
• Russia Under the Old Regime — Richard Pipes
• The Russian Revolution — Leon Trotsky

At the very least, I suppose I should skim. I can do that. And collect a few pithy quotes. Hmmmm.

Oh, and Trosky has a really odd writing style. There’s heaps of interjections like “Grave Mistake!”, etc, etc. It’s almost hilarious.

It was very well done, and presented a compelling argument. Ironically, being Wesgarth Cinema, most of the audience was pretty much convinced anyway (Northcote is a funky suburb). What the movie did for me, was not so much teach me anything new, but serve as nice summation of the situation.

On a more cynical note, the film seemed to be a product placement excercise for Apple. There were hundreds of shots of Gore’s very sexy powerbook (the laptop, not the politician) and of him using Keynote (Apple’s competitor to MS Powerpoint).

Still, despite this slightly sour taste of marketing, Gore demonstrated how to give an excellent presentation. He was not boring, and injected elements of humour and even a few touching personal anecdotes (which I found suprising, but he got away with it without sounding like a wanker). It is my belief that Powerpoint is generally used terribly, and most people do not know how to give a proper presentation. Those people, I urge to take example from Gore: engage the audience and only display major points and useful aids, with a minumum of fuss (ie: no irritating sounds, over-the-top slide transitions, etc). Gore’s moderate tone lends to his rational argument, unfortunately something which many passionate individuals (in any arena) forget.

The film was quite long — over 2 and a half hours. Despite that, It kept me absorbed (but not my immature brother, though). I would recommend this film to anyone, and urge that pundits watch it as well.

See climatecrisis.net for more details.

As such, Coffee Plunger has been moved to wordpress and the rest of the other content will soon follow.

Yay!

• A new release of C-Dogs SDL. This caused a pleasing spike in traffic from ~20 visits a day, to ~300 visits. I expect things shall return to normal levels once it drops off the front pages of freshmeat and happypenguin.
• I got a call from the GAP Project Manager for China. Things seem to be playing out well, and I’m looking forward to February next year, because there will be no more school, and 5 life-changing months to look forward to! Apparantly it’s also possible to do 2 placements in a year, which is also interesting…
• This Thursday night (August 24), Melbourne High and Macrob will be having a Winter Music Concert, commencing at 7:30 at the Dallas Brookes Hall, East Melbourne. I’m in the Borodin Orchestra, Symphony Orechesta, Symphonic Band, Brass Ensemble and Stage Band!
• This Saturday Night (August 26), MLC will be holiding a Jazz Cabaret, commencing at 7:30 in the Betty Jackson Hall MLC, Kew. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and $50 for a family. It will be featuring the Show Band, MLC Stage Band, Random Jazz Groups and the MHS Stage Band. It’s going to be a wonderfull evening!

Cheers to Mitchell Brien for this hilarity.

UPDATE: This will image be unavailable until I arrive back in Australia :-(

Fundamentalism is a threat to any society, because its divisive nature breeds intolerance and even fuels (often violent) hostility towards non-conformists. Clearly such things are not healthy (especially in the non-homogeneous societies that are pre-eminent today), and do little to promote harmony between people.

Why do people turn to fundamentalism? Fundamentalism is the simplest interpretation of an idea. It is easy to grasp by anyone, since taking things literally requires little in the way of mental effort. Fundamentalism offers a degree of supposed “stability” in a seemingly crazed world. People find it hard to accept change, let alone adapt to it. Fundamentalism offers comfort in the company of like-minded people. Never mind that they are proverbial dinosaurs.

Like many social phenomena, fundamentalism is self-perpetuating. It is passed on from parents to children (who are infinitely malleable) and so on and so forth. Additionally, when there is fundamentalism, there is a suppression of introspection and critical thought. Ultimately, fundamentalists are incapable of questioning their world-view because it is deeply ingrained and because of their conscious will not to.

What is shocking is the fact that many people who are from an educated background, (who one may presume to have a degree of healthy scepticism regarding various interpretations and viewpoints, especially the more radical ones) are often keen fundamentalists.

For example, the rise of the “Family First” political party in Australian politics is a demonstration of worrying elements present in a fairly stable society, as most of it’s supporters hail from the middle (and thus supposedly higher-educated) classes. From this, it could be said that fundamentalism is independent from socio-economic background and education.

Where things begin to fall apart is that fundamentalist interpretation is still, after all, an interpretation. Language is constantly evolving: meaning, spelling and usage of words change over time.

There is a somewhat sad irony regarding the fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, for instance. The original tomes were written in many different languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ancient Greek. They were subsequently translated into Latin, and then into English for wider consumption (though some modern translations derive from the “original” sources). However, it is not surprising of the possibility of things being “lost in translation”, despite the rigorous efforts of translators and theologians. At the end of the day, fundamentalists are relying on the words of men.

Part II of this essay will be continued in a future post.

The knowledge monopoly derives from the fact that it is inefficient or not economical for the client to undertake the training and gain the experience to carry out the service themself, but also that there a limited supply of the professional in a particular field. Some fields are much more difficult to enter than others’, with examples of the former being the medical profession in particular.

Obviously being an accredited doctor brings a large set of responsibilities to the patients dealt with, and thus it is in the best interests of the patient to be under the care of a qualified and competent doctor. However, there is a severe lack of doctors in the public system, leading to more work pressure per doctor, which leads to higher renumeration (high demand, limited supply). Indeed, it is the monetary reward that inspires many to enter the profession. The question must be asked: do stressed and overworked doctors necessarily deliver a better service?

So why not more doctors? The medical profession is the one of the most difficult to enter. A high school student must either produce a near-perfect ENTER score, or be able to invest signficant amounts of money for a full-fee paying place (and a slightly lower score). These hefty requirements are again driven by short supply and high demand.

Why not offer more places? Universities can maximise their revenue by maintaining a lucrative service, offering more places reduces that, and thus it is not in their best interests to do so. (Especially given there is chronic underfunding of Universities and other Tertiary institutions…)

Notice the catch 22? Less places leads to fewer doctors, leads to higher sallaries, leads to greater demand to become a doctor, and so forth. Those in the profession also establish “professional” organisations which on one hand “ensure” a level of qualification and quality control, also essentially establish a monopoly on the trade of that particular service.

As a side note, public hospitals are also underfunded, and it is ultimately the patient who foots the bill and covers the costs of increased sallaries. A problem is when some cannot afford treatment (even with some government subsidies), which then undermines the equity of an important public service.