Central Perk

miercuri, 30 ianuarie 2013

What You Need to Know About Immigration Reform

Your Daily Snapshot for
Wednesday, January 30, 2013

What You Need to Know About Immigration Reform

Yesterday, President Obama traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he outlined a four part plan to create a fair and effective immigration system that lives up to our heritage -- both as a nation of laws and as a nation of immigrants.

Find out what you need to know about President Obama's four part plan.

Seth's Blog : Watching is not doing (confronting the spectator problem)

Watching is not doing (confronting the spectator problem)

Talk shows, from Johnny Carson to Fresh Air, have always been about spectating. Comedy, TV, graphic arts, business leadership, politics--they've been sold to us as spectator sports.

Selling spectatorhood is pretty easy. It's safe and fun and easy. You hit the remote. You pretend you have power--the power to turn it off, to change the channel, to buy or not to buy. We've seduced the masses with a simple bargain, and even permitted the role of the spectator to move into the work world. Most people, most of the time, are told to watch, not to lead, to follow, not to create.

Waiting for breakfast in bed to be served is very different indeed than getting up early and serving breakfast in bed.

The spectators foolishly assert that if everyone was a doer, a leader and a maker of ruckuses, then there'd be no one left in the audience. As if those that do require an audience.

The alternative to being a spectator involves failure and apparent risk. It means that you will encounter people who accuse you of hubris and flying too high, people who are eager to point out the loose thread on your jacket or the flaw in your reasoning. The spectators in the stands are happy to boo, happy to walk out when the team is struggling in the third period, happy to switch if the bread or the circuses cease to delight.

Why on earth, they ask, would they want to be anything but a spectator?

And yet, those that have foolishly picked themselves, stood up, stood out and made a difference, can't help but ask, "and why would I ever want to be a spectator again?"

[More on this from fabled professor Jeffrey Pfeffer]

• Email to a friend •

marți, 29 ianuarie 2013

Just for You from YouTube: Weekly Update - Jan 30, 2013

Mihai T, check out the latest videos from your channel subscriptions for Jan 30, 2013. Play all »

Auth Ozii : Ozifed - Episode 2

+ 3 videos by WeUseAuthority

Rivo | Insane double wallbang hitmarker

by TheVultureHD

Shortest Wedding in History!

+ 3 videos by JustForLaughsTV

Minecraft sky conqueror lets play Ep. 5 [DANISH]

+ 4 videos by MathztarAKAmalle

BO2 @Snipeyy vs @NabCobraf1 1v1 Quickscope SHOUTCAST

+ 10 videos by BronanaSplit

Nelboy -American Girlfriend

+ 1 video by officialnelboy1

Shoutout

by yasinyoyo

Guest: Dr. Linda (Health Expert)

by SaturdayMorningCEO

♫ FORCE♫

by Brarrk

Book to Movie Review: Perks of Being a Wallflower

by shrutishekar

There are more new videos waiting for you on your YouTube homepage »

YouTube sends email summaries like these so you can keep up with your channel subscriptions.
If you no longer want to receive these updates, you may edit your preferences here or unsubscribe.

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

China Averts $482 Billion in Local Bank Defaults via Massive Rollover Scheme; Extend-and-Pretend Chinese Style

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 08:09 AM PST

The Chinese banking system is insolvent. Of course, the entire global banking system is insolvent, but today's spotlight is on China. Please consider China averts local government defaults.

Chinese banks have rolled over at least three-quarters of all loans to local governments that were due to mature by the end of 2012, an indication of the immense challenge facing China in working down its debt load.

Local governments borrowed heavily from banks to fuel China's stimulus programme during the global financial crisis and are now struggling to generate the revenue to pay them back, a shortfall that could cast a shadow over Chinese economic growth.

Banks extended at least Rmb 3tn ($482bn) – and perhaps more – of the roughly Rmb 4tn in loans plus interest that local governments were to have paid them by the end of last year, according to Financial Times calculations based on official data.

Extend-and-Pretend Chinese Style

Since details on refinancing and interest rates are lacking, the reported $482 billion is undoubtedly on the low side.

The key point is that massive rollovers were needed to stave off defaults.

"That's a correct observation and explanation," said Stanley Li, a banking analyst with Mirae Asset Securities. "Based on the payback period for the infrastructure projects [started by local governments], it will take more than 10 years to pay these loans back."

Ten years? How about never? Many of these projects were never economically viable, especially the housing and land schemes.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

Potato Chip Rock in San Diego
40 Cool and Unusual iPhone Cases
Dining With Wolves
Top 10 Failed Social Media Sites [Infographic]
Panhandler Party – NYC Subway Style [Video]
Pictures of Wild Cat Jaguarundi

Potato Chip Rock in San Diego

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 06:18 PM PST

Potato Chip Rock is located in Lake Poway Park near San Diego. It's a famous local attraction. There is always a line to take a picture on the rock.

40 Cool and Unusual iPhone Cases

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 06:01 PM PST

iPhone cases that are weird, unique and unusual are useful as well as a lot of fun!

Sometimes they don't look much like iPhone cases, other times they just look funny... but always cool and unique!

Dining With Wolves

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 04:22 PM PST

Werner Freund, 79, is an ex-paratrooper who for 40 years has hand raised and lived among wolves at his sanctuary in Merzig, Germany. The magnificent creatures, naturally feared by any man, all behave playfully and submissively towards Werner, who has over the years exerted his dominance in the pack.

At feeding time, Werner must ensure he continues to feed first and disallows any of the hungry and salivating wolves to come near, in order to maintain the respect of the pack. It is for this reason that they do not attack him and, instead, lick his face and act playfully when they are not feeding.

Via dailymail

Top 10 Failed Social Media Sites [Infographic]

Posted: 29 Jan 2013 10:46 AM PST

The folks at mylife.com have put together this infographic showing the top 10 list of the most epically failed social media sites of all time.

Click on Image to Enlarge

Via mylife

Panhandler Party – NYC Subway Style [Video]

Posted: 28 Jan 2013 09:09 PM PST

Gary Lee Mahmoud and a group of pranksters posed as panhandlers and slowly filled a New York City subway car, creating the surreal spectacle of a 'panhandler party.'

Pictures of Wild Cat Jaguarundi

Posted: 28 Jan 2013 08:45 PM PST

The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. The jaguarundi is found from southern Texas and coastal Mexico in the north, through central and South America east of the Andes, and as far south as northern Argentina.