[fa cup] in case it's of interest

Further analysis here.

[blogfocus saturday] around the pond

Like a jacket sleeve from Jackson Browne or a painting by Magritte, this picture from Ms Zaftig starts us off:

1 Ruthie's currently in the middle of those bitter-sweet moments. Will she travel with him? Will she not? Tune in and find out:

This is the first time in my life I've ever felt completely unworthy of a man who is interested in me.

If you've ever read The Diary of Anne Frank, you probably remember Anne's conversation with her sister Margot about Anne's relationship with Peter. Margot says something along the lines of, "I could never be with him... I need a man who is my intellectual superior."

This is the first time I've ever found that, and now he's leaving in five weeks... I'm trying to come to terms with that.

2 Notsaussure has some words of wisdom to say on the education question:

My late mother, as it happens, did know, from her career, a fair bit about the teaching of reading; her take on the matter always seemed to me pretty sensible.

Different methods and reading schemes, she reckoned, all have their strengths and weaknesses and all, in practice, do the job pretty well for most children.

What’s important, she always said, is to have a good teacher who, first, actually understands the principles and practice behind the scheme she’s using and, second, has the expertise and insight to spot when an individual child is having difficulties and then both to identify the difficulties and decide on how best to help that particular child overcome those particular problems.

3 Matt, who considers Ohio the crossroads of America*, is not complaining, truly:

Note: This post is reflective, not complaining. If I was complaining, it would be much more obvious.

Well, here I am. It's 10:06 p.m. and I'm sitting in my room, alone. I barely see my roommate which is a good thing in my opinion. I have nothing against the guy, it's just I would have preferred not to have a roommate.

So, my daily grind of one two hour ten minute class and one meal will continue tomorrow.

What is it that attracts us all to Maymester? Is it the idea of completing a sixteen week class in a painful four weeks (especially considering this is my first 400 level class at Purdue)?

4 Bag touches on the vital issue of local election results. Hold onto your seats. Here we go:

Local Rag came through today. It has the election results and an analysis. It seems some of the other wards had additional boxes. One guy who was kicked out of office says it was due to the War. He said 'It was unfair because I'm only a local councillor'. I think he meant 'was'. I was nearly in tears but managed to hold on. Anyway that ward must have had a box that said 'Tory but I would have voted Labour if it was not for the War' Strange it was missing off ours. Seems it was nothing to do with their policies. That's OK then.

5 Cassandra is unique in the manner of her writing but she wields a pen with style and substance:

I may be one of a dying breed: call me peculiar, but I like to form an independent opinion, based on fullness of information, on my own - thank you very much!

Considering the postmodern press is doing our thinking for us by predigesting and preselecting the news as they see fit, I might as well open up a independent press agency here and make a day-job out of screening their omissions and censoring. I fear however I am already otherwise engaged.

I do however intend to nail Orwell's Infernal Journalism to the doorpost of hell whenever the opportunity presents itself!

6 Ellee posts on an issue close to many of our hearts:

Private Members’ Bills are debated on Fridays when most MPs spend the day in their constituencies. Surely this demonstrates that urgent matters like this should be heard mid-week.

Five years ago, the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons recommended that they should review Private Members’ Bills, including the possibility of whether they could be transferred to another slot in the week which might be more convenient for MPs.

It’s a shame that so few turned up to debate this important issue. I believe our elected Members should have nothing to hide (unless for reasons of national security), they should work openly and transparently.

7 I'm still trying to work out what or who Moggy is and what she/he/it does but one thing I know - it's an intriguing site and her color-diet even more intriguing:

If you're following along then you know that I came up with a fun color wheel diet plan. I got suggestions for "Brown" like whiskey and beans and maple syrup, but then I realized that with a little deep fryer I can have just about anything on Brown day ;-)

Today our work group is going to play miniature golf and so with that workout coming up, I will probably want to eat a lot so I will have lots of energy ;-)

8 UKDP explains the nein-iron in golf:

German golfers are celebrating this weekend after a Bristol golf course repealed a rule introduced in 1919 which barred Germans and Austrians from the course. Existing members have been asked not to mention the four.

Guthrum the Old still hasn't been forgotten. It's just that, at his age, he's a little slow coming up the stairs. He'll be here Tuesday. Meanwhile, enjoy this and this.

I see Lord Nazh in the distance as well.

See you Tuesday?

* A correspondent has informed me that ""The Crossroads of America" is Indiana's state motto, not Ohio's". Buckeye is apparently correct though. Sorry!

[world bank] the human side of finance

The World Bank logo in its beloved nebulous-blue colour

Dear, oh dear:

As the White House asserted claims on picking Wolfowitz's successor, aid groups and former bank officials demanded the next president be selected, not in deference to the Bush administration, but on professional merits.

Of course, the World Bank is an interesting organization:

Created in 1945 to rebuild Europe after World War II, it provides more than $20 billion a year for projects such as building dams and roads, bolstering education and fighting disease. The bank's centerpiece program offers interest-free loans to the poorest countries.

The fact that they can produce $20 billion plus is in no small measure down to that financial whiz in the WW1 War Finance Corporation, Eugene Meyer, founder member of the CFR and first World Bank chairman, whose good work set the tone for the future.

After the war, his corporation turned to financing the reconstruction of devastated countries and this notion of financing reconstruction carried through to his appointments as chairman of the Federal Farm Loan Board in 1927 and chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from September 16, 1930 to May 10, 1933.

A quite vital time for the U.S.A., that was, especially the two years leading up to 24 October 1929 and the years immediately following that.

This philanthropic altruism on the part of a huge financier carries on even today. For example, the EBRD, one of its partners with whom I have a small connection, is once again in the news for its ground-breaking policies:

As with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank, the EBRD’s mission is not to make profits but to boost development. However, the EBRD is unique among these institutions in the emphasis placed on making loans and investments on a commercial or near-commercial basis.

The shareholder governments of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will this month consider whether the highly profitable bank should become the first multilateral institution to pay dividends.

Jean Lemierre, the bank president, told the Financial Times: “It’s a major question for the shareholders. Even a philosophical question. I am quite sure we are among very few international financial organisations to be in this position.”

This is the question we are considering this weekend.

[name the author] man of letters

C.S.Lewis

Which other man of letters is being discussed below?

'The lady was present at his introduction to one of the late Mrs Montague's literary parties, when Mrs Digby herself, with several still younger ladies, almost immediately surrounded our Colossus of literature with more wonder than politeness, and while contemplating him, as if he had been some monster from the deserts of Africa, he said to them, "Ladies, I am tame; you may stroke me".'

Answer here.

[integrity] the westminster way

One day, when your grandchild asks you:

"What do honour, honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency mean?"

You can just point the little mite to this story.

Hat tip: MJW

[old poll down] new one up

Old poll

Does free trade lead to:

# Monopolies and therefore less choice 19%

# Much greater choice 75%

# Other variant 6%

16 votes total

Comments

Posted by Dave Petterson on May 15, 2007 at 5:24 pm.

But in a truly free trade environment the monopolies would also be competing across frontiers. Walmart would be up against China.

The true beauty of it is these things go in cycles. Traders sell goods. Price settles and either the price comes down or new models are created at the same price.

If a trader does gain the market it's because of a low price and it's competitors move into something else or change the market by making it new again by changing the component.

If the price goes up because someone has cornered the market then there is now a space in the market for someone to give a lower price for the same item.

The only real monopolies now are infrastructure. All others are artificially created by government rule.

---

Posted by James on May 15, 2007 at 2:13 pm.

Monopolies seem to be the sticking point in this thing.

New poll

Should we leave the EU?

# Yes

# No