Surprising result / Favorite hotels / Gone fishing / GM once again / On beginning a…
Der glücklich ist, wer vergisst, was nicht zu ändern ist. German proverb
Cutting dividends in half does not make any sense. If the management is as clueless as GM's is, the share owners should get their money back - one way is dealing out as much as possible in dividends. If things go as they are going, GM will go bankrupt soon enough. Unless they can convince Mr. Bush, that GM is part of the military-industrial complex and should get some $30 billion for doing nothing at national security. Just as Halliburton gets. GM should give it a try. Like getting $30 billion for developing small cars and transit systems. Actually, it would be much better than using $30 billion in firecrackers.
After twenty meters, I run across an African-American lady, in her 30s, pushing her child in a trolley. She exclaims: I saw you and said to myself: "He cannot walk by the machine, he will buy a ball". And you did. I knew it. Funny how my vices are known in the streets of Cambridge.
Today's NYT runs an op-ed article, which correctly points out, that trying to get rid off the oil-addition is simple. Just mandate a tax on all carbon emissions. The market will take care of the rest: smaller cars will emerge from manufacturing plants, urban sprawl will slow down, transit will pick up. Even better, I would claim, would be to mandate an increasing tax one that would increase, say, 5 percent per year, starting from $1 per some unit of coal dioxide.
I assume such tax would be a very effective way of changing the customer behavior, which according to professor Marks is one of the keys in solving the energy problems. Are there other ways? Some kind of brain washing (propaganda, advertising, fashion) could go some way, but maybe not that far.
The op-ed also correctly points out, that any government in any oil-producing country will eventually have to sell oil to the world market. The price of occupying Iraq, or Iran, is totally unnecessary, at least from energy security point of view. By the way, the only reason for the invasion and occupation (for the 20-year war Pentagon is planning, at the request of Mr Rumsfelt), is to divert tax payer's money from social welfare to military-industrial complex. The only problem is that when the complex gets too big, the whole state collapses into a way smaller and weaker one, or even non-existent one. Look what happened to Athens, Persia, Rome, the Spanish empire, the British Empire, the Soviet Union. Enough ranting.
Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs January to February 2006".
Surprising result
A 8-year study has found that a low-fat diet does not reduce risk of hearth disease, colon cancer, or stroke. This result is simply remarkable. The conclusion is"What we are saying is that a modest reduction of fat and a substitution with fruits and vegetables did not do anything for heart disease and stroke or breast cancer or colorectal cancer," said Dr. Nanette K. Wenger, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "It doesn't say that this diet is not beneficial."
Favorite hotels
Some of my favorite hotels:- Bloomindale Inn, Washington DC, USA
- Hotel Athens, Cortona, Italia
- Ruijin Hotel, Shanghai
- Old Bellevue, Darjeeling, Intia
- Yatri House, Delhi, Intia
- Astor House / Pujian, Shanghai
- Manaca Hotel, Belem, Brasilia
- San Remo, San Francisco, USA
- Patiala Maharajan talo, Chail (Simla), India
- Langholmen hostel, Tuhkolma
- Peace Hotel, Shanghai
- Imperial Hotel, Praha.
Gone fishing
I did not know that fishing can be this easy and fun. I am sure whether the film is real, though. Thanks to S for the link.GM once again
Excellent business management and leadership continues at GM. Now they have cut executive salaries and dividends. They cannot, however, say when they intend to make GM profitable again. I think cutting executive salaries is good, although it does not help anything. If the company loses $8.6 billion a year, cutting 50% of CEO's $2.2 million salary does not help at all. It may have some symbolic value, but cutting the salary to less than $0.1 million would have more.Cutting dividends in half does not make any sense. If the management is as clueless as GM's is, the share owners should get their money back - one way is dealing out as much as possible in dividends. If things go as they are going, GM will go bankrupt soon enough. Unless they can convince Mr. Bush, that GM is part of the military-industrial complex and should get some $30 billion for doing nothing at national security. Just as Halliburton gets. GM should give it a try. Like getting $30 billion for developing small cars and transit systems. Actually, it would be much better than using $30 billion in firecrackers.
On beginning a new project
Life has hardly anything better to offer than the euphoric feeling of beginning a new project. The feeling of not knowing where the adventure is taking, having fragile thought structures, drafting, planning, walking around smiling, talking to oneself. The feeling of developing solutions oneself before looking how others have solved the problems. I enjoy this part so much, that I sometimes just want to enjoy it for a few days, not committing anything on paper, just nurturing ideas in my head. Right now, I am doing so. Someone could claim that I am procrastinating but would be wrong. Important things are happening, solutions are taking shape, or at least questions are taking shape. Absolutely fabulous!On the Massachusetts Avenue
I was walking from the Central Square to MIT, in my thoughts, when I saw the bubble-gum machine by the jazz-record store. It is always there, stalking me, and hardly ever can I pass it without buying one ball with a quarter. Once again, I put in my money, turned the lever, and enjoyed watching how the ball circled its way down. How happy I became. I continued, smiling, to walk towards MIT, chewing my bubble-gum.After twenty meters, I run across an African-American lady, in her 30s, pushing her child in a trolley. She exclaims: I saw you and said to myself: "He cannot walk by the machine, he will buy a ball". And you did. I knew it. Funny how my vices are known in the streets of Cambridge.
Daily energy blogging (1): why fighting over oil is pointless
This is a new daily series of energy related notes, tidbits of information, opinions, preliminary arguments, observations, and the like. I just want to have a informal, but public media for my energy related thinking. Later, if I am lucky, these short notes will help me in my PhD-studies.Today's NYT runs an op-ed article, which correctly points out, that trying to get rid off the oil-addition is simple. Just mandate a tax on all carbon emissions. The market will take care of the rest: smaller cars will emerge from manufacturing plants, urban sprawl will slow down, transit will pick up. Even better, I would claim, would be to mandate an increasing tax one that would increase, say, 5 percent per year, starting from $1 per some unit of coal dioxide.
I assume such tax would be a very effective way of changing the customer behavior, which according to professor Marks is one of the keys in solving the energy problems. Are there other ways? Some kind of brain washing (propaganda, advertising, fashion) could go some way, but maybe not that far.
The op-ed also correctly points out, that any government in any oil-producing country will eventually have to sell oil to the world market. The price of occupying Iraq, or Iran, is totally unnecessary, at least from energy security point of view. By the way, the only reason for the invasion and occupation (for the 20-year war Pentagon is planning, at the request of Mr Rumsfelt), is to divert tax payer's money from social welfare to military-industrial complex. The only problem is that when the complex gets too big, the whole state collapses into a way smaller and weaker one, or even non-existent one. Look what happened to Athens, Persia, Rome, the Spanish empire, the British Empire, the Soviet Union. Enough ranting.
Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs January to February 2006".
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