OK, we can moan and groan, or we can take some creative revenge--cheerful, concrete, and at a distance. It's the barbarians and anarchists among us who threaten violence, smash store windows, vandalize, set bombs off in public places. Anyone who thinks we ought to be spilling each other's blood over political beefs is someone to avoid. 'Nuff said?
On the right, Vote Early, Vote Often. If you really, really, really want to administer a smack-down to clowns like McCain, Arlen Specter, and the Chicago gang in the White House, toss ten or twenty bucks to the candidates running against them. And, in a couple of weeks, do it again. Lather, rinse, repeat. It gets easier every time you do it.
Nothing is so empowering as a whole boatload of people sending in modest contributions. It sends the message loud and clear to everyone involved.
On the bottom, Don't Just Sit There!. There are good people out there doing great things to lift the poor out of poverty, educate students, carry Christendom and civilization forward. They build the culture, and make life uncomfortable for the gangsters (in and out of power) who think it's cool to burn it to the ground. OS admits it's an arbitrary list, but what the hey. It's a good place to begin, fill in the blanks yourself.
Particularly dear to his heart these days is St. Mary's Church, in March, England. Located in the environs of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, it is one of the most beautiful parish churches in that country, and houses an active small-town congregation. Some worthless piece of **!!!**!!! deliberately set it ablaze, and it will take a lot of money to put it right, even though it is insured. OS has never been there, and may never get to visit. Each £10 donation is a personal act of revenge on the arsonist.
It's really a good feeling, hitting that 'Donate' button. It's not possible, legal, moral or wise to stand church arsonists and politicians like Arlen Specter against the wall and administer that longed-for bit of overdue justice. But to see the church rebuilt, or the disgraceful politician replaced with someone who has a brain and a conscience, that feels wonderful! Hell's bells, it's not even that expensive!
Creative, positive pushback.
Cold. From a distance. Cheerful,legal, proper, moral, appropriate, effective.
Vengeance.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Friday 2010: Bonhoeffer Reminds Us
Quotes from a much better mind than the one who types away here:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer--'After Ten Years'--from Letters and Papers from Prison:
The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity, or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil.
He details the futility of standing up to evil on one's own. By the time he penned these words in December of 1942, he had seen much, and worse was yet to come.
Still, he affirms:
I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose he needs men who make the best use of everything. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future.
OS never ceases to scratch his grey head in wonder at how Providence works its will.
'Good Friday': The day the politicians, clergy, lawyers and bankers all got together and arranged the public murder of the greatest man who ever walked the earth, the man who threatened to pull their world apart just by showing up and being himself.
All done legally, cleanly, and at arm's length of course. By day's end, the Nazarene rabbi was dead and gone, his posse scattered and awaiting the inevitable mopping-up operation, and the soldier in charge of the execution detail wondering aloud if perhaps a tragic mistake had been made. Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate all slept well, a good day's work done, if a bit unpleasant at points. Pilate's wife probably less so, remembering her premonition that had been ignored by her husband. She rightly sensed that history itself would cave in upon them all as a result of this day, with no place to hide in all of eternity.
For the rabbi's family and friends, a day of horrific tragedy, all hopes dashed, all plans in ruins, all faith shattered, with a close friend's betrayal followed by suicide thrown in for good measure. Their entire world had been turned upside down, with evil masquerading as light, charity, historical necessity, social justice. Moreover, they had no place to hide where Rome could not find them.
No one could have suspected what was about to follow.
That is our basis and definition of Hope. Not based on our own desires or wishes, fears and dreams, or even our secular take upon the events of the day, but upon what we know occurred in time and space. Good Friday is not the end of the story. Not then, and not now.
These are dark days, to be certain. But not hopeless days.
So, while we're here, let's make the best use of everything.
From Christ's final discourse in the Gospel of John:
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer--'After Ten Years'--from Letters and Papers from Prison:
The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity, or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil.
He details the futility of standing up to evil on one's own. By the time he penned these words in December of 1942, he had seen much, and worse was yet to come.
Still, he affirms:
I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose he needs men who make the best use of everything. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future.
OS never ceases to scratch his grey head in wonder at how Providence works its will.
'Good Friday': The day the politicians, clergy, lawyers and bankers all got together and arranged the public murder of the greatest man who ever walked the earth, the man who threatened to pull their world apart just by showing up and being himself.
All done legally, cleanly, and at arm's length of course. By day's end, the Nazarene rabbi was dead and gone, his posse scattered and awaiting the inevitable mopping-up operation, and the soldier in charge of the execution detail wondering aloud if perhaps a tragic mistake had been made. Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate all slept well, a good day's work done, if a bit unpleasant at points. Pilate's wife probably less so, remembering her premonition that had been ignored by her husband. She rightly sensed that history itself would cave in upon them all as a result of this day, with no place to hide in all of eternity.
For the rabbi's family and friends, a day of horrific tragedy, all hopes dashed, all plans in ruins, all faith shattered, with a close friend's betrayal followed by suicide thrown in for good measure. Their entire world had been turned upside down, with evil masquerading as light, charity, historical necessity, social justice. Moreover, they had no place to hide where Rome could not find them.
No one could have suspected what was about to follow.
That is our basis and definition of Hope. Not based on our own desires or wishes, fears and dreams, or even our secular take upon the events of the day, but upon what we know occurred in time and space. Good Friday is not the end of the story. Not then, and not now.
These are dark days, to be certain. But not hopeless days.
So, while we're here, let's make the best use of everything.
From Christ's final discourse in the Gospel of John:
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
The Punch Bowl Is About To Be Taken Away: The Fed Meets Monday To Talk About Interest Rates
Denninger shares the news.
It was a former head of the Fed who said the crux of his job was 'knowing when to take away the punch bowl'--i.e. tighten down the money supply before inflation has a chance to take hold, or bubbles are created. One main means of doing this is to raise interest rates they charge to the banks they serve.
With a DJIA touching 11,000 with almost zero, zippo, nada in the real economy that normal humans live in justifying it, and ObamaCare about to suck up any spare dollar that isn't nailed down, it may be time to pack that sucker up, and send the partiers home to sober up. Is that black coffee we smell brewing?
It was a former head of the Fed who said the crux of his job was 'knowing when to take away the punch bowl'--i.e. tighten down the money supply before inflation has a chance to take hold, or bubbles are created. One main means of doing this is to raise interest rates they charge to the banks they serve.
With a DJIA touching 11,000 with almost zero, zippo, nada in the real economy that normal humans live in justifying it, and ObamaCare about to suck up any spare dollar that isn't nailed down, it may be time to pack that sucker up, and send the partiers home to sober up. Is that black coffee we smell brewing?
| Government in the Sunshine Meeting Notice |  |
| Advance Notice of a Meeting under Expedited Procedures | ||||
| It is anticipated that a closed meeting of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, April 5, 2010, will be held under expedited procedures, as set forth in section 26lb.7 of the Board's Rules Regarding Public Observation of Meetings, at the Board's offices at 20th Street and C Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. The following items of official Board business are tentatively scheduled to be considered at that meeting. Meeting date: April 5, 2010 <!-----------This is the bordered table------------------------->
| ||||
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The 'Slap-O-Meter': A Satisfying Web Experience
The Grin of the Day: The Slap-O-Meter, which gives the voters of the UK the ability to express their true feelings about the political leadership, while remaining safely out of jail.
Now, all we need is a US edition!
OS has a few candidates, from both parties, to nominate as 'Slappees'.
The floor is open for nominations below.
No profanity, y'all, even tho' we all feel like cussin' these days.
Now, all we need is a US edition!
OS has a few candidates, from both parties, to nominate as 'Slappees'.
The floor is open for nominations below.
No profanity, y'all, even tho' we all feel like cussin' these days.
Obama And 'Offshore Drilling': If His Lips Move, He's Prevaricating...
Well, the announcement did light up the news wires and feeds around the world.
One must admit, He and His are experts at letting us believe one thing, when the reality is something else entirely.
It's that inconvenient words have meaning thing! We, poor schlubs, live in a world where words have meaning. We have to, otherwise we starve alone in the dark and cold. In their world words are noises one makes to manipulate the listener on the path to one's true objectives.
But, in a two-fer for April 1, 2010, Heritage Foundation reminds us: If His lips are moving, he's misinforming us.
In fact, if anything, the policies announced by President Obama yesterday will actually decrease and delay future U.S. oil production. The President actually canceled four lease sales off the Alaska coast that were planned to begin producing oil within the next two years, delayed a planned lease off Virginia until at least 2012, and placed some areas off limits for at least seven years. Go back and look at President Obama’s actual announcement again: he only promised new exploration off the Atlantic coast. There is absolutely no guarantee that any new drilling will ever occur. Secretary Ken Salazar’s Interior Department still has full discretion to never allow a single drop of oil to be harvested from these waters. And that doesn’t even begin to address the court challenges the enviro-left will employ to attack and delay the entire process.
And it's not just Heritage Foundation saying it. The essay pulls from a lot of sources, normally sympathetic to Himself, who agree that Himself is blowing smoke.
Sort of like that 'Executive Order' he promised to Bart Stupak, not worth the paper it's written on, and still no word as to whether he got around to signing it, anyway.
Just words....ya'll go back to sleep now, watch another basketball game, another episode of 'The Biggest Loser'. Nothing to bother about here...
William Schuman: American composer/Teacher/Visionary
The New York Times makes note of an upcoming celebration of a life that truly mattered, that still impacts the world for good.
William Schuman was an American composer of the same generation as Copland, Bernstein, Barber, Menotti, and other luminaries that have become household names, and whose music is imprinted deep in the cultural memory. Everyone has heard (in order of the composers) 'Rodeo' from Billy the Kid('Beef: It's What's For Dinner!), 'One Hand, One Heart'West Side Story, Adagio for Strings, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Many fewer have heard the music of Schuman, although every child who participated in a good high-school or college band program since about 1960 has played his New England Triptych. This is a small excerpt of one movement:
He was a first-rate composer, without dispute. But his greater contribution was in transforming how music was taught in the United States in his day, as he ran the Juilliard School in New York, and later oversaw the early years of Lincoln Center, making certain the School formed an integral part of that crucial institution.
Schuman’s educational credo was and remains an enlightened ideal, namely, “to make responsible adults of musicians,” as he put it in a 1945 essay for Time magazine assessing the overall state of the field. “Right now,” he added, “when we need musical leaders in every community, we are concerned only with training virtuosi for a nonexistent market. Musical education has to be ventilated. We must develop educated people who are musicians in order to develop music.”
This excerpt from 'What's My Line?' in the 1960's is revealing. Self-effacing, good-humored, articulate, Schuman banters with with the likes of Bennett Cerf, and ends up bolstering the cause of Lincoln Center, and Juilliard, and composition, and ultimately himself(although that appears to be far down his list!) It's nine minutes of remembering an entire cast of mind that we would do well to recover.
The 'Tryptich' is still performed, hundreds of times a year, in school bands across the country. That class, humility, craftmanship, and good humor make themselves felt every time the band plays.
GreenShoots Award, and a contribution in his honor.
William Schuman was an American composer of the same generation as Copland, Bernstein, Barber, Menotti, and other luminaries that have become household names, and whose music is imprinted deep in the cultural memory. Everyone has heard (in order of the composers) 'Rodeo' from Billy the Kid('Beef: It's What's For Dinner!), 'One Hand, One Heart'West Side Story, Adagio for Strings, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Many fewer have heard the music of Schuman, although every child who participated in a good high-school or college band program since about 1960 has played his New England Triptych. This is a small excerpt of one movement:
He was a first-rate composer, without dispute. But his greater contribution was in transforming how music was taught in the United States in his day, as he ran the Juilliard School in New York, and later oversaw the early years of Lincoln Center, making certain the School formed an integral part of that crucial institution.
Schuman’s educational credo was and remains an enlightened ideal, namely, “to make responsible adults of musicians,” as he put it in a 1945 essay for Time magazine assessing the overall state of the field. “Right now,” he added, “when we need musical leaders in every community, we are concerned only with training virtuosi for a nonexistent market. Musical education has to be ventilated. We must develop educated people who are musicians in order to develop music.”
This excerpt from 'What's My Line?' in the 1960's is revealing. Self-effacing, good-humored, articulate, Schuman banters with with the likes of Bennett Cerf, and ends up bolstering the cause of Lincoln Center, and Juilliard, and composition, and ultimately himself(although that appears to be far down his list!) It's nine minutes of remembering an entire cast of mind that we would do well to recover.
The 'Tryptich' is still performed, hundreds of times a year, in school bands across the country. That class, humility, craftmanship, and good humor make themselves felt every time the band plays.
GreenShoots Award, and a contribution in his honor.
Obama And The Heritage Foundation
It will be amusing to see ObamaBob try to spin his way out of this one.
Himself was caught in a blatant howler, in a quiet interview setting with a sympathetic reporter, not working off his adrenaline in front of a crowd; claiming that great parts of ObamaCare originated in the bowels of the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation, to put it mildly, is not amused!
It's as if our President has spend an entire lifetime just assuming that everyone will believe what he says, 'cuz he says it! Where did he get this idea planted in his head?
Words have meaning. Ideas matter. Presidents who behave like this create massive problems for the world. This is not the Illinois statehouse. This is the White House, and adult behavior is expected.
Himself was caught in a blatant howler, in a quiet interview setting with a sympathetic reporter, not working off his adrenaline in front of a crowd; claiming that great parts of ObamaCare originated in the bowels of the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation, to put it mildly, is not amused!
It's as if our President has spend an entire lifetime just assuming that everyone will believe what he says, 'cuz he says it! Where did he get this idea planted in his head?
Words have meaning. Ideas matter. Presidents who behave like this create massive problems for the world. This is not the Illinois statehouse. This is the White House, and adult behavior is expected.
The Sale Of Volvo--Further Insight
Simon Johnson at Baseline Scenario provides more detail, actually chilling detail, about the purchase of Volvo from Ford.
Geely Automotive has acquired Volvo from Ford. This is a risky bet that may or may pay off for the Chinese auto maker – after first requiring a great deal of investment.
Goldman Sachs’ private equity owns a significant stake in Geely, with the explicit goal of helping that company expand internationally. Remember what Goldman is – or rather what Goldman became when it was saved from collapse by being allowed to transform into a Bank Holding Company in September 2008 (which allowed access to the Federal Reserve’s discount window, among other advantages). Goldman’s funding is cheaper on all dimensions because it is perceived to be Too Big To Fail, i.e., supported by the US taxpayer; this allows Goldman to provide more support to Geely (and others).
Our Too Big To Fail banks stand today at the heart of global capital flows. People around the world – including from China – park their funds in the biggest US banks because everyone concerned believes these banks cannot fail; they were, after all, saved by the Bush administration and put completely – gently and unconditionally – back on their feet under President Obama. These same banks now spearhead lending to risky projects around the world
In other words, if this deal ends up going titties-up, the American taxpayer could again be on the hook to rescue Goldman and its investors from the consequences of a mistaken decision.
('ScuzMe while I gather my thoughts: !!!!!******!!!!!***%%%%!!!!!****&&&&&!!!!!: !!)
There. That's better.
This stuff is making money for some folks now, but will hasten the day when my children will have both a lowered standard of living and significantly higher tax burdens.
Geely Automotive has acquired Volvo from Ford. This is a risky bet that may or may pay off for the Chinese auto maker – after first requiring a great deal of investment.
Goldman Sachs’ private equity owns a significant stake in Geely, with the explicit goal of helping that company expand internationally. Remember what Goldman is – or rather what Goldman became when it was saved from collapse by being allowed to transform into a Bank Holding Company in September 2008 (which allowed access to the Federal Reserve’s discount window, among other advantages). Goldman’s funding is cheaper on all dimensions because it is perceived to be Too Big To Fail, i.e., supported by the US taxpayer; this allows Goldman to provide more support to Geely (and others).
Our Too Big To Fail banks stand today at the heart of global capital flows. People around the world – including from China – park their funds in the biggest US banks because everyone concerned believes these banks cannot fail; they were, after all, saved by the Bush administration and put completely – gently and unconditionally – back on their feet under President Obama. These same banks now spearhead lending to risky projects around the world
In other words, if this deal ends up going titties-up, the American taxpayer could again be on the hook to rescue Goldman and its investors from the consequences of a mistaken decision.
('ScuzMe while I gather my thoughts: !!!!!******!!!!!***%%%%!!!!!****&&&&&!!!!!: !!)
There. That's better.
This stuff is making money for some folks now, but will hasten the day when my children will have both a lowered standard of living and significantly higher tax burdens.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Three Cheers For #365: Daniel Hannan, Keynes, And St. Matthew In The European Parliament
Well, maybe pigs do sprout wings! Dan Hannan speaks kind words about Keynes, which draws a chuckle from the chair, and then proceeds to teach basic economic and political realities from the pages of Holy Scripture, which draws more of a chuckle from the chair--applause and smiles from the folks around him.
Of course, he quoted from the Authorized Version, and referred to Jesus of Nazareth as 'Our Lord', and cheerily assumed the chair knew the story of Jesus being questioned about taxation.
It's a wonderful performance, a classic. You can feel him twist the intellectual knife into the ribs of the Euro, using the eternal truth of the Savior's words.
Priceless.
Hot-damn! If only we could rent this guy out for a couple of decades. He would set us straight, or at least remind us how to be brave in public again, and how to use truth set to words to skewer the socialists.
Of course, he quoted from the Authorized Version, and referred to Jesus of Nazareth as 'Our Lord', and cheerily assumed the chair knew the story of Jesus being questioned about taxation.
It's a wonderful performance, a classic. You can feel him twist the intellectual knife into the ribs of the Euro, using the eternal truth of the Savior's words.
Priceless.
Hot-damn! If only we could rent this guy out for a couple of decades. He would set us straight, or at least remind us how to be brave in public again, and how to use truth set to words to skewer the socialists.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Paying For 2010 Schools With 2003 Revenues
Peter, meet Paul.
This is just one example in one of Tennessee's ninety-three counties, and this one probably is faring better than most.
The county promised the schools some 19 million through the fiscal year, ending June 30. Some 12 million has been paid. But revenues are down to 2003 levels, and the county finishes collecting property tax revenues by the middle of March. They can't fork over money they don't have. They can't print it or borrow it like the federal government can.
That little cliff-diving red line on the sidebar chart represents sales tax revenue for 09-10.
In economist's parlance: 'Ruh-roh!'
In the meantime, more families are pulling out into home-schooling, and a private church-based academy is opening its doors. The bump of cash from all that 'stimulus' money will run out soon. The day of reckoning is at hand.
Ruh-roh...
This is just one example in one of Tennessee's ninety-three counties, and this one probably is faring better than most.
The county promised the schools some 19 million through the fiscal year, ending June 30. Some 12 million has been paid. But revenues are down to 2003 levels, and the county finishes collecting property tax revenues by the middle of March. They can't fork over money they don't have. They can't print it or borrow it like the federal government can.
That little cliff-diving red line on the sidebar chart represents sales tax revenue for 09-10.
In economist's parlance: 'Ruh-roh!'
In the meantime, more families are pulling out into home-schooling, and a private church-based academy is opening its doors. The bump of cash from all that 'stimulus' money will run out soon. The day of reckoning is at hand.
Ruh-roh...
The Politics Of The Memory Hole, And The Value Of Memory
People with memories, and who know how to write, are a problem for totalitarians.
Pat Buchanan is one of those troublesome people. He addresses the hysteria about 'right-wing fanatics' that the Left is attempting to foment, in order to silence any and all who might object to their leadership. He takes on Frank Rich's assertion that the right 'went off the rails' in the mid-60's in the wake of civil rights legislation.
Was Rich awake in 1964? Because it wasn't the right that went off the rails. The really big riot in 1964 was in Harlem, lasting five days, with 500 injured and as many arrested. The Watts riot in 1965, Detroit and Newark in 1967, Washington, D.C., and 100 other cities in 1968, all bringing troops into American cities, were not the work of George Wallace populists or Barry Goldwater conservatives. They were the work of folks who went "all the way with LBJ."
Buchanan cites several more examples, all damning of the Left, because it was the Left that embraced political violence as the generation that now leads the majority in Congress was in its formative years.
OS remembers those years too, as a young person, watching the country come unwound, and attending the funeral of a young friend of the family, a Marine killed by the Viet Cong during a 'Christmas Truce' called by the Viet Cong. In those days, the Left was referring to young men like him as 'murderers'. He was anything but, but it little mattered to the totalitarians in training, who idolized Ho Chi Minh, Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara, mass murderers all.
It is a cultural issue, at bottom, is it not? At the underpinnings of the discipline, history needs to be taught in terms of 'This happened on such a date, and these particular people performed these acts'. Without the ideology or hysteria, just the facts, ma'am. These things, although unromantic, really matter. It's more fun to opine than research and report accurately.
Otherwise, everything goes down the 'memory hole', history is re-written to suit today's exigencies, and the entire concept that words have meaning deteriorates rapidly. Entire chapters of the past vanish. People vanish as well, as if they never existed.
A quick review of the fate of Russia as the USSR should be an object lesson. The few souls like Solzhenitsyn, who carefully preserved history with specificity, ended up underground and/or dead or exiled, their work passed hand-to-hand in dark of night. Bonhoeffer's great essay 'After Ten Years' lived buried in his back garden, unearthed after he was hanged a few days before the collapse of Nazi Germany.
The cultural collapses long predated the political ones. They always do.
Pat Buchanan is one of those troublesome people. He addresses the hysteria about 'right-wing fanatics' that the Left is attempting to foment, in order to silence any and all who might object to their leadership. He takes on Frank Rich's assertion that the right 'went off the rails' in the mid-60's in the wake of civil rights legislation.
Was Rich awake in 1964? Because it wasn't the right that went off the rails. The really big riot in 1964 was in Harlem, lasting five days, with 500 injured and as many arrested. The Watts riot in 1965, Detroit and Newark in 1967, Washington, D.C., and 100 other cities in 1968, all bringing troops into American cities, were not the work of George Wallace populists or Barry Goldwater conservatives. They were the work of folks who went "all the way with LBJ."
Buchanan cites several more examples, all damning of the Left, because it was the Left that embraced political violence as the generation that now leads the majority in Congress was in its formative years.
OS remembers those years too, as a young person, watching the country come unwound, and attending the funeral of a young friend of the family, a Marine killed by the Viet Cong during a 'Christmas Truce' called by the Viet Cong. In those days, the Left was referring to young men like him as 'murderers'. He was anything but, but it little mattered to the totalitarians in training, who idolized Ho Chi Minh, Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara, mass murderers all.
It is a cultural issue, at bottom, is it not? At the underpinnings of the discipline, history needs to be taught in terms of 'This happened on such a date, and these particular people performed these acts'. Without the ideology or hysteria, just the facts, ma'am. These things, although unromantic, really matter. It's more fun to opine than research and report accurately.
Otherwise, everything goes down the 'memory hole', history is re-written to suit today's exigencies, and the entire concept that words have meaning deteriorates rapidly. Entire chapters of the past vanish. People vanish as well, as if they never existed.
A quick review of the fate of Russia as the USSR should be an object lesson. The few souls like Solzhenitsyn, who carefully preserved history with specificity, ended up underground and/or dead or exiled, their work passed hand-to-hand in dark of night. Bonhoeffer's great essay 'After Ten Years' lived buried in his back garden, unearthed after he was hanged a few days before the collapse of Nazi Germany.
The cultural collapses long predated the political ones. They always do.
Ford Sells Volvo To the Chinese
It wasn't pretty. But it was probably inevitable.
The Chinese car maker Geely has signed a deal to buy Volvo from US car giant Ford for $1.8bn (£1.2bn).
The agreement, which was first announced in December, is the biggest overseas purchase by a Chinese car manufacturer.
"Today represents a milestone for Geely," the company's chairman Li Shufu said.
Loss-making Volvo has been on the market since 2008, when Ford put it and several other brands up for sale.
Jaguar and Land Rover in the UK have already been sold to India's Tata Motors.
Ford hopes that the sale of Volvo will help it pay off its debts and focus on its core brands, following a dire period for the global car industry.
The deal represents a loss for Ford, however, having bought Volvo in 1999 for $6.5bn.
Wowee! That's a haircut! But it is indicative, as Robert Peston elegantly points out, of how the ground has shifted under our feet.
The Chinese car maker Geely has signed a deal to buy Volvo from US car giant Ford for $1.8bn (£1.2bn).
The agreement, which was first announced in December, is the biggest overseas purchase by a Chinese car manufacturer.
"Today represents a milestone for Geely," the company's chairman Li Shufu said.
Loss-making Volvo has been on the market since 2008, when Ford put it and several other brands up for sale.
Jaguar and Land Rover in the UK have already been sold to India's Tata Motors.
Ford hopes that the sale of Volvo will help it pay off its debts and focus on its core brands, following a dire period for the global car industry.
The deal represents a loss for Ford, however, having bought Volvo in 1999 for $6.5bn.
Wowee! That's a haircut! But it is indicative, as Robert Peston elegantly points out, of how the ground has shifted under our feet.
Monday, March 29, 2010
The 'Birmingham Hoard': Saxon Art Treasures To Remain At Home
This is happy news, an inspiring moment.
An amateur metal detector enthusiast discovered a collection of 7th century Saxon gold artifacts in the Midlands. Valued initially at over three million pounds, the collection could have probably brought more, were it broken up and auctioned to the highest bidder.
As it turned out, the money was raised, and a plan developed, to keep the collection together, and in residence in Birmingham.
And, long term, the rewards, both cultural and financial, for that region of the UK will far outstrip the wads of short-term cash that could have been made.
And, it was a voluntary and cooperative effort!
It can be done this way, without anyone inflicting trauma on anyone else.
Green Shoots Nomination, definitely, to all involved.
OS hopes you take a few minutes to view the slideshow of these artifacts.
Breathtakingly beautiful pieces, made more enjoyable by knowing the story.
An amateur metal detector enthusiast discovered a collection of 7th century Saxon gold artifacts in the Midlands. Valued initially at over three million pounds, the collection could have probably brought more, were it broken up and auctioned to the highest bidder.
As it turned out, the money was raised, and a plan developed, to keep the collection together, and in residence in Birmingham.
And, long term, the rewards, both cultural and financial, for that region of the UK will far outstrip the wads of short-term cash that could have been made.
And, it was a voluntary and cooperative effort!
It can be done this way, without anyone inflicting trauma on anyone else.
Green Shoots Nomination, definitely, to all involved.
OS hopes you take a few minutes to view the slideshow of these artifacts.
Breathtakingly beautiful pieces, made more enjoyable by knowing the story.
The Moscow Subway Mass Murders: One Question For Us Here In The US and UK To Ponder
The supply of ink, words and emotional outrage about this sort of thing ran out a long time ago.
The most horrifying aspect is that we have come to expect this, or at least are no longer surprised by it.
"It was a terrorist act carried out by the female suicide bombers," said Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, in reference to the first and most lethal explosion, citing the Federal Security Service. "They were specifically timed -- for ... the train was nearing the station -- to make the most damage."
So, to The Question: What are the odds, once the Russian security services run the perpetrators to ground, that they will be read their Miranda rights, housed safely with Halal meals and Muslim chaplains, provided lawyers and tried as civilians at the courthouse closest to the scene of the crime?
And, while we're at it...
What are the odds, also, that these murderers are traced back to Pakistan via Chechnya?
The most horrifying aspect is that we have come to expect this, or at least are no longer surprised by it.
"It was a terrorist act carried out by the female suicide bombers," said Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, in reference to the first and most lethal explosion, citing the Federal Security Service. "They were specifically timed -- for ... the train was nearing the station -- to make the most damage."
So, to The Question: What are the odds, once the Russian security services run the perpetrators to ground, that they will be read their Miranda rights, housed safely with Halal meals and Muslim chaplains, provided lawyers and tried as civilians at the courthouse closest to the scene of the crime?
And, while we're at it...
What are the odds, also, that these murderers are traced back to Pakistan via Chechnya?
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Searchlight, Nevada: Harry Reid's Hometown, Or What CNN Can't Report
CNN, it is reported, claimed a few dozen protesters showed up in Searchlight, Nevada for a Tea Party event. Since that is Harry Reid's hometown, it would be embarrassing if perhaps 10,000 people were to materialize to express their opinion of the man.
Yesterday's online print story did say the event happened, but never got around to mentioning how many folks showed up.
So, in the spirit of public service, OS found a picture or two of the event. One shows the length of the caravan through the desert to Searchlight, and an overhead shot around the stage is also informative.
Really, it's tough to get one's job done when there is so much fawning over the President to do.
Jes' trahyin' to be neighborly, helpful, and all, ya'll.
No worries, Senator Reid.
No worries, Mr. President.
These people aren't motivated to actually do anything come November.
Honest. Ya'll just go on back to your offices, now. It'll all be all right.
Yesterday's online print story did say the event happened, but never got around to mentioning how many folks showed up.
So, in the spirit of public service, OS found a picture or two of the event. One shows the length of the caravan through the desert to Searchlight, and an overhead shot around the stage is also informative.
Really, it's tough to get one's job done when there is so much fawning over the President to do.
Jes' trahyin' to be neighborly, helpful, and all, ya'll.
No worries, Senator Reid.
No worries, Mr. President.
These people aren't motivated to actually do anything come November.
Honest. Ya'll just go on back to your offices, now. It'll all be all right.
This Is How Wars Begin: Obama Shuns Netanyahu, Hamas Stages An Ambush
...and an Israeli family loses a second son to the jihadists. Not a murmur from our press here--just another day. How many column inches devoted this week to the latest from Sandra Bullock? The NCAA? 'Medical marijuana'?
From the Jerusalem Post, the account of an incursion into Gaza by a tank unit, confronting Hamas fighters planting IED's near the border.
Two Israeli soldiers killed:
On Friday evening, Maj. Eliraz Peretz, 31, from Eli, deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion, and St.-Sgt. Maj. Ilan Sviatkovsky from Rishon Lezion were killed during combat with Palestinian gunmen in the southern Gaza Strip, near Khan Yunis.
Peretz led a force into Gaza after two Palestinians were spotted laying improvised explosive devices near the border security fence. During the ensuing fire exchange, a grenade in Peretz’s vest was hit by a bullet and exploded, killing him and wounding two of his soldiers. Sviatkovsky was then shot and killed as well.
Israeli officers still lead their troops, and suffer losses accordingly.
Further down the article, the poignant news is related:
Peretz’s brother, Lt. Uriel Peretz, 22, of Givat Ze’ev, was killed by a Hizbullah bomb along with St.-Sgt. Nitzan Balderan, 19, of Kibbutz Lotem, on November 25, 1998, when the IDF was still deployed in the security zone in south Lebanon. Both men were in the Golani Brigade. The family has another brother serving in Golani Battalion 13. The third brother participated in Operation Cast Lead last year.
OS doesn't know whether to weep, rage, or some combination of the two. Deepest condolences to the families. Who can imagine, much less endure these sorts of losses?
Our President won't be photographed with your Prime Minister, won't break bread with him. He's planning a state dinner for President Calderon of Mexico next month, the leader of one of the most chaotic, brutal and corrupt nations of modern history.
Something is terribly, tragically awry in the White House.
This is how wars begin...
From the Jerusalem Post, the account of an incursion into Gaza by a tank unit, confronting Hamas fighters planting IED's near the border.
Two Israeli soldiers killed:
On Friday evening, Maj. Eliraz Peretz, 31, from Eli, deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion, and St.-Sgt. Maj. Ilan Sviatkovsky from Rishon Lezion were killed during combat with Palestinian gunmen in the southern Gaza Strip, near Khan Yunis.
Peretz led a force into Gaza after two Palestinians were spotted laying improvised explosive devices near the border security fence. During the ensuing fire exchange, a grenade in Peretz’s vest was hit by a bullet and exploded, killing him and wounding two of his soldiers. Sviatkovsky was then shot and killed as well.
Israeli officers still lead their troops, and suffer losses accordingly.
Further down the article, the poignant news is related:
Peretz’s brother, Lt. Uriel Peretz, 22, of Givat Ze’ev, was killed by a Hizbullah bomb along with St.-Sgt. Nitzan Balderan, 19, of Kibbutz Lotem, on November 25, 1998, when the IDF was still deployed in the security zone in south Lebanon. Both men were in the Golani Brigade. The family has another brother serving in Golani Battalion 13. The third brother participated in Operation Cast Lead last year.
OS doesn't know whether to weep, rage, or some combination of the two. Deepest condolences to the families. Who can imagine, much less endure these sorts of losses?
Our President won't be photographed with your Prime Minister, won't break bread with him. He's planning a state dinner for President Calderon of Mexico next month, the leader of one of the most chaotic, brutal and corrupt nations of modern history.
Something is terribly, tragically awry in the White House.
This is how wars begin...
Space Exploration From Yorkshire UK: Green Shoots Nominee
An admiring shout-out to this creative eccentric, who proves that engineering trumps technology.
This Yorkshire hobbyist rigged up a digital camera bought on eBay in a mount, complete with tracking device. Attached to a weather balloon, it travels some twenty miles to the edge of space, and captures stunning photos of the curvature of the earth. Balloon bursts, camera returns to earth by parachute, and our good Yorkshireman locates it with the tracking device.
Cost per exploratory trip to The Final Frontier: £500.
Green Shoots Nominee for creativity and inspiration.
The story mentions that NASA has shown some interest. Given what the current administration has done to its budget, this may be prudent!
HT to Breitbart.
This Yorkshire hobbyist rigged up a digital camera bought on eBay in a mount, complete with tracking device. Attached to a weather balloon, it travels some twenty miles to the edge of space, and captures stunning photos of the curvature of the earth. Balloon bursts, camera returns to earth by parachute, and our good Yorkshireman locates it with the tracking device.
Cost per exploratory trip to The Final Frontier: £500.
Green Shoots Nominee for creativity and inspiration.
The story mentions that NASA has shown some interest. Given what the current administration has done to its budget, this may be prudent!
HT to Breitbart.
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