Saturday, August 31, 2013

L'agost en gràfics
L'agost ha estat de plè estiu, amb temperatures màximes per sobre els 30ºC força dies que a partir de la 2ª quinzena varen baixar notablement, com acostuma a passar per les nostres contrades.

Les mínimes sempre fresques que et permeten dormir tapadet amb una flassada.

En quant a pluges el mes ha donat força de sí, amb un màxim diari de 47'2 litres el dia 24.

Avui 1 de setembre s'inicia la tardor climàtica que compren els mesos de setembre, octubre i novembre, la astronòmica ens arribarà el proper dia 22, data en que el sol surt exactament per l'est i es pon per l'oest i la durada del dia es igual a la de la nit.
--------------------------
Dades meteorològiques d’avui a Puigcerdà, a les 8 del matí 
 Temperatura actual: 8'1ºC 
Màxima d’ahir: 25'1ºC
 Mínima d’avui: 8'1ºC 
Pressió atmosfèrica: 1022 hp 
Humitat ambient: 69% 
Humitat mínima d'ahir: 21% a les 16.04 h
 Pluja en 24 h: ---- 
Estat del cel: serè 
Visibilitat: excel·lent
Cop de vent màxim: Ponent de 16'2 km/h
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Prêts pour la rentrée? Le prof et ses peurs


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                                        La rentrée frappe à la porte. 
  Tous les élèves ne sont pas impatients de lui ouvrir. Certains la redoutent, certains la détestent, tout court.
  Quant aux profs, beaucoup l'attendent, tout en se faisant de nouveaux espoirs, tout en y attachant de nouvelles attentes. 
  Mais ils ont peur aussi... Il n'y a pas de professeur insensible, quelle que soit son expérience,  à l'occasion de la rentrée ou à tout autre moment de l'année scolaire. Parfois, il est bon que les élèves le sachent aussi, cela pourrait rendre les deux "camps" plus humains, plus honnêtes, plus disposés à collaborer. Un professeur qui fait connaître à ses élèves ses angoisses liées à l'apprentissage (la manière de le faire est essentielle: humoristique, par exemple) a plus de chances de se faire aider par eux, à miser sur leur disponibilité et à les pousser à être eux-mêmes plus ouverts, plus francs, plus désireux d'apprendre...

                                

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株式投資における僕の失敗談 (1)

僕が株式投資を始めたのは、2008年のリーマンショックの直前でした。

きっかけは、妻が株式投資をしていたので、面白そうだな~という感じで始めました。

元々、経済や企業に興味があったことも影響した思います。


はじめての投資対象はベトナム株の個別銘柄でした。

一般的には、初心者が手がけることはありえない、リスクの高い投資です。

そして、案の定、その後のリーマンショックもあり、非常に痛い目にあいまいた。


当時投資して、現在も保有しているベトナム株の現状はこんな感じです。

・HAP(ハバコ) 投資金額・・・15万円  現在の評価額・・・5万円
・VIP(ベトナム石油運輸) 投資金額・・・20万円 現在の評価額・・・6万円

見事に撃沈してしまいました。


当時は、成長の高い国に投資することが大きなリターンにつながると思っていました。

しかし、この経験から学んだことは、やはり新興国投資はリスクが高いことです。

高い成長期待から株価が高騰しやすく、反面、期待が萎むと暴落するという不安定さ。

また、通貨が弱いことが多く、通貨安による資産の目減りも著しいです。

さらに、株式の売買手数料が非常に高いことも痛手です。

こういったことから、今は、新興国自体への投資は躊躇しています。


それでは、新興国の成長の恩恵を受け取るにはどうしたらいいのでしょうか。

僕は、新興国も含め、世界中で事業を展開している、強いブランド力のある企業に投資するようにしています。

具体的には、アメリカ株で、コカ・コーラ、P&G、ペプシコ、ジョンソン&ジョンソン、マクドナルドなどです。

こういった企業の方が、僕個人よりも新興国への投資ノウハウがあるので、企業を通じて、成長の恩恵を得たいと思います。



気になる株主優待ブログがいっ~ぱい!
僕は、銘柄選びの参考にしています。
にほんブログ村 株ブログへ にほんブログ村 株ブログ 株主優待へ

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韓国経済崩壊2013年9月最新時間前4兆円赤字予算

韓国経済崩壊について2013年9月の最新内容を見ると、半年で4兆円の赤字予算となっています。韓国は税収が減少しているようですが、中国経済の動向によっては景気の低迷が長期化する可能性がありそうですね。

(1)韓国経済崩壊と破綻危機

韓国政府が当初予算と比較して、税収が大幅に少なかったことを公表していますが、2013年8月30日の発表を見ると、4兆円の赤字予算となっていますね。韓国経済はGDPに占める輸出の割合が大きいですが、韓国企業の海外移転と外資系企業のリストラで産業流出が続いています。

韓国は中国経済への輸出依存度が高いですが、中国はバブル崩壊の可能性が指摘されており、景気悪化の要因になる可能性があります。韓国政府は税収の増加を見込んでいるようですが、中国経済の動向によっては、予算の逼迫した状況が続くかもしれないですね。

(2)税収減少と景気対策で過去最大の赤字

韓国経済崩壊2013年9月最新時間前4兆円赤字予算の増加について、2013年8月31日の朝鮮日報日本語版が、(朝鮮日報日本語版) 韓国政府の財政収支、最大46兆ウォンの赤字を報じているので見てみましょう。
  1. 韓国の景気低迷による税収減少
  2. 韓国政府の景気対策で財政政策を前倒し
  3. 今年上半期の管理財政収支は過去最大の赤字
  4. 管理財政収支とは、国民年金など社会保障性基金を除いた財政状態を示す指標
韓国政府は、税収減少と景気対策で過去最大の赤字を計上しているようですね。国家経済を考えると、不景気になると税収は減少しますが、景気対策を行うと政府の支出が増加することになります。

韓国経済の状況を家計にたとえると、給料が減少している中で支出を増やしている状況ですので、家計の収支が悪化すると考えれば分かりやすいと思います。韓国政府の財政状況を見ると、赤字が大幅に拡大しており、財政の悪化が深刻化しているようですね。

(3)財政収支が金融危機を超える過去最大の赤字

  1. 韓国の企画財政部(日本の省)が2013年8月30日発表
  2. 2009年上半期の管理財政収支の赤字 40兆5000億ウォン 約3兆5800億円
  3. 2012年上半期の管理財政収支の赤字 29兆9000億ウォン 約2兆6420億円
  4. 2013年上半期の管理財政収支の赤字 46兆2000億ウォン 約4兆820億円
  5. 資料作成を始めた2004年以降で最大幅の赤字
韓国政府の財政収支を見ると、2013年上半期の数値が大きく悪化していることが分かります。2009年上半期はリーマンショックによる世界的な金融危機により、世界中で財政収支が悪化した時期ですが、韓国の2013年上半期の財政収支は、その時期よりも悪化しています。

韓国経済破綻IMFデフォルト可能性2013年を見ると、韓国政府の借金粉飾の仕組みが分かります。韓国政府は借金を粉飾していましたが、IMFが新しい指針を出したことで、粉飾することを一部諦めたようですね。韓国の財政収支が悪化した理由は、税収減少と支出の増加が理由ですが、それぞれの金額について見てみましょう。

(4)韓国政府の収入減少と支出の前倒し

  1. 韓国の税収減少 前年比9兆2000億ウォンの減少 景気低迷で法人税などが減少
  2. 2013年上半期の収入進度率 予算比47.1%
  3. 2008から2012年上半期の収入進度率平均 54.2%
  4. 韓国の支出増加 前年比7兆9000億ウォンの増加 景気低迷で早期執行
  5. 2013年上半期の財政支出進度率 予算比57.9%
  6. 2008から2012年上半期の財政支出進度率平均 56.3%
韓国政府の財政状況を見ると半年経過時点で、税収は50%よりも少ないため予算よりも少なく、財政支出は50%よりも多いため予算よりも支出が多いことが分かります。

韓国経済について、日本の一部マスコミは絶賛していますが、韓国の景気悪化は韓国政府の公表している資料から分かりますね。韓国経済崩壊2013年10月最新時間前 赤字国債比率やばいことをまとめていますが、韓国で赤字国債の比率が50%超を超えています。パククネ大統領が公約していた年金の増額も予算不足で失敗しており、厳しい財政運営が続いています。

(5)韓国政府の2013年下期の予想

しかし、企画財政部では、下半期には税収不足現象が緩和され、財政執行も速度が緩やかになるため、管理財政収支の赤字幅は縮まるものと見込んでいる。
韓国政府は2013年下期予想について、税収不足の減少が緩和されることを予想していますが、上半期の景気対策の効果がどの程度あるのか注目ですね。
  • 韓国政府の2013年下期税収予想 上期の財政執行の影響で税収不足の緩和
  • 韓国政府の2013年下期支出予想 支出の減少により2014年上期の税収に注目
韓国政府は、2013年上期に財政執行の割合を増やしていますので、2013年下期は財政支出は減少するようですね。政府の景気対策などの予算執行に対して、税収は遅れて増加することが一般的です。韓国政府が2013年下期支出を減少させた影響で、2014年上期の税収が減少する可能性があるので、景気低迷が長期化するのか注目ですね。Any source

NextEra: all set to bully another Ontario community?

NextEra is heading into a confrontation with another municipality after it has constructed a staging area for its turbine projects in southwestern Ontario in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) Township without bothering to check whether the site was properly zoned for this use.
   Borea Construction, a contractor working for NextEra has arranged with the owner of the former gravel pit site in ACW for this purpose.  The township thought that the company was working for K2 the wind turbine project currently under appeal at an ERT so did not attempt to stop the project but when they found it was another wind company, they advised the company that a zoning change was required to use the site for storing wind turbine parts. 
   A zoning change requires public notification and a public meeting which is set for September 17.  Unfortunately work on the site is almost complete and the turbine parts are scheduled to start arriving on September 16.  Undeterred by a municipal planning requirement, NextEra's contractor is asking the township for temporary permission to place the turbine parts at the site.
  The municipal staff has drafted a report recommending that the Council not approve this request with the recommendation supported by the municipal solicitor setting the stage for a confrontation with NextEra.  The site is zoned for gravel extraction with part of it zoned Natural Environment due to its position on the edge of a river that flows into Lake Huron about five miles to the west.  Neither of these zoning types allow for the storage of turbine parts.  Work completed to date, which includes installation of a new perimeter fence, leveling the farm-sized site and installing security lighting, is consistent with gravel extraction activities so the municipality has not been able to stop the work.
  From a municipal planning perspective, there are a lot of reasons why an application to change zoning should be turned down.  The entrance to the site is at the top of a blind hill. The use will involve use of large trucks turning into and out of the site onto a narrow road with limited visibility.  The road to the site is not designed for a high volume of truck traffic as it is a narrow township road paved using tar and chip.  A county road is located about 1 mile to the east but to reach it, trucks would have to pass through the village of Dungannon where commercial buildings on the corner limit the turning radius onto the road.
   Run-off from a site of this size will be a major issue but there did not seem to be any provision in the work done to date for storm water management systems.  Run off from a construction site could also include contaminants which need to be kept out of the adjacent river which is known for sport fishing both near this site and where it reaches Lake Huron at Port Albert.  Addressing the run-off would require a substantial reworking of the site elevations and creation of large areas to store run-off.
   The matter comes before ACW Council on Tuesday night.  At the same meeting, the local anti-wind group is booked as a delegation to recommend that the Council adopt the Fire Prevention by-law initiated by Grey Highlands.  As the Township has had experience with a turbine fire, it is expected that the Council will be receptive to this initiative.
   The prospects for NextEra look bleaker.  Allowing the use to proceed on a temporary basis would raise all sorts of legal issues for the municipality.  Even the zoning decision will not be speedy.  Even if it is approved, there is a 20-day appeal period during which anyone who attended the meeting can appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board for a fee of $125.  Any approval would also likely include conditions to address storm water management and improving visibility at the entrance point to the road, if not improving the whole road from Highway 21.
   Looks like this could be a costly mistake for NextEra.  The municipality cannot be sued but I would not want to be their contractor as this could delay construction on a number of projects unless they can arrange for an alternate staging area very quickly.
   The work has generated another highly trained Green Energy Job for the Liberals as there is already a security guard posted on the empty site.  He looked very bored sitting on the steps of the office when I snapped the picture.
   The meeting is on Tuesday September 3 at the Township office at 82133 Council Line, RR5, Goderich beginning at 7:30 pm
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh resident



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人文社 倒産破産と不渡り

人文社は倒産しましたが、業績悪化の中、不渡り発生がきっかけであったと噂されているようです。人文社は破産申請するのか不明ですが、民事再生によりスポンサーが現れないのであれば、旧来の地図会社は将来性がなくなっていることが分かりますね。

(1)資金繰り倒産と不渡り

企業は資金繰りの確保のために手形を発行しますが、支払期間を延長することができるため資金繰りが改善します。手形で支払うと現金販売と比較して、資金繰りが改善しますが支払期日が延びるだけで、支払うための手元資金の確保が必要になります。

手形を期日に支払うことができないことを不渡りと言いますが、不渡りの発生が半年間に2度あると銀行取引停止処分となり企業は倒産することになります。不渡りの発生が1度目であっても、不渡り手形の支払いができなければ、企業の信頼が失墜しますので、事実上、倒産することになりますね。

(2)人文社が事業停止により弁護士に事後処理を依頼

人文社、倒産不渡りの理由について、2013年8月30日の帝国データバンクが、地図制作の人文社(東京都文京区)が事業停止を報じているので見てみましょう。
(株)人文社(TDB企業コード:980810695、資本金1500万円、東京都文京区大塚4-41-12、代表渡邊實氏、従業員12名)は、8月30日までに事業を停止し、事後処理を野中英匡弁護士(東京都千代田区麹町3-3、電話03-3265-0691)に一任していたことが判明した。
人文社は2013年8月20日不渡りを出したという噂が、インターネット上にありましたが、倒産しており弁護士に事後処理を任せているようですね。企業は半年間に当座残高の不足などにより、1号不渡りを2回出すと、銀行取引の停止処分を受けて事実上の倒産することになります。

人文社の不渡りが二回目であるのか不明ですが、一度目の不渡りであっても支払手形の決済に回す資金がなければ事業継続は事実上、不可能になりますね。

(3)人文社の会社概要

  1. 1950年 人文社を創業
  2. 1952年5月 法人改組
  3. 地図および関連販促品の制作販売
  4. 地図、案内マップ、公共施設案内、路線図、防災地図などの企画、制作
  5. 大手地図出版業者の代理店として住宅地図の販売
人文社の会社外洋を見ると、地図や地図に関連した商品の企画や製作を行っていることが分かります。インターネットサービスやスマホの発展により、無料の地図を携帯電話で調べることが普通になっていますので、既存の地図会社が経営悪化していることは容易に想像できますね。

自動車の運転を例に考えると、カーナビが普及していますので、紙の道路地図を見ながら車を運転する機会は、ほとんどなくなってっている方が多いのではないでしょうか。

牛丼太郎 深澤倒産の理由を見ると、吉野家やすき屋などの大手企業と競争が激化して倒産しています。人文社はカーナビに加えて、インターネットの地図サービスが発展したことで大手企業との競合が増えており、倒産したと言えそうですね。

(4)人文社の経営悪化と売上減少

  1. 1987年12月期 売上高約13億5000万円
  2. 2012年12月期 売上高約2億8500万円
  3. 2012年12月末時点 約2億7000万円の負債
  4. 2013年8月 決済難で事業停止
人文社の経営は売上高を見ると、4分の1以下に減少しており経営悪化していることが分かります。人文社は売上高が減少している中で、年間の売上高に近い負債を抱えており、倒産寸前であったことが分かりますね。

人文社は不渡りをだして倒産したことが噂されていますが、決済難による倒産ということは、一度目の不渡りの後に決済資金の確保がすぐに行えなかった可能性が高いと思います。

イノベーションに成功した企業は成長しますが、その背後には淘汰されて倒産する企業もあると言われています。人文社は、インターネットサービスやカーナビなどの発展により、旧来の地図会社は経営が苦しくなり倒産したと言えそうですね。Any source

31 d'agost de 2013 Ultim dia d'agost radiant i assolellat

Ultimes llums de l'últim dia d'agost
















Per acabar el mes dia radiant, absolutament assolellat amb només alguns núvols de retenció que guaitaven pel vessant nord. L'ambient tot i ser suau a migdia ja no és calorós ni molt menys, és més ja de tardor, sobretot al matí i a la tarda just quan se'n va el sol, els dies ja són més curts i això és nota bastant.
Les temperatures màximes avui han arribat als 26ºC a Sort o 25ºC a Esterri, a mitja muntanya al voltant dels 20ºC aproximadament i a alta muntanya entorn els 10ºC o 11ºC. Les mínimes han estat fredes a alta muntanya amb valors al voltant dels 2ºC o 3ºC, i entre 5ºC i 12ºC a les valls amb molta variabilitat entre el nord i el sud de la comarca, mentre que a Sort la mínima ha estat de 12,7ºC a Esterri de 5,9ºC.

Resum mensual de precipitació:
Esterri d'Àneu 76,6mm
Planes de Son 83,2mm
Llagunes 62,4mm
Farrera 103,8mm
Amitges 93,8mm
Port Ainé 81mm
Rialp 97mm
Alins 66mm
Espot 55,6mm
Sort 98,8mm
Quanca 78mm
Capdella 89,4mm
Estany Gento 85,4mm

Any source

「スポーツ批評」ノート・その9.今福龍太のいう「スポーツ評論」と「スポーツ批評」の違いについて。

 これまでに何回も取り上げたことのある今福龍太の名著『ブラジルのホモ・ルーデンス』サッカー批評原論(月曜社,2008年刊)のなかで,「サッカー評論」と「サッカー批評」とは決定的に違うのだ,という明確な指摘をしている。これはそのまま「スポーツ評論」と「スポーツ批評」に置き換えが可能である(厳密にいうとそうではないのだが,ここではよしとしておく)。

 今福龍太は,わざわざ一章を立てて,この問題を詳細に論じている。しかも,「サッカー批評」とは世界批評である,という副題をつけて。

 で,まずは,そのさわりの部分を引用しておこう。

 ・・・・対象化された聖域のなかで幻想的・自己満足的な言説を繰り出すこともできるのが「評論」(コメンタリー)の世界だとすれば,「批評」(クリティーク)という行為はそもそもそうした書き手の主体性を,現実から隔離することが不可能な行為である。なぜなら批評とは,なによりも,思考対象への批評以前に,言説の生産者たる自己と自己が生きる社会への徹底したクリティークによって,批評的言説の生産の場自体を相対化することからしか,はじまらない行為だからだ。したがって,サッカー批評とは,サッカーというものが成立する歴史的・社会的・文化的・政治的文脈へのトータルな批評行為であり,それはすなわち,サッカーに対峙する私たち一人一人の人間の生存条件への徹底した批判力をも含み込んだものでなければならない。私たちがサッカーをし,サッカーを見,サッカーについて語る現実と,社会のリアリティの生産とが,いかに深く,複雑にかかわり合っているのか,という批判意識こそが,サッカー批評のすべての出発点になるからだ。(P.17~18.)

 まずは,この濃密で凝縮された,一部の隙もない,美しい文章を熟読玩味していただきたい。そして,これほどまでに過激に「評論」と「批評」の違いを断じた言説をわたしは知らない。しかも,この文言につづけて,さらに先鋭化した見方・考え方を,つぎのように提示している。

 そしてサッカーと世界とは,たしかに特別に魅力的な形態によって,深く複雑にかかわり合っている。サッカーを見,サッカーを語ることで,私たちは,このアクチュアルな「世界」を見,「世界」を語るもっとも効果的な方法論の一つを手に入れることができる。そして私は,まさにサッカー批評をつうじて,近代の「世界」そのものへの批評,二〇世紀という時代への批評,ひいては二一世紀へと移った現代の「世界」批評が可能であると考えているのである。(P.18.)

 このようにして,0.序論 「サッカー批評」とは世界批評である,の根拠を明らかにしている。こうした今福の批評精神はさらに深化し,つぎのように断言する。

 サッカーを近代スポーツ競技の内部に囲い込むのではなく,近代世界とさまざまな乖離を示しつつも,近代国家原理によって巧みに占有されながら飼い慣らされ,そうした乖離を隠蔽されてきたサッカーの本性を,いま明るみに出すこと。いわば,近代国民国家原理のなかで構造化されてしまったサッカーを,より原初的な身体運動の原理によって救い出すこと。そのうえで,ひと思いに,近代世界そのものを思想的に解体してゆくこと・・・・。「サッカー批評」が身につけるべきもっとも基本的な知的情熱は,ここにしかない。(P.21~22.)

 この壮烈な,気魄のこもった文章に,わたしは二の句も告げることなく圧倒されてしまう。したがって,別の人の言説に助けを求めるしかなくなってしまう。蓮實重彦は『スポーツ批評宣言』(青土社,2004年刊)のなかで,「運動の擁護」という視点からのスポーツ批評を展開しているが,この部分は今福の「より原初的な身体運動の原理によって救い出すこと」に通底しているように読み取れなくもない。そして,蓮實は「潜在的なるものが顕在化するその瞬間を擁護すること」にスポーツ批評の根拠をもとめている。それに対して,今福ももちろん同じ主張を展開しつつ,さらに過激に「ひと思いに,近代世界そのものを思想的に解体してゆくこと・・・」とつっこんでいく。ここに「評論」を切り捨てて「批評」へと跳躍しなければならないという今福の強い意志が「ひと思いに」ということばに籠められている,とわたしは受け止める。気魄満点である。

 最後に,スポーツ評論について,今福は痛烈な一文を書き記しているので,そこの部分をとりだしておこう。
 
 ・・・・こうしたスポーツを聖別化する日常の構造の延長線上に,現在の「スポーツ評論」というジャンルが,したり顔で居座っている。スポーツ評論,スポーツ評論家,スポーツ・ジャーナリズム,スポーツ・ライター・・・。それがどのように呼ばれようと,またそれがいかに感動的な物語をつむぎだそうと,その内実は,スポーツという聖域の存在を無条件に肯定し,それを言説の自律的で純粋な対象として聖別化し,称揚する(あるいはときにスポーツという聖域への自己幻想がかなえられないといって罵倒する)という行為の不毛な繰り返しでしかない。スポーツ評論とは,スポーツという楽しげな小世界のなかで永遠に夢が見られるという錯覚によって成立しているのだ,といいかえてもいい。さらに現代では,学問の世界にもこうしたスポーツの聖別化の動きは広がっており,「スポーツ社会学」「スポーツ哲学」「スポーツ人類学」といったサブジャンルが,あたかもスポーツだけを学問的言説の対象として分離できるかのごとき幻想に陥りながら,社会学や人類学の余録に与って嬉々としている。(P.14~15.)

 この部分もまた強烈である。「スポーツ社会学」「スポーツ哲学」「スポーツ人類学」もまた「スポーツ評論」と同じ聖別化の道を歩んでいる,とバッサリ。いわれてみれば,まことにそのとおり。そこには,思想も哲学も存在しない。「ここでは,スポーツは人間の生活世界の趣味的な部分集合として領域化され,囲い込まれ,そのなかで自己完結した内向的な情報と言説がめぐっている」(P.14.)という次第である。ただ,不思議なことに「スポーツ史」が,この羅列からはずされている。このことの意味するところは重大である。このブログの長期にわたる読者には,その意味するところは明々白々であろう。

 というところで,今回はここまで。

HomeAny source

Tully Presents Star Readers With False Choice On More Subsidies For Pacers

It's getting really old. Every time one of the billionaire owners of one of our professional sports teams demands more public subsidies we are told that the alternative if we don't offer the subsidy is losing the franchise. That's a false choice and those who claim so know better. That doesn't stop the Star's Matthew Tully from offering that reaction once again to Herb Simon's latest request for another $21 million for his Indiana Pacers.
For their part, the Pacers say they need the money to make up for their losses, as if their business failings are the problem of local taxpayers. The city, meanwhile, argues it has a deep civic interest in keeping the Pacers, as an empty city-owned fieldhouse would be be a depressing economic drag. So, basically, the city is in a Catch-22 because it was nice enough to build an arena for the team.
Again, you’ve got to be kidding me.
But to be fair there aren’t easy answers here. The “let them go” mantra is misguided and, if fulfilled, would leave the city a diminished place. As I’ve written before, I understand the city’s dilemma when it comes to these big-league negotiations and if I were in charge I’d probably hold my nose — I’d probably need a vise to hold it tight enough — and sign the deals.
What’s the alternative? No Colts? No Pacers? No thanks.
In the case of the Pacers, the media folks beholden to the billionaire sports team owner always omit the fact that the CIB had a long-term lease with the Pacers that imposed a hefty penalty on the franchise if it elected to break its lease and move the team to another city before the end of its term. In its negotiations with the Pacers, the CIB has always acted as if the lease agreement contained no such penalty. Instead, it has essentially been offering bribes to Herb Simon not to break the lease with the CIB based upon an imaginary city somewhere out there negotiating in secret to lure the Pacers away. There is no other city courting the Pacers, and the Pacers aren't losing any money as is falsely claimed by the CIB and the local media. Has anyone ever noticed that Herb Simon has never once been asked by the CIB or the media to explain why he needs more subsidies? Instead, we always hear from someone like rent-a-civic leader Jim Morris to whom Simon pays big bucks to make the case publicly on his behalf. Perhaps Herb can't lie in front of the cameras as easily as his paid hacks.

Every economic study worth its salt proves that having a professional sports team in a city has very little economic impact on the local community. In the case of Indianapolis, the sports teams are a drain on the community, sapping away limited resources to the point that basic services can no longer be funded without raising taxes on the city's residents substantially. No other city stands as proof of this point than Detroit, which has a professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey teams. Even as the city lies in ruins and has been forced into bankruptcy, plans are moving forward on a $400 million new arena in which the Detroit Red Wings will play. So as our schools continue to deteriorate, crime rises, our taxes climb and more people flee to the suburbs for a better way of life, Indianapolis residents can still boast that they have professional sports teams. At least that's how Mr. Tully wants you to feel as you get raped again and again by the two wealthiest men in the state of Indiana. Any source

What Special Relationship?

You didn’t know that Rupert Murdoch was a US Citizen? After today’s toe-curlingly over the top Sunfront page, it’s something you can’t avoid. There, in large letters, is a DEATH NOTICE for The Special Relationship. But is the relationship between the UK and USA really that special? And have successive Presidents always defended our interests, as if they were their own?
The answer is, no they haven’t, and here’s six examples. As Rupe’s downmarket troops have cited the friendship of Winshton and Franklin Roosevelt as the start of their golden era of UK/US cooperation, I’ll start with the immediate aftermath of that, as World War 2 ended. Britain, at this stage, was in a parlous financial situation. The last thing we needed was for an ally to withdraw its support.

And that is exactly (1) what the USA did, in September 1945, as President Truman cancelled Lend-Lease: this concept did not just involve military supplies, but also foodstuffs, road and railway equipment, and medical supplies. Anything still in transit had to be paid for, albeit at a discount. The USA compounded their playing hardball when asked for a loan to tide the UK economy over.

There was a lag between an economy geared to a war footing, and one able to concentrate on civilian goods, especially those which could be exported, and thus help alleviate the country’s indebtedness. Keynes was dispatched to Washington DC to try and negotiate a loan for this purpose. (2) The US treasury demanded that Sterling be made fully convertible as a condition of granting the loan.

The UK Government complied, and the loan was used up in a matter of days, as those who had hoarded unconvertible Sterling during the war years eagerly exchanged it for US Dollars at the rate of $4.02 to the Pound. The USA had caused its best buddy to become yet more indebted. True, the Marshall Plan arrived later, but the damage had been done.

Then, in 1956 (3), after Eden had deceived Parliament and secretly arranged with France and Israel to attack Egypt in an attempt to recapture the Suez Canal, Eisenhower demanded that the parties desist. Had we not done so, the run on the Pound would have been catastrophic. Ike’s GOP successor Ronald Reagan (4) was little better when confronted with the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands.

Ronnie (5) didn’t even bother to tell us when he launched an invasion of Grenada, which was, and remains, a part of the British Commonwealth which recognises Elizabeth II as its head of state. And Dubya Bush (6), also mentioned by the Sun, would have been more than happy to go off to Iraq without us in 2003. So when the Sun tells of a “special relationship”, one has to ask: what “special relationship”?

Not that Murdoch’s papers will be telling their readers about all of that, of course.
Any source

Firefighters Remind You to 'Pool Safely'

Click to learn more about Pool Safely...
The Los Angeles Fire Department joins the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and partner agencies in reminding every American to Pool Safely!

Pool Safely is a national public education effort to reduce child drownings, non-fatal submersions and entrapments in swimming pools and spas. Los Angeles Firefighters support this effort through their belief in the campaign slogan:

Simple Steps Save Lives...

The 7 Simple Steps to Pool Safely...    

  1. Constant Supervision
  2. Proper Fencing
  3. Pool & Spa Safety Covers
  4. Door, Gate & Pool Alarms
  5. Safety Drain Covers
  6. Swimming Lessons
  7. Learning CPR
To learn more, please visit:

poolsafely.gov

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
Article any source

DIDIER DROGBA OFFERS COMFORTING WORDS FOR LUKAKU



Didier Drogba has done his best to lift the spirits of Romelu Lukaku, after the Chelsea striker missed a crucial penalty in their Super Cup defeat to Bayern Munich.
With the penalty shoot-out poised at 5-4 to the Germans, Lukaku stepped up for the Blues’ last spot-kick, but his tame effort was comfortably saved by Manuel Neuer to hand Bayern their first silverware of the season.
The 20-year-old Belgian international, who joined Chelsea in 2011, was playing in his first final for the club and was visibly distraught at the miss.
But former Chelsea striker Drogba, who himself scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in last year’s Champions League final, has offered some wise words to Lukaku via Instagram, showing despite leaving the club a year ago, his heart is still at Stamford Bridge.

Didier Drogba posted a message of support for Romelu Lukaku (Picture: Instagram/dude7811)Any source

KATE MIDDLETON STEPS OUT IN SKINNY JEANS




Kate Middleton looked stunning in skinny jeans and green jacket as she accompanied Prince William at the start of the 135-mile Ring O' Fire marathon in Anglesey, North Wales on August 30. Flashing friendly smile, the Duchess of Cambridge looked happy as she attended the event.

Kate apparently has regained her pre-baby body only one month after giving birth. At the Friday event, she wore a loose Zara top, Ralph Lauren green blazer and skinny jeans. She opted for a pair of wedges despite the uneven ground.

The Duchess approached local children who were at the event and received presents from them. Speaking to a pregnant well-wisher, Kate revealed that her mother Carole has come to take care of the 6-week-old Prince George. "He's very well, thank you. He's with granny at the moment. He's sleeping well but I know these things suddenly change," she told Sarah Bingham whose baby is due in 3 weeks.

"We are getting through a lot of these I can tell you. But we could always do with some more," Prince William, who received a bag of wet-wipes from 24-year-old Stacey Blake, said. "They seem down to earth, you know. I thought they might find it fun," Blake commented on the royal couple, as quoted by Daily Mail.



Any source

JOSE MORINHO ON SUPERCUP: THE BEST TEAM LOST

Mourinho bemoans Chelsea's Super Cup defeat
Jose Mourinho says Chelsea deserved to beat Bayern Munich (Picture: Getty)
Jose Mourinho believes the ‘best team lost’ in Chelsea’s Super Cup penalty defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Blues twice took the lead throughout the match, including in extra time after the dismissal of midfielder Ramires, but were pegged back at the death and Romelu Lukaku’s missed spot kick handed victory to the German side.
But despite missing out on their first silverware of the season, Mourinho was happy with his players’ performance in Prague.
‘In my opinion the best team lost, the team that deserves more to win lost, but that’s football. Sometimes that happens in football,’ he said.
‘They just scored one more penalty.

‘The best team played with 10 men for a long, long period in the game. They played against the champions of Europe and they were the best team.
‘We only have reasons to be proud, to believe in the future. But I prefer just to say the best team lost and stay with it.’
However Mourinho’s old adversary Pep Guardiola said his Bayern side were deserving victors.
Mourinho bemoans Chelsea's Super Cup defeat
Romelu Lukaku (centre) missed the final penalty kick (Picture: Getty)
‘Today we deserve, we have played unbelievably good football,’ he said.
 



Metro.co.ukAny source

ESE WALTER WRITES: 'THIS PAST WEEK HAS KILLED ME'



 ESe walter in an emotional piece addressed all the outrage her confession of affair with Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of Comonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) caused her this past week. If you missed out on her confession you can scroll down this blog or check on the right side bar...
"The past week has ‘killed’ me. It has stripped me of whatever ‘self-importance’ I nursed in the corners of my mind. It has broken me and opened me up to my real self. It has brought me to a deeper level of self-awareness, one I am most grateful for.
When I sat with my MacBook to type my last blog, I never imagined it would generate the kind of attention it did and continues to. I have one last thing to say on this issue before I lay it to rest and move on. (I also hope others can move on too, we have too much going on in this Country to continue to peddle one for longer than necessary.)
A very big thank you to everyone that has felt it necessary to talk about this issue and spread it throughout Nigeria and the foreign scene. I read every email sent to me with awe that people would take the time out to reach a total stranger like me. Some were cursing, calling me a witch from the pit of hell sent to destroy the church as though one individual/church is bigger than the body of Christ. As though God is mere man and would cringe in heaven saying, “Ese don did it this time.” Or as if the good Book didn’t state clearly that ALL things work out for good for those that love God.

Do you love God? If yes, trust that it will ALL turn around for good.

Some people say, ‘I support you, you are brave and courageous’ and I wonder if those terms really define me. I do not think I am brave or courageous. I do know, however that after decades of sleepwalking through life, I am now becoming aware not just of myself but also of my environment, my world, and the universe.

Some say, put out the evidence and we will believe you. Hmmm, the morning I sat to write that post, I really didn’t expect anyone to believe me. Well, apart from those involved. And my motive was simple, let one more woman be spared. Let one more minister of the gospel be mindful and let the church rise up to its responsibilities as God’s legal representatives here in the earth realm.

A copy of the ‘evidence’ is with a respected minister of the gospel should the christian body decide to deal with this issue now and that becomes needful. I am not looking to have a ‘me against them’ case where I need to prove I’m right and someone is wrong. I am far from right, but I have used the only means available to me to free myself of the bondage I put myself in.

Lastly, to all the media people seeking interviews and whatever else mailing me, I have nothing more to say on this issue. I cannot reply every email as reading them is beginning to seem like a new job.
I remember asking a friend once while reading the book of Acts, “Why do we no longer operate in the power the disciples did in Jesus day?” What has changed? How do we ‘unchange’ it?

God is not mocked, if we serve Him, let’s serve Him. We cannot continue to grow as a Nation by oppressing, delaying justice, hating, having the ME ME ME mentality. As Martin Luther King Jr said, ‘no one is free until we are all free.’

Things have got to change and it begins with us. It begins with each and every one of us borrowing courage to stand for what we believe in. Fela Durotoye once said, ‘that thing that annoys you most in society is a sign that you carry its solution.’ (I’m
paraphrasing)

Nothing has called out to me more than people, especially women, suffering in some way and hiding the pain. Whatever we cover doesn’t go away. It grows and it finds different outlets to rear its ugly head until we deal with it.

I am not perfect, I will never be, but I am enough to try what I feel might work. I don’t know what the entire bible says but I am learning and applying the little I find out
daily. And I think everyone owes it to himself or herself to figure it out for
themselves.

At the end of the day, we agree that ‘men of God’ are firstly men, right? This means it’s needless expecting them to help you in your growth with God. I fell into that trap of thinking a ‘man of God’ is equated to God and it is not new to find people fall in that hole.

How do you begin to learn to serve a God you have never seen? It takes another level of faith to do that but we live in a generation/Country where people don’t want to study for themselves. They don’t want to read the Scriptures. Well, they don’t want to read, period. They want to pursue things instead and have somebody do the praying and studying for them. If you fall in that category, you need to repent.

I learnt that when the veil was torn, we all were given equal access to the Father. No matter how long you may have been in church, if you don’t know what that means you better ask somebody. And seek a real relationship with the God you claim to serve.

That is what I am spending most of my time doing these days. Praying, studying, seeking, knocking. The peace I have felt despite all the hate mails and tantrums shows that God is not angry with me and I did what I needed to do to the best of my understanding.

My apologies to everyone this has affected in one way or another.
Firstly, my family: I don’t know how you guys aren’t sick of me yet ;)
Secondly, ‘the body of Christ,’ my intention was never to cause trouble but to stop a rot I felt might spread and become worse if nobody spoke up about it.

Lastly, to those who said I shouldn’t blog again, I respect and understand your concerns but the truth is, writing is not just my gift, it is also my ‘curse’. I cannot ‘NOT’ write but I PROMISE, this is the last I will say on this issue except the christian body needs to see me.

God is building His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. No sin is too big to wreck anyone’s faith. If it does, then it means it’s working out a greater good for you. You will definitely come out stronger and better in the end. Like my best friend says “in the end, it will be all right and if it ain’t alright, it’s notthe end.”

“…forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul.
Cheers to the weekend people :D Any source

'YUNG6 PULLS A KENDRICK': SAYS HE'S THE BEST RAPPER IN NIGERIA


By the way lets even face the question properly who's Nigeria's best rapper?Any source

Nile Gardiner – Exceptional Pundit Stupidity

The bleatings of Nile “Chauncey” Gardiner at the bear pit that is Telegraphblogs have passed before my examination before, notably when, in June, he failed to do his homework and asserted that JFK had given his Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech at the Brandenburg Gate, which he could not have done, as that location was on the other side of the wall, in East Berlin.
Nile Gardiner

Someone at the Tel– I’m looking at you, Damian Thompson – belatedly corrected Gardiner’s copy, but you can still see the joins. And there is only so much that can be done to cover the tracks of “Chauncey” and his trail of forthright idiocy, as a spate of recent posts illustrates, starting with “Barack Obama’s handling of the Syria crisis has been a disaster – a few airstrikes won’t change that”.

Readers are supposed to believe that the Obama presidency has “led from behind” on Syria, then told that airstrikes will make no difference. Given that a large majority of citizens doesn’t want to get involved at all, and that the only other alternative would be a ground invasion, the Prez has judged things reasonably well. Gardiner is just whingeing for the sake of it (because Obama is a Democrat).

The whining continues with “President Obama’s flat and uninspiring message to America: I have a big government dream”, and Gardiner observers will not be surprised to learn that the “big government” is entirely his own invention, as he, along with other right-wingers, attempts to lay claim to being part of the Martin Luther King Jr fan club (nobody from the GOP turned up at the fiftieth anniversary bash).

But it’s when he turns his attention to the latest developments on Syria that Gardiner demonstrates his effortless stupidity. First comes the observation “Ed Miliband looked lightweight and out of his depth during Syria debate”, following which Mil The Younger helped to inflict sufficient damage on Young Dave as to have the paper that carries Gardiner’s blog describe the latter as having been “humiliated.

Never mind, perhaps he could do better on the Stateside angles? Sadly not, as “Why a nervous Hillary Clinton is remarkably silent on Syria” shows. Yeah, she’s supposed to be the Democrats’ front runner for 2016, and she’s not said anything about Syria. There is a very good explanation for this: she is no longer in office, and John Kerry is. So she’s leaving the Syria interventions to him.

And then comes the piece de resistance: “Barack Obama is proving an embarrassing amateur on the world stage compared to George W. Bush”. Dubya Bush? The bloke who froze for several minutes when told of the 9/11 attacks? The one who let the neocons run the show, to such disastrous effect? Gardiner is holding him up as some kind of exemplar? Just f*** right off, Chauncey.

I give you Nile Gardiner, an exceptionally clueless, and exceptionally stupid, pundit.
Any source

Today's Teamster News 08.31.13

Court Affirms Dismissal of Arkansas Best Complaint Against Union, YRC  Wall Street Journal   ...A federal appeals court has affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss a complaint from an Arkansas Best Corp. (ABFS) unit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, YRC Worldwide Inc. (YRCW) and other parties for alleged violations of a collective bargaining agreement governing most unionized trucking companies...
A New Dawn for Labor Day  Beyond Chron   ... a new generation of worker organizing is emerging – including car wash workers, home health aides, domestic workers, dishwashers and waiters, retail sales persons, day laborers and warehouse workers. They signal a growing hunger for representation and voice on the job...
NAACP opposes deals for 'Moral Monday' protesters  WRAL.com   ... The state chapter of the NAACP said Friday that it plans to fight charges filed against people arrested during a series of protests at the Legislative Building instead of accepting a deal offered by Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby to end the cases...
Poverty Has Same Effect On The Brain As Constantly Pulling All Nighters  ThinkProgress   ... “Poverty is the equivalent of pulling an all-nighter. Picture yourself after an all-nighter. Being poor is like that every day...”
Colombia Uprising: Is This What "Free Trade" Looks Like?  Public Citizen   ...Unfair trade is one of the rallying cries of the underreported protests currently wracking Colombia...
Low-paid Germans mind rich-poor gap as elections approach  The Guardian   ...With no national minimum wage and a fifth of workers in insecure mini-jobs, critics say German prosperity is being built on exploitation of the downtrodden...
“Death by China” Film Shows where all the Jobs Have Gone  Trade Reform   ...China’s perverse form of capitalism combines illegal mercantilist and protectionist weapons to pick off American industries, job by job. Meanwhile, America’s executives, politicians, and even academia remain silent about the looming threat...
Regulators Repeat Exactly What They Did During the Last Housing Boom  Baseline Scenario   ... everyone has either forgotten that the financial crisis happened or is pretending that it didn’t happen because, well, maybe it won’t happen again?...
Public Banking Institute Calls Largest Wall Street Banks “Unsafe,” and Backs It Up  Wall Street on Parade  ...The Public Banking Institute has released a new videomaking serious claims, backed by graphs and government documents, that the largest Wall Street banks are an unsafe choice for the savings of moms, pops and public payrolls...
What Should You Be Earning?  Economic Policy Institute   ...In honor of Labor Day, we made a little tool—based on our project inequality.is—that shows how much you would be making if wages had kept pace with productivity, a key indicator of an economy working for all...
Pet coke along Detroit River removed, Bing says  Detroit News   ...Pet coke is a byproduct of the oil refinery process and can be sold as a fuel source. The piles along the Detroit River were created at the nearby Marathon Oil Refinery and purchased by Koch Minerals LLC...Any source

クロニクル自己破産で倒産

クロニクルが自己破産で倒産しており、ジャスダックで上場廃止となっています。ジャスダック上場の銘柄は成長余力が大きい反面、会計不祥事などが多いので株式投資の際はリスクに注意する必要がありますね。


(1)ジャスダック上場企業の粉飾決算と倒産

上場企業であっても、企業は資金繰りに失敗すると倒産することになります。企業の再生は、民事再生法や会社更生法の申請を行い、スポンサーを探して事業継続を模索する企業が多いですね。

有望な技術や資産を持つ企業の場合、債権者の協力を得て、何らかの企業再建に成功する事例があります。債権者を裏切る行為や法令順守に問題のある企業、再生する見込みのない企業の場合、自己破産を選択することになります。

ジャスダックは成長余地の高い新興企業が上場していますが、粉飾決算などで倒産する企業が比較的多いため、株式投資の際には新興市場のリスクの理解が重要ですね。

(2)クロニクルが自己破産を申請

クロニクル自己破産で倒産について、2013年8月30日の帝国データバンクが、元ジャスダック上場のクロニクルが自己破産を申請と報じているので見てみましょう。
(株)クロニクル(TDB企業コード988304006、資本金50億7038万5000円、東京都港区浜松町1-18-11、登記面=東京都港区南青山2-27-20、代表堀達夫氏)は、8月27日に東京地裁へ自己破産を申請した。
クロニクルが自己破産の申請により、負債総額は約1億6000万円で倒産しています。クロニクル倒産と上場廃止で、クロニクルが自己破産の申請を準備していることをまとめていましたが、正式に自己破産を申請したようですね。

クロニクルはコンプライアンスの観点から見ると、巨額の不正融資事件などに関与していましたが、ジャスダックの上場基準が気になりますね。

(3)親和銀行の不正融資事件に関与

  1. 1998年5月 親和銀行からの不正融資事件により、当時の代表ら2名が逮捕
  2. 動産ファイナンス事業や投資事業を開始
  3. 個人消費の低迷により宝飾事業が低迷
クロニクル倒産と上場廃止で、親和銀行の会社概要をまとめていますので、関心のある方はご参照。クロニクルは親和銀行の頭取スキャンダルによる、フロント企業への100億を超える不正融資事件に関与した企業として有名ですね。

クロニクルはスイス資産家行方不明事件などでも名前がでていますが、山口もえさんの元夫が関連している会社の名前がでたり、問題のある会社であったようですね。

(4)ジャスダックの上場廃止基準と倒産

  1. 2012年9月期売上高 約990万円 当期純損失約29億6300万円
  2. 2007年9月期以降6期連続で最終赤字
  3. 資金繰りが悪化 慢性的な支払い遅延状態
  4. 2013年7月17日 有価証券報告書を期限内に提出できず上場廃止
クロニクルはジャスダックの上場廃止基準のうち、有価証券報告書を期限内に提出できず、倒産しています。ジャスダックに上場している企業を見ると、新興市場ですので企業の成長余力が大きいと思われる反面、業績が急激に悪化していることが分かります。

ジャスダックに上場していた企業で倒産した企業を見ると、粉飾決算を行っていたり、グループ会社に問題のある会社があることが分かります。クロニクルは倒産しましたが、ジャスダック上場の企業は成長余力が大きい反面、粉飾などの問題発生が多いことを株式投資の際には認識することが重要ですね。
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#SUPERCUP: FUNNY PIX ON LUKAKU'S SPOT MISS YESTERDAY

Lukaku Steps up for penalty like 'Whoa'

Lukaku's Dad reacting to the Miss

Morinho Face after appearance the miss

Lukaku in the dressing room be Like ...
 Twas a fantastic game yesterday..its funny how 3seconds of time can make so much difference in someones life.. See another reason why you should not give up in Life? No matter the situation in life...

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31/8/2013: WLASze Part 1: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences and Zero Economics

This is the first WLASze: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences and zero economics post for this weekend, so enjoy and stay tuned for more.


Random complexity arising out of the hand-drawn patterns virtually freely visually narrated by Marlene Huissoud are creating interesting, dynamic textures in these drawings and textiles:



Artist website: http://www.marlene-huissoud.com/ It is an object of utilitarian design (hence the 'shop' section of her website), but in my opinion it is an expression of art - non-conceptually driven compositional flow that explores dynamic of line and space absent a premeditated attempt at a composition.

Cy Twombly being the pioneer here, and there are indirect parallels to Lucio Fontana. In a distinct approach, the line drawings of Egon Schiele were actually figurative, hence non-random. Yet they are all united by the simple difference between human error / deviation that distinguishes them from replicative mathematical chaos and makes each line uniquely determined when it is created by a person.


Returning back to last week's theme of the Venice Biennale: some additional links relating to previous notes on the exhibition:
Russian pavilion: 


Spanish rock garden:


Retrospective of national pavilions: 



Out of the Biennale's 'rock halls' into rock sculpture project by the Next Fab Studio by Gabriel Boyce and Preston. The duo constructed a "simple, organic rock" "using digital fabrication equipment". NextFab "developed a Rhino model of the rock, which was digitally divided into sections and cut from acrylic on NextFab's laser cutter. Gabriel and Preston then assembled the 150-plus sections into the complete ROCK sculpture." Daft? Not really - rather quite striking:




An interesting story from the city that is currently assessing its art collection for sale: Detroit. Detroit's brilliant DIA (I cited its excellent collection earlier here) has digitalised its world-famous Diego Rivera murals. The story of digitalisation is here.

Digitalising works of art is a superbly challenging technical and mathematical problem, even though it seems like a relatively simple task. The most fascinating story of digitalisation of art was written up back in 2005 by the NewYorker: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/04/11/050411fa_fact. It tells the story of two applied mathematics geniuses you won't hear much about, David and Gregory Chudnovsky:

The duo have pioneered the algorithmic approach to large scale digitalisations. Humorous take on their fascination with visualising mathematics is the floor of the Chudnovskys' lab at Brooklyn Polytechnic University which bears an orbital pattern mapping of mathematical equations


What a brilliant link: from the decay of the fractal definition to the decay of the entire city and onto eternity of mathematics and art… to large scale numerical computations… from Communist Ukraine to Communist murals… See more on the two: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3210/04-chud-06.html and at http://www.math.poly.edu/people/faculty.phtml. Oh, and the murals, of course: http://it.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2013/august/08/detroit-digitizes-its-diego-rivera-murals/

Do note, Chudnovsky's worked extensively on 'pi'. I covered the visualisations of 'pi' before here.  So for some additional images: pi, fi, e, combined from the above-linked posts by Martin Krzywinski (http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/pi/art/):






Now on to science: the geeks have been armed with a HD camera and a submarine… outcome: live broadcast of an eruption of the underwater volcano. Here are the videos (H/T to ‏@alexwitze): http://www.interactiveoceans.washington.edu/story/Visions%2713+Videos. They'll be back with live stuff in 2014… smokey stuff… maybe they can roast some marshmallows on that Axial Caldera next.


In case you need a dose of laughter after all this heavy heady maths, here's some humorous take on the subject: http://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2013/08/21/five-math-experts-split-the-check/


Geeks with cameras and formulas above, followed by geeks with computer codes next: an amazing story about the Israeli army tech-intelligence unit that is behind some major ICT innovations and entrepreneurs. The story really goes to the heart of learning-by-doing models of training (via @GPIngersoll and @BI_Defense): http://www.businessinsider.com/best-tech-school-is-israels-unit-8200-2013-8. The story also highlights the non-linear nature of human capital formation. Military leadership has always been at a premium in the civilian business life, but now direct skills are also becoming marketable.

And to further illustrate the same points, here's the 'governmentorial' - a promotional site for NASA claims of contribution to civilian everyday world: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/spinoffs.html
Est Cool… But not to get too futuristic with all of this tech: although the space age might be relatively young, our capacity innovate in relation to space is not… back in ancient Egypt, meteorites were deemed to be valuable enough to make it into jewellery:
http://www.fergco.co/2013/08/ancient-egyptian-iron-beads-were-made.html


Stay tuned for more WLASze links later.

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BBC Union Email Row – Mail Silent

The obedient hackery of the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre is generally at the front of the queue when there is BBC bashing to be done. And, if there are also accusations of covert surveillance and dirty tricks levelled against the Corporation’s management, one might expect the Mail to be in there like a shot. But on this occasion, the paper has been rather selective in its coverage.
What we know, and what is not controversial, is that the Beeb’s head of Human Resources Lucy Adams is to leave next March, after five years’ service. As she is departing of her own accord, no severance payment will be due (the Mail erroneously leers “she won’t get a golden goodbye”). What is also known is that Ms Adams has been involved in controversy with the NUJ.

And it is here that coverage of the story varies, depending on the paper concerned. Both the deeply subversive Guardian, and the Maily Telegraph, have told that there are allegations that a staff member who was also an NUJ representative had their emails “monitored” during a dispute over changes to the staff pension scheme. The Union is taking the matter to law.

The BBC hotly disputes the allegations, and Ms Adams is also instructing lawyers, so the whole thing could drag on for some time. But why has the Daily Mail – which normally would be all over anything that could be used to paint the Corporation in a bad light – not mentioned the alleged email surveillance? Well, anyone who has been given access to those systems in large corporate may have a good idea why.

When you sign up to using corporate email systems, and perhaps even at login time, notices will be displayed prominently telling users of the various terms and conditions to which they must adhere – on pain, generally, of disciplinary action. Nothing that could reflect badly on the host organisation, nothing that could be classed as bullying or harassment, and nothing for personal gain can be sent.

And users are also notified that emails may be monitored. It’s the company’s system: they don’t need to get a warrant or call the cops, they can just decide to check what you’re sending and receiving. Having observed this in action over the years – including seeing people sent down the road for misuse – I can confirm that monitoring does go on. So I am not surprised at what happened at the BBC.

Equally, I would not be surprised if the reason the Mail was so coy in its reporting of this story was because the Dacre empire uses that kind of practice to keep tabs on the inhabitants of Northcliffe House. I make no accusation here, but can remember what one Mail staffer told Nick Davies: “It’s fear versus good money”. If there is a better reason for not kicking the Beeb, I’d love to hear it.

But be careful which email system you use to contact me, mind.
Any source

Be obsessive

If you’re selling people things and you want to make lot of money you really have to have an eye for detail. In fact you have to be obsessed with the details.

There’s a great story about Steve Jobs, the late founder and leader of Apple, that illustrates his particular obsession with tiny details.

Vic Gundotra, a senior manager at Google, wrote about a phone call he received from Steve Jobs just before Google launched their App for the Apple iPhone. One Sunday Steve Jobs was on the phone. He was worried:
“Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I've already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow" said Steve. "I've been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I'm not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn't have the right yellow gradient. It's just wrong and I'm going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"
A CEO that concerns himself with details that small and on behalf of an entirely different and rival company is the CEO of a company whose products you can rely on. That obsessive perfectionism is one of the key reasons Apple is perhaps the company that inspires the fiercest loyalty from its customers.

Of course not all business leaders are Steve Jobs. But we can learn a little from his obsession for detail.

You can begin with web sites. Companies seem to forget that web sites aren’t things you get amateurs to make for you and nor can most people do them themselves. Web sites need to be carefully crafted and above all need to contain what customers need. Banks are a good example.

In the last few weeks we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the card skimming issue and one of the key findings is that bank don’t make it easy to protect yourself. In particular they don’t make it easy to find the emergency number to call if your card is stolen or if you think your security has been compromised. Some bank web sites don’t give the number at all and others give the wrong number. Let’s overlook the banks that don’t even have a 24-hour number for their customer to use.

You have to ask how difficult it can be for a company to occasionally check its own web page? You then have to wonder, if they’re that careless about the first thing many customers see, how careful are they going to be with your money?

Customers also have to be detail-obsessed. I’ve heard several times in the last few months about customers being short-changed in stores and filling stations. In the filling stations it seems a common practice by the fuel attendants not to zero the pump once a customer has left. The next customer then arrives, orders P100 of petrol but doesn’t notice that the gauge still shows the P50 the previous customer ordered and that’s where his petrol delivery starts counting. He pays for P100 but only gets P50 worth of petrol. The missing P50 goes into the attendant’s pocket.

In stores the practice seems to be to give some customers their change using lots of coins. It’s only when customers deliberately count it in front of the shop assistant that they say things like “I think I might have cheated you with P20”. Yes, that’s a real quote.

While you’re in the store, make sure you’re obsessively interested in labels as well. No, you don’t have to examine every single label on every single product, there are plenty of products that you can be confident are fine. Cans of beans, bottles of ketchup and jars of jam will be fine so long as the packaging is intact and undamaged. What you MUST obsess over are those products that really might kill you. Dairy products and all forms of meat, chicken above all. Don’t even think about putting it in your trolley if you haven’t checked the Use By date and also had a careful look at the item your buying. If it’s expired or there’s no label at all then don’t buy it. Instead take it to the manager and politely ask him or her to remove it. They won’t complain, honestly, stores don’t actually want to kill their customers.

It’s not just customers that have to be obsessive about checking receipts, it’s stores too.

We had a complaint recently about a store that had apparently sold a customer bread that turned out to be mouldy. The customer went back and because she could give them her receipt was treated, she felt, rather unpleasantly. We got in touch with the store and to their credit they reacted wonderfully. They invited her back to the store once more to meet the Regional Manager, they checked the security video footage and offered her a nice apology and a P100 voucher on top to confirm how sorry they were that she felt mistreated. She then contacted us saying she’s a very happy customer again.

The interesting point was what the store told us. The manager said:
“Due to the surge of organised shoplifting we are trying to satisfy ourselves that the customers paid for the goods. (They steal the item and come back for a refund for cash). This is the only reason that store management will question a refund.”
That’s fair, of course stores have a right to protect themselves by being slightly obsessive about proof of purchase. Luckily the sensible ones are prepared to be flexible when they encounter a customer who’s obviously honest.

Maybe if everyone was a little bit more obsessed with details life would be a little bit better? Perhaps even a lot better.Any source