Miram Margolyes: Dickens Women

Remembering:
Summary

• he took is characters from real life, from people he met.
  
• he did not get over much and used his writing to express how he felt
• He did not like women.
• Some books published in installments in the weekly newspaper. A story of how a character changed was the person the character was based on complained and got a lawyer
  

Details

• 17, lots of 17 year olds, due to the death in his family of a 17 yr old girl
• He first love from the houses of parliament and there later meeting when she was poor and he was famous - he took his revenge
• his first job was as a label sticker in a shoe blacking company

All in all an entertaining evening

Cost of flight (per km)

We all the talk about discount airlines I was looking for information on actual costs. I found the following airline costs breakdown which is interesting, i think:

Cost per available seat Kilometer is around A$0.08/km ($80 per 1,000km). This suggests that a flight from Perth to Sydney costs around $290 for the airline. (assuming 3,500 km).

Obviously all airlines are a little different with different cost structures, and many of these costs do not vary with the volume of flight, short flights will be more expensive per km that long ones etc.

The breakdown by component is something like:

• Fuel 28%,
• Operations costs 40%,
• Finance related 12%,
• sales, marketing and overhead 20%

When I look up flights on Tiger airways I often get a revenue of around $80/1,000 km less for the deals and more for the popular flights. If this is true it will be all about how full the planes are. Reasonably full, Tiger will do well and make money. An important dynamic is that most of these costs are fixed so discounting below $80/1,000 km makes sense to fill seats in the short time but not in the long term (this is the bane and joy of the airline industry)

Need to think about Co2 emissions.......

Wonderful Swan Valley Wines (WSV)

For a good wine that first sip is just magical, the intension favours and smells bring a grin.

John Kosovich Wines

Park under the 80 year old vines and enter the musty Underground Cellar. The cool and wonderful smelling prepares you for the tasting. The Son (Anthony) now runs the winery and you probably get to talk directly to him as you taste.

The Vergelho is excellent as is the Chardonnay an the Shiraz. They also make a Liqueur which is very well regarded, although I have not tried it.

Lamont's

Cool and relaxed feeling under the trees. Meal – small bits, squid excellent, nice olives, noisy wine tasting area on weekend.

The SSB and Family reserve are excellent.

Houghton Wines

Huge old pine trees mark the picnic play area that is a favourite spot on a sunday afternoon. It is going to be busy so don't come for a quiet time.

the wines are great as you would expect. We have the Premium white (apparently 30% of what they sell and $10 per bottle its a great everyday white), the crofters SSB and Cab Merlot. The Jack Mann is just getting so expensive ($200+) so we don't bother with it.

Carbon Offset

The Basics - What we use.

Based on the various Web sites we use about 11 tonnes per year (Lots of variation in this number)

Ways to reduce:

• Plant a tree on the sunny side of the house
• Light bulbs - we have the small spot lights so we need to wait for LED lights to become available
• Use the bike - must do this more often
  

Ways to remove catbon:

• A new tree has to be the easiest.
• The amount of Co2 absorbed per tree appears to vary widely from web site to site. Some sites say 170 kg per tree, others suggest around 20-22 kg/yr of Co2.
  
• So you need between 6 and 50 trees per tonne. These must be net new trees and of course there are lots of other benefits.

Death at a Funeral

Took awhile to warm to this movie, the dialogue misses the mark and just isn't funny at the start. Perhaps I needed an attitude adjustment. As the story matures the plot turns and deepens reality gives way to incredulity. A classical fase there is nothing really new here but a good entertainment. A lot of familiar faces but no hook actor, no A list star to take all the attention or get it from the audience. I wish it didn't really need one, but it does, someone to bring the other performances together and make this a story.

B for effort. I am surprised at the Rotten tomato rating, seems high

Terrorism, the modern warfare

Terrorist are people at deliberately target civilian populations. Its not related to specific political or religious ideas, it is related to trying to kill people who have no direct intention to do you any harm.

Is this a reasonable? Does it matter that those civilians are sending other people to kill you. Are there really any rules in war, other than to win. What is winning anyway?

Life X3 By Yasmina Reza

Excellent play. Entertaining, thought provoking.

3 acts that are the same but unfold differently depending on how the characters react to the situation. The reactions are complex without easy stereo typical sets and reactions, but the connection between action and reaction is clear.

Traffic Deaths in WA

Summary of stats-

• WA Deaths per 100,000 people in 2007 will probably reach 11. (up for the second year in a row)
• WA death rates where up over 20% in 2006 vs 2005 with passenger, pedestrian and cycle deaths up over 45%
  
• Australia rates in 2006 are 8.7 per 100,000 people
• In England 2006 the rate was 5. Five years ago England and WA where similar now more people will die in WA than in London.
  
• In WA deaths where the posted speed limit is less than 60km per hour are up 50% in 2006 vs 2005
  
• Rural Roads are a factor, but accident rates are above Canada with a similar rural profile and winters that should make accident rates considerably worse, Canada road deaths are 9 per 100,000 people.
• While death rates are down in WA total actual road deaths in WA has hardly changed for 25 years, unlike Australia as a whole where total deaths are down substantially
  

Option

• Accident rates in WA are above the average in Australia and way above other countries, a large part of this increase is coming from Urban areas.
  
• Something needs to be done, targeting urban areas.
  
• Cars have improve, but driving and attitudes worsened, these areas need to be focused on.
• Recent surveys suggest speeding is a major concern for WA residents
• Root courses for the recent increase are unclear, may be connected to recent economic success
  

Suggestions

• WA should consider risk based insurance premiums that would weed out persistent speeders by making it to expensive for them to drive.
• Implement speed cameras, on mass, like the UK.
  
• Driver education
• Increased penalties for Killing people with a car. This appears to be regarded as accidental judging from recent court cases.
  
• Increase penalties for speeding and drink driving, particularly when speeds of 40km per hr over the speed limit.
  

Well Well whale

Went Whale watching, what a wonderful and welcome way to end the week

Totally surprised by the effect. I knew it was going to be good but wow these are calm, interested, peaceful, playful creatures that happen to be 40 tonnes. It is that combination of size, speed of movement and inquisitive nature that is truly awesome. The calm and the excitement is deeper than the ocean they swim in.

Common Dolphins are also all around them chatting and playing.

This is an amazingly spiritual experience, the benign power gives me hope that the world is good and that Gaia will take care of us. The connection to something bigger than us. I will think of these whales often and wonder what they are up to as I go about my little life.

What it is to know something?

The Egyptians understood the relationship between angles and sides length in a right angled triangle but did not know that A^2+B^2=C^2. They had tables for every triangle they knew. The formula is very powerful, the can predict as yet unknown triangles.

Newton was able to describe gravity but he did not know how gravity works. It took Einstein to figure out how gravity works hundreds of years later. Newton thought Gravity acts instantaneously across any distance. But Gravity cannot travel faster than light. Newton got this fundamentally wrong but what it did has huge value. We could predict the impact of gravity but only as long was we stayed within certain parameters, but we did not understand these parameters.

What does this mean for what we know and how we know other things?

Global Warming for instance.

We know a lot, but we really don't know how the world works, how all the components of the world interact, this means that we cannot accurately predict over the long term and we don't understand the parameters under which the predictions we do make are true. But still we need to act and can act with some confidence. When is the information enough information to act?


Reference: Lost Discoveries by Dick Teresi

Thought for the day

Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

And attitude determines how well you do it.'

(remember Focus, Will and Capability HR Model)

Observations on Australia 5

• Product and retail names are often descriptive and obvious, e.g. sausages are thick and juicy, you get beds from the bed shed and furniture from the furniture spot.
  
• Advertisements are clearly and obviously embedded in the TV shows:
• e.g. the Gardening Guru show will include a section of Sheds and it will read totally like an advertisement for a specific shed installer.
  
• Another example is some of the restaurant reviews on eatingwa.com.au web site. This "independent" review is so obviously an advert. They are obviously written by an interested party. What impact will this have on people?
  
• The Morning TV show is the same, presenters pushing cheap exercise equipment.
• The TV cook that gets his salt out of the packet every time and uses paper towels for no particular reason
  
• This must work, I wonder why. This would not be a surprise in the US, but in Australia it surprises me. Need to look up the advertising standards.
• Also it is difficult to sell these programs overseas if the ads are embedded
  
• What is going on with the politeness or dislike of negativity?
  

• The movies in the news paper have a star rating system from 1 to 5 but even the totally worst movies get 3 stars. There has been no 1 or 2 star movies since I have been reading it.
• Similarly the restaurant reviews on eatingwa.com.au rarely get worse than 3 stars out of 5 and often you read the words on a review and they are negative and appear not to have had a good time which seems out of line with the rating
  

• The Australia idol reviews are all really quite polite, sue the say negative things but then it is always sprinkled with several positives.

• Sporting analogies are everywhere. Lift up your game, seems a universal suggestion.

• Cars are King here (don't step out into the road you will be run over, kind of like Italy, not like Canada) Even at intersections, the car is king, kind of rude really, once the metal box is on there is no need recognize the people sharing the space with you. Speeding on side roads also seems very common and different to the main roads where this is generally compliance with limits.
  

Ability to Change is more important than Intelligence or strength

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

- Charles Darwin

People to Learn from: Hunter S Thompson

This person I do not understand at all.

Initially he makes me think I don't understand anything.

On further reflection it is great to see a person live there own life without reference to others or what others might think.

Many of us dream of this, flew achieve it or really even try to.

Reference -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson

When you are walking through Hell

When you are walking through hell walk faster

(Eisenhower?)

Sound advice?

Sicko, by Michael Moore

This movie really resonated. Points to remember:

• People are easier to Govern when that low confidence are uneducated and unhealthy, they don't think let alone challenge.
  
• What kind of democracy is this?
  
• Some things are good in the private sector and some things are not. We should never forget or change this.
• I don't agree with Moore's solution , but something needs to be done. the Singapore model seems good or even the France system with compulsory insurance with premiums based on percentage of income
• The comparisons to Cube are very interesting, obviously only part of the story, and obviously a bit of properganda on Cuba's part, but still interesting.
• The choices over which finger to save one for $12,000 and one for $60,000, without medical advancement neither finger would have been savable, so now we can save both, who should pay and how should they pay?
  
• The way the insurance works seems close to criminal. The risk based insurance model just does not work well.
  

Additional Thoughts

UK vs US
UK government actually spends less per person than the US government on health care (from page 123 of the book - Undercover Economist by Tim Harford). Yep the UK gets free health care for everyone for less US Government spends on health care administration and Medicare programs for the few.

Democracies and the Vote to change things
To Tony Ben's point about the Vote, In Australia it is compulsory to vote. You can spoil the ballot if you feel particularly angry that your right not to vote has been infringed, but you must attend the poling station and vote (or face a fine). This means that the vast majority of people vote and generally take a greater interest in what the government is doing that the US. What would happen to political leaders in the US if everyone had to vote? Would it help if leaders could not ignore the poor that they know won't vote anyway under the current system?

Links:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Recent Movies

Bourne Ultimatium

Fast, well crafted, really well shot with get technology and acting, you find your self walking very fast out of the cinema, and realise that everyone around you is walking fast, care is required in the parking lot to make sure your run over on the way out

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bourne_ultimatum/


Lucky miles

This is a comedy from start to finish, you are never really worried about the survival and safety of these people in the middle of no where, the outback seems like a gentle, friendly relaxed place. The humour is unassuming and quietly confident. Really great entertainment.


Shut Up and Sing

How quickly people change and turn on there own. The entire country music scene turned on the Dixie Chicks. What they said seems so harmless really, nothing compared to what the US government said and lied about. Why are people so believing? The Country music industry should be ashamed of what you did, with was time for leadership not simple reaction of the anger that they had helped create through there own news reporting of what happened.

Overall I think a lot more of the dixie chicks and Natalie Maines in particular.

Remember FUTK.

Roots and Wings

Parents need to give there children 2 things, Roots and wings. When I think about this I cannot honestly say that my parents understood this, although we have some good times.

Perhaps the goal of every interaction we have should be to give each other roots and wings.


Reference: ABC Show

Seven Blunders of the World

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

Schadenfreude - Pleasure from others misfortune

Be honest how often is this you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude

People to Learn from: Alan Turing - What is right is always in context

Alan Turing's contribution to the war and to computer science is huge, I mean really big. So how come he was treated so badly for something that today would not be considered a problem at all (IE was Gay).

Who where the people that actually treated him badly?
Why was is OK to judge someone for something that is so personal and private?
At our worst we so fear any difference so much that we do anything to destroy it, yet we all seek to be and understand our own uniqueness, why?
There where people that knew Alan was gay, but did nothing at the time he was arrested, why?
What part does culture play?
What is happening to the world now?
Which direction are we moving in?
Which direction do we want to move in?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
http://www.turing.org.uk/

DYEP

DYEP –Dry your eyes princess

Banana Pancakes for today

Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you
this song It's meant to keep you
From doin' what you're supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

But just maybe, like an ukulele
Mama made a baby
I really don't mind to practice
Because you're my little lady
Lady, lady love me
Because I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there's no world outside
And we could pretend that all the time

Can't you see that it's just raining
There ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need
Can't you see, can't you see

Rain all day and I don't mind

The telephone singing, ringing, it's too early
Don't pick it up
We don't need to
We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
It's just so easy
When the whole world fits inside of your arms

Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm
Wake up slow, wake up slow

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this song
It's meant to keep you
From doin' what your supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time

Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need
Rain all day and I really, really, really don't mind
Can't you see, can't you see

We've got to wake up slow

The house of my soul.....

The house of my soul is too small for you to enter:
make it more spacious by your coming.
It lies in ruins: rebuild it.
Some things that are to be found there which will offend your gaze;
I confess this to be so and know it well.


St. Augustine
The Confessions

from www.toddhiestand.com

Australia: First Impressions part 4

• The metric system does not include babies (birth weight in lbs only please) and TV's (in inches)
• Look, Look this is really important, look there are differences and that is it, look, the word look is very important to help emphasize a point and provide credibility through a feeling of confidence. OK?
  

More recent Films

Corroboree

Over a weekend scenes from the director’s life are performed. The lead role visits different rooms encountering five actresses who all portray key women in the director’s life. They rehearse the boy to play the lead role in an as yet ‘unmade film’. The dying director watches young boy’s progress as he searches to inhabit the director’s identity.

It is bazaar tale, told unusually and creatively. It took me a day to figure it out after having seen the film. It is great to see something that does not follow the usual formula and the plot is cool. Just not sure how good the execution and the acting where. Was the lead character just acting badly or phenomenally well?

Overall it was enlightening to be introduced to the approach and the film

Puffy Chair

A sophisticate scrip which expert observation of people and relationships, underlaided by some real family loving acts and kindness. We can all relate.

From the start you worry about the relationship which seems to be clearly headed for trouble. It is not clear why they are really together and this is explored by the characters as they travel to take the chair to their father for his birthday. In the end the chair doesn't matter as so many things don't and what we all know in the first 5 minutes they know by the end.

This really well written, filmed and acted. Just a great ever day story told.

Monkey Warfare

We have all felt angry, and we have all wanted to blow the world up to create change when we where young from time to time. When something seems so wrong.

The story is of 2 maturing rebells and a youth, a story of middle age, of settling, of acceptance and the struggle against it. Youth teaches the old, or reminds the old.

In the end the pointlessness is understood

Recent Movies from the film festival

Bunny Chow

• 4 friends (practicing comedians) hang out in Jo berg, perform the thing, attend a rock concert.
  
• very nicely written, with some real surreal touches
• Funny moments - The bar owner and his wife, buying drugs on the street, the pool party, the car trip in the old merc.
  

Expiration date

• the story - the main characters are preoccupied by imminent death, by milk cart or by cancer. The usual understanding and misunderstanding and happy ending
  
• who knew dairy products delivery could be this dangerous
• the story takes a little while to get going but it is nicely written
  
• Moments to remember - the coffee shop and coffee making, the mother - "are you naked", the flower shop

Sidekick

• A movie about superheroes
• Set in the world of comic book nerds and office jobs. One day his wish comes true when he discovers that obnoxious office jock has REAL super-powers. ‘With power comes responsibility’ never rang so true. Sweet, funny and at times scary, Sidekick surpasses many of its adversaries made with ten times the budget. It is fun and thoughtful.
• While the plot is great and overall the film works, the acting and the script do need work. Looked at more closely.

When you need to remember your sense of humour

http://monty.python.videowall.sytes.org/

These are cool

This is very cool (or at least it has kept me amused for hours)

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

This one also in an feng shui kind of way..... Misty line is my favourate

http://www.wildcard.jp.org/


This is a neat idea also... (very imaginative)

http://two.xthost.info/ww2/lightgraffiti/

Another rock in the backpack on this project

heard this term today. Liked it, would like to us it ...........

Australia: Observations 3

These include:

• Government ads on TV - the amount of social engineering that is still taking place is interesting, reminds me of how I imagine England 30 years ago. The usuals like no drinking and driving, but also government policy explanations and health suggestions. I guess this is true everywhere, but it just more so here, with some TV ad breaks being only Government ads.
• No Starbucks, :-)
  
• Full on rainbows where all the colours are obvious, the best rainbows I have ever seen.
• Use of new terms like, crook, stuffed up and full on.
  
• TV ads are often local business based, not so much brands and big multinations. I wond how these big companies split up there ad budgets. Is perth just to small?
  
• The number of retailers for home products, furniture stores is amazing. very few chains, lots of small owner stores.
  
• The nationalism is huge. WA products, Australia made is such a big thing. There assumption that they are better.
  
• The importance of familar things to me is a surprise, the great joy from listening to the radio again (ABC) after not having one for 3 months, the strange and compulsive need for Marmite.
• The ABC is world class, the Radio, Radio National, Enough Rope.....

On painting my Mandala

Care needs to be taken, to visualise, protect, nurture the pattern and patterns that form into my mandala, not for its own sake or to be the alter but for the impact on being that it has. Necessarily symbolic and metaphysical and anacdotal not to be symbolized for all.

Meditation and self examination are key to reflect and draw down and out as the unconscious becomes known. It is not creating it is discovering and plotting and peacing together, eaking out an picture was the world grows and changes.

........ more is required

Writers to watch out for

Great writers of today:

David E. Kelley - Boston legal, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Chicago hope, LA Law
Amy Sherman - for Gilmore Girls
Bill Lawrence - for Scrubs and spin city
David Shore - House MD and Due South
David Warry-Smith - Due South

Privacy policies and respect

Increasingly privacy policies seam to be about explaining how little privacy you will have and giving you no choice if you want to buy the product.

Interesting points of concern:

• A note that information will not be sold, but will be shared with other vendors from time to time as concerned necessary by the company
  
• Requests for non relevant information as required for the transaction
  
• requirements that it information is not provided the sales transaction will not be completed

Examples:

An insurance company requires that its customer information be shared with all subsidiaries
Honda declaring that they will share your information with "various other companies"

Privacy policies should be about respect and choice. Requiring only actually necessary information for the transactions and letting he customer decide how much other information is shared.

Personal Guidelines:

1. Never give out Post Code, Address, Phone number or date of birth
2. Web sites requiring this information will get false information unless it is necessary for the credit card transaction
3. All Web site that automatically enroll you in update emails get cancelled or reported as junk.
4. Actively avoid organisation with poor privac policies when buying
5. Low likihood of buying more from an organisation that have insisted on sharing my information as a condition of the sale
6. Addition information has to be purchased in some reasonable direct way eg 15% discount if...

On pruning Olive trees

Summary:

1. Pruning happens all the time, you never stop pruning
2. Step back and look at the overall picture, keep the main structure correct and don't worry about the small branches.
3. It is the new growth that flowers and carries the fruit, prune the old wood mostly to allow the new to flurrish
4. Stress the plant to ensure the fruit, but leave it strong enough to carry the fruit
5. Keep balance, look to develop 3 main branches. More at it is to crowded, less it has to little fruit
6. Think about the prevailing wide direction and prune according to encourage the tree into the wind.

Other factors in growth of Olive tree:

1. too much watering and the plant grows quickly and the wood is weak and bends easily so will not support the fruit
2. The tree needs to be free to flex and bend with the weather, this will create string roots

Crudely Crude Awakening

Certainly learned a lot, and I get the message, we are in deep shit, we are running out of oil and there is almost no political leadership or practical alternatives.

Oil is amazing, it is cheap for the work that it can do and this has driven the world economy more than any other single thing. 70% of oil product is used in transportation. Around about now (2007) oil production is peeking and the way it declines is unclear. Quickly, slowing who knows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum

The result may well be war, depression and worse

This movie was crudely done, constantly being bombarded with facts and predictions and reminders of the short life expectancy of hydro carbon man. (http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/). Deliberately pessimistic, hopeless and depressing.

Thought for today

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you're imagined


Henry David Thoreau
http://thoreau.eserver.org/

The Goat or Who is Sylvia?

Middle-aged life crumbles when the main character falls in love with a goat.

Edward Albee is a master at manipulating your feel. It is funny, awkward, unsettling, real, shocking, enlightening and as I left the theatre I had a silly grin on my face that could not be removed despite all my efforts and some guilt.

Exploring and challenging the limits of society and what “normal” is what the arts should do that this does it very well. A truly great play of our time, when this liberal society has so may rules and is so closed minded.

Each character is real, even the goat. Everything changes in moments, perhaps, we are all only moments away from world changing moments. The family reaction is primitive and challenging and unexpected, but clear and understandable. The detail in the word games and shows an amazing understanding of the human brain. What is really going on here?

Apparently "Who is Silvia" from Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Proteus is in love with Julia but then falls for Silvia and will do anything to win Silvia over. Silvia’s intentions naturally lie elsewhere, but Proteus is blind to this, and schemes and calculates. Julia does not give up here pursuit of Proteus. humm. (from Wikipedia)

Thought for the day -

It is our earth, not yours or mine or his. We are meant to live on it, helping each other, not destroying each other.

- J. Krishnamurti

Australia: Other First Impressions

• Clouds, who would believe the clouds could be so different
• Suspicion of anything new or different. These people can be remarkable closed minded. Had an interesting discussion with a young, asian, female, mine project manager who admitted she preferred to hire locals who new the mine vs the experienced overseas workers. To her credit she acknowledged that it was not great, but the risk seems to high to hire the unknown and somehow knowing the person had local knowledge was valued. Interesting. She believed her own position as a mine project manager was earned and not the result of anyone taking a "risk" on a person that did not fit the mold. Interesting, human nature everywhere.
  
• The postal systems that really works. Posted late today, gets there tomorrow morning, in Canada the same thing took 3 days.
• AFL, this is a great game, very entertaining
• Ageism, they appear to be trying to figure out issues of age that seem obvious to me.
  
• Carrots and Eggs. Carrots are refrigerated but the eggs on the the shelf next to the tins? Does that sound correct.
• Mrs or Miss or just Ms. I heard someone say that their doctor was irritated when a patient would not give her title. The doctor insisted that it was important her medical treatment, when pushed is suggested that it tells him if she is sexually active. What planet is this doctor from? How does it ask the men?
  

Candy again and Lantana

These moving show the strength of the Oz film industry.

Lantana is a neat suspense thriller with Anthony LaPaglia. Its your usual tail of unrelated stories slowing interconnecting with inevitable consquences. It is all to tidy in its mess for it to really be a great thriller.

In Candy the end to seems slowly inevitable. It is easy to relate and follow the difficult path. The screen smells. Overall nicely done.

The Power of Direct to Consumer Advertising - Example

Per Freakenomics blog -

"The advent of television, and particularly TV advertising, is what turned the toy industry into a juggernaut. Why? Because, for the first time, manufacturers could market their goods directly to the customers — that is, to children.

Mattel was apparently the first company to grasp this phenomenon, and saw its sales increase from $6 million to $49 million in the space of six years. (I have no idea how accurate this information is, nor do we learn how much money Mattel spent on its TV advertising; but still … the DTC point seems valid.)"

Interesting - what next

Broken Flowers

Don revisits past relationships. He is apparently successful and alone, having thrown away a relationship. He appears not to feel much or give much.

What does he learn?

• No one seams that happy
• He only comes alight when talking to Women
• His ex's are a odd group, who seem to long for the past also in some way
• All the Ex's seem important to him and him to them, although they where apparently only short relationships. Do we all need to believe that we are important to people?
• The flowers have a strange effect on the females
  

Overall

• Nicely written
• Bill Murray does an ok job
• Nice directed. The filming and the silences give you a good feeling or being there in the moments.
• Strange and unexplained relationship with the neighbour

Australia: Toilet Rolls and other first impressions (part 1)

Observations

• The toilet roles are sturdy, far to good for the single journey they take. The actual paper however seems appropriately designed, but the roll core is robust to say the least. What is behind this? Are children still making their first trains from toilet roles and washing up liquid bottles still? I hope so.
  
• The men like there sheds, sheds are everywhere, sheds are a goal, they are advertised in full page ads. Sheds are big, like little houses almost, like caves. What does this say about the family and the social structures?
• The people are diverse, obviously.
• Why are the toilets all separate from the bathrooms, you sit in your own little room looking at the door 0.5 metres from your nose. They like there privacy here apparently. Although it is cozy after a while. I can take my laptop in and write blogs......
  
• Oh yes the metric system. Its great to see a country actually and completely implementing this. Not even the old coggers use ft and inches. A lesson for others here.
  
• The sky is blue, very blue, against the olive green eucalyptus there is beauty on the scape. This colour palette is going to take a while to get used to (hopefully).
  
• The Tin roofs or the Clay tiles and the brick built homes. The sense of confidence and security and longevity that that brings is nice. No wood framing here that would be blown down or eaten by white ants (termites).
• Wine cheaper than beer
• The cool winds
• People are friendly, kind of. They seem easily to take offence, perhaps that's just me?
• The number of small shops everywhere it great.
• The coffee, better than that french roast that North America likes
• Its not just the water in the sink that goes the other way the revolving doors go clockwise (or do the clocks go round the other way here to). This is important to remember for obvious reasons
  
• Counter meals and paying on the way out. No waiting around for the server to serve.
  
• Great local cheeses and wine and beers
• The Entrepreneurial spirit and optimism about the future is just really great and very catching
• The Ocean and early morning walks by the ocean. It is rejuvenating to live by the sea again
  

Living

Live adventurously.

When choices arise, do you take the way that offers the fullest opportunity for the use of your gifts in the service of the community and humanity?

Let your life speak and you have found your purpose.

Hafiz - Persian Poet of 14th century

Don't surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut deep.

Let it ferment and season you.
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice
So tender,

My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.

Hafiz

Childhood

"Childhood is that state which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity."

Kathy Williams

In life there is not back

In life there is no going back only foreward.
Looking back is only to help you look forward.
Thinking about going back is going forward with your eyes shut.
So oneward it is.

Song for today: Nothing Compares 2 U

It's been seven hours and fifteen days Since you took your love away I go out every night and sleep all day Since you took your love away Since you been gone I can do whatever I want I can see whomever I choose I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant But nothing I said nothing can take away these blues `Cause nothing compares Nothing compares to you It's been so lonely without you here Like a bird without a song Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling Tell me baby where did I go wrong I could put my arms around every boy I see But they'd only remind me of you I went to the doctor n'guess what he told me Guess what he told me He said girl u better try to have fun No matter what you'll do But he's a fool `Cause nothing compares Nothing compares to you all the flowers that you planted, mama In the back yard All died when you went away I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard But I'm willing to give it another try Nothing compares Nothing compares to you Nothing compares Nothing compares to you Nothing compares Nothing compares to you

The Managers Role

If the goal is create the best garden you can....

The plants need to placed it the best location to flourish and grow and fulfil their part. They need to be able to do this without impact the others.

If a plant is not growing then you need to question why, is it location, soil, fertilizer, water, to much pruning, to little pruning.

The gardener put the plants to best use. they know that the plants have there place and nature and will aways tend to be who they are, some are more flexible that others........

Memories

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

Henry James - important things in life

“Three things in human life are important:

the first is to be kind;

the second is to be kind;

and the third is to be kind.”

Henry James

We are history now

We are all on a narrow edge in time, narrow and short but instant and continuous.

We are histroy now.



(thanks Francis for the thought)

We all have strings.

What are yours?

The things that resonant with you.

That make you happy and sad, quiet or angry?
Do you know how to play your strings?
To make music with them?
How often do you practice with them?

......

(PS Thanks Jean for this thought)

Organisations are olive Trees

The goal is the fruit, the reward, the reason, the concentrated tasty bits that sustain and enrich.

How do you get the best fruit?

Treat the olive tree well, the way that it wants and needs to be treated and it will be generate wood and leaves and grow big and tall, but little fruit will come as it as turned its attentions to the leaves.

So, in the early days water it well and let it grow, it needs nutrition and to be nurtured in good amounts, but very little fruit will come, but the roots will grow and leaves with shine.

Fruit requires a little less water and nutrition and a little more dry spells to get the creative juices flowing and the fruit will overwelm.

(Of course you need basically the right climate and soil -Govenment, law, order, infrastructure and Regulation perhaps)

This thought needs to grow some more.................


The gardener

A educated mind

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Aristotle

Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
 Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
 Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
 That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
 Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
 Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
 But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
 I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


William Shakespeare 

quotes for the week

"I have taken all knowledge to be my province." (Sir Francis Bacon)

We all grumble about the weather, but" (dramatic pause) "--but--but nothing is done about it." (Mark Twain)

And mind you, emotions are among the toughest things in the world to manufacture out of whole cloth; it is easier to manufacture seven facts than one emotion. (Mark Twain)


Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
- quoted by Rudyard Kipling in From Sea to Shining Sea

A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain. Mark Twain

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. – Einstein

Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else – Ogden Nash

John Stuart Mill's canons form a systematic heuristic for debugging a problem

1. Method of agreement: If a single common factor exists in all cases where a phenomenon occurs, then we can attribute the phenomenon to that factor.
2. Method of difference: If one set of circumstances leads to a given phenomenon, and another set of circumstances does not, and the sets differ only in a single factor that is present in the first set but not in the second, then the phenomenon can be attributed to that factor.
3. Method of agreement and difference: Also called simply the "joint method of agreement and difference", this principle simply represents the application of the methods of agreement and difference.
4. Method of residues: If a range of factors are believed to cause a range of phenomena, and we have matched all the factors, except one, with all the phenomena, except one, then the remaining phenomenon can be attributed to the remaining factor: "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." — Sherlock Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
5. Method of concomitant variations: If across a range of circumstances leading to a phenomenon, some property of the phenomenon varies in tandem with some factor existing in the circumstances, then the phenomenon can be attributed to that factor. For instance, suppose that various samples of water, each containing both salt and lead, were found to be toxic. If the level of toxicity varied in tandem with the level of lead, one could attribute the toxicity to the presence of lead.

The Undercover Economist by Tim Halford

The Undercover Economist

Suggests three key categories to analyze by:

• Scarcity Power (uniqueness and optionally)
• Externalities
• Imperfect or Asymmetrical information

Examples

· Scarcity Power- Cappuccino café – who makes a profit – mostly the landlord (and coffee company if it has a brand that enable coffee sales at a premium)

· Starbuck usings its different products to test and learn product elasticity

· Supermarket pricing

· Externalities like the cost of pollution not included in the cost of the gasoline or the cost of the roads. Congestion charges are good. But use it for the externalities directly and base it on the cost of these.

Increased Efficiency is when something improves for one person without getting any worse for any others.

Pricing is a critical tool for communicating information

Fairness is important but not an capitalist principle

Sales Taxes reduce business and people don’t buy who might have at the price less the sales tax and so no tax is raised also. Ideally taxes should not change behavior. Lump sum taxation often does this although is impractical to implement

Looking at Healthcare (UK vs US)

• US govenerment sames more per person than UK government, but in the UK you get free healthcare. Obviously Bad. UK and US system have similar outcomes
• Looking at the 3 categories

Lack of information about Quality has key impact on the market

• Read the Lemons the second had car market
  

Conclusion

Overall very interesting book. On doing some Web research it appears that few of the thoughts and examples are new.

Tacit Knowledge

The tacit aspects of knowledge are those that cannot be codified, but can be transmitted via training or gained through personal experience.

Egs - Making Bread, riding a bike, Bessemer process (perhaps), skiing........


Knowledge that is easy to communicate is called explicit knowledge. The process of transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge is known as codification or articulation this is only sometimes possible and sometimes only to a degree.

Tacit knowledge is perhaps the icing on the explicit knowledge, giving it meaning.

Changing and improving things

Push vs Pull

Often Pull is more effective that push. Show people what is possible and leading by example can bring people along in a way that push cannot.

On the other hand push is necessary sometimes also.

Think about the 2 and make a deliberate choice.

(Thanks Jean for this Thoughts)

What’s it all about?

Job’s
People
Change
EQ
India
Economics

What’s it all about?

Free Trade
Influenza
Technology
Cost
Substance Farming
Change - Relentless

What’s it all about?

Genetic Engineering
Job’s
Bombs
Smarts
Afghanistan
Engineering

What’s it all about?

Chaos
War
Games
Cheating
Investment
Future

What’s it all about?

Piece
Workers
Strife
Aluminum
Trust
Fraud

What’s it all about?

Food
Froyd
Zero sum
Geography
Value


What’s it all about?

Nano-bots
G7
Energy
Insurance


What’s it all about?

Our Deepest Fear

Our Deepest Fear by Nelson Mandela

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us;
it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

by Seurat, Georges (French, 1859-1891)

What is the picture of? The scene on a sunny day of Paris life, all of Paris life. Who is the child (with Parent?) in the middle looking out?

Notice:

• The light on the grass
• The monkey and the woman fishing -signs of anyother meaning and the La grande Jatte afterdark
  
• The only part of the painting that is not covered in pots or dashes - the white child in the middle of the picture. Giving great impact.
  
• The upright statue like figures frozen
• The shadows don't match the trees
  

http://www.artic.edu/artexplorer/search.php?q=grande%20jatte&tab=1&just=1

Push

She said I don't know if I've ever been good enough
I'm a little bit rusty, and I think my head is caving in
And I don't know if I've ever been really loved
By hand that's touched me, well I feel like something's gonna give
And I'm a little bit angry, well

This ain't over, no not here, not while I still need you around
You don't owe me, we might change
Yeah we just might feel good

(Chorus)
I wanna push you around, well I will, well I will
I wanna push you down, well I will, well I will
I wanna take you for granted, I wanna take you for granted, yeah I will, I will

Well I will

She said I don't know why you ever would lie to me
Like I'm a little untrusting when I think that the truth is gonna hurt ya
And I don't know why you couldn't just stay with me
You couldn't stand to be near me
When my face don't seem to want to shine
'cuz It's a little bit dirty well

Don't just stand there, say nice things to me
I've been cheated I've been wronged you,
And you don't know me, I can't change
I won't do anything at all

(Chorus)
I wanna push you around, well I will, well I will
I wanna push you down, well I will, well I will
I wanna take you for granted, I wanna take you for granted, yeah I will, I will

Oh but don't bowl me over
Just wait a minute well it kinda fell apart, things get so crazy, crazy
Don't rush this baby, don't rush this Baby, baby

(Chorus)
I wanna push you around, well I will, well I will
I wanna push you down, well I will, well I will
I wanna take you for granted, yeah, yeah, yeah
I wanna take you, take you, yeah, well I will, I will, I will, I will
I will, I will, I will, Yeah, yeah, push you around,
I'll drag you down, I wanna push you around
Well I will

5 Thousand times

Missing in action
Gone, Ended, no coming back, no wishing it back, no fixing it, gone, done

DIED

Innocence's didn't help. The chemisty was relentless, ordered and inevitable.

DIED

What is life that it can be gone in a moment?
She does not live on in our memories, we just remember.

AND SHE IS DIED

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet so please tread carefully as you are treading on my dreams

Henry David Thoreau

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.

Henry David Thoreau

Hinduism

Prominent themes in Hinduism include:

• Dharma - ethics and duties - underlying order in Nature and behaviour that is consistant
• Samsāra - rebirth
• Karma - right action -The sum of all that one has done, is doing and will do
• Moksha - liberation or release from the cycle of samsara or rebirth. Transcendence not salvation in the christian sense

Day to Day life

Sitting in the waiting waiting room room
Time stands still. Still
Signs slapped to the wall with the kind of permanence that should be reserved a cure
The new downtown clinic is now open. Open. motionless the signs stand still
Someone has give the fish a bus transfer. Where did they want the fish going to go while waiting?

Does the nurse notice the fish?
DO NOT TOUCH THE FISH TANK
Boy that is tempting; calling me.
How often does the employee look at the fish? How often do the fish look back?
Gulping, gulping, gulping.

I am lost in a Turkish village and the destiny of 2 small boys
Nico and Abdul explore there surroundings and dream of the beautiful Philothei.
Although I have never seen Philothei, her magical eyes follow me.
Eyes level urine bottles with surprising shades return me, waiting
Privacy means not seeing you put the bottle on the open tray and the colours are lost.

Everywhere signs, stained and chipped walls, chairs; old, and ill fitting
The sick people together, if you aren't sick when you arrive you will be
The eastern European clerk in the small file filled office. IT is still a pronoun here.
Doctors that are not that busy. Why not when there are so many sick.
The old man, face cut by age is still in the country of his birth, proud and pitiful and past
Here where time stands still for everyone waiting waiting

0870 Surprise.

From Canada a UK 0870 number is 27 TIMES the regular price

Check here to get the alternative regular rate number -
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

A winters tale

Imagine the warm sun on the beach and beautiful ocean going off forever.
Reading and relaxing on the strip with a great book, a coffee, or friends.
Practicing, participating, pontificating, pleasing, providing purposefully.
Sunday pork roast for the family and having people round for a big Sunday lunch.
Driving in a convertible down leafy side streets, with bright coloured shirts on in the midday haze.
Tending the corner, listening to water fountain time pass.
Eyes closed, you can here the ocean and the breeze rustling thought the eucalyptus trees.

What was U2 called before it was U2?

U1 or me2