[in brief] message for the small blogger

When elements of doubt creep into your resolve; when you feel that only a significant handful are heeding your message, it’s as well to remember the words of a quite significant writer, whose observations still echo today:

Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others.

[afghanistan] opium might be the solution

As if the Afghan pipeline wasn't in enough trouble, Chris Dillow writes further of Afghanistan's seeming hope for the future:

Afghanistan clearly has a comparative advantage in the production of opium; given its meagre land, labour and capital endowments, it can do little else. Opium production is, then, it's best hope of developing the economy. Read the full piece.

[petron-solar 1] disaster around the corner, surmise japanese

A minisubmarine inspecting the wreck of the Solar 1 on Friday found an open oil compartment and another one leaking small quantities of oil. They reported that not only had the oil spill not ceased but that the rest of it was waiting to rupture. Deafening silence greeted this around the world. Article continues here ...

[far-east] bankruptcy law change signals cultural change

The new Chinese law regarding the bankruptcies of state owned enterprises is a major move. Effectively, creditors now have top priority in liquidation moves, as distinct from the old ‘state nanny’ which was committed to paying off the workers first and then the creditors. This is not just a legal change, nor even a work practice change - it means a radically different mindset and a commitment to vigorously compete within the world economy. Story here.

[dress and fashion] to tie or not to tie

BBC Magazine ran this in February but today, as I discarded the tie in scorching twenty degree temperatures, the mind went back to the topic:

Doctors should stop wearing ‘functionless’ ties which could pose a hygiene risk, says the British Medical Association - as part of the drive to stop the spread of hospital superbugs. So what is the point of a tie? Full text here.

[health] you might have wilson’s syndrome

Do you suffer from cold the way I do? Possibly not - because I think I might have a nodding acquaintance with Wilson’s Syndrome. Chronic low body temperature, also known as Wilson's Syndrome, is related to many other syndromes.

Whenever I’m feeling poorly, the first question, the standard question over here is always, ‘Do you have a temperature?’ ‘No.’ ‘Oh well then,’ they reply, meaning that I’m just a malingering n’er-do-well. But is it so? Story here.