Useful Thoughts and Actions Taken

Exerpt below from Tax Avoider Arty Lichtenstein, a landlocked alpine principality with just 35,000 citizens, has made a name for itself as a discreet tax haven. Bordered by Switzerland to its west and by Austria to its east, Lichtenstein is one of the few countries in the world with more registered companies than citizens and has, like Switzerland, laws that protect bank customers from outside governments. That irritates Germany’s conservatives. “It’s simply unacceptable to have tax havens in Europe that encourage capital flight and incite tax fraud,” Ronald Pofalla, a senior conservative, told a Berlin news conference. “We must ensure that Read more…

Saca – What ?

From the second page of an arty about Fidel Castro transferring power in Cuba to his brother: For Raúl, any economic opening also poses dangers. One of the reasons Fidel disliked private property is that it reduced his political control over Cubans. It is hard for people to rebel against the government when it is the country’s sole employer. Allowing greater private enterprise could alleviate the chronic shortages of basic items, but would also make Cubans less dependent on the regime. Sound familiar ?  – Its why Social Security has not been privatized in the USA.  Its why politicians, particularly the Read more…

I have tried using Alibaba and it seems to be scammish.  I list something to sell and I get people emailing me trying to sell me the same sort of thing.  When I ask for estimates to buy items in bulk direct from China I get estimates that are HIGHER than retail ! Where’s the magic in Alibaba ??? I am more than a little stumped!

Ebay recently changed their feedback policies so that sellers can not place negative feedback on buyers.  I assume thus you only get a choice of positive and neutral.  This will cripple the ebay feedback system and really limit is effectivity.  In the long term I am absolutely certain its a step that will be reversed. I want to suggest we quicken this reversal with a method that hurts them the most and sellers the least. In response alot of sellers have been trying to stir up a boycott of ebay.  The problem with this is that the sellers need ebay too Read more…

If the woman fainting at the Obama rallys are not being paid to fake it then it is very highly probably not very attractive.  Being on the ugly side would probably be very generous at that.  Here’s a video that makes my point for me of the fainting goats of the obama rallys.          

I love portuguese. When I found these common phrases I called a brazilian friend to help me pronounce.  Vocabulário e expressões coloquiais populares no Brasil e seus equivalentes nos EUA: Essa “pequenina” lisstinha…foi minha amiga fofa Tabatha q me enviou…. Obrigada Tatha…..com certeza vai ser muito util p/ todas nos…rsrs . One for the road = A saideira . The worst-case scenario = A pior das hipóteses . To give something up = Abrir mão de algo . To hit the nail on the head = Acertar em cheio . Come what may = Aconteça o que acontecer . After all = Afinal Read more…

It is simply not that good.  I watched it during my last stay in Brazil. Its story is takes an odd detour half way through. It could have been so much better with a better story.  They used the same sort of camera techniques and splits in the sequence that Cidade de Deus used.  However Cidade de Deus was much much better.  You’ll need to know portuguese to watch them! unless you have subtitles. And by the way…the Germans tried to say it was a film about Police corruption.  Of course yet another holier than thou Germanic European with their socialist Read more…

And creative friend Phil has a blinking light globe.  A cut crystal glass rotates inside as 4 or 5 blinking bulbs blink inside the central glass cylinder.  Around all this is the globe.   Well he’s had it since the 70’s and over the years lots of people have thought that when he played music that the flashing lights where sync’d to it. In reality its just the human mind matching the lights creatively to the music. Pretty much how global warming has become man made.  You have to keep your ideas close and constantly check them. Otherwise you won’t know which ones are just your tinfoil hat creations.  Read more…

Think about it !  Women are cheap with their own money but not with their man’s!  They do like money.   An ugly man can suddenly be oddly gorgeous once a woman finds out he has some net worth.