Amongst other news, Chile elected a new president over the weekend. Not much is know by him, other than his professional and academic qualifications.
FT article
I wish him all the best. He had beaten former Chilean president Eduardo Frei. Current president, Michelle Bachelet, also congratulated the new president.
What does this mean for bananas? Who knows....
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Haiti still needs help...
Well, the body count still is continuing to rise. As far as it stands now, over 50 thousand dead and another 100 thousand to be presumed dead by next week.
Aid agencies are trying to ramp up resources to help victims. One of the more sadder stories out of the mess, is about an 11 year old girl who was trapped for two days after the quake, with her leg trapped underneath the rubble. She was fed and given water for the initial two days until she was freed, but the day that she was freed, she died from her injuries.
You can still give aid. The people will need it.
Places of note where you can donate funds are:
The Red Cross
USAID
Yele
UNICEF
The Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund
The Salvation Army
While there may be others, these are the ones where folks should focus most of their attention, because they are legitimate agencies.
Yele is a group started by recording artist, Wycleff Jean, and focuses on goods and clothes, primarily. But, they do accept funds.
The Clinton/Bush fund was just recently started and they have a website up already, at the request of president Obama.
Please, send what you can and pray if you want.
Aid agencies are trying to ramp up resources to help victims. One of the more sadder stories out of the mess, is about an 11 year old girl who was trapped for two days after the quake, with her leg trapped underneath the rubble. She was fed and given water for the initial two days until she was freed, but the day that she was freed, she died from her injuries.
You can still give aid. The people will need it.
Places of note where you can donate funds are:
The Red Cross
USAID
Yele
UNICEF
The Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund
The Salvation Army
While there may be others, these are the ones where folks should focus most of their attention, because they are legitimate agencies.
Yele is a group started by recording artist, Wycleff Jean, and focuses on goods and clothes, primarily. But, they do accept funds.
The Clinton/Bush fund was just recently started and they have a website up already, at the request of president Obama.
Please, send what you can and pray if you want.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
They are trying....
Well, the Biege book is out. See here.
The news is "trying" to sound better. But, you only need to get past the first two sentences in every paragraph, to get the sense that things are still not yet alright.
It's the old psyche trick? Huh? Say something good, and then hit them with the bad, in a soft tone...perhaps not even sugarcoat the bad news. Just say it plainly,!! The folks don't get upset as much and, even if they do read past the first few lines, they will normally remember the good that they saw, first!
NB: When the paragraph is longer, in this instance, the news is more dire. Just that the folks that typed it up, are taking longer to break the bad news to you!
The news is "trying" to sound better. But, you only need to get past the first two sentences in every paragraph, to get the sense that things are still not yet alright.
It's the old psyche trick? Huh? Say something good, and then hit them with the bad, in a soft tone...perhaps not even sugarcoat the bad news. Just say it plainly,!! The folks don't get upset as much and, even if they do read past the first few lines, they will normally remember the good that they saw, first!
NB: When the paragraph is longer, in this instance, the news is more dire. Just that the folks that typed it up, are taking longer to break the bad news to you!
7.0 Earthquake hits Haiti...
My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti. Yesterday evening, a massive earthquake, 7.0 on the Richter scale, toppled Haiti and now thousands are reported to be dead.
The quake happened in the vicinity of the capitol, Port-Au Prince. Hospitals have collapsed as well as the Presidential Palace. Roads are un-passable and getting aid in may prove difficult.
A Tsunami watch was placed for the Southern and South-Eastern parts of The Bahamas. The folks in our Southern most islands, Inaqua in particular, have reported that they had experienced tremors with the massive quake.
As you all know, The Bahamas is comprised of a chain of islands, that are very low lying and a prone to tidal surges. Weather forecasters and scientists state that a tsunami is unlikely, due to the nature of the earthquake and the tectonic plates that caused it.
The plates are not aligned to create tsunami type waves, because, as they indicate, they are facing each other and are sliding past each other. A plate shift, where the plates are on top of one another-- let's say, plates that are V or "check mark" shaped, do have the capacity to cause tidal surges and, hence, tsunamis.
My prayers go out to all Haitian people in Haiti and the ones that are abroad, in need of contacting their family.
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company, BTC, needs to make all outgoing calls to Haiti, free of charge for the remainder of the week. The Red Cross from The Bahamas needs to be in Inagua by tonight and ready to go to Haiti, with Defence Force personnel, by tomorrow morning.
Prayers go out to all of my Haitian friends. We are truly blessed to be in The Bahamas, even if it takes a tragedy like this for us to appreciate this!
The quake happened in the vicinity of the capitol, Port-Au Prince. Hospitals have collapsed as well as the Presidential Palace. Roads are un-passable and getting aid in may prove difficult.
A Tsunami watch was placed for the Southern and South-Eastern parts of The Bahamas. The folks in our Southern most islands, Inaqua in particular, have reported that they had experienced tremors with the massive quake.
As you all know, The Bahamas is comprised of a chain of islands, that are very low lying and a prone to tidal surges. Weather forecasters and scientists state that a tsunami is unlikely, due to the nature of the earthquake and the tectonic plates that caused it.
The plates are not aligned to create tsunami type waves, because, as they indicate, they are facing each other and are sliding past each other. A plate shift, where the plates are on top of one another-- let's say, plates that are V or "check mark" shaped, do have the capacity to cause tidal surges and, hence, tsunamis.
My prayers go out to all Haitian people in Haiti and the ones that are abroad, in need of contacting their family.
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company, BTC, needs to make all outgoing calls to Haiti, free of charge for the remainder of the week. The Red Cross from The Bahamas needs to be in Inagua by tonight and ready to go to Haiti, with Defence Force personnel, by tomorrow morning.
Prayers go out to all of my Haitian friends. We are truly blessed to be in The Bahamas, even if it takes a tragedy like this for us to appreciate this!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
U.S. Trade grows....
Washington Post.
I could not tell you, for sure, what exactly is driving the trade data.
Good news for president Obama, I guess.
I could not tell you, for sure, what exactly is driving the trade data.
Good news for president Obama, I guess.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Brown and Darling in disagreement over deficit!
What a load of political posturing. Chancellor of the Ex-Chequer, Alistair Darling and British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, are at odds about the amount of of the deficit and how to control it. As reported by the FT, today.
Aren't they on the same team? It seems as if Darling and Brown are gearing up for elections, next year, mandatory. Darling knows the public hates the deficit. Brown knows that he has to spend to stay in to win the next election, due to the horrible U.K. and global economy. Will the voters believe that is a plausible excuse, or use it to oust both Brown and Darling, is, yet again, another story.
More than likely, as it appears, Darling is going out on the limb by himself and leaving Brown to explain the borrowing and the deficit. Politically expedient, is not even the term to describe this.
I thought Brown would have called an election before the end of 2009. But, he didn't. Good thing he didn't, because his poll numbers were slipping and the general consensus is, that, when the economy is bad and jobs are being lost, the government of the day normally loses.
A former Guyanese President once said "I don't see how any sitting government 'can' lose an election?"....maybe we would have to ask Gordon Brown, by the middle of next year-- how could he?!?!
Of course the Conservatives are capitalizing. Opposition Tory leader, David Cameron, has his campaign posters all over the country, so reports have it; "Cut the deficit, not the NHS"....a sign of reassurance that "if" the Tories were to win, they would cut the amount of borrowing the British government has been undertaking to run the deficit to the way it is, and would not be cutting essential public services like; the National Health Services (NHS) education of the police force. All Labour party public institutions of record!
We will have to see...
Aren't they on the same team? It seems as if Darling and Brown are gearing up for elections, next year, mandatory. Darling knows the public hates the deficit. Brown knows that he has to spend to stay in to win the next election, due to the horrible U.K. and global economy. Will the voters believe that is a plausible excuse, or use it to oust both Brown and Darling, is, yet again, another story.
More than likely, as it appears, Darling is going out on the limb by himself and leaving Brown to explain the borrowing and the deficit. Politically expedient, is not even the term to describe this.
I thought Brown would have called an election before the end of 2009. But, he didn't. Good thing he didn't, because his poll numbers were slipping and the general consensus is, that, when the economy is bad and jobs are being lost, the government of the day normally loses.
A former Guyanese President once said "I don't see how any sitting government 'can' lose an election?"....maybe we would have to ask Gordon Brown, by the middle of next year-- how could he?!?!
Of course the Conservatives are capitalizing. Opposition Tory leader, David Cameron, has his campaign posters all over the country, so reports have it; "Cut the deficit, not the NHS"....a sign of reassurance that "if" the Tories were to win, they would cut the amount of borrowing the British government has been undertaking to run the deficit to the way it is, and would not be cutting essential public services like; the National Health Services (NHS) education of the police force. All Labour party public institutions of record!
We will have to see...
Friday, January 1, 2010
Did I tell you guys about this? Give me your thoughts!
Well, the New Year started off without a bang, even though the crotch bomber- Mutallab- nearly caused it to be a big bang on Christmas day. But, it was averted. That's fantastic.
Anywhoo...I forgot to mention that the National Law Centre for Inter-American Free Trade, AKA " NATLAW ", in Tucson Arizona, USA, had put up an article of mine to their website. This was ok. However, they wanted to charge onlookers a fee- $40.00 USD- to view it.
The article was about Bahamian Craw-fishermen and how they can, possibly, learn from OPEC. The article appeared here, first, on Thursday, August 6, 2009 and then on Caribbean Net News (my main publication outlet of choice) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009-- they lifted the article from the Caribbean Net News!
As you would normally be inclined to think, one should be elated. However, they were charging folks to view it, without asking me if whether or not they can or will be charging people to view it.
What a trip!?! How dare they?!?!?
Well, of course I contacted the powers that be at the centre and asked them to hand over all royalties made from the sale of my publication, as well as for any further reference, any additional publications they should contact me with any material or research that they may desire from my intellectual brain box (a bit much, I know!).
You would think that a supposed international law centre, would be more careful as to not charge people and, in a sense, pirate intellectual property from artisans. An international law centre, attached to the University of Arizona at that.
Anyways...they have since removed the price tag and the blockage link to the article, which would ask for persons to pay the fee. However, they have also "copyrighted" the material.
What type of organisation is this?
In any event, let it ride....my work, is my work. I should now check into if whether or not they are charging folks to view it on campus, or at their library.
Should I let it go, or take pride in my achievement and small victory?
Happy New Year!
Anywhoo...I forgot to mention that the National Law Centre for Inter-American Free Trade, AKA " NATLAW ", in Tucson Arizona, USA, had put up an article of mine to their website. This was ok. However, they wanted to charge onlookers a fee- $40.00 USD- to view it.
The article was about Bahamian Craw-fishermen and how they can, possibly, learn from OPEC. The article appeared here, first, on Thursday, August 6, 2009 and then on Caribbean Net News (my main publication outlet of choice) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009-- they lifted the article from the Caribbean Net News!
As you would normally be inclined to think, one should be elated. However, they were charging folks to view it, without asking me if whether or not they can or will be charging people to view it.
What a trip!?! How dare they?!?!?
Well, of course I contacted the powers that be at the centre and asked them to hand over all royalties made from the sale of my publication, as well as for any further reference, any additional publications they should contact me with any material or research that they may desire from my intellectual brain box (a bit much, I know!).
You would think that a supposed international law centre, would be more careful as to not charge people and, in a sense, pirate intellectual property from artisans. An international law centre, attached to the University of Arizona at that.
Anyways...they have since removed the price tag and the blockage link to the article, which would ask for persons to pay the fee. However, they have also "copyrighted" the material.
What type of organisation is this?
In any event, let it ride....my work, is my work. I should now check into if whether or not they are charging folks to view it on campus, or at their library.
Should I let it go, or take pride in my achievement and small victory?
Happy New Year!
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