Anarchy in the UK

Broadband Arrives! Getting Crushed  D=

There's something funny about losing money. It feels so much worse then winning money. Why? Because its the feeling of losing something that you had, where as winning doesn't have that comparison.

Ironically I waited so long for broadband, and the first few sessions I got smashed. The worst I've ever been smashed tbh. I had the biggest losing day of losing $1000. 4 figures, from only $15 max games. Not just once, but twice within 3 days. $2k gone.

But its not simply variance. Probably played bad in certain situations, and I had also ignored basic bankroll management rules which I'm normally really good about. And now the pressure's on. I am dangerously low on money and pretty much shitting myself. However, this is what I moved out for, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do under pressure.

I am going to move down stakes, and do some reviewing. The $10k month looks like it'll have to wait for now...

I'm a FISH!!

When Capitalism Rules Over Public Services

My blog has always been pretty light hearted, but in recent light of the rioting in UK I really wanna talk about this subject in a serious matter.

Lets first be clear about what is actually happening. Last week a man was shot in London by the police which sparked a peaceful protest in North London at the police station to demand answers for the man's death. As no answers had been given or even acknowledged for that matter, things started turning ugly. Soon that area started full out riots and looting. But we must note that it was not the protesters who were rioting, but the youngsters. This was merely an opportunistic crowd jumping on the situation.

What has followed (we are on day 5) is continuous looting by the youth gangs all over London, systematically targeting shopping districts and burning some of them down. Over the last day or two, "copycat" rioters have started trouble all over UK. Looting has become an opportunity that these youths has jumped on, fulling knowing that the police are fully stretched and unable to deal with the situation. In many instances, even though the police had riot gear, they were clearly outnumbered by the gangs, and therefore unable to do anything until suitable backup had arrived. This meant that sometimes they had to stand afar and watch the looting happen to the shops.

This is the week where the hopeless, unemployed youth of UK has their power. Through BBM (Blackberry's anonymous messaging service) they are able to easily organize and gather together and raid parts of the the towns around the UK. Last night, a building next to ours was set on fire, but it was empty luckily. Cars are set on fire, and a lot of shops have been smashed up. But strangely enough, it is not as dangerous as it seems. The looters are not targeting the public, they are basically fighting against the police or anyone who tries to stop them.

So why is this happening? Well no one really knows. It was a spark waiting to happen. But in the age of cuts to public services and higher taxes, the youth knows that their future is tough, if not non existent. With the mindset of nothing to lose, this is an opportunity for them to rule over the streets and get what they want. Something that isn't normally gonna happen.

What happened in the recession a few years ago has been sparked by the mindset of an endless supply of capitalist greed. Companies thinking that every year can out profit the next. Bankers being allowed to have their strict rules relaxed and they dipping their inexperienced hands into other fields to make a quick buck. Bending and creating new systems that are confusing or just basically don't make any sense at all, so that people who shouldn't have gotten loans did.

What kinda western society are we nowadays when privatised capitalism companies rule over public sector jobs ... the ones that we need? Our best minds of the country, graduates of the best universities prefer to be bankers/lawyers/stock traders rather then teachers/doctors/police. What are we saying about society when those jobs that we really need are badly paid, long hours, and have bad long term prospects.

Obama's struggles in America of creating reform are a great example of a country ruled by capitalism gone mad. Despite the over growing deficit of the country, the CEO's of past companies in the Senate refuse to accept to tax the richer. Money > Government.

So how does this link back to the UK's rioting? True, we cant excuse them for their behavior, but with a society with no hope, it seems that the risk they take isn't as bad in comparison to what the future holds for them anyway. Cuts in UK include many public services, including many youth centres which help the youths have something to do, and have good role models... and give them hope and belief!

Now I'm not suggesting that capitalism should be like ousted and we should switch to communism. (As if China isn't embracing capitalism anyways, which is a contradiction to what they represent?) But there needs to be some kinda cap or boundaries that they cant cross. When companies have so much money that they can influence the government in some way then that is a big problem (More so in America then here).

Also on the flip side, public sector jobs needs protection and respect. After all... we NEED these jobs to exist. Imagine if we had a society with amazing schools/hospitals/police/transport? It would effect the people, and therefore the future economy and prosperity of the country. When capitalism is involved with those jobs, its not just about helping people anymore... making money becomes the priority and that itself puts it into contempt. Examples of that are like schools that have contracts with companies to sell school dinners to their students (despite being unhealthy), or medicine that people need being made expensive for profit, or private companies to handle security. What are we saying about those public sector jobs when there are no limits to what companies can do to them.

Those jobs that really matter just don't really matter to today's society. Relying on the goodnees of your citizens to choose them because they *want* to do them isn't enough. There needs to be incentives. There needs to be long term economic investments into these sectors. There's no doubt that these jobs make a big difference for everyone in society... can we say the same for powerful branded capitalist companies?

The events of UK are certainly inexcusable... but history says that riots like this happen when people are pushed to the edge. It does seem we are at that stage now...