But where do these local entrepreneurs get their share of the market? They display their products in big supermarkets and "souvenir" shops. These big local supermarkets do not exactly order their products in COD (cash on delivery), rather, these items are ordered on a consignment basis. Consigned items are paid after several weeks even if the goods were already bought within the week. Then local entrepreneurs deliver again. They wait for their cheque. I learned that this is a strategy for big markets to keep the money rolling and to use the sales from the consigned goods for other business transactions. Hence, local entrepreneurs are at the mercy of big enterprises. Why do they stick to this arrangement? They need these big supermarkets as outlets to sell their goods.

Now, why do these local entrepreneurs want to know about accounting? It's because entrepreneurs want to fully understand why there is a need to have an objective evidence to analyze accounting records and reports to assess financial gains or loses in their business. Sometimes, some entrepreneurs have this idea that as long as they have enough capital outlay and skills to produce their product, they can venture into a business without any knowledge about inventory and record-keeping. They think as long as they receive money, it's a sign of success. The accounting part is only realized when they are already losing money. The whole process of providing information in accounting starts with the identification of business stakeholders. Once the different stakeholders are identified, the stakeholder's informational needs are analyzed. Then this is when there is a need to design an accounting information system in order to meet the needs of the stakeholders. Thus, all economic data about the business events and activities are recorded. Once everything is in order, the accounting reports are prepared for stakeholders.

The whole concept of providing information in accounting represents relevant business transactions. SMEs can truly benefit from this skill since it can help them analyze their assets, their liabilities and their rights as owners (or called owner's equity). They can now devise their own system to suit their own purpose and can help them further their success with objectivity. They can also analyze trends based on their financial statements to predict return of sales, gross profit, cost and expense through a ratio formula that will allow them to analyze if they will earn profit for the succeeding years - favorable trends, so to speak. What I realized in the end, and after talking to several entrepreneurs in the room, is that they are wary of going into an e-commerce venture. There is a solid lack of knowledge in e-commerce and this gives them the fear to venture into something which they are aware can minimize their costs.  They fear the competition in the real world without realizing the benefits of even just having an informational website for their products. They post their email addresses in their product label but no one, they say, seems to ask them about their products. I explained that by putting a website address in their label can allow people to even just view their products and read about the nutrition facts of their products. They can start this way. Next, they can even sell their products nationwide and can just limit delivery within certain regions of the country. There is more to be done to motivate local entrepreneurs in my province to try venturing in e-commerce. Our government promotes local entrepreneurship since more businesses in the region mean more jobs for the local people. Maybe promoting e-commerce will hinder this goal to provide more local jobs?

These local entrepreneurs are ready to venture in e-commerce in terms of having the resources to do so. The only problem is to take out that fear about doing business online. But it is truly rewarding to note that more local people are interested in entrepreneurship as our government has been very strict in the adherence of local policies and at the same time government agencies have been giving free skills training. Local people are now aware of setting their goals for success. As one speaker in the workshop said, it is not enough that you simply say you want to buy something. So if you buy something, for instance, "I want to buy a delivery van in 6 months," you should say "I want to buy a delivery van worth 200,000 pesos in 6 months." This way this plan becomes concrete and can be integrated in your accounting system as an expense. Without a specified number, it doesn't become part of your financial statement. So this will set a goal to achieve.

I think venturing into e-commerce for our local entrepreneurs can be another outlet for them to showcase their local produce and gain another market outside their area. This will also "un-monopolize" the way big supermarkets can take the rein in setting the arrangement of "consignment" basis for local products  because they are in a position to assert their position in their selling ability - having a wide share of the market. There are always alternative solutions for marketing problems. I only hope this realization can take effect soon in the long run.

Having utterly failed to push Vista to enough people to do much more than break even, Microsoft is grasping at straws to try and remind people why they "need" them.

This Mojave Experiment has a pretty simple premise, find people that have never used Vista, which 8 out of 10 or better in any random line up probably still haven't, who had heard "bad things" about it, and tell them that "Mojave" was Microsoft's code name for the next Windows, but they were really giving them Vista to use.

Now ignore the facts that these were more than likely paid actors, and even if they weren't, there was nobody left at the end that said they still didn't like Vista, which is suspicious enough, considering that it's slower than XP and there is absolutely no reason to upgrade unless you're just a total masochist that likes having what you will do, dictated by the computer.

The only thing Vista may have going for it over 2000 or XP is that it has DirectX 10, and that really doesn't mean anything, because there still aren't any exclusives for Vista that aren't fully subsidized by Microsoft, or haven't been patched by the community to run on XP or 2000.

Valve's statistics for last month showed 80% of Valve gamers still on XP, and about 3% still using Windows 2000, as for Vista, you have to set Wine on Linux to report itself as Vista for some games to run correctly, so we'll say that 15% of the gamer market uses Vista, and these people are enthusiasts, some going as far as using liquid nitrogen to cool a CPU that's been cranked to 6 Ghz.

The general market couldn't care less if their copy of Office is running on XP or Vista, and all Vista represents to them is a licensing cost for the downgrade (what it is), or the expense of a new computer entirely, Vista is just such bullshit with no return on investment, it's not even funny.

Vista requires a machine that is about 8 times faster than XP requires in order to really run at all, and it can't even really do anything better, Vista takes the memory of 34 Hewlett Packard Pavilion 6343's (A system I had 10 years ago), just to tell you what time it is.

I may add here that if you trim down the kernel, and use a lightweight window manager, Linux will still *run* on a Pentium II with as little as 32 megs of RAM, explaining again why it is so common among thrifty computer users, or people in third world countries that cannot afford Vista or the latest hardware to run on it, Microsoft essentially is encouraging pollution in having people throw out perfectly good systems to get the latest Windows. (Of course Linux can scale all the way up to the fastest computer on the planet, which runs Red Hat Enterpise Linux on tens of thousands of CPU cores.)

Of course there was another experiment I like to reference whenever it comes to group conformity:

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

Fully 65% of the subjects in this experiment would shock another human being to death because an authority figure told them to continue.

I find it scary that fully 65% of the people I see every day are that fucking stupid, depraved, or indifferent enough to shock another human being shitless, yet humorous at the same time that only 13-15% are actually stupid enough to have bought Windows Vista.

I'm guessing they said "Buy Vista or Steve Ballmer's next chair will be aimed at you..."

Daß andererseits zu viel "Integration" auch ihre Probleme haben kann, davon kann ich nach dem heutigen Tag selbst ein Lied singen. Der Anlaß: Besuch auf "meiner" Bank in Kiew, aber der Reihe nach.

Wenn westliche Firmen in die Märkte Osteuropas expanieren, dann tun sie gut daran, sich vorher mit diesen Märkten und deren Gegebenheiten vertraut zu machen. Umfang des Marktes, Zielgruppen, Besonderheiten des Marktes, all das und noch mehr sind Fragen, die man tunlichst vor einem Eintritt in solch einen Markt klärt. Aber auch Fragen wie Alleinstellungsmerkmale und Besonderheiten die man den zukünftigen Kunden bieten will und kann, auch das sind Fragen, die einer Antwort harren. Wer z.B. sich mit der Frage befaßt sein Business in China anzusiedeln, der ist gut beraten sich auch mit Hilfe des Internets schlau zu machen. Quellen gibt es da im Überfluß und einer meiner liebsten Podcasts ist der China-Business-Podcast, der mir auch Informationen zu Osteuropa liefert, da sich die Verhaltensformen manchmal frappierend ähneln. Wichtig erscheint mir an dieser Stelle nur, daß die Firmen ihre "Integration" nicht übertreiben. Auch solche Firmen soll es geben. Um zwei davon soll es heute gehen.

Einige Firmen nehmen es mit der Integration ziemlich genau, um nicht zu sagen, sie übertreiben es ein wenig. Zu diesen Firmen zählt u.a. die deutsche Versicherung AXA, die eine ukrainische Firma gleichen Namens gegründet hat und sich nun auf dem ukrainischen Versicherungsmarkt tummelt. Wer ein Visum für die Ukraine haben will, der benötigt eine Krankenversicherung. Dieses Erfordernis ist ein Reflex auf die Forderung europäischer Staaten ukrainische Staatsangehörige nur dann mit einem Visum zu versehen, wenn die Antragsteller einen Krankenversicherungsnachweis bei Beantragung des Visums vorlegen.

Nun könnte man ja denken, daß da eine beliebige Auslandskrankenversicherung ausreichend für die Beantragung eines ukrainischen Visums ist, der ADAC-Schutzbrief zum Beispiel, der nicht nur Krankenversicherungsschutz weltweit verspricht. Aber im Falle der Ukraine, weit gefehlt. Neben der AXA Versicherung, die jetzt in der Ukraine agiert und die einen solchen Versicherungsschutz bietet, gibt es nur ein weiteres Unternehmen, das von den ukrainischen Auslandsvertretungen als hinreichender Krankenversicherungsschutz betrachtet wird. Alle anderen Versicherungen mögen noch so gut sein, kein AXA Schein oder der Schein des einen Mitbewerbers, kein Visum. So einfach ist das.

In Deutschland würde man das einen klassischen Fall von Monopolstellung nennen. Und wie es dazu kommt daß man eben nur zwei Versicherungen als für die Ukraine passend befand, das möchte ich lieber nicht wissen. Da aber hinreichend bekannt ist daß es da die mannigfaltigsten Möglichkeiten gibt, in Armenien z.B. ließ sich ein griechisches Unternehmen ein "Gesetz" machen, daß ihm die Alleinherrschaft als Mobilfunkanbieter für einige Jahre sicherte, reicht meine Phantasie auch aus sich entsprechende - pekuniär abgefederte - Vereinbarungen, die man mit Hilfe zahlreicher Beamter und Abgeordneter durchboxte, vorzustellen.

In Deutschland hat man unlängst die Frage nach dem Eingriff deutscher Unternehmen in ausländische Märkte mittels finanzieller Schmiermittel gestellt, SIEMENS sei da nur kurz erwähnt. Unter Anwendung dieser Grundsätze könnte man ja auch einmal das Geschäftsgebahren der deutschen AXA und ihrer ukrainischen Tochter in der Ukraine würdigen ... wenn und soweit man das wollte. Aber selbst die Kartellbehörde der Ukraine scheint da noch nichts von gehört zu haben.

Kehren wir zurück zu "meiner" Bank. Ich will eigentlich nur Geld mittels des Geldtransferdienstes Western-Union überweisen. An sich ist das kein Akt, Vordruck ausfüllen, Personalausweis plus Geld dem Kassierer geben, in maximal 10 Minuten ist alles über die Bühne. Anders hier in Kiew.

In Deutschland bin ich bei der SEB Bank, und auf meine Kundenbetreuerin, Frau B. in Berlin lasse ich nichts kommen. Frau B. ist auch nicht typisch für einen Banker, der ist wohl eher in der Art der Leute, die angesichts meiner Bankhistorie sagen würden daß sich das "nicht länger darstellen läßt", was eine höfliche Bankerumschreibung für "Mit Dir besser keine Geschäfte mehr" ist. Aber Frau B. ist einfach ... klasse. Ein besseres Wort dafür fällt mir nicht ein, und sie ist auch der einzige Grund, der mich an der SEB noch festhält. Die nichtvorhandenen Guthabenzinsen auf mein Girokonto und die kostenlosen Lutschbonbons, die es auch in Kiew gibt, sind es jedenfalls nicht.

Also gehe ich frohgemut in die SEB Bank in Kiew am Tolstoi Platz. Wer denkt daß man im Zeitalter globalisierter Wirtschaft als deutscher SEB Kunde auch eine gute Behandlung bei der ukrainischen SEB Bank erhält, der sollte sich nicht zu früh freuen. Zwar sind die deutsche SEB und die ukrainische SEB über ihre gemeinsame Mutter der schwedischen SEB Bank verbunden, aber das ist es dann wohl auch schon.

15.05 - Ich betrete die Bank und gehe an den Schalter an den ich immer gehe. Gähnende Leere und kein Hinweis wo der oder die Bankmitarbeiter abgeblieben sein könnten. Ich warte. Im Hintergrund gehen Bankmitarbeiter von links nach rechts und rechts nach links. Mir wird keinerlei Aufmerksamkeit zuteil. Auf einem Aktenschrank steht eine der Firmenfahnen, weiß leuchten da die Buchstaben "SEB" auf grünem Grund, die Flagge ist auf halbmast gerutscht. Ob das etwas zu bedeuten hat?

Ein Mitarbeiter mit sorgenzerfurchter Stirn geht mit einem Aktendeckel ans andere Ende des Saales um kurz darauf zurückzukehren. Sein Gesichtsausdruck läßt nur den einen Schluß zu. Hier ist der Alleinschuldige an der amerikanischen Immobilienfinanzierungskrise und eben hat man ihm eröffnet daß er alles bis auf den letzten Heller aus seinem Girokonto begleichen muß.

Bin ich vielleicht falsch hier und in Wahrheit handelt es sich nicht um eine Bank mit Kunden sondern um einen Fitness-Salon? Oder steht mir auf die Stirn geschrieben "bankmäßig nicht darstellbar?"

15.15 - Ich rufe einen der Eilenden zu mir heran und bitte um ein Überweisungsformular. Normalerweise könnte man die auch auslegen, so bin ich es von deutschen Bankinstituten gewöhnt, aber wir sind nicht in Deutschland. Vielleicht sind die Druckerzeugnisse besonders wertvoll so daß man sie unter Verschluß halten oder mit Klauen und Zähnen verteidigen muß so wie einst jede einzelne Wohnung im Straßenkampf um Berlin ? Vielleicht kommen ab und zu Obdachlose und raffen die Formulare als Toilettenpapierersatz zusammen um dann eiligst das Weite zu suchen? Fragen über Fragen.

15.20 - Ich habe mein Formular ordnungsgemäß ausgefüllt und erscheine wieder an dem verwaisten Schalter. Das Mitarbeiterrennen im Hintergrund fährt fort und die Kassiererin aus der Kassenbox gesellt sich hinzu als sie mit einer Tüte wohl kürzlich erworbener Lebensmittel auf der Bildfläche auftaucht um nach Beenden eines kurzen Schwatzes mit einem der "Läufer" in ihrer umkleideten Kassenbox unterzutauchen. Ein Jungbanker macht die Szene komplett. Auch er geht mit Papieren auf und ab ohne mich eines Blickes zu würdigen. In seinem Gesicht nur die Entschlossenheit noch härter zu arbeiten falls nötig und wenn es sein muß eine neue Finanzkrise aufs Parkett zu legen, die die bisherige nur als eine müde Kinderpolonaise erscheinen lassen würde. Auf Kunden zugehen ? Ja ich bin ein Kunde, oder möchte es zumindest werden, keine Spur, Investmentbanking und die neuesten Kurse der Wallstreet ja, aber ein Privatkunde, Gott behüte.

15.25 -Einer der Fitness-Läufer den ich mir wieder herangepfiffen habe, erklärt mir, daß ich an den Schalter am Ende des Saales gehen solle. Dort, so seine Auskunft, würde mir weitergeholfen. Am Schalter erfahre ich aber nur daß ich eigentlich schon am richtigfen Schalter gewesen sei, die Kollegin aber zur Mittagspause sei und ich warten solle. Mittagszeit in Kiew um fast Halb Vier? Andere Länder, andere Sitten. Ich beschließe zu meinem in der Nähe befindlichen Lieblings-McDonalds zu gehen um mir die Zeit mit einem Becher Kaffee und einem Eis zu verkürzen. Wer weiß, vielleich finde ich ja auch die Bankmitarbeiterin dort?

15.35 - McDonalds am Tolstoi Platz. Ein Kaffee und ein Eis sind schnell geordert. Ich lasse mir Zeit, wer weiß wann die Bankmitarbeiterin "zu Mittag" - der in Kiew eben auch weit hinter Mittag liegen kann - gegangen ist. Den Rest der Zeit vetreibe ich mir dadurch daß ich einige Seiten in meiner derzeitigen Lektüre lese, ironischer Weise ein Buch über KAIZEN, die japanische Art der stetigen Verbesserung. Vielleicht auch eine Lektüre für die Leitung der SEB Filiale am Tolstoi Platz?

16.00 - Ich bin zurück in der Bankfiliale die nur wenige Schritte entfernt von McDonalds ist. Der Schalter ist weiterhin verwaist. Gewitzt von den bisherigen Erfahrungen hole ich mir gleich einen der weiterhin hektisch agierenden Fitnesstreibenden. Ich werde an einen Schalter in der Mitte des Saales verwiesen. Jetzt, gleich, kann es losgehen. Immerhin sitzt hier eine Mitarbeiterin. Ich erkläre ihr mein Anliegen. Sie beginnt eifrig in die Tasten vor ihr zu hauen bis zu dem Moment wo ... ich ihr meinen Paß rüberreiche, "Oh Gott, auch das noch, nicht nur ein Kunde, auch noch einer aus dem Ausland zu allem Überfluß. Das muß doch nun wirklich nicht sein" sieht man es fürmlich auf ihrer zerfurchten Stirn geschrieben. Vielleicht weiß sie aber auch um meine deutsche Nichtdarstellbarkeit? Mit großen Augen wendet sie sich an den Mitarbeiter der hier sowohl die Funktion des Fitnesstrainers wahrnehmen könnte, so oft habe ich ihn schon mit irgendeiner Akte von links nach rechts und zurück laufen sehen, als auch die des Saalvorstehers.

Der Saalvorsteher erklärt ihr was zu machen ist. Sie macht sich verzweifelt ans Werk nicht ohne alle Augenblicke wieder den "Fitnesstrainer" mit Fragen zu überhäufen.

16.15 - Mit einem Packen bedrucktem Papier aus dem Nadeldrucker gehe ich in den Kassensaal. Ich hätte vielleicht ja auch an der Kasse im gleichen Saal die Dinge erledigen können, aber ich will es doch nicht darauf ankommen lassen und vor geschlossenem Schalter stehen nur weil die Gute vielleicht noch schnell auf ein Bündel Petersilie in den nahen Besarabski Markt gegangen ist. Im Kassensaal auf arbeitende Mitarbeiter zu treffen, die Chance ist dort gleichwohl größer.

Nachdem ich Geld von meinem Konto abgeholt um es gleich darauf wieder eingezahlt zu haben, nicht ohne Abzug entsprechender Prozente versteht sich, mache ich mich mit meinem Papierbündel auf in den Fitness-Saal. "Was ist der Überfall auf eine Bank gegen den Besitz einer Bank?" Diese Worte Berthold Brechts gehen mir durch den Sinn. "Meiner" Mitarbeiterin, die sich eben noch um mich gekümmert hat, ist die Sache mit dem Ausländer in der Zwischenzeit doch wohl zu unheimlich geworden. Ich werde wieder an das Saalende verwiesen. Mittlerweile könnte ich auch ein paar Turnschuhe gut gebrauchen. Vielleicht trainieren nicht nur die Mitarbeiter der Bankfiliale heimlich noch in der Hoffnung doch noch nach Peking fahren zu können, vielleicht gibt es auch eine geheime Anweisung der Bankleitung auch die Kunden in dieses Training einzubeziehen. Nur gesunde Kunden sind auch langwährende Kunden? Wer weiß, auch das ein "Geheimnis des Ostens" ?

Die Mitarbeiterin die vor einiger Zeit in die Mittagspause - wir erinnern uns gegen 15.30 Uhr - gegangen ist, ist endlich zurück. Mit meinen Papieren bewaffnet gehe ich jetzt an den Schalter der mir endlich die Lösung meiner Probleme bringen soll. Und dann geht alles ganz schnell. Behende tippt sie die Daten ins Terminal, schnell ist sie zurück vom Ende des Saales und hat einige Papiere in der Hand. Jetzt noch ein paar Unterschriften und "schon" ist alles erledigt. Mein Geld ist auf dem Weg nach Rußland. Das ich das noch erleben darf? Es ist 16.40 Uhr.

Otto Reutter mit seinem Lied "der gewissenhafte Maurer" bei dem der Refrain "Jetzt fang' wer gleich an" dem einen oder anderen wohl eher bekannt ist und bei dem es darum geht daß ein Maurer zum Einsetzen eines Mauersteins einen geschlagenen Tag braucht um dann kurz vor Feierabend den Stein eben doch nicht einzusetzten, fällt mir ein. Hier haben wir es auch mit gewissenhaften Mitarbeitern zutun, "Bankbeamten" im schlimmsten Sinne des Wortes eben.

Die Integration der SEB in die allgemeine "Service-Unkultur" der Nach-Sowjet-Zeit ist vollständig gelungen, herzlichen Glückwunsch. Kunden stehen als Bittsteller in der auf West getrimmten Schalterhalle rum in der Erwartung von Bedienung und die ist ... Fehlanzeige. Na ja, bedient bin ich heute schon. Ich bin jedoch weiterhin Optimist. Vielleicht liest ja mal jemand in der ukrainischen SEB das Kaizenbuch? Und macht seine Schlußfolgerungen daraus? "Kadry reschaiet vse" - "Das Personal ist allesentscheidend", dieser Satz von Josef Vissiarionovitch Stalin sollte vielleicht an Stelle der vielen Werbeplakate mit dem Hinweis auf den schwedischen Ursprung der Bank an den Wänden der Bankfiliale hängen. Aber die Kenntnis der Geschichte darf man hier bei den mehrheitlich wohl erst nach der Perestroika Geborenen wohl auch nicht mehr erwarten.

Zum Abschluß fällt mir fällt eine Begebenheit aus der Zeit der AEG in Berlin ein. Mein Chef, der zugleich mit uns neu ins Unternehmen gekommen war, antworte auf die Anforderung von zusätzlichem Personal in einer Abteilung mit dem mir immer noch im Ohr klingenden Worten "Sie brauchen keine zwei Leute zusätzlich, Sie brauchen zwei Leute anstatt ... " Das Gefühl hatte ich in der Bank heute leider auch.

One of the best rated multiplayer golf games is the Albatross 18. It is set in a dreamlike fantasy world where you get to change roles and be part of the tranquil beauty around you. It has multi-player tournaments and upgradeable roles which can be achieved by magic potions and special tools.

A multiplayer golf game is one which allows you to compete with as many as four other players. Nintendo's True Swing Golf is also another fantastic game with the same option. It also lets you play with a foursome, and has a wireless multiplayer option with just one game card. You can also undergo character customization while playing the game.

Mario Golf Advance Tour is also another brilliant multiplayer game which won the best overall game award for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. As with other games, you can partake of a tournament with four other players and play a variety of games at all kinds of levels. Mario Golf has also done away with the wires and tangles which keep you and your gaming partners too close for comfort. They have introduced the Wireless Adaptor.

But it also has a second option for those of you who want to go the cable way. Simply install it with a link cable. Multiplayer golf games are a good way to pass the when you are just chilling indoors with your game buddies. It's a good way to liven up a boring party or to have fun with your family at home. Multiplayer golf games are available online at numerous websites. It is advisable to download and play the demo version before purchasing it.

Golf Games For Three Players
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From A Talk by Edward Griffin: Author of The Creature from Jekyll Island:

It is a Cartel Operating Against the Public Interest

This is extremely significant because it happened precisely at that point in American history where business was undergoing a major and fundamental change in ideology. Prior to this point, American business had been operating under the principles of private enterprise--free enterprise competition is what made American great, what caused it to surpass all of the other nations of the world. Once we had achieved that pinnacle of performance, however, this was the point in history where the shift was going away from competition toward monopoly. This has been described in many textbooks as the dawning of the era of the cartel and this was what was happening. For the fifteen year period prior to the meeting on Jekyll Island, the very investment groups about which we are speaking were coming together more and more and engaging in joint ventures rather than competing with each other. The meeting on Jekyll Island was merely the culmination of that trend where they came together completely and decided not to compete--they formed a cartel.

I need to define that word so that you will know what I mean when I use the word cartel. It is a group of independently owned businesses which come together for the purpose of reducing or eliminating competition between themselves to enhance their profit margin or to secure their positions in the market. They do this by various means one of which is price fixing--no competition on price. There are other means. If we were forming a cartel here I might insist that I get the north and you can have the south and we won't compete. Or I would say I'll produce the gizmo and you can have the widget and we won't compete or we'll share patents and processes and whatever we do we agree to eliminate competition between ourselves. The more layers of agreement that we put one on top of the other, the more we become encased in this cartel structure and we become as one insofar as the market is concerned even though within that grouping we are separately owned.

This is just as true with a banking cartel as it is with any other industry. We come to the conclusion when we analyze the nature of the Federal Reserve System how it operates, read the Federal Reserve Act, place it against the context of the historical background and we come smack to the realization that the Federal Reserve System although it parades around looking as though it's a government operation of some kind, is merely a cartel of banks right under our noses and it is protected by law. I sometimes get the impression that it's been there dangerously operating all these years and we didn't even know it. I saw a video some years ago about the lava tubes in Hawaii. They are very impressive because apparently once in a while the ground will just break out, a hole will fall down and you can look into the hole and you see that there's a river of lava actually flowing just a few feet under your feet and you don't even know it's down there unless something breaks through and you hope you're not on the piece that breaks through. I got the feeling that this is how the Federal Reserve has been operating right under our feet; this cartel has been running and we didn't even know it because that fact has been carefully concealed from us.

Conclusion number 2 about the Federal Reserve System, a very important thing that we didn't know is the cartel. There's even more to it than that. Perhaps the third ingredient is the most important of all and that is the realization that this cartel went into partnership with the government. Now we have hold of something extremely significant. Cartels often go into partnership with governments because they need the force of law to enforce their cartel agreement but in this case they did it in spades.

It is a Cartel Operating Against the Public Interest 

This is extremely significant because it happened precisely at that point in American history where business was undergoing a major and fundamental change in ideology. Prior to this point, American business had been operating under the principles of private enterprise--free enterprise competition is what made American great, what caused it to surpass all of the other nations of the world. Once we had achieved that pinnacle of performance, however, this was the point in history where the shift was going away from competition toward monopoly. This has been described in many textbooks as the dawning of the era of the cartel and this was what was happening. For the fifteen year period prior to the meeting on Jekyll Island, the very investment groups about which we are speaking were coming together more and more and engaging in joint ventures rather than competing with each other. The meeting on Jekyll Island was merely the culmination of that trend where they came together completely and decided not to compete--they formed a cartel.

I need to define that word so that you will know what I mean when I use the word cartel. It is a group of independently owned businesses which come together for the purpose of reducing or eliminating competition between themselves to enhance their profit margin or to secure their positions in the market. They do this by various means one of which is price fixing--no competition on price. There are other means. If we were forming a cartel here I might insist that I get the north and you can have the south and we won't compete. Or I would say I'll produce the gizmo and you can have the widget and we won't compete or we'll share patents and processes and whatever we do we agree to eliminate competition between ourselves. The more layers of agreement that we put one on top of the other, the more we become encased in this cartel structure and we become as one insofar as the market is concerned even though within that grouping we are separately owned.

This is just as true with a banking cartel as it is with any other industry. We come to the conclusion when we analyze the nature of the Federal Reserve System how it operates, read the Federal Reserve Act, place it against the context of the historical background and we come smack to the realization that the Federal Reserve System although it parades around looking as though it's a government operation of some kind, is merely a cartel of banks right under our noses and it is protected by law. I sometimes get the impression that it's been there dangerously operating all these years and we didn't even know it. I saw a video some years ago about the lava tubes in Hawaii. They are very impressive because apparently once in a while the ground will just break out, a hole will fall down and you can look into the hole and you see that there's a river of lava actually flowing just a few feet under your feet and you don't even know it's down there unless something breaks through and you hope you're not on the piece that breaks through. I got the feeling that this is how the Federal Reserve has been operating right under our feet; this cartel has been running and we didn't even know it because that fact has been carefully concealed from us.

Conclusion number 2 about the Federal Reserve System, a very important thing that we didn't know is the cartel. There's even more to it than that. Perhaps the third ingredient is the most important of all and that is the realization that this cartel went into partnership with the government. Now we have hold of something extremely significant. Cartels often go into partnership with governments because they need the force of law to enforce their cartel agreement but in this case they did it in spades.

1. Boycott her and don't TRY the Lotto.Who cares if you may win? You wish to boycott Gloria Arroyo so do NOT bet on the lottery NO MATTER what. Why would you want to support GMAs government?

2.Do not pay Phil-Health, don't BUY anything with VAT (it will support her government and you don't like that right?)Do not buy cheaper drugs (that's her project too) Do not buy NFA rice. Maybe you should NOT buy any rice at all because she arranged for those imports.

3. Do not GO to the new airport terminal, that' s her project too. Instead, ask Erap or Lopez to lend you their private plane/ choppers. If they don't have one, swim the ocean. If you are about to drown, do not ask the help of the Navy or coastguard. You should NOT support people who support GMA right? Instead, go and knock at ABS-CBN and ask them for help or go to Loi's address at Greenhills. Make sure you have the RIGHT address. Do not go to "other addresses".

4. Get rid of your citizenship. Why would you want to be a under a President you hate? You should have more dignity than that. Go to the DFA and ask them to grant you a "stateless" status. That means that Gloria Arroyo is NOT your president and you are FREE of her.

5. Go to Sudan and stay there if they grant you Political Asylum. Bring a Teddy bear and name it Moe. That would solve all your earthly problems.

I used to think there was only one disadvantage of Ravelry, and for now I hope it is only hypothetical - that Ravelry might kill diversity rather than encourage it. That it could become a monopoly through the very enthusiasm of its users, leading to the downfall of a thriving world of the knitting blog. Even other well-established online communities such as Craftster and Knitty are threatened by the popularity of Ravelry.

There are those who think that doesn't matter...me, I will miss the more creative, expansive nature of the blog. I will miss not being able to go to Knitty for advice, Craftster to see what's being made. I want Ravelry to be part of my knitting world, not all of it. I don't fancy any sort of monopoly.

But now I see there is another major issue Ravelry has to answer for: it accentuates a problem of which the internet is already at the root - taking people away from doing things. Most recently I came across Knit, knit, knit's confession

To quote her:

Hi my name is Sonia, I’m a Ravelry addict. It has been 2 hours since being on Ravelry, it’s taking over my knitting life.

I stayed off Ravelry for just one night this week. Just to see if I could do it. I was pleasantly surprised with myself, I went straight back on the following morning, and nothing had happened, I didn’t miss any thing. But god, imagine if I had…

Various people echoed agreement.

Gee whiz, children. Pl-ee-zzzzz-e. Ravelry is just a facilitator. It is supposed to encourage you to knit, not discourage you.

To spend all your time on Ravelry is as dismal as to spend it in front of the TV - no, worse - at least you could knit then.

Don't get me wrong, I use Ravelry every day, and contribute here and there, but it is always for specific reasons. I would never be on Ravelry in preference to knitting.

My name is cathyc and I have a confession to make. I don't know everything that is going on at Ravelry. But I knit a lot.

The British Government want to cut file sharing by 80% by 2011. British Phonographic Industry - the trade cartel for the UK record industry - has cut a deal with six of the UK's biggest ISPs. The ISPs have agreed a three-strikes policy against customers who are suspected by the BPI of file sharing.

And just because the ISPs are agreeing to boot offenders, this doesn't mean the cartel won't take people to court for damages. They have and they will again. That's not to say the equivalent US cartel, the Record Industry Association of America won't sue people. They also have and will again.

The difference is the approach by Government. The BPI have Whitehall in their pocket. You're thinking those must be very big pockets to fit Whitehall in them, but trust me, the BPI and its members have big pockets. Much bigger pockets than the private individuals they like to pick off and litigate into financial oblivion.

I'm not suggesting the record industry isn't hurting from the downturn in CD sales. But they're not losing money. Let's be straight about this. You can't lose someting you don't have. Unless you have either pocketed someone's money and it gets taken out of your pocket or you have invested money and end up with less than you've invested, you haven't lost money. But they are hurting because it must be emotionally painful to be used to wallowing in billions and billions of pounds and to now have fewer billions in which to wallow. Think of what it must be like to be filthy rich and after a huge slump in sales to be, well, filthy rich.

Let me say this again: when you are making huge profits and then you are making less huge profits, you are not losing money.

In the US, the RIAA has had to face accusations of the obvious - they are an antitrust violating monopoly. It appears from my brief look at existing litigation that the RIAA are in retreat. Most recently it seems they have tried to drop cases in such a way as to punish the defendants by forcing them to pay their own legal fees, which, when fighting giant corporations and their lawyers, can be enormous. They have now been losing at that tactic.

In the UK, the courts have not been so enlightened. it is strange to think that in a very capitalist country like the US, the courts and even Congress can see through attempts at creating illegal monopolies and bullying the consumer, while in the socialist UK, big business wins.

So once again in the UK we have to deal with a heavy-handed totalitarian-aspiring Government and their collusion with industry cartels that are determined to maintain their profit levels. I haven't even touched on the Government supporting the energy utilities putting up their prices by 35% in a single hike to maintain or even increase their profit levels in the face of rising energy costs.

Yes, Game Libratory = Library + Laboratory. And yes, games - meaning everything from those historical ancient emulated DOS PC games to low cost edu-tainment products to the latest PS3, XBOX 360, and Wii games… It’s really something that all our current libraries are missing, and there aren’t nearly enough (if any) great labs organizing the history of gaming as it flies by us - in such a way that people could someday check them out like microfiche and catch up on some games of the past that are no longer accessible other than to a few who snatch them up from ebay or at a garage sale! Also, imagine how much history there is in simply watching people play these various games, and seeing how the usability and interactions have evolved over time… and when you someday tell your kids, “back in my day, we used a JOYSTICK”… well you can drag them down to the Game Libratory to experience some historical gaming first hand.

Courtesy of notcot.com

This is one of the flyest things I''ve seen on the internet today. These days our music is in digital crates (most folks have a external hooked up to whatever next gen their holding with vids and music) and the opportunity to put my games in one consolidated spot would be awesome. Picture my dude inphdigi showin his new born daughter a gaming library. From Frogger to Shadows of Colossus. From Pong to Metal Gear. From..let me stop. What we as gamer have to do is never forget, and this allows us to do that very thing. Very awesome IMO.

Peace Peace to Era88, kuz I stole it from them.

When the web got going with digital distribution, i found this site on the net called itsaboutmusic. i allowed this site to put the tunes up on mp3.com through a digital click and paying some money via credit card.

MP3.com shut down because of legal problems with the way they were dealing with music. After MP3 shut down, itsaboutmusic signed a deal with IODA alliance to distribute all the artists they had previously had with mp3.com, yet did not tell the artists. Prior to this happening I sent a mail to itsaboutmusic saying I wanted to be in control of digital rights. i then put the songs with cdbaby for digital distribution.

itsaboutmusic did not take down the songs from IODA, so the songs are with 2 distributors, this created digital distribution problems. tunes were available on the JJJ website in Australia, yet cdbaby could not tell me how. Then started to think that the distributor of cds in Australia must be digitally distributing, more confused? canceled digital distribution through cdbaby, figured no-one has the rights to the tunes.

The songs still remained on JJJ site, lots of emails latter found that the songs were being distributed through IODA, never heard of before. Contacted IODA and they took the tunes down. Asked IODA if i could maintain my tunes with them, they said NO.

Confused by everything, yet still wanting to make the songs available, i put the tunes with the Orchard via amphead in Australia. Paid extra dollars to get a promotional push. Nothing happens. Even with the current use in the film, the orchard are not interested in doing promo.

.This has all been refreshed in the last days, because of an upload to cdbaby. after all this i thought to go and check out the itsaboutmusic site.

what they say on their website.

We have distribution deals with 130 download stores, kiosk companies, retail music streaming companies and cellular companies around the world including all iTunes sites - USA, Japan, UK, etc., Rhapsody, MusicMatch, Napster, MSN, Wal-Mart, AOL - and we work feverishly to reinvent this new digital wheel every day so that more and more music fans will purchase our artists' music.

The problem is that IODA distribute to these stores not itsaboutmusic. And on IODA's site itsaboutmusic is not listed as a partner, how would any artist that has an issue with itsaboutmusic be able to complain? How many other labels is IODA allowing to claim that they are the distributor?

itsaboutmusic is also saying
13. No Contracts to sign except one to specify that the music you are delivering to us will only be distributed digitally by us until you terminate the deal.

The worst thing seems that the artist that sign up have to pay 250 dollars up front to IAM, cdbaby is only 30 dollars and take 9 percent. I can't see that itsaboutmusic is really doing much for the artist, other than passing it onto another distributor. It seems this kind of arrangement works well for both IODA and itsaboutmusic.

i sent emails to IODA asking them that itsaboutmusic service be represented as it is, no response yet. Yet would it not create problems for artists with IAM if they found out what is happening, or are they happy with this? 15 percent to IODA and 10 percent to IAM. With the Orchard and cdbaby I'm able to login to their system and see where digital downloads might happen, even though not much happens with either of these services.

Most artists want to get as close to the big distributor as they can, when a guy is running a business alone from home is claiming to be big distribution, yet another company is really doing the distribution. Is the distributor responsible for this happening? Is it a problem that this guy who is making a false claims about his service is also distributing royalties to artists.

Maybe this kind of thing is standard business practice in the US, yet with the web crossing all boundaries, its strange for a big distributor like IODA, to leave room for such potential abuse. Why is itsaboutmusic not listed on IODA's website as a distributor? How many other sites online are doing the same thing through IODA? Is this fair for artists trying to find a way for their tunes to be heard?

"...Privacy is a hot topic these days, and we want you to feel totally comfortable using our service. Because Cuil analyzes Web pages and not click-throughs, we don’t need to know your search history and habits. So our privacy policy is very simple: when you search with Cuil, we do not collect any personally identifiable information, period. We have no idea who sends queries: not by name, not by IP address, and not by cookie. Your search history is your business, not ours. We don’t need to keep logs of our users’ search activity, so we don’t." Read more at Cuil's Philosophy.

Google is becoming a monopoly of NOT search, but of USER HABITS and uses them shamelessly in Adwords.

I hope cuil.com becoems the searchn engine of choice , as it will keep the internet a safer place.

UPDATE: Heart Zhang from Foxconn has gone to Ubuntu Forums and is linking to the development version of this BIOS, it’s working great for me, so if you happen to have the G33M or G33M-S motherboard and these issues are affecting you, and you don’t want to wait for the official BIOS release, you can get it on Foxconn’s FTP server: (Heart says all affected Foxconn motherboards will be fixed soon)

http://wft.foxconn.com/wft/Login.aspx

Username: enduser

Password: 123456

BIOS name: 772F1D43
You can unzip the file, just run flash.bat on DOS mode to flash the BIOS.

You can get the Windows Server 2008 eval edition and Fox Live Update tool (Just point it to the ROM file and let it do the rest) if you don’t want to mess with DOS, otherwise to make a FreeDOS bootCD with the BIOS flash, I’ve found a HowTo here:

http://www.linuxinsight.com/how-to-flash-motherboard-bios-from-linux-no-dos-windows-no-floppy-drive.html

See the Ubuntu Forum thread here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=877721

Again, thanks to Foxconn for responding to this so quickly!

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I've received lots of everything over the last few days regarding Foxconn/AMI/ASUS/MSI BIOS scandal:

But in the end, I believe I was right.

It's very sad that these companies would obviously bury their heads in the sand than listen to the people that write their paychecks, and if you are reading this on a computer right now, you have probably signed a paycheck for one of the parties responsible. ;)

When I buy something that says it is standards compliant, I want something that is compliant with the standard, as they claim, not something that has a certain company's arbitrary "We only give a shit about Product X, but we'll gladly rubber stamp this!" seal of approval.

Anything that deviates from that is false advertising and exploitation of the consumer.

This is not about being a Linux fanboy or a Microsoft hater, (Windows users should be just as outraged at the parties responsible for a cargo cult BIOS!) it's about "I want what you sold me, not this turd I've been handed", I've not been as scathing of Microsoft, _ever_ until this point. (more on that in a moment!)

What would you do if you bought a car and they sold it to you with headlights, but the headlights only worked during the day? And when you flipped the radio on, it caused the windshield wipers and the horn to activate.

And when you stepped on the brakes, the car didn't stop, it said "Thank you for buying this car, we don't care that you just got ripped off with something that doesn't work, but thanks for buying this car! Please avoid driving at night, turning the radio on, or stepping on the brakes if you don't like this behavior"

It's obvious what would happen, nobody would buy their car, they would be a short lived business!

Unfortunately when Microsoft does this with software, you have no such luck, I've already stated that this BIOS is heavily and intentionally reliant on Windows Hardware Error Architecture (a thinly veiled Microsoft-proprietary ACPI) to function, so while it has ACPI-like features, it is not compliant with the published standards.

And there's very little that one person could do about that, actually nothing that could be done about that, because Microsoft is a convicted monopolist that uses it's weight to subvert open standards, through threats, bribes, and horse trading, Power gets what Power wants.

Doesn't change the fact that I was cheated, or that millions of other people were....conned into buying these defective products.

Microsoft ACPI is the Microsoft Internet Explorer of power management:

Remember when all those websites said "Come back with Netscape" or "Come back with MSIE on Windows"?, Microsoft still does...

It was horrible trying to use the internet back then, Internet Explorer 4 was buggy and crash prone and still gets 1.2 security patches a second (slight exaggeration), but the worst part was that consumers had no choice, Netscape had to resort to those dirty tricks to try to keep customers.(Which is why Linux tries to masquerade itself to the BIOS as Windows, even though Windows' behavior is incorrect)

Windows Hardware Error Architechture and the Microsoft BIOS assembly tools are no different from MSIE and MS Frontpage, which were a defective browser, and a defective web page editor that made pages that only worked in the defective browser.

Microsoft is a monopolist using filthy stinking lies and underhanded business decisions to keep ahold of that, and the United States is unlikely to intervene because it's "Good for the economy", and the politicians in office essentially pardoned these rapacious sharks because of that reason.

I have no reason other than Microsoft to hate Microsoft:

Regardless of Microsoft's level of participation in this particular episode (which I believe was quite high), the fact remains that Microsoft is a bad neighbor, one that plays deafening music at 3 AM, and comes over every chance it gets to dump garbage in your front lawn.

So just remember who the real bad guys are!

This week we have talked about ways to flex analytical thinking capabilities so as to become more adept at developing and executing strategic directives. One of the ways which has contributed substantially to my personal growth in strategic based thinking, has been its application in a variety of strategic games I have played. Most of these games have simple rules, and can be played by a broad spectrum of individuals ranging from children to adults. When we begin to scratch the surface of these rules, we notice more complexities. Strategy development follows similar lines. To develop and deploy an effective strategy is a challenging task. Listed below are five strategy based games through which I have learnt many valuable lessons.

1. Chess: This game teaches several fundamental concepts, such as preparation, patience and sacrifice, key proponents in development of strategic planning. Chess provides an ideal playing ground to practice, and hone skills needed in these particular segments. It teaches us to see patterns, which may lead to future positions, and how to take advantage of them. At the same time it forces us to continue looking at the bigger picture, to ensure that we are aware of all positions on the board, so as to take advantage of them. To read more about the parallels between chess and strategy please click here.

2. Bridge: Is a game which helps develop skills to work with others, communication, learning to trust instinct and, actual 'table' play. As a partnership based game, effective communication with your partner is critical so as to read and understand the partner's hand. Developing and deploying strategic directives works in the same way. We have to learn to work together to formulate them, at the same time we have to communicate them effectively to the rest of the team, to ensure smooth deployment or play. To read more about parallels between bridge and strategy please click here.

3. Poker: Among the many things which can be learnt from this game are aggression, controlling emotions and attention to detail. Most of these qualities are also required to ensure successful deployment of any strategy. Without them, we see poor execution and unravelling of plans midway, due to the inability to master these factors. It is essential that we develop and be adept at understanding our own thresholds and abilities to find success. To read more about the parallels between poker and strategy please click here.

4. Monopoly: An all time favorite strategy based game, this gives players insights into negotiating, deal making and situational analysis. There are several strategies which players take to win at this game, unfortunately they are often short sighted. This is due primarily because we develop strategies based solely on the short term . These could be in the form of hitting quarterly targets or maintaining specific share price. Most of these strategies do not take into account long term implications of these decisions, which have the potential to be detrimental to the company's future. To read more about parallels between monopoly and strategy please click here.

5. Risk: A game with an end goal of, world domination. It teaches players several principles relating to allocation of resources, partnerships and aggression. Most of these principles form the basis of successful strategies. The ability to fully utilize in-hand resources in the most efficient manner is a challenging task. Furthermore, to progress as an organization,  strategic alliances need to be formed to accelerate the rate of growth. These principles are covered in the game, in a simple yet effective manner. To learn more about parallels between risk and strategy please click here.

On the journey as an entrepreneur, learning has to be an ongoing factor. Using creative methods to exercise analytical and thinking capabilities helps to see situations from different angles. This equips us with the ability to make better decisions, be more productive and reach our goals faster. 

On a moment of weakness a few weeks ago, I decided to check out Star 98.7,  which is also a CBS player.

What the heck? Is every radio station in Southern California either CBS or Clear Channel? Why aren't they suspected of radio monopolies?

I personally love XM satellite. I didn't mind paying for my music. It had a way  better selection of tunes than most of our FM stations do. Music isn't like it used to be. Most people sing now because they broke through celebrity status by "acting" or by showing up on reality tv or having a sex tape mysteriously end of making rounds on the Internet (has anyone ever asked why Paris Hilton is really so popular?). I wish I had my XM now, but when we bought our new car to fit the baby, I had to give it up. And because my commute will be much shorter after the baby's born (hopefully non-exisitent), I thought it would be unfair to pay for it. Now I carpool and the music's turned really low. I miss singing in the car. But the thing I miss the most is listen to XM online in my office and having all of those options. Do I feel like Jazz today? Do I feel like alternative, hip hop or old-school rap? Now I have to pick a genre and stick to it. Jack FM is probably the closest to a variety of music you could find on FM...I suggest you check it out.

peace and love.

Competing for world domination is what the game of Risk is all about. This is a military based game, where players put their respective armies against each other. The game provides each player with the ability to be involved in strategic maneuvering, brings in an element of luck with the dice and gives ample opportunities to form and break alliances. In a way, it simplifies all the complexities of war, into a simple game where the player with the greatest foresight and a little luck, usually emerges victorious. Unlike Monopoly, this game allows for more creativity and imagination due to the movements allowed on the board. Playing straightforward strategies leaves you exposed, and vulnerable to attacks. 

This interesting game has quite a few parallels to the world of business and strategy:

1. Allocation of Resources: Each player has a finite amount of resources allocated to them. The placement of these resources is a critical aspect of the game. One may choose to have loosely scattered armies all over the board, they may decide to fortify certain key positions with the bulk of their resources, or they may aim to use their resources collectively and be aggressive. Each strategy has its advantages and disadvantages, a similar predicament occurs in the real world when we develop strategies. The deployment of limited resources is critical to whether the overall strategy will be successful or not.

2. Partnerships: Conquering the whole world, even in a game, is an arduous task, one that can rarely be done alone. The game calls for players to partner together, to improve their chances of winning and become a more feared adversary. Without these partnerships one is usually outflanked or outnumbered, and an early exit in the the game is imminent. The same principles apply in the real world. In order to reach goals and objectives, partnerships are an essential component. Choosing partners carefully and correctly is vital to ensure the success of any campaign.

3. Aggression: In my experience of playing this game, the opponent who chooses to fortify a small portion of the board heavily, usually faces eventual defeat. Opponents who choose a defensive style of play, lack the creativity or willingness to go out of their comfort zones, fearing the unknown. Unfortunately such behavior is punished heavily in this game as well as in the real world. When pursuing goals and dreams, being aggressive is often vital to acheive them . Focusing efforts on offensive strategies instead of defensive ones will bring a greater share of victories, rather than defeats in my opinion. 

In the game of Risk there is an element of luck, due to the requirement of rolling a dice. Once the dice is rolled, nothing can be done to change what was rolled. What we do have control over, is how we react to what we may have rolled. In life we have the same choice. We cannot change the hand that we have been dealt. What we can change is how we choose to play it. Remember to keep your end goal in mind, and formulate short term tactics to reach it.

So, given that Nottingham was set for release next November, if it had started filming now, it's now very unlikely that we'll see it much before the end of 2010. It's not clear whether the delay will mean any change in cast, which currently includes Russell Crowe as Nottingham and Sienna Miller as Maid Marian.

I googled for an image of ungratefulness. Somehow, a pic of these three lovely ladies came up. I dunno why, but as it was the best image I saw, I thought why not!

Anyway...

Supermarkets are a curse unravelling.

The other day I wanted to buy a shower with a pump. I needed to get some other shopping in too so I went to Tesco. Tesco had given a concession too some water filter / shower retailers. I asked about the price and they said the equivalent of $63.56 I said to the guys there "Tesco are selling them {showers with a pump for $60.50 just over there, pointing to the electrical part. Give me a reason why I should buy from you."

I was hoping to hear the words along the lines of "we are just a small business, Tesco makes so much money already and can sell at next to zero profit on may items forcing small retailers like ourselves out of business, only to sell for higher prices once it's got the monopoly." but alas I was disappointed. All they said was "This one has a British water heater/element, the ones in there are Japanese". They mentioned something about a warranty too but in my gloom, I didn't really catch it.

Strewth!

So I said "I'll have to check them [Tesco] ones out first" and off I plodded.

Well I haven't a clue as to whether the Tesco ones did have a Japanese or Inuit or Amazonian water heater in it or not, and there wasn't any info on the outside of the box mentioning about the warranty. They did feature an ELCB though which the small retailers unfamiliar brand didn't seem to have.

Holding the box, I thought of the small traders and had a brief vision of hundreds of small shops closed and gone out of business nearby this Tesco, in a similar way to the main road running alongside ASDA in Hulme (Manchester). No I couldn't do it. I put the box down and said I don't mind paying the bit extra for the sake of giving a small trader the money.

So after a quick shop I went back to the trader. "I've decided to get the shower from you" I said happily. I saw one of the two dudes at the stall smirking. Maybe I'm wrong but it seemed to me he was pleased at himself because he thought his tale about the British water had paid dividends, so he was pleased he could talk his way into a sale. I didn't get the gratitude which I expected and quite honestly, the gratitude I wanted.

Feeling more disappointed, I decided to try and 'force' these guys show some gratitude. "I'm buying it from you because eventually Tesco will in the future make [be responsible for] all the small shops go out of business." I waited for the gratitude.

"What?" They said.

Geez, they couldn't even be bothered to try and listen to me talking to them. Well it was a bit noisy as a concession next door was selling music systems & TV's, and the noise from there was a bit loud. So I repeated it. Boy oh boy, It was quite clear the guy I was talking to had never considered - not once in his life - the impact the supermarkets is going to have in the local area. He couldn't really fathom it.

So there it was then. Not for the first time (but admittedly very infrequently) I followed my conscience and did something for the little feller and spite the mega shops. But it wasn't appreciated, and I think I might have bought a shower without an ELCB !!! (I forgot about it till now and it's in a different house now)

Great huh?

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There were very few games as exciting as Monopoly when I was growing up. It was by far one of my favorite board games, I still enjoying playing it today. There was something about the game, which drew me to it, maybe it was the immense satisfaction I got from figuring out how to convince my opponent to make a deal, the thrill of watching my opponents land on my hotels or just plain winning. I do believe that playing this game from such a young age was, to an extent, instrumental in developing my passion for business and deal making. As I grew older I began to notice the parallels between the board game and business. 

Listed below are some prominent parallels:

1. Negotiation: Monopoly requires players to make deals for swapping properties or other concessions during the course of the game. Very rarely do players want to give up something which they know will put them at a disadvantage in the game. It all comes down to how convincingly you negotiate and structure deals, so that they fit into your plan and appear to be favorable to your opponents as well. Individuals act in similar ways in the real world, and an ability to close a deal comes down to your negotiation and persuasion skills. 

2. Situation Analysis: In the game of Monopoly, it is critical that you adjust strategy according to the number of opponents as well as the nature of their behaviour patterns. Going ahead blindly and acquiring every piece of property you land on without a set objective, will place you at a definitive disadvantage. When developing business strategy, the same concerns have to be taken into account. Not paying attention to these factors, creates exploitable vulnerabilities in your plan. 

3. Integrity: Sometimes individuals will say just about anything to close a deal. In Monopoly this could be, "I will let you off three times on my hotels", "We can share profits on this property" or "I will never charge you on this square". However, I have seen these promises broken many  a time and a friendly game turn sour. In a game revolving around dealmaking, one's word is really all there is. If no one trusts you or your word does not carry weight, no one will want to make a deal with you. The same rule applies in all aspects of life as well. Keeping true to your word will give your team reason to believe in you, will give investors the confidence to invest in you and will allow you to sleep well at night. 

Looking ahead and adjusting strategy according to forecasts is essential in the game of Monopoly and the game of life. One has to learn to trust gut instincts, and be confident in how to move forward. Keeping your word and honoring deals is mandatory. Understand your opponents and learn what drives them. At the end of the game of Monopoly there can only be one winner, make sure you have the drive and ambition to be that person. 

However, knowing that there will be only 1 provider now does make me feel like the price will increase.  There will be more stations and even though Sirius may be taking on XM's listeners, they will have to pay for this extra addition - not to mention they must make up for that $3.3 billion paid to XM!  I've heard talk of Sirius charging for just the stations you would like to listen to or you could choose to have them all for a set price.  This does not sound like a bad idea.  Between my MP3 player and the local radio stations, I probably only listen to 5 channels on Sirius now; Alt Nation, The Spa channel, Howard Stern, Shade 45 and CNN.  So I would love to be paying for just those 5 channels, maybe a few others to mix things up every once in awhile. 

The overall idea of Sirius is brilliant.  And the fact that it is uncensored is the best.  I will definitely be a subscriber for years to come but I hope that this industry continues to expand and new satellite companies will form.  How does that proper little saying go?  "Fuck the FCC!"  The have taken away our rights to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.  That includes freedom of speech, able to speak without censorship.  Switch to Satellite and do not give them the satisfaction of taking away our freedom.  Or at least until they find a way to censor that as well...

Please visit http://www.sirius.com