Apparently, the oldest depiction of a woman has been described today by archaeologists in southwestern Germany, according to The Globe and Mail. The little figurine, which was carved from the tusk of a mammoth 35,000 years ago, is X-rated and lacks a head.
According to archaeologists from the University of Tubingen, the figure is quite sexually explicit. The dishy little figurine joins an important group of finds from southern Germany, including mammoths, horses, cave lions and two creatures that are half-man, half-animal.
May 13, 2009
Barack Obama: Déjà vu or New and Improved
by Diane Wilson
A country spots a young, telegenic leader who campaigns on the concept of a just society and the spirit of change. He has been influenced by John Kenneth Galbraith and is a deep believer in Keynesian economics. Always the outsider, he developed his unique world view as a student at Harvard. He was an associate professor of law, whose views tilted towards a liberal position in favour of the rights of an individual.
He captivates actors and statesmen alike. His campaign wins the hearts and minds of the media and mobilizes youth, who see him as a symbol of change. He is quickly labelled a socialist, while his own personal motto is "Reason before passion." Some praise him for his keen intellect, while others simply bash him for arrogance, economic mismanagement and favouring the authority of the federal government. (Wikipedia.) He leads his country through a rough period in history, and is often the centre of attention.
His name is Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and he was Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1984, save for a few unfortunate months.
A country spots a young, telegenic leader who campaigns on the concept of a just society and the spirit of change. He has been influenced by John Kenneth Galbraith and is a deep believer in Keynesian economics. Always the outsider, he developed his unique world view as a student at Harvard. He was an associate professor of law, whose views tilted towards a liberal position in favour of the rights of an individual.
He captivates actors and statesmen alike. His campaign wins the hearts and minds of the media and mobilizes youth, who see him as a symbol of change. He is quickly labelled a socialist, while his own personal motto is "Reason before passion." Some praise him for his keen intellect, while others simply bash him for arrogance, economic mismanagement and favouring the authority of the federal government. (Wikipedia.) He leads his country through a rough period in history, and is often the centre of attention.
His name is Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and he was Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1984, save for a few unfortunate months.
Good Diversions: More Heroes
Former FDIC Chairman Bill Seidman who died Wednesday in Albuquerque, N.M. at the age of 88, reports The Huffington Post. The affable Seidman held a Harvard LLB and an MBA from Michigan, and served in the US Navy during World War II. While Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the first President Bush, Seidman headed up The Resolution Trust Corp (RTC), which efficiently cleaned up the Savings and Loan mess. Recently, due to his success with the RTC, Seidman became the go-to guy to discuss the current banking debacle. Seidman was always straight forward and calming in his assessments. In no particular order, he was also Managing Partner of BDO Seidman, biked to work because he liked to be around young people, consulted with many corporations, wrote, and was a regular on CNBC. A prince of a guy!
Pilot Pilot C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger who not only decided to ditch his bird-burdened plane in the Hudson River, but actually succeeded in doing so, without harming anybody or even losing his cool!
Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old American woman who dreams big, swam across the Atlantic Ocean, a 4,000 km. journey from the Cape Verde Islands off west Africa to Trinidad, a 24 day trek that had her swimming in a shark cage and finishing unafraid.
Pilot Pilot C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger who not only decided to ditch his bird-burdened plane in the Hudson River, but actually succeeded in doing so, without harming anybody or even losing his cool!
Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old American woman who dreams big, swam across the Atlantic Ocean, a 4,000 km. journey from the Cape Verde Islands off west Africa to Trinidad, a 24 day trek that had her swimming in a shark cage and finishing unafraid.
May 12, 2009
GM and GE: The importance of staying relevant
by Diane Wilson
Poor, poor, poor GM, which as of Tuesday had a market cap of $690-million, making it the littlest company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, according to The Globe and Mail. I am mixing apples and oranges but you'll get the point when I tell you that Canada's own George Weston announced sales of $34 billion and earnings of nearly one billion and yet, many people could not tell you what that company does. Weston has a market cap in excess of $8 billion.
It would appear that GM may be turning out the lights now that its executives have been busy dumping their stock in the company, sending shares to $1.09, a level last seen in 1933. This is the company whose products your parents really, really wanted. This is the company, that save for a short stint, has occupied a prestigious spot in the Dow. How many people dreamt of Cadillacs and Camaros and Firebirds? Lots. This was definitely the top car maker, as anybody who grew up on Pontiac Parisiennes while aspiring to Sedan deVilles will tell you. The moment -- the very moment -- that a person had achieved the latter meant that he had arrived. (This was more of a he thing than a she thing, back then.) It was not a debt ridden moment but a signature event in the life of an individual because Cadillac was the very hallmark of wealth and success.
So the Dow is going to soldier on in all likelihood without GM. General Electric will now be the lone link to the past because GE is the only original component of the Dow, dating its inclusion to 1896. It will be interesting to see where the Average meanders over the next few years by way of components. It was exciting when Intel and Microsoft were added because it indicated tech was more than a passing fad. Perhaps the Dow will go for a biotech next?
The Dow provides a nice reading of America and progress. It is at once a graveyard for companies that fail to adapt and a prism through which to analyze corporate success.I am going to toast Thomas Edison's General Electric, and congratulate Jeff Immelt for keeping his company relevant 119 years later, as he has built up infrastructure and wind energy and medical technology and water treatment, and tossed out the old. As Immelt and others were redefining their companies, what the heck was going through the minds of execs at GM? I would really love to know.
Poor, poor, poor GM, which as of Tuesday had a market cap of $690-million, making it the littlest company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, according to The Globe and Mail. I am mixing apples and oranges but you'll get the point when I tell you that Canada's own George Weston announced sales of $34 billion and earnings of nearly one billion and yet, many people could not tell you what that company does. Weston has a market cap in excess of $8 billion.
It would appear that GM may be turning out the lights now that its executives have been busy dumping their stock in the company, sending shares to $1.09, a level last seen in 1933. This is the company whose products your parents really, really wanted. This is the company, that save for a short stint, has occupied a prestigious spot in the Dow. How many people dreamt of Cadillacs and Camaros and Firebirds? Lots. This was definitely the top car maker, as anybody who grew up on Pontiac Parisiennes while aspiring to Sedan deVilles will tell you. The moment -- the very moment -- that a person had achieved the latter meant that he had arrived. (This was more of a he thing than a she thing, back then.) It was not a debt ridden moment but a signature event in the life of an individual because Cadillac was the very hallmark of wealth and success.
So the Dow is going to soldier on in all likelihood without GM. General Electric will now be the lone link to the past because GE is the only original component of the Dow, dating its inclusion to 1896. It will be interesting to see where the Average meanders over the next few years by way of components. It was exciting when Intel and Microsoft were added because it indicated tech was more than a passing fad. Perhaps the Dow will go for a biotech next?
The Dow provides a nice reading of America and progress. It is at once a graveyard for companies that fail to adapt and a prism through which to analyze corporate success.I am going to toast Thomas Edison's General Electric, and congratulate Jeff Immelt for keeping his company relevant 119 years later, as he has built up infrastructure and wind energy and medical technology and water treatment, and tossed out the old. As Immelt and others were redefining their companies, what the heck was going through the minds of execs at GM? I would really love to know.
May 8, 2009
Intrigue at 6 AM: And why do you want Canadian dollars?
And while we were all just enjoying our gardens, holy smokes, some investors may have had the inside scoop on Canada's Friday jobs numbers. According to The Globe and Mail, Canada is making sure that leaked data did not help currency speculators in advance of the surprisingly good numbers. The Canadian dollar was up .7 per cent between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. ET for no apparent reason, well in advance of the report.
The rumour that has people concerned concerns a large London based hedge fund that made a substantial purchase of Canadian dollars nearly an hour before the Statscan release. Brokers are questioning a leak, but also acknowledging that the Canadian dollar was thinly traded at the time. Some are questioning whether it was the Finance Minister's office that leaked the numbers. Frankly, it was such an odd report that it doesn't seem to matter all that much, and the Canadian dollar was due to rise. But Statscan had better make sure that nobody, but nobody is talking ahead of the news. There are a lot of eyes on Canada and many sophisticated investors like Dennis Gartman are betting on this country. We do not want to look silly.
The rumour that has people concerned concerns a large London based hedge fund that made a substantial purchase of Canadian dollars nearly an hour before the Statscan release. Brokers are questioning a leak, but also acknowledging that the Canadian dollar was thinly traded at the time. Some are questioning whether it was the Finance Minister's office that leaked the numbers. Frankly, it was such an odd report that it doesn't seem to matter all that much, and the Canadian dollar was due to rise. But Statscan had better make sure that nobody, but nobody is talking ahead of the news. There are a lot of eyes on Canada and many sophisticated investors like Dennis Gartman are betting on this country. We do not want to look silly.
Green Shoots: It's the Demography, Stupid!
by Diane Wilson
It is springtime. My lilacs are in bloom, as are the daffodils, tulips and the cherry blossoms. The air is moist and suffused with the fragrance of a thousand buds and blooms, all pregnant with the promise of summer. Languish no more indoors. You have suffered a harsh winter and now there is payment for that suffering.
Truthfully there's nothing better than green shoots, except that the mere phrase has us heading for the hills. It was Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who famously used the term in his 60 Minutes Interview, when he wanted to calm the markets and the country, as noted in The New York Times. This green shoots discussion has not abated. Now it's a global issue, as described once again in The Times. Anyone brave enough to google green shoots will find a bumper crop: Green Shoots Remarks Defended, Keeping a Close Eye on Those Green Shoots, or The shoots of recovery look pale green at best.
I liked the term the first time round. Now I am beginning to think it more to do with demographics than economics. Could it be the world -- especially the developed world -- is just aging, and Mr. Bernanke wants to relate to us? According to the 2006 Canadian Census, the median age was 39.5. At that time, it was observed that the median age was expected to keep rising and could exceed 44 years by 2031. And older people tend to have a greater appreciation for gardening, as noted by JPM Morgan with its age-related basket of stocks in Seeking Alpha. It was not an accident that Scotts Miracle-Gro made the list. And that's probably why we keep seeing these commercials on television for upside down vegetable gardens that look plenty weird.
So this green shoots thing is really a case of knowing your audience and relating. Okay, you lost a bundle in your retirement plan and your job might be on the line. That's winter stuff. Don't worry, there are beautiful green shoots emerging.
And that alone is telling because it speaks to the next hurdles our economy will face after the Great Recession has come and gone: our mature workforce and spiralling health care costs. Bernanke's a smart guy. I suspect he is dealing with the problems at hand and thinking ahead. No doubt, he is anticipating the issues associated with people who get altogether too worked up about by green shoots. He is starting to confront the issues associated with an older America.
It is springtime. My lilacs are in bloom, as are the daffodils, tulips and the cherry blossoms. The air is moist and suffused with the fragrance of a thousand buds and blooms, all pregnant with the promise of summer. Languish no more indoors. You have suffered a harsh winter and now there is payment for that suffering.
Truthfully there's nothing better than green shoots, except that the mere phrase has us heading for the hills. It was Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who famously used the term in his 60 Minutes Interview, when he wanted to calm the markets and the country, as noted in The New York Times. This green shoots discussion has not abated. Now it's a global issue, as described once again in The Times. Anyone brave enough to google green shoots will find a bumper crop: Green Shoots Remarks Defended, Keeping a Close Eye on Those Green Shoots, or The shoots of recovery look pale green at best.
I liked the term the first time round. Now I am beginning to think it more to do with demographics than economics. Could it be the world -- especially the developed world -- is just aging, and Mr. Bernanke wants to relate to us? According to the 2006 Canadian Census, the median age was 39.5. At that time, it was observed that the median age was expected to keep rising and could exceed 44 years by 2031. And older people tend to have a greater appreciation for gardening, as noted by JPM Morgan with its age-related basket of stocks in Seeking Alpha. It was not an accident that Scotts Miracle-Gro made the list. And that's probably why we keep seeing these commercials on television for upside down vegetable gardens that look plenty weird.
So this green shoots thing is really a case of knowing your audience and relating. Okay, you lost a bundle in your retirement plan and your job might be on the line. That's winter stuff. Don't worry, there are beautiful green shoots emerging.
And that alone is telling because it speaks to the next hurdles our economy will face after the Great Recession has come and gone: our mature workforce and spiralling health care costs. Bernanke's a smart guy. I suspect he is dealing with the problems at hand and thinking ahead. No doubt, he is anticipating the issues associated with people who get altogether too worked up about by green shoots. He is starting to confront the issues associated with an older America.
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