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September 2007 Archives
September 28, 2007
Lesson One: Attracting Major Industrial Investment by Private Sector
... is not best done by making it damn near impossible to convert currency, making life unpleasant for expat managers, and generally having a shrill and paranoid relationship with the private sector.
This is my general response to over a week of hearing various Algerian Pouvoir whankers whinge on endlessly about how Perifidious Maghreb stole the super duper Renault-Nissan 400k Logan production plant from Algeria and the French backstabbed them by going back on vague hand-wavey promises of investment.
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:07 PM
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Biz - Private in MENA
Blonde Girls & Dark Moors
Laila Lalimi reminded me of something irritating from Euro TV as I am trapped in La Blanche in a soulless hotel (which strangely gets no Arab Sats). As Laila links to the Moroccan rag, The Matin of Every Kingly Move discussing the scandal of a blonde little girl in Northern Morocco mistaken for that tiresome British bondie that went missing.... it reminded me that I saw the discussed interview with the moronic Spanish tourist with her hick accent en direct.
The short of it is the idiotic Spanish bint went on about how the little blonde girl must have been kidnapped because Moroccans are brown and not blonde.
Bloody idiotic stereotypes, the idiotic Spanish bint bouncing around the Rif, no doubt acquiring Kif - at least I hope she was - should have noticed the odd number of rather European looking locals.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:23 PM
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Society & Culture
September 22, 2007
Andalucia?
I confess some puzzlement at the new angle taken by the al Qaeda lunatic murderous scum with respect to blithering on about Andalous and taking back the Mediterranean. The bloody clods can't overturn a single Arab dictator of moderate incompetence, what the bloody hell is the angle on Andalous.
Yes, yes, I know the history, and can see some vague logic in the rhetorical flourish, but directing bombing attacks against the Spanish and French - as well as other Euros - strikes me as a real strategic mistake, on several levels. First, blowing up engineers working on such public works of clear public interest as dams I do not think is going to win over any Maghrebine sympathisers, rather I think it plays into the counter argument of the moderates that the entire Al Qaeda movement is a bunch of shaggy nihilistic lunatics that have as much to do with Islamic theology proper as my dear corner madman....
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:41 PM
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Politics - Islam(ic)
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The Maghreb
September 19, 2007
In Defence of Wealthy Royals and Against Monopoly
I was seduced by this item noted via our News Room on the Moroccan Monarchy & the King's wealth to make a long comment in defence of a wealthy royalty (or as an observation that the criticisms were wrong headed in a typical wooley headed Left way) but against Monopoly - as a good Liberal that I am.
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:42 PM
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Economics
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MENA Region General
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North Africa
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The Maghreb
September 18, 2007
Going Silent
Comrades, readers, suckers.
Afraid I have to go silent. Major biz disaster at the Titanic needs rescuing. Lucky for me, not me generated, and if it falls through, I can probably slime me way out of responsability as merely being the Fix It Guy given crap, but it also might endanger my SSAMENA emerging fiefdom (i.e. boom) or it will confirm.
Interesting weeks ahead. Perhaps some people can recommend some Ramadan compliant stress reduction pills. And maybe some anti-ulcer strategies.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:39 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
September 15, 2007
Ramadan
Has started. Productivity falling as we speak. Lots of pious inanities about getting closer to family and the like, while the more consistently observable phenomena is lost labour time and senseless bickering before and after ftour, honeyed over by pious inanities. Sadly I can't do my usual shut down for Ramadan, but have to push ahead on business travel, although 75% of my time is wasted.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:17 PM
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Biz - Private in MENA
September 11, 2007
Reflexions on Reform & Jordan, Education and Change
I thought I would bring attention to a small set of commentary I indulged in, and perhaps shall later reproduce and expand on The Cunning Realist who was sadly sold by your rather typical Jordanian Royal Hype on the latest cool thing the King is doing in respects to setting up an Andover like academy in Jordan.
As I noted in comments, while it is without doubt more useful that wasting billions on an idiotic war in Iraq, and incompetently at that, the hopes that the Cunning Realist were sadly sold on come from at once swallowing Royal Agitprop undiluted, and second fundamentally misunderstanding the challenges in the Middle East (as well as I presume having a rather narrow understanding driven by Friedman Source Jordanians - i.e. the Jordanians who serve as Tom Friedman's sounding board).
Pity Cunning Realist is a good sort, got sold some rubbish though.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:29 PM
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Society & Culture
September 08, 2007
Idiot Journo Blither: Bin Laden and Dyed Beards
I find the whole calling on Americans to convert thing boring, stereotypical and even comical, although I am sure it will provoke the usual hysteria. For the moment I am more irritated by idiotic journo rubbish
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:11 AM
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Politics
September 06, 2007
Iranian Central Bank: Most interesting views on banking, I would like to subscribe to their
Following this Financial Times arty regarding "a plan to eliminate interest rates on loans as a way to encourage "real and genuine" banking services" I am most keen on learning more and would like to subscribe to their economic commentary.
However, it is a bit obscure and I am not an Iran watcher by profession or inclination.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:30 PM
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Biz - Private in MENA
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Economics
Cold water for Eurabia and similar silly idiocies
I shall find time to return to this, I promise, but let me draw attention to The Financial Times' ongoing series on Muslims in Europe which has to date collected a fine series of articles.
By the way, who was the cretin who coined Eurabia?
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:57 PM
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MENA Region General
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Politics
Appropos of Moroccan Elections
I am tempted to tell my Casablanca office that I am giving them the day off to vote, as it would be of greater utility than their latest efforts at development of our network.
But that might be too cruel.
Well, I fly out again shortly, I shall have to set some unreasonable goals. Rather like expecting democracy to bloom while barring unfortunate political movements that are clearly majority.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:25 PM
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Politics
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The Maghreb
September 05, 2007
Bloody Monkeys
Afraid to say I think hiring some bloody monkeys from goddamned Gibraltar might be more efficient than trying to get my local staff to show a smidgen of initiative or, just for the sheer fucking novelty value, self-motivation to take a bloody lesson....
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:48 PM
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Perso Biz Notes
September 03, 2007
On Shopping
Purely a personal observation on my Paris trip so far.
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:56 PM
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Perso-Expatedness
September 02, 2007
Morocco gets the Millenium Challenge Loot
Well, near 700 millions of USD in grants is not bad, over 5 years - of course with a USD that's declining unless MCC has fully hedged itself, that's more like 500 million Euro I'd guess, but not a bad chunk of loot, eh?
I recall running into a US diplo a few years ago who went on and on about the Moroccan proposal being nothing but a bunch of incoherent demands to plug budget holes, now it seems that the Moroccans wore them out.
More to the point for characters like me, is there possibility to leverage this money on private investments (i.e.hopefully all the blithering on about investment to boost productivity will have some foundation).
One item to note:
On the corruption front, Morocco has slipped to 79th out of 163 nations on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index, from 45th out of 100 nations in 1999.
Transparency's index has always irritated me as frankly my experience tells me that Morocco is less corrupt now than it used to be ten years ago. Tolerance for corruption rather seems to be decreasing.
Granted this is not an easy thing to measure, but nevertheless.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:58 AM
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Biz - Policy & Development
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Economics
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The Maghreb
New Month The September 2007 Edition
It occurs to me that as of August 2007, I have been blogging for 4 years.
This despite an initial hostility to the concept, and lack of any inclination to acquire the technical skills to have a site. After a mere two years of moaning on about livejournal, eerie created this place. All due to an ill considered ban of my own self from a message board 4 years ago sometime in August (or maybe July?).
It also marks by near coincidence two years on a joint venture, and a year of being cancer free.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:09 AM
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Blog Notes - Admin
