One of the interesting things I have become aware of since I started working in the world of finance is that industry expertise, while undoubtedly necessary and important for anyone working in a single given sector, is not too difficult to acquire. I have only worked in telecom, media and technology ("TMT" in industry lingo) for a year and a half now, but in many respects I am reaching the saturation point in terms of what is necessary for an investor in that industry to invest well. While setting up a mobile network is difficult, technical and complex work, the investor only has to be able to identify who can do that job well and how the fundamental drivers in a business model must perform for the network to yield a sufficient return.
This is interesting to me because it means that investors, to a certain extent, can be very mobile across industries, acquiring expertise in the new sectors they move to in the space of a year or so. The more relevant skill set (understanding business models, market analysis etc.) is something that is continuously developed even as you move across different industries. In fact, it is arguable that it is better to stimulate the development of this skill set by contextualizing it differently in the exploration of various types of businesses. Moreover, exactly what makes someone a good investor seems to become increasingly unidentifiable as one's abilities grow - some would call it investor intuition.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Bureaucracy
Frustrates me. Unbelievably. Well, what on Earth are you working at the World Bank for then, you might ask? It would be a good question.
I would love to spill the beans on the exciting administrative hiccups and hurdles that have confronted my team and I over the course of the last couple of weeks, but it's pretty confidential (and that is as exciting as it will ever sound). In my foggy youth of more than a year ago, I was more than happy, nay, excited, to dive wholeheartedly into the machinations and workings of the great World Bank steamroller. Increasingly, I am realizing the full extent to which bureaucracy can stifle an important organizational mission.
At the same time, it is truly the heart of the development world. Almost all of the "old era" development institutions (you know, the acronym alphabet soup: ADB, IDB, DFID, EBRD, AfDB, USAID...) are hung with an enormous bureaucracy whose legacy seems for the most part inerasable. If I'm going to be stuck with bureaucracy, why not be stuck with the best, right?
I would love to spill the beans on the exciting administrative hiccups and hurdles that have confronted my team and I over the course of the last couple of weeks, but it's pretty confidential (and that is as exciting as it will ever sound). In my foggy youth of more than a year ago, I was more than happy, nay, excited, to dive wholeheartedly into the machinations and workings of the great World Bank steamroller. Increasingly, I am realizing the full extent to which bureaucracy can stifle an important organizational mission.
At the same time, it is truly the heart of the development world. Almost all of the "old era" development institutions (you know, the acronym alphabet soup: ADB, IDB, DFID, EBRD, AfDB, USAID...) are hung with an enormous bureaucracy whose legacy seems for the most part inerasable. If I'm going to be stuck with bureaucracy, why not be stuck with the best, right?
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Shackled Continent
This straight forward and honest survey of Africa was a favourite recent read of mine. The Shackled Continent, by Robert Guest, provides an overview of the economic, social and political future of Africa in a very frank and straightforward presentation. Robert Guest, who I had the privilege of meeting when he visited the IFC in late 2006, is currently the Washington correspondent for the Economist (of course, my favourite magazine) and was previously its Africa editor. His analysis of the current state of affairs on that continent is timely given the development community's new and critical focus on Africa as a cornerstone of the push for meeting the millennium development goals. It is also refreshingly blunt in its exposition of what Guest believes to be the principal obstacles to development and sources of ill across the continent.Most critically, and perhaps controversially, Guest blames poor government for the lagging growth plaguing many sub-Saharan African nations. Although Guest acknowledges that Africa faces many other daunting challenges, including things like geography, climate, and a colonial legacy, he believes that these could be overcome if Africa's leaders could only get their act together, eliminate corruption, focus on aiding the poor rather than on serving personal or tribal interests, open their countries to trade and stop waging war against each other. Unfortunately, there are countless examples across Africa in which the blame for economic underdevelopment can be easily tagged to an unarguably incompetent leader, be it Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (who has managed to implement pretty much every economic policy mistake imaginable) or Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia (for something as callous as refusing food aid during a famine for fear of GM crop "poison".)
Guest's analysis is made most poignant through his story telling; be it his own adventure of following a Guinness truck on its delivery circuit through Cameroon (and 47 separate road blocks), or relayed second-hand experiences of Africans trying to make a day-to-day living. Ultimately, these stories paint a touching, if sometimes depressing, picture of Africa's people and the very real challenges they face.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Burning hearts
I don't buy into hallmark holidays, and so unless I am dating someone on Valentines, I'm the last to do anything out of the ordinary on it. Corporate society has successfully managed to turn any dating man's inactivity on this holiday into an irredeemable relationship faux pas. So, I am indeed guilty of doing the bare minimum (Jin, hope you enjoyed the flowers) but don't believe you should require, or ever need, an occassion to let somebody else know how you feel about them.On the other hand, I think there are extreme responses. The BBC "in pictures" feature for today had the expected spattering of images from across the globe of human beings displaying romantic affections for each other in a variety of weird and entertaining ways. The final image had me thinking a great deal more than the rest of them (displayed here). What does it say about the tolerance of people for other ideas if they fell they have to torch hearts and love paraphernalia on a harmless (though I will admit, annoying) holiday? There are moral standards worth standing up for, and then there's ridiculousness. I believe this is the latter.
More than just a couple of my friends in DC happen to be Pakistani, and discussing this image with them, they confirmed that while a certain element in Pakistani society could be expected to initiate such demonstrations, it's definitely not the norm; given the other images already on display for this feature on the BBC, I believe it would have been an editorially sound decision to include another, and undoubtedly more representative, Valentines day image in juxtaposition with this one.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The return of the blog
Wow. It's been a while. I was going to try and inaugurate my return to using this wonderful tool with an entirely new blog, but was daunted by the prospect of how much work it would actually take for me to learn to create a sexy webpage. I still intend to do this at some point...but maybe when I don't have so many other more pressing things to do. Whenever that will be.
What have I been busy with? A number of interesting projects have been absorbing most of my time since October last year. Most interesting (and intense) is a large media deal in Russia that is a very exciting opportunity. In between my IFC project work, I have found a fair amount of time to travel; went back to Penn for homecoming, was back in Calgary for Christmas, and last weekend went to Dallas to meet up with Reid and Whan - it was about time. Reid and I were both amazed that it had been more than a year since we had seen each other, which we hope to not let happen again. Once he moves to LA, I'll use it as an excuse to (ashamedly) make my first trip to California. Ever.
This coming Sunday, I should be on a plane to Moscow. It will be my first time in Russia, and it will be cold. I don't think even Canada will have prepared me for the bone chilling week ahead. Vodka may be the only remedy. Does drinking vodka in Russia amount to a cultural experience, or am I just deluding myself?
The only downside to all this travel is the amount of time Jin and I have to spend with each other. Right now Jin is in Brazil, traveling this very moment I believe from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte, where she will be staying in a cabin in the rain forest and looking at a carbon emmission mitigation project in the rainforest there. Awesome, and I'm sure she's having a blast. But she's also leaving to Korea and possibly to China for 6 months at the end of January, so we're trying to make the most of the time we have available in January. As it is we don't have much. She gets back Friday, we have Saturday together to celebrate our one-year anniversary (can't believe it's been that long) and then I leave the next day. Hopefully the couple of weeks at the end of the month won't be too full.
What have I been busy with? A number of interesting projects have been absorbing most of my time since October last year. Most interesting (and intense) is a large media deal in Russia that is a very exciting opportunity. In between my IFC project work, I have found a fair amount of time to travel; went back to Penn for homecoming, was back in Calgary for Christmas, and last weekend went to Dallas to meet up with Reid and Whan - it was about time. Reid and I were both amazed that it had been more than a year since we had seen each other, which we hope to not let happen again. Once he moves to LA, I'll use it as an excuse to (ashamedly) make my first trip to California. Ever.
This coming Sunday, I should be on a plane to Moscow. It will be my first time in Russia, and it will be cold. I don't think even Canada will have prepared me for the bone chilling week ahead. Vodka may be the only remedy. Does drinking vodka in Russia amount to a cultural experience, or am I just deluding myself?
The only downside to all this travel is the amount of time Jin and I have to spend with each other. Right now Jin is in Brazil, traveling this very moment I believe from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte, where she will be staying in a cabin in the rain forest and looking at a carbon emmission mitigation project in the rainforest there. Awesome, and I'm sure she's having a blast. But she's also leaving to Korea and possibly to China for 6 months at the end of January, so we're trying to make the most of the time we have available in January. As it is we don't have much. She gets back Friday, we have Saturday together to celebrate our one-year anniversary (can't believe it's been that long) and then I leave the next day. Hopefully the couple of weeks at the end of the month won't be too full.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Intensity of experience
I think that's why my trip to China seemed to go by in a flash. 10 days does not seem like too short a length of time, but the long work hours I had to pull, the late-night social activities with clients and colleagues and the overwhelming explosion of sensory input that I had to take in all make it feel as though I just left.
I can probably claim to be the only person I know to have gone to China and not have visited the Great Wall. I used the short space of personal time I was able to free up over my second weekend to visit Matt, his family, and his new fiance in Xi'an, the old capital during the Tang Dynasty. Well worth it. Aside from finally having an opportunity to meet Linnea, and to personally congratulate her and her husband-to-be soon after the proposal, Xi'an also provided me the opportunity to experience a more rural, less industrialized China than I saw in my visits to Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The terracotta warriors, despite being attacked by an even larger army of tourists, were nonetheless an impressive sight. Xi'an also had a feeling to it that implied it was more the way China used to be.
Friends and tourist attractions aside, Chinese culture was wonderful to take in. One of the most surreal and alien experiences during my trip I enjoyed with Matt, Linnea and Hilary in a bar in Xi'an. After lounging upstairs and absorbing the older dance hits that pulsed from the speakers overhead, we all joined a dancing group fo what could only have been moms, or at least 40+ year-old Chinese women out for a night on the town. Aside from being thrilled, or at least bemused, to have the only foreigners in the bar join in dancing with their circle, they also sang out their own accompaniment to the dance melody in operatic form. Matt danced in their midst wearing his $2 Mao cap purchased from street vendors in Beijing, which only foreigners seem to appreciate. Bizarre, perhaps, but memorable, undoubtedly.
I can probably claim to be the only person I know to have gone to China and not have visited the Great Wall. I used the short space of personal time I was able to free up over my second weekend to visit Matt, his family, and his new fiance in Xi'an, the old capital during the Tang Dynasty. Well worth it. Aside from finally having an opportunity to meet Linnea, and to personally congratulate her and her husband-to-be soon after the proposal, Xi'an also provided me the opportunity to experience a more rural, less industrialized China than I saw in my visits to Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The terracotta warriors, despite being attacked by an even larger army of tourists, were nonetheless an impressive sight. Xi'an also had a feeling to it that implied it was more the way China used to be.
Friends and tourist attractions aside, Chinese culture was wonderful to take in. One of the most surreal and alien experiences during my trip I enjoyed with Matt, Linnea and Hilary in a bar in Xi'an. After lounging upstairs and absorbing the older dance hits that pulsed from the speakers overhead, we all joined a dancing group fo what could only have been moms, or at least 40+ year-old Chinese women out for a night on the town. Aside from being thrilled, or at least bemused, to have the only foreigners in the bar join in dancing with their circle, they also sang out their own accompaniment to the dance melody in operatic form. Matt danced in their midst wearing his $2 Mao cap purchased from street vendors in Beijing, which only foreigners seem to appreciate. Bizarre, perhaps, but memorable, undoubtedly.
Friday, July 14, 2006
With winged feet
I make no excuses for my failure to blog in such a long time; it is totally unforgiveable, and for that, I am sorry.
Back to business.
I am leaving to China tomorrow. It will be my first time there, and the fact that I will get to see the country, let alone make my first business deal in the world's premier rising economy, is incredibly exciting. Fingers crossed, I will also have time to do something cultural, and perhaps hit upon some of the polished stepping stones of the tourist track. Bizarrely, I found out about this deal only 2 days ago, and will be in Beijing at around the same time as Matt, who I will have the fortune to see only a couple of days after he does something pretty major (details to be disclosed at a later date - return to my blog in suspenseful anticipation!)
Unfortunately, what was shaping up to be the best holiday fo my life, is no longer going to take place. I was to spend a week and a half in Hawaii with Whan and Reid, misbehaving and, when too tired to misbehave, doing absolutely nothing. Obvioulsy, it's impossible to be in China and Hawaii at the same time, so there you have it. Sorry bros. On the flipside, I might still be able to catch Whan in Seoul, and of course Reid will be more accessible once he moves to LA in his new office.
And I'm tired. By all indications, I have impressed everyone with my performance here. That has involved a great deal of work, and Hawaii was going to be a cherished opportunity to replenish my energies before entering once again into the fray. Without that, I only hope that deal cycles will cool down a little as the summer progresses and I'll get some breathing room. Yes, that would be nice.
In any case, it's nice to be escaping from DC as the summer heats up. Although, apparently the pollution in China's major cities is eye-opening. Guess I'll have to wait and see.
Back to business.
I am leaving to China tomorrow. It will be my first time there, and the fact that I will get to see the country, let alone make my first business deal in the world's premier rising economy, is incredibly exciting. Fingers crossed, I will also have time to do something cultural, and perhaps hit upon some of the polished stepping stones of the tourist track. Bizarrely, I found out about this deal only 2 days ago, and will be in Beijing at around the same time as Matt, who I will have the fortune to see only a couple of days after he does something pretty major (details to be disclosed at a later date - return to my blog in suspenseful anticipation!)
Unfortunately, what was shaping up to be the best holiday fo my life, is no longer going to take place. I was to spend a week and a half in Hawaii with Whan and Reid, misbehaving and, when too tired to misbehave, doing absolutely nothing. Obvioulsy, it's impossible to be in China and Hawaii at the same time, so there you have it. Sorry bros. On the flipside, I might still be able to catch Whan in Seoul, and of course Reid will be more accessible once he moves to LA in his new office.
And I'm tired. By all indications, I have impressed everyone with my performance here. That has involved a great deal of work, and Hawaii was going to be a cherished opportunity to replenish my energies before entering once again into the fray. Without that, I only hope that deal cycles will cool down a little as the summer progresses and I'll get some breathing room. Yes, that would be nice.
In any case, it's nice to be escaping from DC as the summer heats up. Although, apparently the pollution in China's major cities is eye-opening. Guess I'll have to wait and see.
Friday, May 05, 2006
I feel like a spy
Today I just got my UN Laissez-Passer. Basically, it's a UN Passport, which is pretty damn cool, if you ask a UN-loving nerd like myself.
Because I don't have my driver's license these days (it's in the mail), I have been carrying a passport around with for ID purposes. Because I like keeping my passports in the same place, (and because it feels wrong to choose between Irish and Canadian), I have had both in my right pocket for quite some time. Well, now I have 3. It might not be the minimum of five that you usually get a glimpse of in the clandestine briefcase in the movies, but I still feel pretty spyish.
Because I don't have my driver's license these days (it's in the mail), I have been carrying a passport around with for ID purposes. Because I like keeping my passports in the same place, (and because it feels wrong to choose between Irish and Canadian), I have had both in my right pocket for quite some time. Well, now I have 3. It might not be the minimum of five that you usually get a glimpse of in the clandestine briefcase in the movies, but I still feel pretty spyish.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Ah, hockey
This is, without a doubt, the single greatest television program ever created.
I just got back from a brief trip home to Calgary, with the primary purpose of renewing my lost G-4 visa, but with the added bonus of being able to surprise my mom and see my family again. I had forgotten what it was like to be able to turn on the boob tube and have instantly displayed in front of you the hockey game of the moment (particularly if the playoffs are on.) There are some things simply irreplacable when you are not at home. I don't think it's possible for me to find a Flames game anywhere south of the border, no matter how hard I try. This makes me sad.
Tonight the Flames take on the Ducks in what I hope will be their series-winning match against Anaheim. Iginla was in great form when I watched the game on the 29th, and Kiprusoff is nothing short of a wall. Here's hoping they win tonight. Depending on how CFA study goes, I might try to listen in on the radio. Go Flames Go!
Interestingly, the Oilers are set for a huge upset against Detroit, and if they make it tonight they'll likely be playing Calgary in the next round as the teams would be the top and bottom seeds of the Western Conference teams. It would be great to have a playoff series between those two. Anyone within 100 miles of me care?
I just got back from a brief trip home to Calgary, with the primary purpose of renewing my lost G-4 visa, but with the added bonus of being able to surprise my mom and see my family again. I had forgotten what it was like to be able to turn on the boob tube and have instantly displayed in front of you the hockey game of the moment (particularly if the playoffs are on.) There are some things simply irreplacable when you are not at home. I don't think it's possible for me to find a Flames game anywhere south of the border, no matter how hard I try. This makes me sad.
Tonight the Flames take on the Ducks in what I hope will be their series-winning match against Anaheim. Iginla was in great form when I watched the game on the 29th, and Kiprusoff is nothing short of a wall. Here's hoping they win tonight. Depending on how CFA study goes, I might try to listen in on the radio. Go Flames Go!
Interestingly, the Oilers are set for a huge upset against Detroit, and if they make it tonight they'll likely be playing Calgary in the next round as the teams would be the top and bottom seeds of the Western Conference teams. It would be great to have a playoff series between those two. Anyone within 100 miles of me care?
Friday, April 14, 2006
Octuple espresso
That's what I just ordered. I really don't think the human body can withstand that amount of caffeine, but I am toying with the idea of drinking it regardless. It would definitely be a first for me. I don't really need it, it has just been one of those spacy days where I struggle to form a coherent sentence in conversation, but for some reason have no problem writing my emails. I just grabbed lunch in the IFC cafeteria with Emma, and she admits had she not known me better, she probably would not have been able to understand what I've been saying. Maybe an octuple espresso is the answer.
Moving on from randomness, a happy Easter to all of my undoubtedly disappointed readers who have been without a post for almost a month now. My apologies. It is (almost) all entirely to blame on work, where multiple exciting projects have recently come onto my radar, and which are providing me with a great deal of stimulating, if exhausting work. Those insidious taxes are also partly to blame; I am attempting to finalize my return this afternoon. Then, hopefully, I will have a relatively relaxing weekend; a bbq planned for tonight, a party and mass (do-able?) on Saturday, and then a Passover morning celebration on Sunday. To end it all, Jin and I will hopefully have an intimate dinner on Sunday night before she heads off to Paris for business.
Moving on from randomness, a happy Easter to all of my undoubtedly disappointed readers who have been without a post for almost a month now. My apologies. It is (almost) all entirely to blame on work, where multiple exciting projects have recently come onto my radar, and which are providing me with a great deal of stimulating, if exhausting work. Those insidious taxes are also partly to blame; I am attempting to finalize my return this afternoon. Then, hopefully, I will have a relatively relaxing weekend; a bbq planned for tonight, a party and mass (do-able?) on Saturday, and then a Passover morning celebration on Sunday. To end it all, Jin and I will hopefully have an intimate dinner on Sunday night before she heads off to Paris for business.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Motley Assortment
No real topic, just a post. I am horrendously sick, rendering my mornings intolerable and my workday exhausting. Thankfully my current deals have been a lot less intense than a month ago, and I can leave the office in enough time to get sleep and try to heal. Unfortunately, part of the reason for the drop in intensity is that two of my potential travel opportunities - one to Thailand, the other to DRC, have probably fallen through - although in all honesty you can never make the call either way until you're on the plane. On the plus side, I am now working on a Russian media deal that will likely give me a chance to see Moscow for the first time in the near future.
Apparently, a lot of travelling is on the horizon. Jin (who has been fantastic at making me feel better despite my rotten physical condition - thanks babe!) and I are planning a trip to Canada, probably Montreal and/or Kingston, to get my visa reissued and hopefully visit my brother, who became the first family member outside of my parents to visit me on the east coast since I started living here. Reid and I are aiming for some kind of mega holiday in the early summer, not sure where yet. And I also want to work in seeing Mehal in Seattle, potentially convincing him to climb Rainier with me. Beyond the summer and any other business trips, I also need to make my way out to Vancouver for Matt's wedding. Wedding? Yes, his wedding. You know you're getting old when your friends start proposing. But you still have to call me bro - let's try to catch each other this week. I'll also probably try to visit Whan in Syracuse at some point - he came down a week ago and we had a blast in DC, although unfortunately he could only stay for one night.
The other important thing to mention is that I (finally) got a bike! It's a pretty sweet mountain bike, and although it set me back a bit, I have no doubt it's worth it. It makes getting around the city so much faster, and once it warms up a bit more I expect to hit a lot of the trails around here on weekends. Jin and I are aiming to do the Mount Vernon trail on Saturday. My quads are probably really out of shape - the last time I did any serious mountain biking was back on Javan volcanoes in my scouting days - so I am probably in for a sore time, no matter how small the hills out here might be!
Apparently, a lot of travelling is on the horizon. Jin (who has been fantastic at making me feel better despite my rotten physical condition - thanks babe!) and I are planning a trip to Canada, probably Montreal and/or Kingston, to get my visa reissued and hopefully visit my brother, who became the first family member outside of my parents to visit me on the east coast since I started living here. Reid and I are aiming for some kind of mega holiday in the early summer, not sure where yet. And I also want to work in seeing Mehal in Seattle, potentially convincing him to climb Rainier with me. Beyond the summer and any other business trips, I also need to make my way out to Vancouver for Matt's wedding. Wedding? Yes, his wedding. You know you're getting old when your friends start proposing. But you still have to call me bro - let's try to catch each other this week. I'll also probably try to visit Whan in Syracuse at some point - he came down a week ago and we had a blast in DC, although unfortunately he could only stay for one night.
The other important thing to mention is that I (finally) got a bike! It's a pretty sweet mountain bike, and although it set me back a bit, I have no doubt it's worth it. It makes getting around the city so much faster, and once it warms up a bit more I expect to hit a lot of the trails around here on weekends. Jin and I are aiming to do the Mount Vernon trail on Saturday. My quads are probably really out of shape - the last time I did any serious mountain biking was back on Javan volcanoes in my scouting days - so I am probably in for a sore time, no matter how small the hills out here might be!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Rogue State
US foreign policy would be funny, if it wasn't so frightening. The complete disrespect that the Bush administration has had for international law, the sovereignty of other peoples and the Universal Declaration of human rights is beyond belief. Appropriately, I am currently reading Rogue States by Noam Chomsky. Although Chomsky's incessantly militant rhetoric can prove a bit extreme after 200 pages, his point stands and is proven by history and current affairs; America, since its inception and virtually without exception, has used force to impose its will on other nations and maintain the World Order as it sees fit. Ironically, domestic public perception somehow clings to the image of America as a purveyor of peace and protector of human rights, while its own record remains abominable and its military actions internationally continue to blatantly offend the respect for humanity that even some present-day dictators find extreme. As much as I disagree with Mr. Bush's foreign policy adjectives, I cannot blame him alone for this practice; America's historical accomplishments in toppling democratically elected leaders and supplying brutal regimes with military hardware has been a constant, bipartisan initiative that Carter embraced as enthusiastically as Bush.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Shoeshine
I haven't posted in a while...been busy. In any case, I finally found some time to sign up to this Flickr thing, put some of my photos on the web, and potentially start building a database of cool pics. This is one of the shoeshine guys in Mexico City.
My ID for Flickr is Sacurus - I assume all of you will be able to access my pictures publicly. Unfortunately, the 20MB upload limit per month is quite limiting...although it does force you to pick and choose your best photos. Has anyone signed up for the premium Flickr service? Thoughts?
My ID for Flickr is Sacurus - I assume all of you will be able to access my pictures publicly. Unfortunately, the 20MB upload limit per month is quite limiting...although it does force you to pick and choose your best photos. Has anyone signed up for the premium Flickr service? Thoughts?
Thursday, March 02, 2006
EHMs
I wanted to post something up here about Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. It's a book I recently read by stealing time in between work over the weekend, and I found it an interesting introspective from someone who worked in a career aligned with my own. The author basically describes the new form of global empire, and how, as he believes, people working in private industry and development finance contribute to the subjugation and virtual enslavement of impoverished people in the third world. Specifically, Economic Hitmen (EHMs) are supposed to sell exorbitant loans to third world countries, which they know the countries will never be able to afford to pay, and then persaude them to use the funds in construction projects that are undertaken by American and Western firms, thus tying to country to the West's political agenda while creating business for its own companies and entrepreneurs. Ironically, in the culture of globalization, most of the people implementing this foreign policy are unaware that they are doing so, as they have been indoctrinated into the mindset of the North American corporatocracy.
At first glance, the summary of this story makes it out to be another piece of leftist extremism flying in the face of modern economics. But Perkins, who spent much of his life working for the system, and who describes himself as one of the few "EHMs" consciously aware of the "master plan", paints a very real and vivid account of his own experiences working in the third world, which I found very real and, more frighteningly, very compatible with both my life in Indonesia and also my working experience. Of course, the World Bank is named as one of the principal organisations contributing to this new form of empire (what self respecting left-of-center account of global economics could do without some Bank-bashing?)
I am leaving my own personal judgment on the truth and profundity of what Perkins wrote in limbo, as I feel I need time to digest it, and to examine counter arguments. Definitely worth a read though.
At first glance, the summary of this story makes it out to be another piece of leftist extremism flying in the face of modern economics. But Perkins, who spent much of his life working for the system, and who describes himself as one of the few "EHMs" consciously aware of the "master plan", paints a very real and vivid account of his own experiences working in the third world, which I found very real and, more frighteningly, very compatible with both my life in Indonesia and also my working experience. Of course, the World Bank is named as one of the principal organisations contributing to this new form of empire (what self respecting left-of-center account of global economics could do without some Bank-bashing?)
I am leaving my own personal judgment on the truth and profundity of what Perkins wrote in limbo, as I feel I need time to digest it, and to examine counter arguments. Definitely worth a read though.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Priceless
3 Starbucks "venti" coffees: $5.88
1 Packet Aspirin: $4.29
Occassionally glimpsing sunlight through the shaded windows of my office building while whithering into a baggy-eyed pale skinned pseudo-human: priceless.
1 Packet Aspirin: $4.29
Occassionally glimpsing sunlight through the shaded windows of my office building while whithering into a baggy-eyed pale skinned pseudo-human: priceless.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Technology awesome and cruel
Right now I'm at home. I called in sick today with a horrible flu, probably a result of not getting enough sleep during my brother's visit, and also doing pretty much nothing apart from work. However, lying in my bed doesn't mean I can't do my job - I'm currently pushing through a disbursement for an important project that I have been working on for a couple of weeks. This morning I have published 2 documents to IFC's internal server, held a couple of conference calls, and discussed/summarized the legal issues surrounding IFC's disbursment. Amazing what you can do with a cell, laptop and a wireless connection.
Kind of sucks though too, right? Gone are the days when "sick day" meant you actually got to sleep and recover.
Kind of sucks though too, right? Gone are the days when "sick day" meant you actually got to sleep and recover.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Bracing for the weekend
My brother is coming to DC. Both of us were blessed (cursed?) with the same Irish genes, so I'm envisioning a rather ridiculous level of alcohol consumption. That, added to the fact that Jin can outdrink me, means that the three of us at a bar can only end in irrevocable liver damage. And probably severe memory loss as well. Ah, beer...
In all seriousness, it will actually be good to have an opportunity to do some touristy stuff in DC, as I haven't really done any myself since moving here. Hopefully I'll finally get to see the Smithsonian, and Eoin and I will also head up to NYC at some point as Eoin's never been there. It's been a while since I made the pilgrimage to the UN headquarters (yes, I know, lame that standing outside the HQ is my favourite thing to do in NYC, but I can dream, can't I?)
In all seriousness, it will actually be good to have an opportunity to do some touristy stuff in DC, as I haven't really done any myself since moving here. Hopefully I'll finally get to see the Smithsonian, and Eoin and I will also head up to NYC at some point as Eoin's never been there. It's been a while since I made the pilgrimage to the UN headquarters (yes, I know, lame that standing outside the HQ is my favourite thing to do in NYC, but I can dream, can't I?)
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Mobile development
Yes, mobile phones have an enormous impact on economic development. Why is this still news though? There is a horrendous public misperception on the uses and economic benefits associated with mobile phone use, especially with regards to the poorest segments of (all) societies. It has been remarkably difficult for the telecommunications industry, as well as the media in general, to relay this truth to public opinion. Part of the problem is that, while organizations like the BBC report justly on the benefits accrued from deploying mobile networks in developing countries, the relevant policy makers (read: governments and the UN umbrella) fail to highlight this issue - they would rather use a conference like WSIS to fight over control of the internet.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Friendster: krap
I joined Friendster a couple of months ago to be able to comment on a friend's blog (damn you Taylor) and couldn't even comment after taking forever to confirm that I was leaving every section of my profile blank. Now, mysteriously, after giving no information about myself and not putting up a picture, I have been contacted twice, both times by skimpily-clad women (one a model, the other a "lonely gal looking for a man") employing what my delicate sensibilities would consider a far-too-familiar tone, and somehow discerning that I was a "good-looking guy". I must say, despite the friendliness of these women, I think they may be poor judges of character (links to their friends' website seemed to suggest inappropriate material) but don't worry, I will invite them to the next cocktail party I hold and try to introduce them to some more polite washingtonian circles.
Yes, I am aware that it would probably have taken less effort to unsubscribe than to rant, but I felt the need to make a public appeal to stop people subscribing to that horrible website, if anything because their blog layout is so dysfunctional. Oh, and the name sucks.
Yes, I am aware that it would probably have taken less effort to unsubscribe than to rant, but I felt the need to make a public appeal to stop people subscribing to that horrible website, if anything because their blog layout is so dysfunctional. Oh, and the name sucks.
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