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Kiwi Sot on Four-Day Bender Continues Drinking After Overturning His Car. Hey, We've All Been There.
Posted by Lionel on	June 26, 2010	Leave a comment (0) Go to comments
A Kiwi sot, nearly three times the legal limit, drank beer in his overturned car because he had "nothing better to do" while waiting for police. He's got a point.
When asked by an officer how much he had to drink, Paul Nigel Sneddon, 47, of Palmerston North, replied: "Plenty. I've been drinking for four days straight." Cue George Jones.
He reported that it was the lowest point in his life, but he did not think it would stop him drinking.
The former baker (I'll bet he was a master baker) pleaded guilty ito careless driving and having a breath-alcohol limit of 1191mcg. The legal limit is 400mcg. By my calculations, he had a lot.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Ollie Outtrim (Isn't that what kids say when playing?) said Evel Knievel Sneddon failed to take a corner and crashed through a wooden barrier.
Cops found him trapped in his overturned Ford Laser, drinking from a can of beer.
His lawyer said that when he couldn't open the doors, "he had nothing else to do at that point, so he had another beer." What the hell, indeed.
The dipsomaniac Sneddon noted, "I'm separated from my wife, I've got no friends, no-one comes to visit me and that job was my whole life," he said. "So to remove that was to remove my purpose in life."
Seriously, somebody cue George Jones.
"When you're lonely like I am, you cling to the things that bring you comfort." Hear, hear.
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Board members are elected officials who guide the Environmental Education Association of Indiana.
Board meetings are open to all membership. If you would like to attend, please contact the board president for details. If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact us at eeai@eeai.org.
Stephanie is the Outdoor Education and Restoration Coordinator for the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab at Marian University. She is the land manager and restoration ecologist for the over 75-acre EcoLab property on Marian's campus, and leads many of the K-12 environmental education programs there. She creates and implements much of the program curriculum for all visitors to the EcoLab, focusing on the native flora and fauna of Indiana. She received her Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from Ball State University, where her enthusiasm for native plants and restoring natural areas began. Before that, she served in the Peace Corps as an Environmental Action Volunteer, and worked as an animal keeper and environmental educator at the Indianapolis Zoo. Stephanie is passionate about educating others on conserving and restoring Indiana habitats, and makes it her job to get kids exploring outside to maintain that connection with nature. She enjoys spending her free time making her own yard more wildlife friendly and pretends to be a photographer when she can.
I grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago where I spent the summers camping with my family and exploring the wetlands. In one of those wetlands, I caught a three legged frog which further sparked my interest about wetlands and the life within them. This three legged frog and spending summers exploring inspired me to study the natural world more. I graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in zoology. Soon after graduating, I went to Costa Rica and interned with a sea turtle patrolling project. This is time when I learned how important it was to educate others about the significance of the environment around them. This led me to a position at Dunes Learning Center where I spent two years as an educator, before accepting my current manager position as Residential Education Coordinator. One of the best parts of working in Northwest Indiana is being able to expose children to the natural world around them as well as beautiful Lake Michigan and seeing their amazement.
Darci has spent the last 30 years working as an educator for the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), working with both adults and youth. Her job has taken her to classrooms, rivers, lakes, streams, ag fields, woods, and wetlands. She has been organizing raft trips for high schools students in northern Indiana for over 20 years. She currently serves as President of Indiana Envirothon, an international natural resource competition for high school students. She is a firm believer of progress through partnerships, and has worked with a variety of schools, STEM academies, other soil and water conservation districts, municipalities, watershed groups, lake associations, colleges and universities. Her job with SWCD has allowed her to bring agricultural and environmental communities together, preferring collaboration to confrontation! She is also a self-proclaimed soil geek.
She is a past secretary and president of EEAI, and has been the recipient of both the Joe Wright and Howard Michaud awards. EEAI is her favorite organization and she has been a life member for several years.
After early retirement I chose to spend my free time blending my two passions, children and the outdoors as 'Outdoor Ann'. I have volunteered/worked in a number of schools and classrooms from Kindergarten through high school promoting EE. EEAI fosters this passion and provides a source for educators both formal and informal. I can't think of a reason why I would not be involved.
I am an avid gardener living in suburbia, promoting organic gardening that can look mainstream.
I grew up on a farm outside of the small town of Hope, Indiana. We had a woods and creek running through the farm. I often played in the woods swinging on vines and climbing trees. We would wade in the creek and try to catch crayfish by hand. We had quail, pheasant, pigeons, doves, rabbits, and other traditional farm animals. We also had raccoons, red and grey foxes that DNR would use in their education programs. After grow up and moving to the Indianapolis, I began working in urban schools, I soon came understand how many children are limited in their experiences and their understanding of the nature world.
I have worked as an educator for over twenty years, primarily in the middle school grades. I have worked mostly in urban schools as well as rural and suburban schools. I have also worked as Resource Conservationist for the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District and on environmental projects with USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. I am current working for Hoosier Academies Charter School and I do some part time work for Marian University's EcoLab. I have a BS degree from IUPUI and a Master in Educational Leadership from University of Indianapolis. I am married with four children. As a lifelong Hoosier I have always had an interest in making Indiana better for my family and all Hoosiers. I believe one way is to increase students understanding of our state's natural environment.
With the last name of Wolf, it's no surprise that Sarah has been inspired by nature from an early age. Sarah Wolf's most memorable childhood activity was camping with her family to explore the outdoors and she turned her passion into a career. Sarah is Park Naturalist with Hendricks County Parks and Recreation, located just west of Indianapolis.
Sarah earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University. Through college, she worked at Turkey Run and Shades State Parks as an Interpretive Naturalist. To complete her Master's, Sarah managed 1,000 acres of certified wildlife habitat at Eli Lilly Tippecanoe Labs in Lafayette. She studied for two semesters in Europe. Sarah worked for a bit in the soil conservation field. She brings National Parks experience as she was an Interpretive Park Ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Big Thicket National Preserve, and Padre Island National Seashore (where she got to work with sea turtles!).
Her passion is sharing the natural world with park visitors, especially children. She loves helping them discover new natural aspects about our parks with each visit. In her free time, Sarah enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, and learning.
Software Engineer at Logikos, Inc.
Foster Brown asked me to be on the board several years ago and I've enjoyed it ever since.
I have a blog mostly about nature photography.
Hello, my name is Jen Smith!
I have my Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies from Goshen College, IN and Master of Science degree in Recreation Administration from Sacramento State, CA.
I started my EE career working as a naturalist instructor in a variety of residential outdoor centers in New York, South Carolina, and Indiana. During that time, I had the opportunity of connecting kids to the outdoors and investigating their local environment. My favorite classes to teach were outdoor living skills, aquatic life, and doing a general natural/cultural history type of hike, to see what we can find.
During a 3 year stint in Oregon, I was able to move up to more administrative roles of coordinating residential EE programs with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR, and moved on to other administrative roles as the Assistant Director of Outdoor Education at Pali Institute in California, and as a seasonal Summer Camp Director with the Girl Scouts of Northern California. I worked at Bradford Woods as an Assistant Director of Environmental Education, in Martinsville, Indiana, where I had the opportunity to work with school groups that attend our 3 day/2 night residential program.
I am excited to connect with the EEAI board in order to help facilitate connections between environmental educators and teachers across the state, and provide EE resources for educators, to enable them to be more comfortable teaching students in the outdoor classroom.
Natalie Haley is an Environmental Educator for Allen County Parks in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she has worked for the past ten years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University in Wildlife Science, a wildlife research option in Purdue's Forestry and Natural Resources Department. She has worked as a seasonal naturalist for Indiana's Department of Natural Resources at both McCormick's Creek State Park and Raccoon State Recreation Area. She also worked for Purdue University as a laboratory and field technician assistant. Following graduation, she explored the fields of zoological science, veterinary science and biology teaching by interning for Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, working at a local zoo, and then worked a year for a veterinarian clinic in Albany, Indiana. As a young mother she returned to Purdue University to explore a degree in biology teaching. This venture was interrupted by her husband's transfer to Spooner, Wisconsin. Not to be deterred, Natalie founded a family "nature niche" program in Spooner's Family Resource Center. It was publicized on the local radio station. She also taught environmental education at an old Audubon camp, Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary in Sarona, Wisconsin. This is where she renewed her love of stewardship for the land under the Leopold Education Project, of which she is now a facilitator. When her husband, NRCS soil scientist, was transferred back home to Indiana (Fort Wayne) in 2005, Natalie and her family settled down in Auburn, Indiana with ideas of working again for Indiana's State Parks. Natalie still lives in Auburn and commutes to Fort Wayne to share her love and passion for Environmental Education by working for Allen County Parks, www.allencountyparks.org. She is now exploring using nature as therapy for our busy, over-stimulated schedules.
EEAI presented "Nat" with the challenge of making every student in the State of Indiana an environmentally literate student. She volunteers with EEAI's working group that hopes to transform the ELG or Environmental Literacy Guidelines, developed by many passionate EEAI members, into an Environmental Literacy Plan for our great State of Indiana. The ELG found on our www.eeai.org website presents an outline of activities that teachers may utilize to educate their students on the natural environment.
Alison Zajdel resigned as the Executive Director at Cope Environmental Center in April of 2017. She is currently an independent contractor. Before coming to CEC she attended DePauw University majoring in Studio Arts. She has her certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Fund Raising School (Center on Philanthropy) and has completed training in planned giving, grant-seeking/writing, major gifts, and annual fund development. Alison contributes to our community by volunteering for a wide variety of organizations and sits on the Richmond Environmental Sustainability Commission. Alison received the prestigious Indiana Governor's Award for Tomorrow's Leaders in 2004 and has been an avid jump roper for 30 years!
Bernadette has loved the outdoors since she was a child growing up in southern Indiana. However, she was not comfortable in the woods until she learned in an ecology course that each tree and flower had a name. The woods became a place of retreat and renewal, and she went on to get degrees in environmental science, biology and leisure behavior (yes, you can get a degree in that).
EEAI provides a wonderful platform to help children of all ages learn to love the natural world. Bernadette wants to promote and support this organization so that others get to know their trees on a first name basis.
About a decade ago, I was asked by a former EEAI board member who was a student at Indiana University to serve out her term as Vice President after she moved to Kentucky, and I gladly accepted the offer.
The ten-acre plot of land that I call home has gained some names over the years, including Camp Wannabee – where you can be whatever you want to be. Most recently, I have named it "Shared Pear Farms" because a friend shared numerous pear saplings that she grew from seed. Though the trees have not yet produced any pears, I expand my fruit and nut tree collection each year... and most produce goes to the abundant wildlife.


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Product placement is a necessary evil. One of the many ways producers can pick take the sting out of production costs is to force/offer product placement, usually in the most awkward way possible. It's often unintentionally hilarious, but onscreen advertising can also be clever, self-aware, and funny on purpose. Funny product placement is tricky. Knowing when and where to push products in movies and TV shows can make or break the audience's attention.
When comedians have to deal with product placement, they have created some sarcastic and genuinely satirical approaches across film and TV. The to-the-camera product placement style of Wayne's World was bold and new at the time and has been repeatedly mimicked and perfected over the years, allowing entertainers to shill and mock shilling at the same time.
Turning down a lot of cash is hard to do if you're making a movie – see any Michael Bay film – but making product placement funny in a way that is not annoying or distracting is an art. Still, there are fans who balk. Why do we have to watch characters, actors, and hosts sell us anything? Soap operas were literally created to sell soap during daytime TV story plots for housewives to get hooked on. So it's not like product placement had a noble start.
But it can still be done well, rewarding the audience rather than distracting us. Of all of the satirical product placement scenes on TV and film, which title stands out? Who nailed it when it came to selling products in movies and TV shows? Was the funny product placement subtle or was it in an Adam Sandler movie?
And it worked. Audiences got to laugh at the seriousness with which Wayne and Garth complain about product placement while giving commercial-ready endorsements.
White Castle knows its customers. And when they were approached about the film, they knew it was a potential gold mine. Diehard White Castlers already knew it was a mecca for the stoned fast food fans, but Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle introduced a whole new audience to it's small, square craving-crushing goodness.
The whole point of the film was to end up at White Castle. Genius way to push a brand. White Castle didn't pay for their funny product placement, the chain did promote the film with radio ads, signage, and collective cups.
Nothing stands out more when it comes to funny product placement than the dinner table scene in Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby where Ricky Bobby covers a lot of products while saying his version of grace at a family dinner table piled high with recognizable fast food. The scene acknowledges the need for product placement while also staying true to the film's tone.
The blooper reel of endorsements at the end of the film is not to be missed.
Product placement: same as it ever was. Time travel allowed the franchise to play around with a lot of trends and brands. The first film simultaneously spoofed and enshrined the Delorean's place in car history. The sequel predicted a future of hoverboards from Mattel and self-lacing Nikes.
Marty and Doc Brown called attention to the products but because of the nature of the films, it kind of made sense. The silliness of the future brands made it clear that Back to the Future's product placement was tongue in cheek.
Staples is Dunder-Mifflin's biggest competitor and it's a natural fit into the plot line, the American version of The Office at least. The show had product placement deals with Hewlett Packard, Activision's Call of Duty, and, of course, Staples. Staples products appeared in every episode and Dwight Schrute even worked at Staples for a brief stretch.
When he quit, Staples issued a hilarious memo stating that he no longer worked there and wasn't eligible for rehire.


When it comes to Battle Royale games, PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS (or PUBG) is a name you need to know. With tens of millions of players across PC and Xbox One, the Battle Royale phenomenon has shown little signs of slowing since its launch in March 2017. Over the past year, the game has had a stratospheric rise, going from a Steam's Early Access title to a full Xbox release, with a massive following on streaming services like Twitch and Mixer.
"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" is an online, multiplayer survival game formally developed/published by Bluehole. PUBG is now being developed by PUBG Corp, a Bluehole subsidiary company in cooperation with Brendan Greene, the game's creative director, who goes by "PLAYERUNKNOWN" online. PUBG is Greene's first standalone game.
You start with no items, but you can scavenge for interesting weapons and vehicles (by searching through buildings) that is then used to kill everyone else. The goal is to fight to be the last man alive. The winners will get to see the coveted "winner winner chicken dinner" message appear on the screen.
BATTLEGROUNDS is a good balance between Arma 3 and H1Z1. It takes place on different islands (maps), but the main island for BATTLEGROUNDS is called Erangel. An abandoned Russian island where a military occupation was controlling the island.
Bluepoint has been slower in updates recently due to its efforts to curb cheating in the game. However, here you will find information on the latest additions to both the Xbox One and PC versions of the game as well as what's planned for the future.
4 Future Updates: What's coming to PUBG on PC?
The most recent patch for PUBG has landed, marking the ninth major update for the game since its Early Access exit. The biggest addition to the game is 'Killer Spectate' which allows players to spectate the rest of the match from their killer's perspective after they've been killed.
Players can spectate their killer by clicking the "watch" button on their match result screen after they've been killed. And when the player you were spectating dies, you can continue spectating the killer of that player and so on.
If no one killed you, that is, if you get killed by the Blue Zone, the Red Zone or from falling, you can instead choose to spectate the nearest player from your death location. You can even report a player you are spectating in Killer Spectate mode by pressing R. If, however, you click Death Cam, you won't be able to watch anyone on Killer Spectate mode.
In addition to that, the PUBG update also addresses a few minor bugs that were plaguing the game, such as flipping vehicles. And it also changes the default voice chat setting to 'Team Only'.
In terms of fixes, the update resolves a serious issue that caused vehicles (including the three-wheel bike) to flip or get airtime for no reason. It has fixed the problem with voice chat that caused some crashes. It's also fixed a problem where riding a heavier vehicle would cause a player to incorrectly receive more damage.
While most of the update is focussed on bug fixes and general gameplay optimization, there is also a brand new Western Military Crate available. This means players can now unlock vintage gas masks, battle belts, and even cowboy hats.
Inventory layout has been improved with a clearer button guide and tooltips as well as LT/RT fast scrolling. And there's now a visible counter to show the number of players remaining on the airplane.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' mobile version is now available for free on both Android and iOS, via Google Play and the App Store, respectively. The App Store description says the game "perfectly recreates" the PC version of the game.
There are, however, naturally some mobile optimizations, including the option to auto-pickup items, aim assist, voice chat for squad communication and a variety of on-screen controls, including steering and pedals for driving.
PUBG Mobile requires iOS 9.0 or later, and supports iPhones as far back as the iPhone 5S (though an iPhone 6 is recommended). The Android version supports more than 500 different Android devices, however using a device running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop or later with at least 2 GB RAM is recommended.
Future Updates: What's coming to PUBG on PC?
Updates for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds have somewhat slowed in recent months as the development team has been focusing on reducing instances of cheating in the game. However, there are big plans for the game throughout 2018 which have been laid out in a March blog post.
Starting in March, Bluehole is planning to push out a major update every two months, with each either bringing changes to specific systems and/or introduce new content.
A brand new 4×4 island map has launched on the game's experimental test server. This new map is much smaller than any we have seen in PUBG before and it will have a much more intense and faster paced Battle Royale experience. Bluepoint is promising that it will offer a higher player density and shorter match times, resulting in much faster and intense gameplay. Another new map that Bluepoint is working on is planned to be 8x8km in size.
Map selection is something that PUBG players all over the world have continuously asked for. PUBG fans on PC will be glad to know that they will soon be able to choose which map they play in: Erangal or Miramar. The map selection feature will roll out to test servers soon. At PAX East, the PUBG team announced that they are introducing the Miramar map to Xbox this May.
According to Bluehole's blog post, the main reason this has taken so long to implement is that the developers wanted to make sure that giving players the ability to choose the map wouldn't affect matchmaking times. The other reason is, players in different regions have different preferences and playstyles, so they wanted to come with map selection that works for all of them.
Bluepoint is also getting ready to begin testing their Emote System on Test Servers very soon. They are planning to continue this new system to expand the range of emotes available throughout the year.
In the first half of this year, PUBG is planning to add new vehicles and continue expanding their weapon set and also add new weapon attachments this year. It also intends to increase the detail of vehicle sounds, change the sound that the player produces while moving, introduce different breathing sounds when the player is running or holding breath, etc.
2018 will see Bluepoint building the foundations for an eSports league and a lot of work will be done on improving spectator experience.
Over the next few months, PUBG Xbox players will see meaningful improvements to optimizations, new content additions, compelling reasons to play, and refinements to the overall console experience.
Console players can expect to see a patch released every two to three weeks which will focus on continued performance optimizations, UI optimizations, improvements to inventory UX, Console Controller Options, and game matchmaking while adding more personalized controller options.
Players can also expect to see those emotes that the PC version now has at some point down the line. And the much awaited Miramar map will be coming to Xbox in early spring.


Audiovisual production company specializing in the production of short films, video reports and video marketing.
VideoInside produces and directs corporate films, commercials for television, recordings of events, movies and animated movies 3D stereoscopic or synthetic, and interactive movies or rich media. VideoInside also offers post-production services.


Hello party animals! We have reached the time of the year when we need no reason to party and there's none to stop us. But then why make it a usual one? When you can add exotic colors and pump up the base with enticing hip hop clubs of Malaysia!
So, this party season let us take a ride on the Malaysian clubs and make our nights wild.
Zouk Club One of the most exotic night clubs of Malaysia! Under a single rooftop it has got 11 different dance floors and you can experience one of the best "club-hopping" night at Zouk. This is one of those clubs where you expect a huge crowd also on weekdays and enjoy 'Mambo Jambo' night (as they call it, for the old school tracks!). Different days have got different themes moving on and it is the Friday night where Zouk gears itself up and witness the wild side.
Rootz Dance Club The club that is one of the biggest competitors of Zouk. #1 Rootz has got a consistent and the most amazing crowd of Malaysia that you can see anywhere! The EDM music nights are the unforgettable ones! How can you think of completing your visit to the club without the dance? Though for boys I must say "Beware of the Bouncers!" You need to play really smart to get up and break the dance floor.
The Rabbit Hole This one is the new age clubbing concept bar located at the Changkat Bukit Bintang. Entice yourself and fulfill your wildest imaginations by hopping into the Rabbit Hole. The club has 6 different romoms namely: Bamboo Forest, Translate Art Bar, Arthur's Lounge, Green Room, Reserved and Santorini.
Hence these were a few clubs, lounge and bars that one could trip on at Malaysia. Pay a visit to these clubs and make this party season an unforgettable one! Hope to see you at the same space with some different topic to talk on!
4 Easy Tricks to Book Cheap Flight Tickets To Malaysia?
Everything You Need To Know About Car Rentals In Malaysia!
3 Best Hotels To Stay In Malaysia!
Going To Malaysia? 3 Things To Know Before Your Trip!
Travel Indonesia For An Unforgettable Experience!
4 Reasons Why You Should Choose To Travel The World!
Top Hotels In Malaysia That One Shouldn't Miss!
2 Beautiful Cities You Shouldn't Miss Visiting While On Your Trip To Malaysia!
Some Do's And Don'ts While Traveling On A Flight For The First Time!
Make Your Vacations Amazing And Worth-Memorable With Hotels.com!


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Katie Price broke down in tears in public for the first time as she revealed intimate details about her split with Peter Andre.
The under-fire model sobbed as she gave a tell-all interview to Piers Morgan about the couple's split in a bid to combat the backlash against her partying ways.
The interview, set to be aired on ITV1 on Saturday, sees the model crying about their rocky romance and what the future holds.
Price reportedly became so emotional during the 45-minute chat that the interview had to be extended.
A friend of the model said: 'Katie is fed up with the public backlash against her.
But insiders within Andre's legal camp say they'll be watching closely for any lies.
'If there is so much as one lie it will be exposed quickly and give Pete more ammunition in his divorce battle', said the insider.
The star, 31, was filmed at her £3million Surrey home. The interview will be aired on ITV1 at 9pm on Saturday.


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Home Article 10 Facts About the Dangerous Album and Era
10 Facts About the Dangerous Album and Era
/ 6:53 AM
1. Dangerous was the first album Michael did without Quincy Jones.
After Michael was done with the Bad tour, he went right back to the studio to work on the Dangerous album. He had a three album contract with Quincy Jones and decided that since it was over, he no longer wanted to work with Quincy. According to the book Man and the Music The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, Michael was not angry with Quincy. In fact as Brad Buxer, who is a songwriter and musician who worked with Michael in many of his albums
2. Michael donated the proceeds he made from the Dangerous World Tour to his then charity "Heal The World" Foundation.
When Michael decided to go on tour for the Dangerous album, he only did it to fund his then charity, "Heal the World".
3. Michael debuted the Dangerous dance routine on the 1993 American Music Awards.
Michael performed the song "Dangerous" in the 1993 American Music Awards and the now classic dance routine for the song made its debut on the award show.
4. Michael attended four awards shows in 1993: American Music Awards, Grammys, NAACP Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.
Speaking of award shows, Michael attended four award shows in 1993. That was the most he ever attended at that time. In the Grammy awards, he was honored with the Grammy Legend Award presented by his sister Janet. He was nominated for two awards that night but did not win.
Michael was nominated for five American Music Awards and won two.
5. Michael was going to make a movie about the Kings and Queens of Africa but was unable to. Instead, he made the "Remember the Time" short film.
Apparently, Michael wanted to make a movie about the truth about Africa but that was rejected by Hollywood. It was because of that rejection, the short film, "Remember the Time" was made. A user by the name of Bleu posted on the website stated the whole story.
6. The Dangerous album was one the most anticipated albums of the 1990s.
"Dangerous was one of the most anticipated albums of the 1990's- so much so that armed robbers stole approximately 30,000 copies when the first shipment arrived at the L.A. Airport. Dangerous received amazing reviews and went straight to number one in several countries; also becoming the highest selling album of 1992."
7. Michael's interview with Oprah in 1993 was seen by over 90 million people worldwide.
Michael did his famous, first sit down interview since 1980, with Oprah Winfrey. In the interview he talked about his childhood, his plastic surgery, his sexual life, his relationship with his father, his sister's Latoya's book, the crazy rumors and his skin disorder. This interview made Oprah a household name in an International level and the interview made various headlines all over the world.
8. The leotard that Michael wore on the Dangerous tour was made out of real gold.
"Q: Was the gold that was use for the leotard from the Dangerous Tour and the gold outfit, gold pants from the History tour, real gold or gold plated? If so, how many karats?
A: The gold leotard was all gold spandex and it was called mirrored gold spandex. The other costume was 18K gold plated."
9. The song "Heal the World" is a world anthem.
We live in a time where it is common for people to go through some type of horror in their countries, communities, cities, counties and nations. Whether the horror is inner city violence, war, the government enforcing harm to their citizens, or terrorist attacks, "Heal the World" is a song that covers the emotions of people who are trying to make sense of the tragedies
10. Michael cried when he was working on the song "Keep The Faith".
The final weeks of the production for the Dangerous album was very stressful for Michael. He had a deadline to met and he had to deal with so much pressure from the record company and anxiety he felt while trying to get the song right got the best of him. Michael left the recording studio went to a room and started crying his eyes out.
Credit :michaelandthetruth


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Sheet Music Composer
Sheet Music by Composer: Malcolm Dedman
Conflicts Shall Pass
Malcolm Dedman
oboe, alto sax, piano, do…
Written for six players, 'Conflicts Shall Pass' suggests many conflicts in life, with eventual resolution.
Concertino
cello, flute, clarinet, f…
Concertino is written for cello solo, requiring a professional player, and 6 instruments which can be played by amateurs. It is a miniature concerto in one movement and was originally written for a CoMA call for scores.
Transmutations
flute, alto flute, clarin…
Transmutations is for flute, clarinet, saxophone and piano. The title suggests change, or transmutating, such as the changes that occur in nature, for example, one chemical element to another, etc. The changes in this piece are purely musical.
Eventful Journey
flute, oboe, clarinet, fr…
Ever been on a journey that has been 'eventful', that is to say treacherous, full of unexpected dangers, yet adventuresome? This piece for Wind Quintet could well describe such a journey.
Plea for Concordance
cello, cello and piano
Plea for Concordance is for two cellos and piano. It was inspired by the current events in Northern African and Middle Eastern countries which, for various political reasons, are experiencing disunity and unrest. It includes a 'reconciliation theme' that is presented in different forms in each of the three movements.
In Honour of Madiba
flute, viola and harp
n Honour of Madiba celebrates the life of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, who is affectionately known as Madiba. It is for flute, viola and harp.
Elegy for the Casualties of War
flute, clarinet, violin, …
This piece addresses the many conflicts in the world and pays homage to those who die innocently as a result of war.
Eternal Harmonies
violin, flute, clarinet, …
Eternal Harmonies is written for solo violin and an ensemble of 9 players.
Piano Trio - 'Trilogy of Eternal Gifts'
violin, cello and piano
Written in 2010, this Piano Trio is in three movements which focus in turn on three Universal Gifts to mankind, namely Gift of Life, Gift of Light and Gift of Love.
Light of Unity
This piece, for two cellos and piano, is about the oneness of humanity, of love and brotherhood.
Three Blackout Poems
mezzo-soprano, baritone a…
These three songs are for mezzo-soprano, baritone and piano, although the two voices only appear in duet in the last song. The songs are short, matching the brevity of the words.
Danses Concertantes
violin, violin, viola, ce…
Danses Concertantes is in three movements and is written for string orchestra. The dramatic content and choral in the last movement may be appreciated by many audiences
Two Tangos
clarinet, accordion, viol…
These two Tangos are in a lighter vein than my usual work. They are written for clarinet, accordion and string quartet.
flute, alto flute, cello …
This Sonata is for Flute, Cello and Piano and, unlike the Trio-sonatas of the Baroque period, it treats the three instruments as equal. It is in three movements.
O Ye Dwellers in the Highest Paradise
mezzo-soprano, clarinet a…
approx. grade 8
This song is for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano and is a setting of words that are both beautiful and powerful. They tell of how we may obtain divine wisdom.
Two Reflections
This piece for piano solo is in two short movements, each of which may be played separately. They are relatively unchallenging to perform.
Anthem: 'Come Unto Me...'
chamber choir and organ
Good amateur choir
This Anthem, originally written in 1967, can be performed by a good amateur choir in either a liturgical or concert setting. This is the revised version of 1984.
baritone and piano
'Awakening' is a cycle of three songs, written in 1993, for baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano. This is the revised 2007 edition
clarinet, violin and pian…
Solstice is a trio for clarinet, violin and piano, written in 2006, and lasts around 5 minutes.
Corrievrechan
Written in 2004, this is a dramatic 4 minute piece for two pianos.
Homage to GFH
This 3 minute piece for organ uses the notes of Handel's initials, GFH, (G,F,B natural) as it's melodic and harmonic material.
A setting of a poem by Christina Rossetti for SATB choir, a cappella.
Introit for Passiontide
A short 'anthem' for SATTBB choir, a cappella
O Son of the Supreme!
A 4 minute song for soprano and piano.
Unchartered Territories
violin and harp
A 6 minute piece for harp and violin, describes my feelings for having moved to the Karoo dessert region of South Africa.
Transforming Stress
A 6 minute piece for cello and piano that transforms a theme full of tension into a more relaxed section.
Dispelling the Darkness
This is a short 'fantasy' piece for solo violin, lasting just over 3 minutes.
This short 'cello solo explores many moods and 'cello techniques.
Piano Showcase
This CD represents a cross-section of the composer's output for piano, including pieces for two hands as well as four hands.
Tranquillity Zone
Tranquillity Zone is a CD of music for relaxation and meditation, containing four pieces realised at an electronic keyboard.


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Q: Launch watchkit app from long custom notification content area I'm trying to implement a feature such that users can click on the notification content area (not app icon nor action buttons) to bring the main watchkit app open. The current official way to launch the main watchkit app is to tap the app icon or action buttons in a notification scene. But I feel like the app icon is actually quite small (and hard) to tap and sometimes users are not even aware of this feature.
What I'm trying to do now is to put my notification content into a table row in the notification controller and make this row clickable. This will give user a pretty big area to tap with. Then in the click event handler I'm trying to open the main watchkit app. But I haven't figure out a way to do that (none of the general navigation methods such as presentControllerWithName works from notification controller).
Any suggestions?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Is your company experiencing financial difficulties? We can advise you on the best course of action indealing with creditors that are hounding you for payment.
In South African Law, a company can be liquidated (wound up) either voluntarily (by members of the company or its creditors) or by the court at the instance of an interested party (such as the company itself, its members or a creditor) if the court is satisfied that the company is unable to pay its debts or that it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up.
When a winding-up order has been made, a liquidator is appointed to assess particulars of the company's assets, debts and liabilities and to distribute the net proceeds to creditors according to a laid-down order of preference (awarding firstly to preferent, then secured and lastly to concurrent creditors).


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Heterodoxology
Exploring the heterodox in science, religion, and politics
The Socialist Roots of Occultism
Caution: This illustration is highly misleading. (Image by Ross Wolfe, The Charnel-House blog)
We've grown accustomed to exciting titles that announce "the occult roots" of anything from Nazism to electronic music. While there's certainly a lot of attention-grabbing hyperbole in such claims, it is true that much of the vaguely deviant, oppositional, and radical segments of Western culture has a touch of the occult – for reasons we are starting to understand quite well (tag: cultic milieu, occulture, rejected/stigmatized knowledge).
But what about the roots of modern occultism itself? In the (educated) popular imagination, occultism is generally considered an atavistic phenomenon, an anomalous and anachronistic flowering of irrationalism belonging to a bygone age. Some scholarship has continued in this vein, whether we think of the brand of intellectual historians that get embarrassed by its rational and scientific deficiency, or left-leaning, progressive academics who, like Adorno, see only a reactionary tendency that must eventually lead to a mysticized political irrationalism of the kind erupting in Germany in the 1930s.
on May 11, 2016 at 8:20 am Comments (1)
Tags: Adorno, anarchism, Auguste Comte, Catholicism, Charles Fourier, communes, Cult of Newton, Dan McKanan, Eliphas Lévi, esotericism and politics, Fourierism, French revolution, Henri Saint-Simon, Joseph de Maistre, Julian Strube, Marxism, occultism, Pierre Leroux, Positivism, Prosper Enfantin, providentialism, Rober Owen, Saint-Amand Bazard, Saint-Simonism, Socialism, Traditionalism, utopianism
Kabbalah and Modernity – more than red strings and pop queens
I have made a habit out of making the pre-print versions of some of my book reviews available here at Heterodoxology. I was recently reminded of one that I had completely forgotten about: a review of the excellent volume Kabbalah and Modernity: Interpretations, Transformations, Adaptations (Brill, 2010). It is edited by three good colleagues of mine (Marco Pasi, Boaz Huss, and Kocku von Stuckrad), and features contributions by many other friends and acquaintances, but hopefully my review is not too biased. Moreover, symptomatic of the extreme delay in academic publishing, I should say that this review was written in 2010, and only appeared in print last year. The review was published in Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft (summer 2012).
Contemporary Esotericism
on January 23, 2013 at 1:32 pm Comments (10)
Tags: Abraham David Ezekiel, Adolphe Franck, Andreas Kilcher, anti-Semitism, Blavatsky, Boaz Huss, Dialectic of Enlightenment, Eliphas Lévi, Elliot Wolfson, Eric Jacobson, Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff, Freemasonry in Russia, Fritjof Schuon, Gershom Scholem, Giulio Busi, Hasidism, Jean-Pierre Brach, Johann Georg Hamann, Judaism studies, Kabbalah Center, Knorr von Rosenroth, Kocku von Stuckrad, Konstantin Burmistrov, Madonna, marco Pasi, Max Horkheimer, Menahem Mendel Schneerson, Paul Vulliaud, René Guénon, Romanticism, Sara Møldrup Thejls, Sha'ar ha-Shamayim, Shekhinah, Shoa, Theodor Adorno, Theosophical Society, tikkun, Traditionalism, Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Yehuda Ashlag, Zohar
More on Goetic Magic: Three 20th century developments
In a previous post, now a couple of months ago, I wrote about the distinction between goetia and theurgy in ceremonial magic. I tried to trace the development of the distinction, in very broad strokes, from neo-platonic discussions in late antiquity through the renaissance rehabilitation of magic, through to 19th century occultism. This was part of developing my thoughts for an article on «Goetia in Modern Western Magic», the deadline for which has now (as it usually goes with academic anthologies) been postponed. This gives me opportunity to try out some more ideas here.
Tags: A. E. Waite, Aleister Crowley, Dr. Rudd, Eliphas Lévi, Goetia, Henry Maudsley, Herbert Spencer, Israel Regardie, John Dee, Neo-paganism, Peter Smart, psychologization, S. L. MacGregor Mathers, Satanism, T. H. Huxley, The Golden Dawn, Thelema, Theurgy, Wicca
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The necessity to use the potential of ICT and derive substantial business value from it has never been greater. ICT driven business change can be an engine of competitive advantage to satisfy your customer and citizen, and this has been agreed by organizations in both the public and private sector.
The ICT strategy of an institution is a document defining the guidelines, areas and tasks for a certain period (usually mid-term and long-term) represented by the institution for the creation of the IT background necessary for the information management and task management of the different scope of duties of the given institution and held important to be implemented in order to meet the targets of the institution. The ICT strategy defines IT related tasks and aims based on the actual IT situation of the institution or system of institutions in harmony with their scope of tasks, mission, general strategic visions and priorities. The strategy also plans the schedules of tasks in broad lines – paying attention to their connectedness and sequence. According to demand the detailed action plan will also be drawn up, this includes the tasks supporting the implementation of the strategy broken down in the quarterly periods as well as the financial estimates.
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IT standardization decentralizes the decision-making process since the executive, and all critical users contribute necessary input with an aim of bettering the corporation's performance. Communication and information flow are enhanced among the employees, customers, vendors, the corporation's executives and IT regulating bodies.
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Loose-leafed lettuce is an easy and rewarding vegetable to grow. Unlike tomatoes and cucumbers that require some kind of support system, warm weather, and bees for a successful harvest, lettuce is more resilient, grows in cooler temperatures, and does not require pollination.
I also think its leaves can be almost as beautiful as those of the hosta. Lettuce can be sown directly into the ground a month before the last predicted frost date of spring – sadly, according to the Farmers' Almanac, in Connecticut that date is May 1. You can plant lettuce in the garden on April 1; it needs a temperature of only 40 F to germinate.
If you don't want to wait until April 1, you can grow loose-leaf lettuce in flowerpots inside. Generously scatter seeds onto a container filled with potting soil, following directions on the seed packet for planting depth. Seed can begin germinating in as soon as two days. Start snipping off outer leaves when they reach 3 inches in length, but make sure to leave some inner leaves so you don't kill the plant.
When the weather gets warmer, you can grow your flowerpots of lettuce outside, but harden them off first – place them outside in a shady, sheltered place for 2 to 3 hours, then bring them back inside. Increase their time outside by 2 to 3 hours every day, but stop the process if the temperatures dip below the 40s. Once the outside temperatures reach into the 40s at night, you also have the option of transplanting your lettuce into the ground.
Lettuce will get bitter and bolt when the summer temperatures reach the high eighties, but you might be able to extend your harvest by placing your flowerpots of lettuce in a shaded area.


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Category Archives: Greece Debt Crisis
Europe should restructure Greece Debt
Europe should restructure Greece Debt: Debt Relief?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/opinion/europe-listen-to-the-imf-and-restructure-the-greek-debt.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
by NY Times Editorial Board
The International Monetary Fund is doing the right thing by not participating in a deeply flawed loan agreement that European leaders have negotiated with Greece.
The Issue: Should Germany and others in EU bear cost of Debt Relief
Years of misguided economic policies sought by Germany and other creditors have helped to push Greece into a depression, left more than a quarter of its workers unemployed and saddled it with a debt it cannot repay. The latest European attempt to bail out Greece will make the situation even worse by requiring the country's government to cut spending and raise taxes while increasing the country's debt to 200 percent of its gross domestic product, from about 170 percent now.
The I.M.F., which joined European countries in their first two loan programs for Greece, says it cannot lend more money because Greece's debt has become unsustainable. In a statement on Friday, the fund's managing director, Christine Lagarde, said Greece's creditors had to provide "significant debt relief" to the country. Last month, the fund said creditors needed to either reduce the amount of money Greece owes or extend the maturity of that debt by up to 30 years.
This is a much tougher position than the I.M.F. has taken before. In 2010, it did not insist that Greek debt be restructured. That was a big mistake because it left Greece with more debt than it had before the crisis and reduced the government's ability to stimulate the economy. What Ms. Lagarde, a former French finance minister, says matters because European leaders like Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany want the fund to be a part of the loan program since it has extensive expertise in dealing with financial crises.
European officials have said only vaguely that they might be willing to consider debt relief. Many lawmakers and voters in other European nations oppose providing more help because they think the Greek government has failed to carry out the economic and fiscal reforms that would make the country more productive.
There is no question that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece needs to do more to raise economic growth. But even if he does everything European leaders are asking him to do — a list that includes cutting pensions, simplifying regulations, privatizing state-owned businesses — the country will still not be able to pay back the 300 billion euros it owes. Rather than go through a messy default in a few years, it is in Europe's interest to heed the I.M.F.'s advice and restructure Greece's debt now.
A version of this editorial appears in print on August 18, 2015, on page A22 of the New York edition with the headline: Cold Truths on Greece From the I.M.F. Today's Paper|Subscribe
Posted in Economic and Public Policy, Economics, Economy, Finance, Governance, Greece Debt Crisis, Public Accountability.
From Malaysia back to Greece: No Free Lunch
From Malaysia back to Greece: The Europe we don't want
by Serge Halimi
http://mondediplo.com/2015/08/01europe
The Eurozone and the International Monetary Fund have crushed the hopes of a youthful movement that sought to transform a nation and rouse a continent. Beyond the shock that events in Greece have given supporters of the European project, there are other noteworthy features. The EU is becoming increasingly authoritarian, as Germany imposes its wishes and obsessions unchecked. Though founded on a promise of peace, the EU seems incapable of drawing lessons from history, even when recent and violent; what matters most to it is sanctioning bad debtors, and the headstrong. This amnesiac authoritarianism is a challenge to those who saw the EU as the place to experiment with going beyond the framework of the nation-state, and achieving democratic renewal.
No Free Lunch for Greece
At the outset, European integration lavished material advantages on its citizens, against a backdrop of the East-West confrontation. In the immediate post-war period, the project was driven forward by the US, which sought a market for its goods and a buffer against Soviet expansion. The US recognised that if the "free world" wanted to compete effectively with the "democratic" republics of the Warsaw Pact, it had to win hearts and minds, which meant demonstrating its goodwill through social policies. Since this strategic lifeline disappeared, Europe has behaved like the board of directors of a bank.
Some participants in the cold war, such as NATO, survived the fall of the Berlin Wall by inventing new monsters to destroy on other continents. The EU's institutions have also redefined their enemy. The peace and stability they claim as their objective now demand peoples be politically neutralised, and their remaining tools of national sovereignty destroyed. This means integration at the pace of a forced march, the burial of political questions in a one-size-fits-all treaty, a federal project. This venture is not new, but the Greek case illustrates the brutality with which it is now being pursued.
"How many divisions does the pope have?" was reportedly Joseph Stalin's dismissive response to a French leader who urged him to deal tactfully with the Vatican. The states in the Eurozone now seem to be applying the same approach to Greece; reckoning that the government they find so exasperating would be unable to defend itself, they have destabilised it through enforced bank closures and import suspensions. Relations between members of the same union, who belong to the same institutions, return representatives to the same parliament and use the same currency, should preclude such machinations. Yet the Eurozone countries, with Germany at their head, safe in the knowledge of their superiority, imposed a diktat on a weakened Greece which everyone acknowledges will worsen most of its problems. This whole episode exposes just how deep the cracks in the EU go (1).
When Syriza won January's election, it was right on almost every single count. Right to link the collapse of the Greek economy to the austerity programme administered for five years by both socialists and the right. Right to argue that no state with a crumbling manufacturing sector would be able to rebuild itself if it had to devote increasing sums to paying off its creditors. Right to point out that in a democracy sovereignty belongs to the people and that if a policy is imposed on them despite what they decide, it constitutes an act of dispossession.
Can't pay, won't pay
Syriza appeared to have an unbeatable hand, but success depends on who you are playing with. In the EU, Syriza's aces were turned against it; Syriza was compared to southern Marxists, so out of touch with reality that they dared question the economic assumptions that underlie German ideology (see Germany's iron cage). The weapons of "reason" and conviction are useless in such circumstances. What's the good of pleading your case in front of a firing squad? During the months of "negotiations", the Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis noticed his European counterparts stared at him as though they were thinking: "You're right in what you are saying, but we are going to crush you anyway" (2) (see The defeat of Europe).
However, the success (for now) of Germany's plan to relegate Greece to the status of a Eurozone protectorate is also the result of failed gambles by Greece's leftwing majority, in the over-optimistic hope of changing Europe (3). The gamble that the leaders of France and Italy would help Greece overcome the German right's monetarist taboos. The gamble that other European peoples, overwhelmed by austerity policies, would pressure their governments into a Keynesian reorientation (Greece thought it was the torchbearer for this). The gamble that this change would be conceivable within the eurozone; noexit scenario had been envisaged or prepared. And the gamble that intermittent hints of a "Russian option" would, for geopolitical reasons, contain Germany's temptation to punish Greece and encourage the US to stay Germany's hand. At no point did any of these gambles seem likely to pay off. It's not possible to hold off a tank with violets and a catapult.
Greece's leaders, guilty only of being too innocent, thought that creditors would heed the democratic will of the Greeks, especially the young. The legislative election of 25 January and the referendum of 5 July, however, provoked dumbfounded outrage among the Germans and their allies. They had only one remaining aim: to punish the rebels, and anyone who might be inspired by their bravery. Capitulation was no longer enough; there had to be apologies (Greece has admitted that its economic choices caused a breakdown in confidence with its partners) and even reparations: public assets, capable of being privatised, to a value equal to 25% of Greek GDP are to be pledged to the creditors. Everyone claims to be relieved: Greece will pay.
"Germany will pay" was the phrase French finance minister Louis Klotz whispered to President Clemenceau at the end of the first world war. It became the watchword of French savers who had lent to the Treasury during the conflict. They had not forgotten that in 1870 France paid the whole of the tribute demanded by Bismarck, though the sum was higher than Germany's costs. This precedent inspired French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré when, frustrated at not receiving the reparations stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles (4), he decided to occupy the Ruhr in 1923.
John Maynard Keynes had already grasped the vanity of such a policy of humiliation and seizure of securities: Germany did not pay because it could not pay, and the same goes for Greece now. Only through time, with a positive balance of payments, could Germany have paid off its massive debt. France refused to allow its rival's economic rebirth, which would have enabled it to pay, but also to finance an army, risking the possibility of a third bloody conflict. The economic success of the Greek left would hardly have had such dramatic repercussions for Europeans, but it would have scotched eurozone leaders' justifications for austerity.
A 'totally non-viable debt'
After a year, Poincaré had to raise taxes by 20% to fund his occupation, a cruel paradox for a rightwing leader opposed to taxation who had insisted Germany would pay. He lost the next election and his successor evacuated the Ruhr. No one has yet imagined such consequences in any of the countries that have crushed Greece to make it settle a debt that even the IMF admits is "totally non-viable". Yet the Eurozone countries' fixation on punishment has already obliged them to commit three times the sum (around €86bn) required had funds been released five months earlier; in the meantime the Greek economy had collapsed through lack of liquidity (5). So the price of German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble's inflexibility will be almost as high as Poincaré's. But Greece's humiliation will serve as an example for other potential offenders. (Spain, Italy, France?) It will be a reminder of the "Juncker theorem" formulated by the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, four days after the Greek left's electoral victory: "There can be no democratic choice that is counter to European treaties" (6).
One bed is too narrow to accommodate 19 different dreams. It was an almost imperial undertaking to impose the same currency on Austria and Cyprus, Luxembourg and Spain, on peoples who do not have a shared history, political culture or standard of living, the same alliances or languages. How can a state conceive an economic and social policy that is open to debate and democratic negotiation if all the mechanisms of monetary regulation are outside its control? How can peoples who may not even know each other accept a degree of solidarity comparable to the inhabitants of Florida and those of Montana? The whole thing rested on a hypothesis: that federalism at an accelerated pace would bring European peoples together. Yet 15 years after the creation of the euro, animosity has never been greater. So much so that, when Tsipras announced his referendum, he used language like a declaration of war — "a [Eurozone] proposition in the form of an ultimatum addressed to Greek democracy" — and accused some "partners" of seeking to "humiliate an entire people". The Greeks massively backed their government and the Germans rallied behind the quite opposite demands of their government. Could their destinies be any more closely linked without risking domestic violence?
But the hostility is no longer just between Greece and Germany. "We do not want to be a German colony," insisted Pablo Iglesias, leader of Podemos in Spain. Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi — whose reticence throughout has been noteworthy — let slip: "I say to Germany: that's enough. Humiliating a European partner is unthinkable." According to German sociologist Wolfgang Streeck, "in Mediterranean countries, and to some extent in France, Germany is more hated than at any time since 1945. … Economic and monetary union, which was supposed to consolidate European unity once and for all, now stands a good chance of shattering it" (7).
'You've done too little, too slowly'
The Greeks are attracting hostility, too. Junker is said to have told Tsipras: "If the Eurogzone functioned like a parliamentary democracy, you would already be out, because that is what nearly all your partners want" (8). Using a well-known conservative mechanism, now deployed at nation-state level, poor states have been encouraged in their mutual suspicion that others, like the proverbial "welfare chiselers" of Ronald Reagan's speeches, are living at their expense. The Estonian education minister castigated Greece: "You've done too little, too slowly, and much less than Estonia. We have suffered much more than Greece. But we didn't stop to complain; we just got on with it" (9). The Slovaks were aggrieved at the level of pensions in Greece, which should be "finally declared bankrupt in order to clear the atmosphere," as the Czech Finance Minister kindly suggested (10).
Pierre Moscovici, the French Socialist and EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, eagerly repeated an anecdote to any listening journalist: "At a Eurogroup meeting, a Lithuanian socialist minister told Varoufakis, 'It's very nice that you want to raise the minimum wage by 40%, but your minimum wage is already twice ours. And you want to raise it with money you owe us, with debt.' And that's a pretty strong argument" (11). A strong argument indeed, especially coming from Moscovici whose party had announced only a year earlier: "We want a Europe which protects its workers. A Europe of social progress, not social roll-back."
At a European Council meeting on 7 July, several EU leaders conveyed their exasperation to Tsipras: "We can't take any more. Greece is all we've talked about for months. A decision needs to be taken. If you're incapable of taking it, it will be taken for you" (12). Is that not already a rough and ready brand of federalism? "We must go forward," Hollande concluded from this. In which direction? The same as always: "economic governance", "a eurozone budget", "convergence with Germany". In Europe, when a medicine severely damages the economic or democratic health of a patient, the dose is doubled. Therefore, since, according Hollande, "the eurozone has been able to reaffirm its cohesion with Greece, the circumstances are leading us to speed up" (13).
To left wing activists and trade unionists, stopping and thinking seems a better option. Even for those who fear that an exit from the euro would encourage the break-up of the European project and the revival of nationalisms, the Greek crisis demonstrates that a single currency stands against popular sovereignty. Far from containing the far right, such an obvious realisation encourages it, since the far right mocks its enemies' lectures on democracy. How can anyone imagine that the single currency could one day accommodate a progressive social policy, having seen the plans that the Eurozone states gave Tsipras to force this left wing Prime Minister to implement rigid neoliberalism?
Once Greece raised big, universal questions. Now it has revealed the true face of the Europe we no longer want.
Serge Halimi is President of Le Monde diplomatique.
(1) See Frédéric Lordon, La Malfaçon: Monnaie européenne et souveraineté démocratique (Production Defects: the European Currency and Democratic Sovereignty), Les Liens qui Libèrent, Paris, 2014.
(2) New Statesman, London, 13 July 2015.
(3) See Serge Halimi, "A modest and crazy dream", Le Monde diplomatique, English edition, February 2015.
(4) See Serge Halimi, "A Versailles, la guerre a perdu la paix" (At Versailles, the war lost the peace), Manuel d'histoire critique, Editions Le Monde diplomatique, 2014.
(5) "Europe reaches rescue deal for Greece", The Wall Street Journal, New York, 14 July 2015.
(6) Le Figaro, Paris, 29 January 2015.
(7) Wolfgang Streeck, "Germany can't solve this alone," Le Monde diplomatique, English edition, May 2015.
(8) Libération, Paris, 11-12 July 2015.
(9) The Wall Street Journal, 13 July 2015.
(10) Le Figaro, 3 July 2015.
(11) France Inter, 1 March 2015.
(12) Reported in Le Figaro, 9 July 2015.
(13) Le Journal du dimanche, Paris, 19 July 2015.
Posted in Democracy, Economic and Public Policy, European Union, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Governance, Greece, Greece Debt Crisis, Greece Debt Problem.
ASEAN and the Lessons of Greece
by Dr. Munir Majid
http://www.thestar.com.my
"Thank God we don't have a Common Currency and never should have."
There are therefore nascent possibilities and challenges which should concentrate ASEAN minds as they consider the Greek drama in the EU's eurozone beyond "Thank God, we do not have a single currency, and never should have." We cannot be immunised from the unintended and unanticipated consequences of community-building. We have to have the institutions and imagination to manage them.–Dr. Munir Majid
EUROPE has been glued to the Grexit television screen for the longest time. Going on and on for at least five years, each episode of whether Greece will remain in the eurozone or not has run longer than the longest Tamil movie of yore (although we have our own MIC version, with 1MDB trying to play catch-up).
What are the lessons for ASEAN of the EU's Greek tragedy? No doubt the first thing that will trip out is: Thank God we do not have a common currency. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface there are deep issues involved, so many currents, cross-currents and counter-currents in the management of regional integration.
I will highlight three of the more profound: fiscal discipline; national sovereignty; and community negotiation process.
Fiscal Discipline
Fiscal discipline is actually easy to define, but so difficult to uphold when the freewheeling genie has been out of the bottle for so long with no inclination of coming back in. Under the EU's Stability Growth Pact government deficit has to be not more than 3% of GDP and debt 60%, something characterised more in the violation than the adherence. Nothing has been done about this for years.
In the case of Greece over the last five years they were supposed to be brought down, but the numbers for the fiscal deficit went up again and the country is up to its ears in debt, coming to 200% of GDP after averaging an already unsustainable 177%.
The other side of the austerity equation is unemployment which has hit 25.6%. (Unemployment in Indonesia as a result of the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis was 30%; lowest European unemployment is in Germany at 4.7%).
Youth unemployment in Greece stands at 60%. The Greek economy has shrunk by 25% since the first IMF aid package in 2010. The government and people are saying they cannot take any more, but the creditors – on whom the Greeks are dependent for more bailout and interest servicing packages like an opiate – are saying not enough has been done in a sustained fashion to bring debt and the deficit down.
The Greeks have been used to many things which the creditors now insist on taking away from them. You cannot live beyond your means forever. The chicken is coming home to roost.
From the seven main points of the agreement reached on the night of July 13 for a new bailout package of 86 billion euros, it is clear Greece is now being pushed right against the wall – including what many in the country declare to be violation of its sovereignty.
Cutting pensions
While certain requirements such as cutting pension spending and increasing revenue, through seamless imposition of the top VAT rate of 23% for instance, might be considered par for the course in these bailout situations, the insistence on the transfer of up to 50 billion euros of "valuable Greek assets" to a new independently managed fund, as a form of collateral, was felt by Greeks to be rubbing their noses in the dirt.
National Sovereignty
Sovereignty, what sovereignty? If Greece wants to remain in the euro and needs all the bailout money, including money to service existing bailout funds, has the country got any alternative?
The Greek Prime Minister may quote Paul Krugman on the pain and damage all the austerity requirements are causing the economy, or even appeal to a European sense of history by comparing them to the punitive terms of the Peace of Versailles in 1919 (which historians assert were the root cause of the Second World War as Germany struck back to wipe off the shame), but has he got any other option?
If you need the money, what can you do? South-East Asians may remember that picture in 1998 of the then IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus standing over the cowed former Indonesian President Suharto, as he signed away Indonesian macroeconomic sovereignty. From profligacy, it might be said, to loss of an important part of national sovereignty.
In the negotiation of the new Greek bailout deal this month – which still may undergo many twists and turns – a feature has been the predominance of Germany in the EU and in the eurozone (comprising 19 of the 28 members of the EU). It is after all the largest creditor nation and economy. If pretence was set aside, it is also the most powerful country in Europe (which arrangements at the end of the Second World War were intended to avoid – but that is a different story).
Every member country has a veto of course, but in negotiating the outline and details of the rescue package for Greece, Germany has led the way all this while and its commitment is indispensable, however much the French try to give the impression of having an eminent role as well.
So, how do we look at it all from an ASEAN perspective? The first instinct – thank God we do not have a single currency – is of course to be expected. But the thinking on what has been happening in Europe and on how relevant it is to AASEAN should not end there.
We do have big states and small states. We may say our negotiating and decision-making processes are different – and national sovereignty is untouchable. But this is too pat and shallow. The process of community-building is moving ahead. The voice of bigger countries does carry greater weight. However if it is in the service of what is good for the larger whole, there is not much to be afraid of.
The changeable predispositions of member states, however, have to be managed. Indeed, what a significant member state DOES NOT DO also affects ASEAN – as is the case now with the growing uncomfortable feeling that Indonesia under President Jokowi is not so enamoured of the regional grouping.
Indonesia therefore is critical to ASEAN. What and how it thinks, what happens in that country, have Asean impact. Thus engagement, with Indonesia particularly but also among all member countries, is most important. ASEAN needs, at this stage of its development, to have a Minister for ASEAN Affairs in each member country. The prospects and challenges need to be a focus in every national administration.
With respect to economic management, while there is no single currency, there are threats to ALL ASEAN economies of mismanagement in ONE, especially a significant economy. Contagion is always a risk. With increased intra-regional trade (although now only a quarter of the total trade), there will be knock-on effects across the region.
Importantly – let us not forget – we are talking of ASEAN as a region, one single economy, with the prospect of the most promising growth in consumer demand and economic size (coming up to 4th in the world by 2050). ASEAN is an asset class. With the herd instincts of markets, reverse flows caused by fear of contagion can quickly develop into a regional crisis.
While global arrangements such as with the IMF remain, let us also not forget we have an untested multilateral currency swap system that includes three East Asian partner countries to address potential and actual balance of payments and short-term liquidity difficulties – the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM). The US$240bil fund is 20% Asean and 80% China, Japan and South Korea. The commitments from each country are really promissory notes, and a country in difficulty can draw up to 2.5 times its committed amount.
Will the support always be forthcoming? Will political differences not get in the way? Not to mention an assessment of whether the country facing difficulty has exercised fiscal discipline in the management of its economy. The CMIM has an institution, AMRO (ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office), to monitor and analyse regional economies in support of its decision-making process.
The central bank governors deciding on requests for support will also rely on AMRO reports and input, and there could be conditions attached to such support, whether the 6-month Breaking Line or the One-year Stability Facility. There could be expectation, frustration, anger and discord.
There are therefore nascent possibilities and challenges which should concentrate ASEAN minds as they consider the Greek drama in the EU's eurozone beyond "Thank God, we do not have a single currency, and never should have." We cannot be immunised from the unintended and unanticipated consequences of community-building. We have to have the institutions and imagination to manage them.
Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid, Chairman of Bank Muamalat and Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE Ideas (Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy), is also chairman of CIMB ASEAN Research Institute.
Posted in 1MDB Financial Scandal, ASEAN, Economic and Public Policy, Economics, Finance, Foreign Policy, Geo-Politics, Governance, Greece Debt Crisis, Najib Razak, Public Accountability, Regionalism, The Eurozone.
The Greek Lesson: Neither a borrower nor a lender be
by Martin Khor@www.thestar.com.my
Polonius:
Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 75–77
"NEITHER a borrower nor a lender be." This famous quote in the play Hamlet makes Shakespeare as relevant as ever.
Of course, it is quite inconceivable how the modern economy could operate without companies getting loans from banks and investors. But it has also become clear that the mountains of debt owed by families, companies and governments threaten not only to derail but also swallow up whole economies.
The bad management of debt, whether by those who borrow or those who lend, can cause societies to be throttled by recession, job losses and social chaos for years on end.
Even they can't save Greece
"In the worst cases, indebted countries can lose their sovereignty and have their policies subjected to the demands and fancies of creditors, who may have no hesitation to dominate and humiliate those they lent to and who could not repay.
Angela Merkel will show the way
This surely is a major lesson from the current tragedy of Greece that continues to be played on our TV screens and in daily news reports. After years of austerity policies imposed by its creditors, the situation deteriorated rather than improved. The economy's output had dropped 25%; the unemployment rate had shot to over 30%; poverty is rampant; and many families can no longer afford health care.
Early this year, the people voted in a party that advocated an anti-austerity programme. Five months of negotiations with its creditors (European countries, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) did not yield any positive results. Instead, there was increasing acrimony between both sides.
The Greek banks began to run out of cash when the European Central Bank stopped the flow of new cash to them. Since Greece does not have its own currency, it depends on the ECB for the supply of euros. When the banks were thus forced to close, and each person was limited to withdraw only €60 daily from ATM machines, there was high pressure on the radical Greek government to give in.
Though he won a vote of 'no to the austerity demands' in a referendum, within a few days Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had to swallow his pride and negotiate with the other European leaders to get new bailout funds.
His government could have opted for "Grexit", to leave the Eurozone and go back to issuing its own currency and thus regaining control over its monetary independence and economic policies.But most of the public wanted to stay with the euro, and reverting to its own currency also comes with risks. Thus, the Greek Premier's main aim was to stay in the eurozone, and the price was to accept the demands of the hard-liners among the other European countries, especially Germany.
In return for €86bil (RM354bil) of new bailout funds, he had to agree to an even tougher policy package than offered by the same creditors a week ago. Much of the new funds will go to repaying existing debt and thus will not be used to revive economic growth. Instead, growth prospects will be undermined by new austerity measures such as a rise in value-added tax and pension cuts.
Proceeds from privatisation of state assets up to €50bil (RM206bil) are to be put in a fund to repay debts and recapitalise banks and will be managed by creditors, who will also supervise the implementation of agreed policies.The Greek Premier and his Finance Minister protested for most of the all-night July 12 summit of European leaders, but eventually caved in on almost all points.
The debtor was utterly humiliated. The hard-line creditor leaders were extremely cruel. This was the conclusion of some of Europe's main commentators. Reported the Financial Times: "They crucified Tsipras in there," a senior Eurozone official who attended the summit remarked. "Crucified."
In an article entitled "The euro family has shown it is capable of real cruelty", Suzanne Moore in The Guardian said: "The euro family has been exposed as a loan-sharking conglomerate that cares nothing for democracy. "This family is abusive. This 'bailout', which will be sold as being a cruel-to-be-kind deal is nothing of the sort. It is simply being cruel to be cruel."
The Greek leaders had been ready to adopt the new austerity measures, in exchange for debt relief. Instead, they had to accept even more stringent austerity and privatisation policies and did not get debt relief or even debt restructuring due to the objections of Germany and others.
The IMF, one of the creditor institutions, has now shocked the public by releasing the memo it had presented to the European leaders during the weekend of the fateful 12 July summit.
The memo estimated that Greece's debt would go up to 200% of its economic output in the next two years, well above the 127% at the start of the European crisis.
This implies a worsening of Greece's financial situation despite the austerity policies it has to endure, and shows the policies are inappropriate.
The IMF argues that only through large-scale debt relief could Greece's debt be made sustainable. It advocated debt relief measures "that go far beyond what Europe has been willing to consider so far."
These are the same points that the Greek leaders had been arguing, but unsuccessfully. The European leaders also ignored IMF advice. For years the rich countries have imposed the same austerity measures on indebted developing countries, which depressed their economies and got many of them deeper into debt.
After decades, when it was clear the debts could not be repaid, debt relief was finally given to some 20 highly indebted developing countries, but their people had already suffered and their economies still did not fully recover.
It is now the turn of Greece to learn the lesson that creditors can be and usually are cruel almost beyond belief.The Greek tragedy is still being played out. The drama continues. The people of Greece are very frustrated and angry. Nobody knows what the ending will be.
Martin Khor (director@southcen tre.org) is Executive Director of the South Centre. The views expressed here are entirely his own.
Posted in Economic and Public Policy, Economics, Financial Scandal, Governance, Greece Debt Crisis, Greece Debt Problem, Internationl Affairs, Kleptocracy, Leadership, Macroeconomics, Najib Razak, Politics, Public Accountability, Public Policy.
The Greeks forget Economics 101: There is no such thing as a free lunch
by Suzan Sommer (via-email)
If you are a normal citizen and you owe the bank, you do not go around accusing the bank of being a Nazi for setting conditions on you. Of course your creditors will set their terms and conditions to get some of their money back. Are the terms and conditions suffocating? Of course, compared to the freedom you had before you started owing money and your creditors know you are bankrupt and have no intention of reforming your ways.
Reasons for Greece's debts:
Greece's problems started in 1984 when it started massive economic expansion, then they cooked the books in 2001 (thanks to Goldman Sachs) to get into the Eurozone.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/greek-debt-crisis-how-goldman-sachs-helped-greece-to-mask-its-true-debt-a-676634.html
Everyone knows but no one dared to challenge Greece. To do that, you will be sticking your head out and accused of being "unEuropean". As a German, it will not do you any good on the world stage to keep your head down or stand accused of being a Nazi (still happening in the UK whenever UK does not agree with Germany. By the way, Waterloo would not have been won without the Prussians' aid.
The Greek crisis is due to massive tax evasion, irresponsible public spending and corruption. From 2001, Greece's "GDP per capita nearly tripled, from $12,400 in 2001 to $31,700 in 2008" (World Bank Data). Public spending soared and public sector wages doubled while benefits rose. Greece was living like a first world economy when it is actually has a third world economy.
In 2004, Greece spent USD 11 billion for the Olympics. Money they do not have. Greek taxpayers were on the hook for €7 billion, which did not include the cost of extra projects such as a new airport and metro system.
Greece is also infamous for tax evasion.http://www.wsj.com/articles/greece-struggles-to-get-citizens-to-pay-their-taxes-1424867495 Tax debts in Greece equal about 90% of annual tax revenue, the highest shortfall among industrialized nations, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Shipping magnates do not pay tax. Somehow, this is enshrined in their constitution. Strangely they have tax collectors who physically collect taxes from small businesses. High level of bribery means the government hardly get to see any taxes. Businesses are often done in cash and tax evasion is made easier.
In Greece, their pension system is highly complex. There are 580 occupations that have special privileges allowing for early retirement, for example, a hairdresser, because he uses chemical to dye hair, can retire at the age of 45.
A civil servant's spouse and unmarried daughter (irrespective of age) can inherit his/her pension which is 90% based on last 5 year's salary. In Germany, we have to work 45 years or until the age of 67 to be able to retire with full pension based on all our years of working life and only 60% of net average. Spouse receive 60% on the demise of the pensioner. If he has his own pension, deductions are made. Children do not inherit their parents pension's.
Record keeping is terrible in Greece. About 120,000 long dead pensioners are still collecting pensions.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048385/Greek-finance-sham-120k-families-claiming-ghost-pensions.html
Until the crisis hit in 2008 and the EU came in to question, the Greek government did not know how many civil servants they have on the payroll, and their monthly expenses. Answer: 768 544 recorded staff for a country of 11 million. Sixty percent of Greece's civil servants apparently do not know how to use the computer.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/10/18/greek-civil-servants-lack-basic-computer-skills/
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/08/06/the-problems-in-the-greek-public-sector-cannot-be-solved-simply-by-reducing-the-size-of-salaries-or-the-numbers-of-staff/
"Underlying cause of the situation is that, in order to secure electoral support, Greek politicians have traditionally viewed the provision of public sector jobs and benefits as an important way to grant favors. In order to do that, Greece continued to borrow heavily from international capital markets to finance public sector jobs, pensions and other social benefits. Government expenditure has therefore been extremely high, billions of euros higher than government revenues." (http://www.academia.edu/8272839/The_Greek_debt_crisis_Causes_Timeline_and_Bailout_Programs)
Until today, Greece do not have a complete land registry so no taxes on a lot of home owners. Eighty seven percent of Greeks have homes (even 2nd homes) compared to 53% in Germany.
According to Transparency International Greece's National Integrity Assessment 2012, the problem of corruption in Greece is the confluence of many factors, including a weak enforcement of the law, a lack of audits, the absence of codes of conduct, the non-transparency of government activities, an inefficient bureaucracy, government impunity and broad discretionary powers and a lack of public awareness.
Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2013 showed that 90% of surveyed households consider political parties to be corrupt or extremely corrupt—ranking Greece as the most corrupt . Furthermore, 39% of the surveyed households believe that the level of corruption has increased a lot, and 46% of surveyed households find government efforts in the fight against corruption to be very ineffective.[" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_evasion_and_corruption_in_Greece)
Since the crisis and the injections of money from the Eurozone, notably Germany with 68 billion Euro, there has been no change to Greece's structural reform despite promises after promises upon receiving the bailout. Everyone has good reason not to trust the Greek government to initiate any reform based on past 7 year's experience and the new government.
(As a side: Tsipras and Varoufakis upset the punctual Germans when the Greeks arrived 45 mins late for a meeting that was called up again and again in Brussels to help solve Greece's problems. Both of the Finance Ministers of Greece came twice without any proposals but lots of rhetoric and presentations. Varoufakis thinks he is a great economic lecturer who had to teach the other "stupid" Finance Ministers a thing or two about economics by lecturing them instead of concentrating on a good proposal for Greece.).
What sovereignty can you demand if you are bankrupt and depend on your creditors to help you? Why is your country in worse shape after 6 months of your rule if you are capable of turning your country? Why have you done nothing good for your country the past 6 months?
As a proud nation, start paying taxes, stop asking for more money from your creditors but help yourself instead if you are humiliated and asphyxiated by them. Creditors may make mistake but it is to their detriment if their debtors come out worse because of their action as then they will not be able to recoup their losses.
Germany is certainly not unreasonable in its demands to Greece. Germany does not want a Grexit but Germans must also think about their own future. We could certainly use the Euro 68 billion ourselves. Our autobahn, schools, bridges etc. are falling apart in our drive for austerity. Our salary has been kept back the past 15 years so we can compete globally. We have suffered and we are not happy to give our money to others who are not willing to be as frugal and willing to accept pain to succeed as we have..
Take home pay for ordinary citizens in Germany after various taxes (health insurance, solidarity tax to help former East Germany, health care insurance etc. ) is about 60% of gross pay and we have VAT on goods and services too, even tax on profits we made from our after tax savings above a certain amount.
The Eurozone is not a transfer union that is we should not have to prop up weak countries financially. As such, Merkel and Schäuble have to be very careful what they can do after so many of the Maastricht agreements have been bent to breaking point to save Greece. The Eurozone consists of 19 countries but Germany is the paymaster and yet abused. Is this reasonable?
Greece could sell its gold to finance itself but it prefers to use other people's money rather than its own sweat and money (assets). Its time Greek government tells its people the truth and stop the propaganda blaming other for their situation. It is time for the Greek people to face the truth.
Greece is not the only democracy in the Eurozone. It may be the oldest but its contribution to the world was 2,000 years ago. Nobody owes the Greeks for their living. We Germans work hard and live frugally. If we were to have a referendum in our respective countries,citizens will vote for "NO" to further financial assistance to Greece. We may be sympathetic to the poor Greeks,and are willing to help from citizen to citizen on a voluntary basis. Someone calculated that each citizen in the Eurozone now has a debt of Euro 47,000 on our loan to Greece forced on us by our government .
Yes, the banks should bear their losses but not our expense.They took their profits but, why must be left holding their losses. Germans are not against ordinary Greeks. We feel for them and we are the biggest contributor in sending assistance to Greece but we want the Greeks to help themselves and show some appreciation, not to condemn us for the sins of our grandparents.
Posted in Corruption, Economic and Public Policy, Governance, Greece Debt Crisis, Public Accountability, The Eurozone.