Donnerstag, Juli 09, 2009

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Mittwoch, Juli 08, 2009

Dienstag, Juli 07, 2009

On Tuesday the Israeli navy, in a blatant act of piracy on the high seas, assaulted the vessel ‘Spirit of Humanity’ and abducted six British nationals who were taking part in a voyage of mercy. The tiny unarmed ship was bringing a humanitarian cargo of medicines, children’s toys and reconstruction materials to the devastated people of Gaza. Israel’s murderous 22-day offensive last December/January left more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39 mosques and two churches damaged or destroyed. The International Committee of the Red Cross says the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair”, unable to rebuild their lives because Israel, having wantonly wrecked their civil society and infrastructure, is blocking efforts to bring in the necessary repair materials. Those on board the Spirit of Humanity were acting in accord with donors’ pledges of $4.5 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation and US President Obama’s request to Israel to let those supplies pass. The mercy ship sailed from Larnaca, Cyprus, with a crew of 21 human rights activists, humanitarian workers and journalists from 11 different countries, including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. In the early hours of Tuesday morning Israeli warships surrounded it and threatened to open fire if the crew didn’t turn back. When they refused to be intimidated, the Israelis jammed their instrumentation and blocked their GPS, radar, and navigation systems, putting all lives at risk. More...
David Attenborough joined scientists yesterday to warn that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is already above the level which condemns coral reefs to extinction in the future, with catastrophic effects for the oceans and the people who depend upon them. Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life including more than 4,000 species of fish. They also provide spawning, nursery, refuge and feeding areas for creatures such as lobsters, crabs, starfish and sea turtles. This makes them crucial in supporting a healthy marine ecosystem upon which more than 1bn people depend for food. Reefs also play a crucial role as natural breakwaters, protecting coastlines from storms. Attenborough said the world had a "moral responsibility" to save corals. He was speaking yesterday at the Royal Society in London, following a meeting of marine biologists. At the current rate of increase of atmospheric CO2, they said, coral would become extinct within a few decades. More...

Montag, Juli 06, 2009

In a 2003 paper, Thomas Laubach, the US Federal Reserve’s senior economist, calculated the impact on long-term interest rates of rising fiscal deficits and soaring national debt. Applying his assumptions to the recent spike in the US fiscal deficit and national debt, long-term interests rates will double from their current 3.5pc. The impact would be devastating by making it punitively expensive to finance national borrowings and leading to what Tim Congdon, founder of Lombard Street Research, called a “debt explosion”. Mr Laubach’s study has implications for the UK, too, as public debt is soaring. A US crisis would have implications for the rest of the world, in any case. Using historical examples for his paper, New Evidence on the Interest Rate Effects of Budget Deficits and Debt, Mr Laubach came to the conclusion that “a percentage point increase in the projected deficit-to-GDP ratio raises the 10-year bond rate expected to prevail five years into the future by 20 to 40 basis points, a typical estimate is about 25 basis points”. The US deficit has blown out from 3pc to 13.5pc in the past year but long-term rates are largely unchanged. Assuming Mr Laubach’s “typical estimate”, long-term rates have to climb 2.5 percentage points. More...

Freitag, Juli 03, 2009

Deutsch
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Desto mehr Englisch ich schriebe,
desto weniger Deutsch kann ich weiss.
Worried about nothing
This site follows a simple system. Here are textual junctures that deserve dedicated attention yet receive less. Trivial yet compulsory, malignant and benign, obscure but relevant, patternless content supporting an unspecified argument though it might be obvious with a little effort. White bits are my input, either an haphazardly rushed title or the odd paragraph, too long or short and usually a string of words missing suitable punctuation. Narratives, short stories, poems, words, written exercises in the style of eccentric realism. Often I update entries and they find their way to the top again, nostalgically regurgitated as if presented they were final. Most entries disappear within a fortnight because they are edited with little diligence, furthermore very poorly controlled for quality. I forget to spell-check. Occasionally I provide updates on my concert attendance and dive-log. Pertinent lyrics are intermittently entered with the name and artist as the title. There are occasionally images, nonsensical German and some allusion to a story I wish to tell named The Point©. Video is taken from elsewhere, like the blue links which are shortened to enhance content without altering context. Those passages turn green with mouse hover and red once clicked. Mostly the content revolves around timeous articles surfacing on the world wide web. They usually are interesting, truthful and refined, instances that should highlight the pleasantness in being or provoke the urge. This is compiled in my spare time where distractions allow. These are sometimes mentioned, by and by, though kept minimal and vague. It is not done for profit and receives no funding from extraneous sources.
Careful for what you wish
'This is several weeks late.' greeted the noble.
'I know, I know.' was all he could manage in return. He had done the hardest part, herding them several miles to this place, where they would soon become someone else's problem. A problem of the sort that seemed totally out of place with this perfect weather. He understood the seasons, how for the largest part of the year, the climate dimmed and cooled in the most unpleasant of ways. If rain did not accompany the miserable conditions it would be sleet that would sting to the touch. The day had started misty as was common all over Caledonia year long but today the fog had been swept away by a gentle breeze. All that was left now was a perfect blue sky that any cloud would be ashamed to spoil. Even the colour was unlike anything he remembered, it seemed to insist those beneath look up to give due credit. There was no doubt in the mind of the noble that this thought consumed the shepherd and quickly relished an opportunity to break his vacant gaze.
'They're mangy beasts and nary worth the trouble.' he spat in the shepherd's direction.
'Twas but a long winter...' and as an afterthought at the trouble that might be endured, 'Fifty heads at your request, Sire.' was added without a hint of smile or disingenuous intonation. Though he fully expected that his verbal pandering would not be enough to appease. After all, it was several weeks late. His family stood around the pen where the animals had been held. The eldest was a girl and little use around the plot which he kept. It would be several more years before his son might be able to assist with rudimentary tasks. His wife had been met by the other women and they began to gossip and haggle over utilitarian matters. A noise similar in comparison to the gaggle of geese that walked freely amongst this scene. Birds that seemed to squawk in agreement that today was a day finer than any they could recall.
In the distance the hills rolled and seemingly reflected the blueness of the atmosphere. They represented a distance twice that of his home. Of course, by the time that he had returned, he could have quite well walked all the way there. It had been some time since he had embarked on that journey. The hills were a place where he had spent a large part of his youth and he felt pride in his ability to attest to knowing them as well as any other, or at least during this vein of thought. A river wound through the hills, falling in several places with one being the most beautiful of them all. By account of those who stumble and are luckily fated this encounter, its splendour would be confirmed.
'3 per head is more than they're worth.' muttered the noble, which jerked him from his daydream. Then he continued more emphatically with 'At the same quality I will not reward thee next time.'
'You're a good man. Bless you Sire.' he said with a glee that had been absent before this development. The noble walked away to be confronted with another merchant offering all manner of goods. Confirmed with swift relay of the purse, it was clear it had been settled before his arrival. Muneration imparted merely prevented him from a recount and wasting further time. His eyes flashed towards his wife, still engrossed in conversation with the other women, his daughter being courted by a local boy and lastly his son chasing around some hens in the distance. The feeling of the purse in his hand weighed more satisfactorily than he thought possible. A feeling coursed through his veins that he had not felt for some time and subsequently unrecognisable. Relentlessly yet mercifully the sun pounded down on his instantly successful transaction and for a moment he relished the smell of the air, warmth of the breeze and an innate joy for being alive.
When he looked up he was confronted by a young beautiful girl staring directly at him. Better still was that she smiled in understanding of his predicament. Though not dissimilar to his daughter in size she seemed more mature. Without an exchange of words a connection became immediately apparent. She carried under one arm a basket filled with breads and other produce that seemed irrelevant. Clean, was the first word that came to his mind in relation to her presence. Like all the other women she was wearing less than was normal for the other nine months of the year. Though she did not carry the air of a harlot. After what seemed to be minutes, the feeling from attainment of payment had not subsided. Only now it had increased and bordered on giddiness. Drunken and woozy he swayed on the spot and she watched on in silence.
She reminded him of his youth. Not a female specific to his history but the excitement and thrill of the unknown. He opened his eyes and then closed them again impervious to how silly he might appear. She realised that suddenly it might seem that she was now the one who looked out of place and meandered without any real purpose to an alternate viewpoint. Each step offered a feminine wile designed to enrage the most simple of men. Then he felt the guilt that attaches itself to holy matrimony. He had been faithful mostly for a natural inability to covet another. There was no spare money which could be wasted on drink or whores. These things were of little interest in the first place. However it was instinctive that his gaze dart towards his other half. She remained engrossed in the detail of nattering mouths, the same ones as before, or not, impossible to discern. When his eyes returned to the girl who stood opposite him moments ago, she now stood in the opposite direction perhaps talking herself into some free items. It all became a blur.
He stood in the sun, on a perfect Celtic day, with enough money for his family for half a year, his daughter in the grip of another, his son playing happily in a field, his wife doing that which made her happiest and a buxom female pleading for his attention. And he thought of his secret place in the hills. Grass softer than a finely woven cloth, the sound of a stream, sunshine like today and this beautiful young lass. He imagined that it would be a gentle and delicate encounter. Only that she would trust him enough that it would be as he pleased. There would be passion and it would be memorable. Afterwards, well, afterwards, he was much older than her and there would be sheep to be fed. His children and a life that no one knew how to keep but himself. It seemed more than plausible but just maybe it would yield an impossible result. He opened his eyes, silently sighing whilst staring into the sun and wondered if this is the way that this thought process should have progressed. Talked down from a stupid scenario before he even chanced whether it could be reality. As a last ditch attempt to reconcile these two worlds in his head, his focus returned to the girl. Now in a completely different spot, leaning against a gate, dismissing the boys that paid her attention on the way past, staring at him even more provocatively than before. Her skirt was now more than intentionally raised to expose the lower portion of her leg.
His lips parted as if he was to say something. Although a shout would have been required to reach the girl who stood with her eyes set upon his location. As his mouth reached the maximum width an almighty crash came down upon the right side of his head, above and upon his ear. The thud deafened him and he rolled away to the left gripping his skull as if he had been bludgeoned with a rock. A shriek escaped without his realising what happened. When he turned to the direction from which the blow had come he recognised the figure of his wife without the misfortune of focusing on her scowl. It seemed she had returned to conversation with the surrounding women and without breaking speech did not witness the outcome of her strike. In his head an intense squeal replaced the sound of activities that had filled the scene only seconds prior. The welling of tears that were never meant to be shed prevented him from seeing what happened to the imaginary girl in the distance.

Donnerstag, Juli 02, 2009

Late
A scream can be heard outside on the street.
But what do I care.
It is late.
I am tired and tomorrow I have to work.
My imagination tells me it is nothing serious.
Some kids playing.
Lovers having a domestic.
Not much more.
At worst it is two females fighting.
The picture is clear.
Only the sound is more muffled than screams.
An audience has gathered to observe.
Alongside I have joined.
It is not my place to step in to help.
Nor mine to judge.
These things normally run their course.
There are places and things to be and do.
And not like me to be late.
Insomnia
For a while there I couldn't sleep.
And it ate through me like cancer.
The endless unawakened state of depravity.
And it robbed me of my thoughts.
My dreams were filled with nightmares.
And in the conscious it did overflow.
One minute unable to control imagination.
And the next minute trying to deny.
But its all over now, I think.
And life has returned to normal.
The trouble becomes staying awake.
“Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?,” asks the title of an article by Lester Brown in Scientific American. Just a few years ago, such a question would have seemed almost laughable. Few will be surprised by it today. In 2008 people woke up to a tsunami of hunger sweeping the world. Although the prospect of rising hunger has loomed on the horizon for years, the present crisis seemed to come out of the blue without warning. Food riots spread through many countries in the global South as people tried to obtain a portion of what appeared to be a rapidly shrinking supply of food, and many governments were destabilized. The causes for the extraordinary spike in food prices in 2008, doubling over 2007 prices, brought together long-term trends, at work for decades, with a number of more recent realities. More...

Dienstag, Juni 30, 2009

Children are naïve about advertising and can easily be manipulated and exploited by marketers to want and demand their products. Corporate marketers believe that over time they can be shaped into lifelong consumers with brand loyalties and that can be profitable for decades to come. What is more, children influence family spending decisions worth hundreds of billions of dollars on household items like furniture, electrical appliances and computers, vacations, and even the family car. Corporations began targeting their marketing messages directly to children during the 1980s, as affluent adult markets became saturated with consumer goods. Large firms established ‘kids’ departments and smaller firms specialised in marketing to children. A number of advertising industry publications were created such as Selling to Kids and Marketing to Kids Report. The academic literature began to feature studies of children as consumers. In the US the amount corporations spent marketing to children under twelve increased by five times between 1980 and 1990 and ten times more during the 1990s. In 2004 around $15 billion was being spent marketing to children. Conferences on the best ways to market to children are held all over the world. There are also awards for the best advertisements and marketing campaigns with hundreds of entries. More...

Samstag, Juni 27, 2009

Freitag, Juni 26, 2009

Donnerstag, Juni 25, 2009

Executives at Goldman Sachs were told last week that they could expect to receive their highest ever bonuses this year, according to an article published Sunday in London's Observer newspaper. The first half of this year has seen a spectacular rebound for Goldman, and the company's London staff were told they would receive corresponding end-of-year bonuses if, as expected, the bank sets a new profit record. These bonuses will be paid for by the American people. Besides receiving over $10 billion in cash from the US government last year, Goldman Sachs was the largest beneficiary of the government bailout of American International Group, receiving $12.9 billion to cover funds owed to it by the failed insurance giant. Goldman Sachs is by no means alone. The Financial Times reported Monday that other banks, including Merrill Lynch, UBS and Citigroup, have sharply increased compensation for top traders. The article noted that the typical salary for managing directors has jumped from $250,000 to $400,000 in just the past few months. This does not count bonuses. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Citigroup, which has received $45 billion in government cash and guarantees on over $300 billion of its assets, is increasing base salaries by up to 50 percent and plans to award millions of new stock options. The Times said that Bank of America, another beneficiary of multiple taxpayer handouts, and Morgan Stanley were also raising salaries. More...

Dienstag, Juni 23, 2009

What would we be doing now if we took climate change seriously? Last week the government released a report on the likely temperature changes in the United Kingdom. It shows that life at the end of this century will bear no relationship to life at the beginning. It should have dominated the news for days. But it was too far away, too remote from current problems, too big to see. Over the past few months, Lord Giddens, one of the architects of New Labour, has been touting the hypothesis that people are reluctant to act on climate change until it becomes visible to them, by which time it will be too late. This thought, which has been common currency within the environment movement for at least 20 years, has been christened by this shrinking violet “Giddens’s Paradox”. It ranks among his other major discoveries, like the Giddens Postulate (people wear fewer clothes when temperatures rise) and the Giddens Effect (the earth goes round the Sun). But despite his outrageous expropriation, the point remains a valid one. We will resist taking radical action until we have no choice, whereupon it will have no effect. Our resistance to change is not peculiar to environmental issues. Even when confronted by crisis, we try to stick to the script. As the coaching theorist David Rock and the research psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz note, just one in nine people who have had coronary bypass surgery take their doctor’s advice to lose weight and exercise more. Part of the problem, they show, is that confronting change means making use of parts of the brain which require more energy to engage. More...

Samstag, Juni 20, 2009

Mittwoch, Juni 17, 2009

Why now? It’s not as if this is the first time our representatives have been caught out. The history of governments in all countries is the history of scandal, as those who rise to the top are generally the most ambitious, ruthless and unscrupulous people politics can produce. Pushing their own interests to the limit, they teeter perennially on the brink of disgrace, except when they fly clean over the edge. So why does the current ballyhoo threaten to destroy not only the government but also our antediluvian political system? The past 15 years have produced the cash-for-questions racket, the Hinduja and Ecclestone affairs, the lies and fabrications which led to the invasion of Iraq, the forced abandonment of the BAE corruption probe, the cash-for-honours caper and the cash-for-amendments scandal. By comparison to the outright subversion of the functions of government in some of these cases, the expenses scandal is small beer. Any one of them should have prompted the sweeping political reforms we are now debating. But they didn’t. The expenses scandal, by contrast, could kill the Labour party. It might also force politicians of all parties to address our injust voting system, the unelected House of Lords, the excessive power of the executive, the legalised blackmail used by the whips and a score of further anachronisms and injustices. More...

Samstag, Juni 13, 2009

A wave of mass demonstrations and marches swept across the whole of Peru Thursday in popular repudiation of the government’s massacre of Amazon Indians last week. Indigenous people from the Amazon region, miners, Andean peasants, urban workers, including major contingents of teachers, construction workers and other sectors, were joined by university and high school students in what constituted the largest action yet against discredited three-year-old government of APRA party President Alan García. The protests were met with police violence in various cities, including the capital of Lima. The day of mass action expressed the outrage of masses of Peruvians over the García government’s ordering of a violent police attack June 5 against Amazon Indians who had been blockading the Fernando Belaúnde Terry highway near the northern city of Bagua. The violence left scores of people dead and hundreds wounded. More...
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