RSSApril 2006 Archives
April 29, 2006
Asset Weighting Methodologies
Would by some bizarre chance anyone have some recommendations on quick online sourcing for Asset Weighting Methodologies, discussions.
While in many respects I am perfectly comfortable acting like a little chimpanzee seeking his banana in blindly following received and barely understood wisdom, suddently some dim intellectual curiosity has sparked.
This of course is entirely personal and has fuck all to do with any real subjects of this blog.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:19 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
The Whinging of the Over Privileged
I read with a mixture of amusement, irritation and contempt the collective whinging on of Americans recorded in this New York Times arty on petrol prices.
Poor babies. So oppressed by "big Oil" that they can't continue stunningly wasteful habits. It's a bloody good thing that high prices are slowly knocking some sense into them. Long term inefficient lifestyles and habits need to change, and a bit of investment in alterntatives as well as, horrors, more efficient socio-economic habits is a good thing.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:08 PM
| Comments (7)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Politics
April 28, 2006
Delays
Well, although we gotta get the framework for this deal in place by 5 May, and that meant I needed to already be working on this.... nothing.
Typical.
I am going to get the stuff late, work my ass off, and everything will fall through because there just isn't time. Idiots.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:54 PM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
April 27, 2006
Bloody Hell (Ooops)
Sorry, just learned my idiots over-promised and we got maybe 5 days to slap together some deal stuff. A month's worth of work in five working days.... Gotta disappear.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:35 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
Immigrants and an off the reservation comment
A quick comment on the US, domestically, breaking my rule of avoiding that topic. I noted on BBC and picked up on Reuters, this piece of insanity.
I have no idea what these "activists" (always the bloody ideologue activists....) are thinking, but this is simply a terrible idea. I don't believe I care fundamentally what the US decides to do on illegal immigration, but this sort of idiotic nonsense will certainly cause a backlash among citizens. What morons could think May Day 'general strike' and manifestations by non-legal immigrants is a good idea with positive benefits? The American activist Left are among the most deluded fools on this planet. What bloody losing whankers.
[ADDED]
An added observation. From my dear JV partner, when she was in the United States. It was her characterisation (which rather startled me) after some time, that there were "too many of the short Spanish immigrants." She meant the Central Americans (Mexicans, etc) by that. It was a queer observation, unprompted certainly by me. She added as well that she was sympathetic to the US controlling immigration more now, having seen that there "are too many Spanish immigrants."
Factually speaking, well, I have no idea what on earth too many is. I share this for ... well I am not sure what value it is, other than the reaction of a visitor to the US without immigration intent, after perhaps a month or so. I should expect that the 'native community' might have equally strong reactions deep down.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:15 PM
| Comments (68)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Politics
General Comments
A few general comments running through my head, before I get to working.
Continue reading "General Comments"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:33 PM
| Comments (9)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Blog Notes - Admin
Emirates, an interesting arty
This is outside my normal range, so to speak, but I draw attention to this interesting arty in The Washington Post on the life in the Emirates, in the backwoods so to speak, In U.A.E., Tradition Yields to Times, Oil Wealth and the Comforts of Modernity Transform Life in a Desert Emirate.
Anthony Shahid again - I draw particular attention to the traditional "face veil" of the Emirati woman.
I still recall the first time I saw one of those, on a fab princess gliding along in a hip hugging abaya. One of the many lessons about how poorly image of the Middle East matches the complicated reality.
But more seriously, there are interesting reflexions on change in the Emirates via the hicks.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:00 AM
| Comments (6)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Jazeera-Arabia
Goddamned Scams
Registering my irritation that the Spam killer junked my replies to the Islamic finance discussion.
I had to unjunk them manually.
Why junked? The mere mention of the finance subject.
Because of the fucking scammers.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:43 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Blog Notes - Admin
April 26, 2006
On Dar Fur - a fine op ed
Quickly, an editorial by Emily Wax, the Washington Post’s East Africa bureau chief who gets the facts and atmosphere right, if only for the novelty value.
Will the hysteric shriekers take note? No.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:37 PM
| Comments (62)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
MENA Fringe
Our Dear Andrew
I thought I would not clog up 'Aqoul with an irritated side comment on the ever predictable Andrew Sullivan's latest piece of silly phobics in discovering, that as-Sistani (oh the horrors) isn't a liberal or in fact perhaps moderate - except in the sense of being politically modrate relative to the US occupation.
Welcome to the real world Andrew. You might want to try understanding that accomodation with respect to American occupation for own political reasons is not synomous with "moderation" as to belief or dogma.
But no matter, one should be unsurprised that Andrew, filled with his own unexamined old-school Islamophobia, is unable to distinguish between the issues. He's yet to apologise or retract his idiotic comments about a "Muslim" intefada in France last year.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:55 AM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Religion
No Real Point
To this particular post, other than utterly pointless speculation.
Continue reading "No Real Point"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:31 AM
| Comments (13)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 25, 2006
On Iraq and funny little investments.
Since the deal fell through and now is pushing up the daisies, I thought I might take a moment to illustrate and reflect on some recent news out of Iraq, notably the move of Shia militias into Kirkouk and the overall rise in tensions with the Kurds.
As longer term readers knew, I grew tired of commenting on the Iraq war after it reached the stage of what I named "no escape from the Lebanese logic."
I should say that my calling the development just about two years was not particularly prescient, all one had to do was be familiar with Lebanese style civil wars and the perverse incentives that drive factions towards escalating violence, as well as assess the ability of the security forces to stop the evolution. In terms of Iraq, if one was not being willfully blind, it was painfully clear as of early to mid 2004.
Continue reading "On Iraq and funny little investments."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:20 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Business
,
Iraq
,
Politics - Local
,
Politics - Other FP
,
Politics - US FP
April 21, 2006
On Markets, Micro Economic Observations from the MENA region
Since I am tired of being reflective about the bloody cancer and since the fine drugs given me (with increasing reluctiance by the prudish American medical staff all worried that I am some sort of narco fiend), and since I was moved by the Aqoul threads of late....
Well, lots of reasons, what was the subject? Ah yes, Markets in MENA, some close up Lounsbury thoughts on market liberalisation as seen from the micro-economic perspective. Note, these comments are fueled by drugs and therefore may have cerrtain inherent inaccuracies.Do not take these comments as an offer to sell any given product. Caveat Emptor.
Continue reading "On Markets, Micro Economic Observations from the MENA region"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:26 AM
| Comments (9)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Biz - Private in MENA
April 18, 2006
In other trivialities, on business practices
Well, nausea does tend to keep one awake, and I was just reading the North African - I mean Maghreb - business press to keep up on new developments there (as an aside, I want to note how astoundingly seperate the business press and communities tend to be, between the Maghreb and the Machreq -when I say Machreq mind you I mean everyone from Egypt East (like most Maghrebines IMO). It's astounding how little the two world's interact, despite the "Arabness" - look at MENAFN (MENAFN.com), it's really MachreqFN, and that's typical.).
I came across a thoroughly irritating item (well in rereading it's not so irritating, but it quotes some people I know and loathe) on payment delays and problems in an ordinarily fairly strong publication that includes this comment: «Pourquoi Marjane ou Acima, par exemple, qui vendent cash, imposent-elles à leurs fournisseurs des délais de 90 jours ?» et il ajoute : «Comment refuser, sous peine de ne plus être référencé chez la grande distribution?».
[loose trans: Why do Marjane or Acima [NDLR: supermarket chains], for example, which sell on a cash basis, impose on their suppliers a 90 day delay? And he added, "How can one refuse, under penaly of no longer doing business with the major distributors?"]
Continue reading "In other trivialities, on business practices"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:30 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Biz - Private in MENA
Random Reflexions
I was pondering today what would be more engaging, writing about the suicide bombing in Israel and the Palestinians' stunning and cunning ability to fuck themselves - as in Hamas' brilliantly stupid reaction which regardless of their or one's own underlying feelings lacked the proper disingenuity of a proper ruling party - or the strange bout of nausea and other side effects I ran into, or my Quarterly Lies.
Or Moises Naim's stupid op ed in FT.
Well, some personal rambly.
Continue reading "Random Reflexions"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:07 AM
| Comments (14)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 17, 2006
Apologies etc. on the boringness
Afraid between burned veins (let me assure you, this is deeply unpleasant and painful) and quarterly reporting, haven't had the time to think or write anything interesting.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:22 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 14, 2006
Emerging Markets: The mindless chasing of return
A quick reference to The Short View's comment on The mindless chasing of return, for which I want to add that while I agree with the overarching point to the commentary - that there is massive liquidity chasing around the globe looking for an extra few hundred basis points (or less) regardless of risk, there is some nasty hint of irrational contagion thinking here. I am also annoyed by the far too typical "Gulf is the whole fucking Middle East" thinking.
If you want return, don't be going to the Gulf, look in the corners of MENA where you can avoid the oil curse and find fine little basic industries type firms for decent, realistic valuations.
But returning to the contagion thinking, here is the key passage I object to:
This week’s events in the Middle East could be critical. A natural response to the Iranian nuclear crisis and a collapse of share prices in the region would be to rethink the risk premium for emerging markets. Fund flow figures for this month should provide interesting reading.
Logically speaking, to be frank, the events in the motherfucking Gulf (not the Middle East, stupid git - well smart git), have fuck all to do with other emerging markets. It's well taken, the issue of underpricing risk for emerging markets right now due to the desperate search for return, but this manner of stating the problem just stinks of irrational contagion type thinking.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:06 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Biz - Private in MENA
Problems - Yahoo
A quick note, Yahoo has fucked up my account - I can't access things properly so can not respond to certain recent inquiries. Am aware of them, however, and for Christopher, the answer is yes, I think so. Depends on detials, but at the moment I have some work issues to solve and a completely bollixed up Q report to try to untangle.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:51 AM
| Comments (5)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 13, 2006
Massaouie. Should be spared.
I am not often moved to comment on purely American matters, but the fiasco that is the Massaouie trial including today's latest bizarities move me to comment.
First, Massaouie is a complete loon. It strikes me as painfully clear Massaouie is clinically insane. He's a vile, bloodthirsty disgrace to his family, his people, and his religion, but he's also clearly utterly mad.
There is a common tradition across many legal traditions that one does not execute the insane. It strikes me this comes from a deep and profound sense of pity for the state of insanity, although not the individuals.
In the case of Massaouie, I personally have no regard for him at all. In many ways he's the very face of the Takfiri-Salafi incubus, the face of evil. In another way, he's a pitiful wreck of a confused loon. His latest antics on the stand, as reported by the Washington Post, confirm that.
I also find it .... more than moderately irritating that for many Americans, Massaouie's confused, rambling pretensions are going to be their first introduction to Islamic thought and theology. I suppose for the intelligent observer it is clear Massaouie's theology is a la carte, whatever works for his revence fantasies. For others, I fear, it may be "the" picture. Bloody minded monsters getting to put their sick views up as "the correct views." They win in a way through that.
Life in prison. An appropriate punishment for this sick, incompetent loon.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:58 PM
| Comments (6)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Society & Culture
April 12, 2006
On The Blasted Disease
I've been asked by numerous persons in the past two weeks about the effect of this experience, this blasted disease. I frankly do not know for sure, but I did feel the desire to write the following:
Continue reading "On The Blasted Disease"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:18 AM
| Comments (4)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
Cretins and Rats?
CFO resigned, effective in two weeks. Rats.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:30 AM
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso Biz Notes
April 10, 2006
Apologies on the neglect
Afraid have had a bit of a bad round of chemo, some vein damage and other highly unpleasant things that I shall spare you descriptions of. Annoying as all hell. Also JV partner fucking off after whirlwind tour, must occupy myself a bit with that. Returning to the land of posting perhaps later.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:00 PM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 08, 2006
Dinar Trading - Odd North American Delusion?
I was bemused to find The Financial Times reporting on Dinar Traders in "Dinar traders bet on Iraq’s future". Hardly worth an immense amount of attention, but frankly it is puzzling.
Continue reading "Dinar Trading - Odd North American Delusion?"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:41 AM
| Comments (34)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Business
April 05, 2006
Cancer and Chemo
Still suck.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:57 PM
| Comments (13)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Perso
April 04, 2006
Wolf on Imbalances
Pantom, one of our regular commentors, occasional rascally criminal engaged in attempts to subvert my editorial independence (one may reflect on whether the concept even makes any sense), has flogged this, but I wanted to as well. Sadly with the mere commentary that Martin Wolf's We should still worry about imbalances is a must read (it was good to get the fear of being long dollar back in me, I was so very distracted by my stupid tumour, but as it appears I am not about to die of the same tumour in the immediate future, I can go back to being rationally disturbed by my long dollar position while hand wringingly doing little about it).
I also note the somewhat sad attempt by Wolfe / FT at a blog type event. Global Imbalences
Sadly underlining that while its cousin, The Economist has a more or less delightful site with useful subscription features, The FT remains shambolically neanderthalic in its approach to online presence, and queerly less fun than the WSJ, while its physical paper I love to death.
Were I not obsessing about a potential exit, some disasters in my normal brief, I might well try to reflect on MENA meanings. Not for the FT's cretinous site, but the imbalances.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:10 AM
| Comments (6)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Economics
Iraq, Civil War, Leb Land Likeness.
From the FT, a quote that gets to the heart of things:
Among the Sunni, said Adnan Pachachi, a Sunni legislator and the temporary speaker of the new Iraqi parliament, "you have the [militant Islamic] Takfiris, the old Ba'athists, you have the people who feel they have been marginalised, you have Arab nationalists. If each of these groups is going to have its own militia, then God help us.""Unfortunately," he added, "the last election showed one thing: in order to win, you have to have a lot of money and you have to have your own militia."
Now, any folks from Leb Land want to wax nostalgic about these sentiments (well observsations)?
Continue reading "Iraq, Civil War, Leb Land Likeness."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:00 AM
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Iraq
April 03, 2006
NYT can do, FT?
Remodel in an attractive way. Why can't bloody FT?
Someone needs to beat the living crap out of the FT IT people. Bloody hell, I am subscriber and I still get shit.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:28 PM
| Comments (3)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Business
April 02, 2006
The Traditional New Month Note
As usual my traditional new month pretension to customer service.
The one thought here is whether I should make a compilation of my JV partner's observations on the United States. While largely unflattering, there are some amusing anectdotes.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:34 AM
| Comments (9)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
Blog Notes - Admin
On April and On Iraq
First, as a personal matter I don't like April Fool's jokes and express my dislike for our 'Aqoul joke. But I am not the Big Cheese so, on the other hand, Tom did a fine bit of writing.
Second, on Blog things, certain persons actually - likely in an act of deluded generosity but perhaps in an attempt to bribe us (although I have yet to generate a plausible scenario as to (i) why we should be bribed, (ii) what possible benefit to others might be involved) - used that bloody button to give 'Aqoul money to cover costs. That of course really means eerie, our dear hostess, editor in chief, strangely obsessive IT chica, etc. I thankfully am allowed nowhere near items of responsibility.
As such, on behalf of eerie (largely becuase it allowed me to write the above) and the whole 'Aqoul team (although thinking of us as a team is moderately abusive of the concept of team) let me extend some form of thanks to the deluded contributors. However, should my bribery theory hold (and personally I hope so, as it helps me maintain my view of humanity, whereas unforced acts of giving without some interest involved makes me nervous), please do clarify what negotiable interest may be involved.
Now, otherwise, Iraq.
Well, I merely wanted to note I am moderately amused by the continued state of denial re the civil war in certain circles, but it is moderately encouraging that in the US media finally the idiotic Bush Administration Happy Talk is wearing away. (I should note that American students, expats and tourists visiting the Egyptian museum commemorating the Victory [or in the real world, utter defeat] in the Sinia should stifle their mockery, as the instinct of Happy Talk Self Delusion is clearly not only an Egyptian trait; although it is often said the Egyptians are the Americans of the Arab world. That's clearly abusive, the Egyptian idiot to not-idiot ratio is among the worst in the world, although I guess the fuming leaded petrol mess that is their capital is probably of some import).
Else, afraid I am quite fucked with the fiasco. Still desperately trying to bail with a spoon. My obsession with sticking to me region is just starting to crack.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:04 AM
| Comments (9)
| TrackBack
Filed Under:
MENA Region General
