大象传媒

Hi Gavin,

[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]A Parade of Basket Cases

And

"AS THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of aggrieved shareholders can attest, Thomas Jefferson had it pegged exactly right when he warned that "banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." And the trouble started, we might add, when bankers, tired no doubt of being regarded as heartless skinflints, departed from their traditional practice of lending you an umbrella when the sun was shining and taking it back at the first sign of rain.

Instead, in search of a more congenial image (and a little more coin, to be sure), they chose to err on the side of liberality and shoveled out loans with gay abandon -- and, lest they be accused of favoritism -- to the deserving and undeserving alike. Sad to say, it was this excess of generosity and the remarkable discovery that leveraging provided an enormous bang for the buck that landed them smack-dab in the quicksand and helped drag the credit markets and the economy in after them.

Ironically, after sparing no effort in their quest to become lovable, bankers now find themselves everyone's favorite pincushion, scorned, ridiculed and mistrusted. Even Wall Street, which for so many years had showered banks and their financial cousins with its favor and whose affection yielded so many happy returns, has bitterly turned on them...."

KILLING THE GOLDEN GEESE.

"..Poor chap: how can one human being carry the dreams of so many without ending up disappointing at least some of them?

Tonight we're confining ourselves to discussing the little presents George Bush has left him - the war, the crumbling economy and the rest.."

Let's face it, he and 'Team Obama' won't, as the demographics are going the wrong way. We're just watching a bunch of Hollywood indoctrinated Lysenkoists promising to realise a dream which all the evidence suggests is going to .

Some, quaintly/sadly, consider this 'psychobabble' and 'pseudo-science', others just don't listen.

Hmm.. I would have liked to be at the meeting where it was being decided which of Gavin and Jeremy would stay at 'home' and who would go to the States...

Mind you, it might do them some good to be on opposite sides of the pond - they've been together for so long the young pup is starting to resemble the attack dog...

Sorry, but just being a bit thick here.

The Government are going to take OUR money to give to their majority-owned banks, then force them to lend OUR money back to us, and then we will be told to spend OUR money, so that we don't have any, and are in debt, and have to pay interest, so that the economy will avoid collapsing because the unsustainable debt bubble has burst ???

This seems like a Ponzi scheme to me...

lordBeddGelert (#4) Remember when Thatcher's/Joseph's Government invited the public to buy shares in their own, already nationalised, public industries like gas, telecoms, and how later, people who could borrow small fortunes from banks could buy up the rest and introduced Permanent Revolutionary ideas like buying electricty from gas companies etc?

Allegedly, this latest innovation isn't a venal Ponzi-Scheme at all as Ponzi-Schemes are illegal!

Leaving all that aside, it may be the case that entrepreneurial anarchism is .

Why Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein?

Carl Bernstein hasn't published or blogged on Obama since August last year and Bob Woodward not all save for a current piece based on his Bush books offering advice to Obama.

Sounds like luvvy journalism to me similar to Alan Johnstone's Gaza piece.

Shan't be bothering to look in.

Usual dawks posting I see. Why you no see the light? Mole of Mole! Being of Being!! Mole and Being of not Mole or not Being!!!! (just a preview mind but I understand I'm already tipped for a Nobel prize in it)

Having seen Ms Cooper squirm on the Newsnight programme settled an old wound I had regarding treasury policy. I have been at odds over her exclusion of me in her idea of society and after tonight鈥檚 viewing, I feel that I have had full recompense in seeing her being roasted this evening. She set the scene many years ago in her arrogance to my plight and is now clearly unable to deal with the consequences of her own actions from the past. On the other hand I've planned ahead, totally unlike her!

Listening to Paxman's interviewees talk about Obama and how the American people have faith, hope etc it struck me as vacuous psychology/rhetoric. They really do appear to talk as if this is relevant in the current economic climate. That was kind of fine when the USA was in a post IT explosion dot.com bubble and follow on housing/debt bubble, but now? The entire USA election at the time reminded me of something a late head of HM Prison Service/NOMS publicly said when when asked about his job in a Paliamentary Select Committee when things were not going as planned: "Nobody else wanted the job" he said..... he got the job not long before the IT driven dot.com bubble began to swell I believe, and he had to oversee an almost doubling of the prison population, something which he had little control of given the demographic trends.

The days/weeks after tomorrow will be 'interesting'.

Well I watched anyway because I had to and it was fine.

Economics piece excellent as they always are. I only caught the tail end of Stephanie Flanders on this current watch and I rather liked her and missed her. Paul Mason a more than adequate replacement however and is both interesting and thoughful. Good value.

Studio discussion excellent I thought. I did note with some interest a certain coming-together amongst all parties and Yvette Cooper this time round at least bearable.

Bob and Carl predictably dull and past it. I did much like Jeremy's manner in interviewing Andy Card.

So aplogies grumpy old man post.

JJ it's *all* in the jeans - well for most of us anyway but you've got yours stuck in the head and believe me they're no way fertile up there.

OH BUMMER - AMERICA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

This evening I caught a brief bit of Obamarama. He seemed to be among youngish people and was suddenly moved to speak (not unlike you-know-who, a coupla thousand years back).
And Barak spake thus: "Don't underestimate the power for people who come together to accomplish - er - amazing things."

I then watched Newsnight and heard the lady reporter for New York Times say that during the campaign, Obama was giving 'inspired' speeches until McCain's lot bagan to call him 'The One'. She said that Obama stopped for a while but had now returned to his old ways.

Remember Tony and his: "What I say to people is"? I always translated that as: "And I say unto you". I have a feeling that, in the Messiah stakes, we aint seen nothin' yet.

The only antidote has to be those wonderful scenes from The Life of Brian such as: "And about that time a man shall lose another man's hammer . . ." Hail Brian!

Having said that I think the reporting on Russia in many recent incidents has been biased I should suggest that they follow up on
the shooting of Stanislav Markov "A top human rights lawyer who acted for the family of a Chechen woman murdered by a Russian army officer has been shot dead along with a journalist in Moscow."

Perhaps Jaded_Jean who thinks I am anarchistic Trotskyite for "painting Hitler in the darkest possible light" and is hazy about the Holocaust thinks that "big government" is entitled to act like that.

Personally I think the way forward for Russia is democracy and coming in from the cold.

So its no surprise at all to see the #5 "in the genes" and #1 "'Team Obama' won't, as the demographics are going the wrong way".

This is race "realism" that the 大象传媒 moderators (who should be sacked) allow.

It shows that Obama's success is only a step on the way and there will always be those who try to oppose reality with hate as they opposed Martin Luther King, celebrated today.

Very few will celebrate nasty racists like Jaded_Jean and other associated logins and posters.

Outstanding Jeremy tonight live from Washington and can't wait for tomorrow! Particularly liked his interview with Andy Card and Maureen Dowd from the NYT.
:o)

Maureen Dowd wrote

"And when historians trace how her {Hillary's] inevitability dissolved, they will surely note this paradox: The first serious female candidate for president was rejected by voters drawn to the more feminine management style of her male rival."

HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE NARCISSISTS SCORNED

rinpoche1 (#6) "Shan't be bothering to look in....Usual dawks posting I see. Why you no see the light? Mole of Mole! Being of Being!! Mole and Being of not Mole or not Being!!!! (just a preview mind but I understand I'm already tipped for a Nobel prize in it)"

rinpoche1 (#9) "Well I watched anyway because I had to and it was fine...JJ it's *all* in the jeans - well for most of us anyway but you've got yours stuck in the head and believe me they're no way fertile up there."

It appears to me that you can not be reliably taken at your word (instantiated by the above, and in an earlier assertion to have an IQ greater than +5 SDs above the mean which is improbable). It's also the case that if, and when, your words are rationally challenged, you have tendency to respond with classic, scornful, narcissistic devaluation.

Genes are largely what make us what we are. They are in all of our cells, but some genes are expressed in some parts of our bodies (including our heads) more than others.

thegangofone (#11) Once again, I suggest you look more closely at the February 2007 and otger material I have provided, and cite any evidence from elsewhere in the world which is empirically at odds with what I have said here for some time, rather than making abusive (and often fabricated/confabulated) remarks about the facts of the matter.

Along with several other posters, you appear to habitually respond to what you do not like/believe with personal abuse/devaluation/calls for censure/censorship of the person informing you of your errors rather than by learning. That is not promising behaviour. Research and experience suggests that it is incorrigible. I suspect an increased prevalence of this disposition may be at the heart of many of the problems facing us today.

Go1 #11

Speaking as an associated login and poster (aren't we all?) I continue to be amazed by your determination to keep your head firmly in the sand. What you, or I for that matter, 'like' or 'don't like' has no importance. The truth remains however you rail against it with contradiction and argument.

"This is race "realism" that the 大象传媒 moderators (who should be sacked) allow."

There you go again, your answer to everything, silence the ones you don't like, then you won't have to face them.

Get your head out of that bucket for once and go and look at some facts. Don't forget that the Earth as the centre of the universe was once 'mainstream science'.

HE'S JUST MY BILL (#13)

Small wonder she acquired a husband with a need (pre-existing, or Hillary-induced) to 'advertise' his masculinity!
I was always very aware which one had the deeper voice. (:o)

Yet another example of how immature willy-nilly-enfranchised-voters, in the advanced, civilised countries, can be relied on to elevate bottom bananas.

Just run your mind in one sweep over the Clowns of Europe, the Home Circus, and the yet-to-be Prime Time Messiah Show in the USA. Good governance (management) derives from the mentality of managers, not trumpeted 'caring', espousal of small/big government, or party myths of past glory.

Contrary to popular acceptance, charisma and oratory are not the hallmarks of good managers. They can even be the 'first refuge of the scoundrel' - I need not name him.

It's Groundhog Day and I definitely see a shadow.

Go1 #11 (still)

Use 'Listen Again' to hear R4s Today programme this morning at about 08:35 then have a look at [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]USA infrastructure then provide evidence to refute.

1.people are right to be cross with the govt who failed in regulation. the fsa admitted it was too frightened to regulate.

2. gavin said about the banks closing for 4 days.
a while back [during the bank runs] insiders knew that in the usa posters had been printed saying that banks were closed till further notice. so the contingency was in place and we were maybe a day away from all the banks closing for a week. at the time we made sure we had enough cash to last a week of banks closure.

3. nice to see JP give the white house guy enough rope to demonstrate to the world the kind of thinking that has been going on?

Namaste, Barrie,

"Contrary to popular acceptance, charisma and oratory are not the hallmarks of good managers.... "

bookhimdano (#18) "...people are right to be cross with the govt who failed in regulation. the fsa admitted it was too frightened to regulate."

Given the extent, and modus operandi of electronic trading, I have long wondered how the FSA or internal 'Compliance Officers' COULD effectively regulate. The devil was in the detail (legal challenges tie up resources), and fear may well be the key word here, as it was for other regulators like the MHRA and NICE).

However one puts it, the truth is that Liberal-Democratic Governments allowed this to happen. They bought into the idea that 'the market' was a real force which could be trusted to do good rather than serve he few, and whilst they clearly found the appeal of 'natural selection' (aka market forces) appealing in the money markets, elsewhere, in the social sphere, this was severly frowned upon, 'regulated' via 'political correctness', and to some degree - e.g. in employment quotas in the Public Sector by barmy affirmative action discrimination policies which simply ignored educational attainment base-rates, thus forcing a lowering of standards in the Public Sector so it could be more easily preyed upon.

Now that really IS ironic... and ... highly suspicious is it not? In my view it worked to take a trusting public's eyes of venal practices elsewhere whilst predatory hypocrites made fast bucks at the expense of a befuddled public/prey. There was no poin bringing one's concerns to very senior people, as hey were being selected specifically (if often unwittingly) to keep these venal practices running.

Go1 #11 (more)

Listen to Jim Naughtie's piece from today's

Then have a look at [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]USA infrastructure

Then provide evidence to refute.

Ooops.

I have double posted. Thinking the original had flawed HTML.

However the second post has a corrected reference to the Today item.

Sorry folks, slap my wrist for sloppy referencing and impatience...

Ahhh. Blogdog does not like the link to a site previously allowed here. For those interested Google 'America's Perfect Storm' instead.

What an exciting day!

A brilliant and credible mixed race man will become President. Probably he has the worst in tray that any incoming President - of any country - has ever had.

Yet despite the gloom he breeds optimism.

Meanwhile without even scanning the page I guess that the fake intellectual, and in all senses false, goose steppers will be seething in the hatred that sustains their petty little minds. Distorted statistics, historical recall,logic and minds. Gutless fantasist mass murderers.

But sometimes the darkness serves only to emphasize the light.

Excellent!

Thanks for making me smile!

#20 Typos largely down to intermittent key contacts and poor proof-reading.

20 They bought into the idea that 'the market' was a real force which could be trusted to do good rather than serve he few,

the chicago school of economists sold the idea of financial oligarchy as liberal democracy. so the politicians became merely front men making excuses as to why cleaners are taxed more than executives.

without closing the pirate bases of the uk tax/rule free havens from which people can launch destabilising bets that wreck countries this will go on. it is still going on. gordon defends them.

thegangofone (#24) You need to learn some basic statistics paying attention to the importance of paramters of distributions. You also need to learn how to use the logical quantifiers some and all. For instance, when people say that dogs don't like cats, this does not mean that all dogs don't get on with all cats. If one says that men are taller than women, this does not mean that some women are not taller than some men. These are CLASS statements, and anyone with a training in science should know that. You have asserted that you hold two Masters degrees in science, which is inncongruous with how you verbally behave here given the evidence which has been provdied and the explanations which have been given in the past. Natural language is rarely up to this sort of talk, but that is why one learns specialist languages when one trains in the sciences. This has all been explained to you before, and impecable references have been provided. Oddly you ignore all of that and persist in hurling abuse instead, despite having had your errors clearly pointed out repeatedly. Can you explain this?

GO GO GUNGA DIN (#24)

Yo Gango! You are fortunate in your euphoria. When the Obama mesmeric cadence and boom, anoints the masses with ambrosial WORDS, be fair to the WRITERS of those words - give them their due.
In the beginning was the word, and it is likely we shall all 'go down' to words also; written by the most devious, delivered by the most charismatically vacuous. If that does not constitute an unholy alliance - what does? I trust you will castigate Obama with a diligence honed here?

BEYOND HOLLYWOODESQUE OBAMAMANIA

"Hamas held a rally outside the compound during Mr Ban鈥檚 visit, calling for international recognition of its Gaza-based government.

The UN and other members of the鈥淨uartet鈥� of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union and Russia - have said there could be no dealings with Hamas until it recognises Israel, renounces violence and accepts existing interim peace deals."



But where IS Israel, i.e. what are the limits of its borders? How can Hamas recognise Israel when the critical issue is that Israel won't withdraw from occupied territories, and has persisted in expanding UN declared illegal settlements on the West Bank?

NICE! (#29)

That must be a nice point in law JJ. But when did the law ever apply to anyone but the little guy?
Perhaps if Hamas changed their declaration to 'get our land back' rather that 'anihilate the state of Israel (approximately) they could be recognised.

barrie (#30) Agreed, but I think the Jews (or is it Israelis?) know very well what Hamas and Iran mean don't you? They just play on the intensionality of language to put both in a bad light and themselves as potential victims of a holocaust in order to justify pre-emptive 'defensive' attacks.

There is a history here. Our Foreign Office people wrote some sceptical reports about attacks the attacks (pogroms) on Jewish people in the Pale of Settlement in the late 19th suggesting that at least part of it may have been self-instigated in order to secure asylum (it was only in the C19th that Britain emancipated Jews, and it was very late in the C19th that there was a mass exodus from Russia to the UK and then the USA - which then drove the anti-Tsarist revolution of the C20th. Britain passed the 1905 Aliens Act because of the anarchistic, political instability, which that influx caused. The information is downloadable at the National Archives partnershipped MOVING HERE .

All it ever takes is an omission here a provocation there, and in the end, one has to judge by the long-term historical context asking why has this happened over and over again. If it was persecution, i.e. bullying and irrational hatred, it should go without saying that such behaviour is intolerable - but was it? Or was it opportunistic i.e. was it politically motivated?

It has been said over an over again that what was said a few yers back in Farsi by Ahmadinejad amounted to a demand for the removal of the STATE of Israel from the Middle-East, and since we have been repeatedly told that Hamas etc get their orders/support from Iran, the logic must surely be that they do too?

I suspect gentiles in Europe and the USA may have been taken for a very long ride.

The quesion is, will they continue to be, or is change/justice on the horizon?

I see a future when the west pulls out its support for israel, just as it has done for some european countries that are now rapidly devolving into 'traditional' repressive societies, westerners will regroup elsewhere and form a minority in a sharia-communist controlled world

but the west will rise again because it is the manifestation of an evolutionary trend towards freedom and fairness, what else are we going to do with consciousness and conscience if not use it?