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sâmbătă, 24 noiembrie 2012

Damn Cool Pics

Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces
Dr. Seuss House in Alaska
The House in the Middle of a Motorway

Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 10:50 PM PST

A look at some of the biggest divorce settlements that famous spouses had to pay.

Dr. Seuss House in Alaska

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 10:12 PM PST

Dr. Seuss House is located in Willow, Alaska, in the United States. The "Dr. Seuss" house has about 12 stories, it was built and left unfinished for the almost 10 years, and just recently (2012) was finished. The house was dubbed with the name "Dr. Seuss" house by the local people of Willow, and as you can see on the photos below, it makes perfect sense. For more information about Willow visit Wikipedia - Willow, Alaska.

The House in the Middle of a Motorway

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 09:58 PM PST

AN ELDERLY Chinese couple refused to leave their home after local officials ordered it demolished for a new highway, claiming the compensation would not be enough for them to rebuild. Now the building stands in the middle of the road and the car drivers have to drive around it.

Via: news

A Green Tree for a Blue Room

Your Daily Snapshot for
Saturday, November 24, 2012

A Green Tree for a Blue Room

Yesterday, the First Family received the official White House Christmas Tree, which arrived via horse-drawn carriage. Daughters Sasha and Malia, and First Dog Bo, also helped welcome the tree. The tree, a 19-foot Fraser Fir from Jefferson, N.C., will be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House this holiday season.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia, and the family dog Bo, receives the official White House Christmas tree at the North Portico of the White House, Nov. 23, 2012. The tree, a 19-foot Fraser Fir from Jefferson, N.C., arrived in a horse-drawn carriage. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Seth's Blog : The decline of fascination and the rise in ennui

The decline of fascination and the rise in ennui

A generation ago, a clever idea could run and run. We talked about Space Food Sticks and Tang and Gilligan's Island and the Batmobile for years, even though there certainly wasn't a lot of depth. Hit movies and books stayed on the bestseller lists for months or even years (!)

Today, an internet video or an investment philosophy or a political moment might last for weeks or even a few days. It's not unusual for a movie or a book or even a TV series to come and go before most people notice it. Neophilia has fundamentally changed the culture.

The result is that there's an increasing desire, almost a panic, for something new. Yesterday was a million years ago, and tomorrow is already here. The rush for new continues to increase, and it is now surpassing our ability to satisfy it.

When that need can't be filled (which is not surprising, if you think about it) then we're inclined to declare that it's the end, the end of new ideas, the end of progress, the end of everything that's interesting. Spend a week or two watching TED videos and once you catch up, you might find yourself saying, "sure, but what's new now?"

If you're in the business of making a new thing, this churn may be an opportunity, because it's easier now than ever to send a hit up the pop charts, whatever sort of pop you make. But it comes at a price, which is that it won't last, and you'll quickly have to go back and make another one.

The real opportunity, I think, is in trying to build longer arcs. Now that the cycle of new is eating itself in a race to ever-faster, there's a bigger chance to make long term change by consistently focusing on what works (and what's important), not what's new and merely shiny.

What's important, what's always important, is useful change.

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vineri, 23 noiembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

"Honorable Returns" and "Social Requirements"; More on Gift Cards

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 06:26 PM PST

Earlier today I received a nice email from Mike "In Toyko" Rogers regarding my post Do Gift Cards Make Any Sense? Is it Time to Ban Christmas Presents Altogether?

Mike writes ...

Hi Mish,

In Japan, even though Christmas gift giving is not customary, we do have a custom called "O-Kaeshi" (Honorable Return).

What "O-Kaeshi" means is that when you receive a gift, then you are obligated to give one back. The Japanese take it to extremes as when a gift is given then another is returned and then another given back for the one that was given back and the cycle continues.

I have put my foot down and told my wife and our friends to "Stop!"

It's really absurd when a Japanese visits a foreign country and then feels obligated to buy some souvenir junk for the folks back at home (I mean, how many Hawaii refrigerator magnets - that are made in China - do we really need?)

When I tell the Japanese that we are to "stop it" (and I can because I have an executive position at work) they seem to always be relieved. Cultural and social pressures are not to be under-estimated.

Anyway thinking that you have to buy presents for the aunt you don't like or cologne for the uncle you don't even really know not only a waste of money, but philosophically inane.

It's Better to buy gold or silver for the immediate family for yourself.

Thanksgiving is a better holiday than Christmas away because, at least, there's no "socially required" gift giving.

Mike

More on Gift Cards

Reader "EM" writes ...

Hello Mish,

The one circumstance under which gift cards make sense for both buyer and seller is if the card is offered at a discount to face value.

For example, I have long been using my local coffee ship's gift card in lieu of cash there because I can buy a $100 card for $86. When it runs low, I just add another $100, again at a cost discount of 14%. The store owner gets more of my business than otherwise because I spend more when I feel I'm getting good value, and I enjoy the discount and the convenience of not having to worry about having cash in pocket.

Aside from this usage, though, gift cards are a complete racket.

Cheers,
EM

Mike and EM are both correct.

That said, I will point out there is nothing wrong with gift giving as long four conditions hold.

Exchanging gifts is genuinely mutual as opposed to a social necessity or obligation
The act of exchanging is not an emotional chore
No one is financially burdened
The gifts are appreciated and generally usable

I wonder what percentage one or more of the above is violated. I also wonder when it will be commonplace to discount gift cards.

Although I seldom see gift card discounting now, I suspect it will not be long before the practice is rampant. Once one major store offers discounts, the others will all follow.

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

Eurozone PMI In Steep Decline as Services Suffers Worst Month Since Mid-2009

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 09:12 AM PST

With the markets giddy over the "success" of people spending more money than they can afford on gifts that make little practical sense, other inquiring minds note the Markit Flash Eurozone PMI® shows Eurozone sees ongoing steep decline as services suffers worst month since mid-2009.

Key Points

Flash Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index at 45.8 (45.7 in October). Two-month high.
Flash Eurozone Services PMI Activity Index at 45.7 (46.0 in October). 40-month low.
Flash Eurozone Manufacturing PMI at 46.2 (45.4 in October). Eight-month high.
Flash Eurozone Manufacturing PMI Output Index at 45.9 (45.0 in October). Two-month high.

The Markit Eurozone PMI® Composite Output Index was little-changed in November according the flash estimate, up fractionally from 45.7 in October to 45.8. October's reading had been the lowest since June 2009 and, for the fourth quarter of 2012 so far, PMI data suggest the strongest contraction of output since the second quarter of
2009.

PMI vs. GDP

Summary

Activity has now fallen in 14 of the last 15 months, with the exception being a marginal increase seen in January. Output fell sharply in both the manufacturing and service sectors and, while the former saw the rate of contraction ease slightly, the latter saw business activity fall at a rate not seen since July 2009.

The ongoing drop in output reflected a further steep deterioration in new business, which fell at one of the fastest rates seen since mid-2009. A sharper
rate of decline in the services sector was partly offset by manufacturers reporting that their rate of loss of new orders had eased slightly to the weakest for eight months.

The plight of the service sector was also highlighted by companies' expectations for activity in the year ahead dropping to the lowest since March 2009. Sentiment dropped especially sharply in Germany, but improved slightly in France.

Forward-looking indicators in the manufacturing sector also pointed to ongoing weakness in the coming months. The amount of goods purchased for use in production fell steeply, causing stocks of purchases to contract at the same pace as the
near-three year record seen in October.

Service Activity Plunges in Germany

The Markit Flash Germany PMI® shows Sharpest fall in services activity for almost three-and-a-half years, but manufacturing downturn eases in November.

Key Points

Flash Germany Composite Output Index(1) at 47.9 (47.7 in October), 2-month high.
Flash Germany Services Activity Index(2) at 48.0 (48.4 in October), 41-month low.
Flash Germany Manufacturing PMI(3) at 46.8 (46.0 in October), 2-month high.
Flash Germany Manufacturing Output Index(4) at 47.7 (46.3 in October), 2-month high.

Summary

November data indicated that the combined output of the German private sector dropped at a broadly similar pace to that seen in the previous month. However, this masked divergent trends in the performance of the manufacturing and service sectors, with the former posting a slower drop in output compared with October while the latter registered its fastest contraction since June 2009.

Another overall reduction in German private sector output reflected an ongoing contraction in new business volumes. Lower levels of new work have now been recorded in 15 of the past 16 months. Manufacturers and service providers indicated broadly similar rates of decline but, as with output, there was a divergence in momentum compared with that seen in October. Service providers posted the steepest decline in new business for three months, while the drop at manufacturers was the slowest since March. The latest drop in new export orders received by manufacturers was the least marked for six months, which some firms linked to support from stronger demand in China.

Shrinking new business volumes in the service sector contributed to a steep drop in expectations for activity over the next 12 months. The index measuring service providers' business expectations was the lowest since March 2009.

German private sector employment dropped at the sharpest pace since January 2010. A softer fall in manufacturing staffing levels was offset by the most marked decrease in services jobs for three-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, backlogs of work in the German private sector dipped for the seventeenth successive month in November, suggesting an ongoing lack of pressure on operating capacity.

Comment

Commenting on the Markit Flash Germany PMI® survey data, Tim Moore, Senior Economist at Markit said:

"The picture emerging from November's survey is that the Germany economy will end the year with a whimper rather than a bang, as troubles in the eurozone continue to weigh on domestic business and consumer confidence. ... November's survey suggests that the near-term outlook remains bleak for both manufacturers and service providers. Stocks of purchases across the manufacturing sector, which can be a useful barometer of confidence in the demand outlook, dropped at the steepest pace for three years – despite a slower fall in new work. Meanwhile, in the service economy, the year-ahead outlook was reported as the weakest since March 2009. The survey panel noted widespread worries that client budgets will be cut in 2013, alongside expectations that the euro area crisis will further undermine the German recovery."

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

Damn Cool Pics

The Truth About Bullying [Infographic]

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 01:55 PM PST

School bullying is a constant issue that never seems to go away. The best preventative measures require constant attention from school administrators, faculty and parents. Hence the need to highlight the issue once again to avoid complacency for bullying can pointlessly blight the lives of those affected for years to come. Stomp it out now!

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Via: romanticfrugalmom

sâmbătă, 24 noiembrie 2012

Damn Cool Pics

Damn Cool Pics

A Green Tree for a Blue Room

Seth's Blog : The decline of fascination and the rise in ennui

The decline of fascination and the rise in ennui

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vineri, 23 noiembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

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