RSSApril 2007 Archives
April 29, 2007
Annoying Side Effects, Tedium
Have to piss off again for more scans shortly. Last set of exams apparently found something funny. Which is not amusing. Bloody tiresome. Bit of something possibly impinging on the spinal cord.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:30 AM
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Perso-Expatedness
April 27, 2007
Am I Evil
If I design a deal where I bear .4% equity risk and the overall deal is levered up 70 times?
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:51 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
The Horror, The Horror
I watch in horror as my dollar denominated salary gets smaller and smaller in real terms. It only moderately helps me feel consoled that I am long liability wise in dollars and so income balanced on Euro is going to look better.
Otherwise, I was bemused to find in reading Bahrain blogs that I missed some to do earlier this week. Well, conference rooms.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:32 PM
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Perso-Expatedness
April 24, 2007
Cretins, Cretins, Cretins
Bloody opened my mail to find my cretinous MD has sent me his new numbers projections that we wants me to achieve. If the time difference and too much time with a fat Bahraini cretin yesterday out late did not have me half dead, I'd go ballistic. Since taking over I already have my region's pipeline up 50%, but there are some deals that are not doable. I fucking was explicit about that, but.... no the motherfucker as usual game.
I am going to go insane. All I ask is to be allowed to grow the business successfully. I already have that on track, it's fucking clear even to the idiots in HQ who hate me.
Continue reading "Cretins, Cretins, Cretins"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:37 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
Wolfowitz Must Go.
On reading this headline and article: Wolfowitz Hires Prominent Lawyer in Fight to Stay at World Bank I have to say the lingering respect for Wolfowitz that I had evaporated. The man clearly lacks even a shred of good judgement. Even if he wins his senseless battle to stay, the fact he had to undertake such, under such circumstances means he will be gutted....
It is rare to see such a colossal example of bad judgement on display.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:10 AM
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Biz - Policy & Development
April 23, 2007
Elmer Fudd
I would observe that my hotel room is very, very big - clearly made for the Saudi visitors - and to date the only interesting thing on my mind is being startled in seeing a picture of Elmer himself, head of Hizbullah (Lebanon) and the fronting display of a cell phone shop in es-Seef area. That was unexpected (of course plenty of Shia around, but odd choice in my mind for the front display of a cell phone shop.....).
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:04 PM
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Jazeera-Arabia
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Politics - Local
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Society & Culture
April 19, 2007
Pissing Off, Bahrain edition.
Sorry all, have to fuck off for meetings in that lovely little hotspot, Bahrain, for about a week - unless something blows up of course. Kha, I kill myself.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:57 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
April 17, 2007
Reflexions on Casablanca
It remains difficult to get business done here, the city being on edge, Moroccans and Casaouine being most unused to this kind of mindless violence. The anger is palpable across social classes, it seems to me, but frankly I have a lot of work to get done in a short time, so one must allow that my impressions are superficial, for all that they seem to match Ibn Kafka's.
Further, what everyone is saying - and I hear this from people who rarely speak well of the government, so I am inclined to say it is not mere government agitprop although that is present - is the population is actively helping the security forces.
Nevertheless, I am largely in conference rooms working on producing some financing documentation, which is rather different from being out on the street - that is doing a reporters job. Something facile whanking by bloggers oft forgets.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:16 PM
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Perso-Expatedness
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Politics - Islam(ic)
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The Maghreb
April 16, 2007
Apres Bombing Business, Reflexions on Conducting Business in Casablanca
I am not entirely sure even how to classify this, but a moment to reflect on apres bombing business. I'm in town and have to achieve some things before flying on to some neighbours. However, this weekend rather fucked things up. Boom, boom.
I have to say that it is extraordinarily difficult to concentrate. First, everyone is talking about it. Second, the local papers charmingly published the photos of the bombers, charmingly blown in half. As I caught sight of this long distance, I can't say that I felt better about seeing it in colour on the front pages.
Then there is the business mtg interrupted by a paniced call from a man's wife who heard, falsely another bomb had gone off nearby to us. Really not conducive to getting various deals going.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:18 PM
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Biz - Private in MENA
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The Maghreb
French Political Tests, and relationship to MENA
Via Ibn Kafka (whose comments on the recent Casablanca bombings are very much following), a test for your Francophone political instincts.
Continue reading "French Political Tests, and relationship to MENA"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:39 PM
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Economics
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Perso
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Society & Culture
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The Maghreb
April 15, 2007
Dar Fur: Finally a decent article in the US press
I do not have much comment, other than to say that this is easily one of the more well-informed articles published in English (although the faux racialisation of Arab versus non-Arab remains in the background) on Dar Fur. In reading this, I should think it clear wny I take a dim view indeed of Western intervention in such conflicts, givent he penchant for White Hat Black Hat thinking, and the utter ignorance that comes with it. Like the Tuareg - Mali Bambara conflict of the early 90s, this is something best left to the locals to settle. Foreign intervention by gullible dupes rarely goes well. And yes, I do not exclude Rwanda from this. The best resolution for Rwanda was not foreign intervention, but rather what occured, except earlier.
[16 April 9:00 GMT: Link fixed]
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:38 PM
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MENA Fringe
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MENA Region General
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Politics - Foreign Policy
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Politics - Islam(ic)
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Politics - Local
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Politics - Other FP
April 14, 2007
Casablanca Bomb 14 April
At 9:00 GMT another bomb went off. I heard it in my hotel room. It appears to have been the American cultural center.
Updated: 10:00 GMT:
Two bombers hit the American cultural center. I walked down from the hotel, afraid it looked ugly from a distance, but the security forces had walled things off. Obviously a strike at the Americans.
Updated: 10:20 GMT:
The area is being shut down by the military, they believe there are more bombers. I may move hotels.
Updated: 10:55 GMT:
CNN's report matches what I was able to hear and see: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/04/14/morocco.bombers.ap/
Updated 14:50 GMT: Well I seem to have witness the capture of someone a few hours ago.
Really is unpleasant to have one's breakfast interrupted by people blowing themselves up. Ruins the appetite and makes one unreasonably nervous for some time afterward. Also having the army in the streets is most unpleasant, although it was impressive seeing the response.
Continue reading "Casablanca Bomb 14 April"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:31 AM
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Perso
April 13, 2007
Terror & Opposition: Mohammed Faiz - Casablanca Bombing encores
Returning to a proposition I raised a month ago, but have sadly been too busy to act on, that of Mohammed Faiz, I noted that the weekly MarocHebdo International has a cover story on the man, the leader is Mohamed Faïz, héros de l'attentat terroriste du cybercafé de Sidi Moumen, se dit abandonné à son sort or "heros of the terrorist attack on the Sidi Moumen internet cafe, thinks he's been left to his own devices."
I picked up the hard copy in the airport today, (3 euro is really an absurd price I may add), and in reading I have to say obviously my proposition for a fund to support him and the victims is more necessary than I though.
However, one has to find the vehicle to do so. Obviously I have to try to move ahead on this. I would hope that any Maghrebine readers who might be able to facilitate actions might email the collounsbury yahoo address with thoughts.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:49 PM
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Politics - Islam(ic)
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Politics - Local
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The Maghreb
For My Dear Wolfowitz
You know, I have long had a fond place in my heart for Wolfowitz - can't say I know him really, but my long ago interactions still left me with a fond memory of a beer or two and some truly queer but interesting conversations. As such, the FT report that Wolfowitz laid out terms for partner’s pay package saddens me a bit.
The man must resign. His cred is in shreds, and frankly while I don't doubt he could have made a decent head of World Bank were it not for present political entanglements (which he himself created, so not too much sympathy), now he cannot.
Pity, but he really is more of a professor than a manager.
UPDATED:
Ah, I missed the FT's followups today:
World Bank pledges action on Wolfowitz, rather clearly he should resign before the greater humiliation of being asked to resign comes.
Continue reading "For My Dear Wolfowitz"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:23 PM
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Perso
April 07, 2007
How not to get (re)financed
When talking to me about your plans for a tourist development, try not to in the process bitch and whinge on about how the evil equity investors are pressing you with a put option to get their money out and how you're going to start a political campaign against them.
It's a stunningly bad idea. Why I went from being interested to thinking, "you are one dumb fool, never diss your financiers when trying to raise money."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:07 AM
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Biz - Private in MENA
April 06, 2007
Executive Bathrooms
Mine to be precise.
I am presently very distressed that the simple -ostensibly at least- repair of my fine executive bathroom for the trivial issue of a problem with the light fixtures has now entered into the third day.
Three days. Work never seems to be able to be executed for more than an hour at a time.
Nevermind I authorised the repair.... a month ago.
Continue reading "Executive Bathrooms"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:37 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
April 02, 2007
New Month, Old Tradition: April 2007 Edition
Very busy, so here it is.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:29 PM
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Blog Notes - Admin
