Now, we have all seen the credit crunch send markets spiralling downwards, driving pension pots down and peoples investments portfolio! Some of the blame can be placed at the door of the hedge funds who just buy and sell shares. OR, more specifically, the short-selling of shares. Short selling is borrowing shares, selling them, and then buying them back when the price falls, giving them back, and pocketing the difference. So it is in their interest for stock markets to plummet.
This was their plan with VW this week. A company who's stocks where expected to sink as the car industry marks a decline. However, as the hedge funds began to borrow and sell shares, there cam a quick realisation. There was not enough shares to go around! Forcing the prices of VW to bounce up! 348%! Briefly making it the largest company in the world!
This massive jump has led to hedge funds totting up losses of £18,000,000,000!
Could not have happened to a nicer bunch of people...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Japan. The Myth. The Legend.
Well, thought I should do a bit of myth debunking of my own. Japan as a country is a long way from the west . It enjoys a level of living on a par with what we expect. TV's, cars, hot and cold water, etc...
However, the first step in understanding this baffling nation is that they arrived at the same level as the west, but down a completely different path! Once you have managed this 90 degree twist in your brain, then Japan starts to open up to you like a blossoming flower!
1) Japan is a tech driven society
True. They must have the latest thing! There is an inpermanence built into Japanese society. Which I think is in part brought about by a desire to catch up with the west. The west is seen as cool, and better than Japan in many regards. There is a certain amount of envy over the lifestyles we have, the freedoms we enjoy. The Japanese are still somewhat constrained by societal demands. Also, Japan is a land of earthquakes! Meaning your house is lucky to make it to 30 years without some kind of heavy damage! If a house is totalled, then of course, everything in it has to be replaced too! An example of this is my girlfriend, Yuko. She has a wide flatscreen hi def digital TV which she's had for 3 or 4 years. It works well, the picture quality is excellent, but because it is "old" she wants to junk it!
2) Technology is cheap!
False. Look at my answer above. The high demand for the latest thing keeps prices high. I have a Nintendo Wii. And its great! But people wonder if I am wierd because I ONLY have a Wii! People will have a Wii and PS3, or a couple of the hand-helds. This demand keeps prices up at the same levels the west pays. However, whilst the prices are not cheaper, you will buy THE latest, and best that is on offer.
3) Japan is safe.
True. It is quite safe. The murder rate is really low (I think its because the Japanese are too tired!), and all other levels of crime are lower. People will go to the convenience store and leave the engine running whilst they do their shopping. Of course, this does not mean Japan is a utopia, far from it, however, it feels safer. But it is adviseable to take standard precautions, especially in cities. One thing to note. Keep your bike locked... But dont panic, if it does go missing, there is a high chance it will make its way back to you!
4) Discipline.
True. Up to a point. Japanese society puts "society" first, and "individuality" second. This means you cant rock the boat. That does not mean everyone is perfect. Far from it. Kids can be bad. Good students pass entrance exams and get into good schools, and will go to good universities and get good jobs. However, if you do not pass those exams, you go into a lesser school, and the system (which is good at one end) begins to let them down. Japanese education is excellent at the top end, but it is very inflexible, so at the bottom, kids start to get left behind. These kids stand little chance of getting into the good universities, so their motivation drops through the floor. Like the west, there are good students, and bad students. However, there is a stark gap between the two!
5) They are all small
True. Or at least, it was. As Japanese society changes and moves closer to the west, they are introducing more wester nelements into the diet. Such as more dairy goods. A long time a go, diary was not that common. Now, it is. The Japanese average is shorter than the average westerner. However, given the healthy nature of the diet, they are much slimmer, and this helps create an image of a tiny people.
6) It is all futuristic
True/False. Depends on where you live. If you live in the city, then yes, it is. If you go to the country, then it is not. In the country, people hold on to the traditional way of live, roads dont get repaired that often. Thats because they suffer a lot of winter damage and earthquakes! In the city there are so many people, so the city managers have to adapt to cope with massive numbers of people. This means the introduction of technology to help speed things up!
7) Polite
OH so very true! Given "Society is first" people are polite to each other so as not to cause offence. This results in a lot of bowing and apologising. They will still help a dumb foriegner like me! Smiling and being polite, even if they are muttering under their breath about stupid foriegners! However, privacy is really important. Not a surprise in a country with such a high population density. This privacy means that some Japanese choose to almost ignore people they dont know. This is not rudeness, but that they are private and since they dont know you, they wont do anything to interefere. However, this does, in some people, lead to them doing stuff that we would consider 'rude.' There are some Japanese unfortunately, who dont like foriegners and will completely ignore us. They will try to push in in front of you in lines, etc. However, obvious signs of displeasure, outright glaring, or invading their personal space is usually enough to make them swiftly back down!
Well, I hope this helps! Japan is fast paced/slow, high/low tec, polite/rude, old/new country. And, like I said at the start, it arrived at a high, almost western style of living, down a completely different path. My best advice is to twist your brain 90 degrees. This will help you survive here!
However, the first step in understanding this baffling nation is that they arrived at the same level as the west, but down a completely different path! Once you have managed this 90 degree twist in your brain, then Japan starts to open up to you like a blossoming flower!
1) Japan is a tech driven society
True. They must have the latest thing! There is an inpermanence built into Japanese society. Which I think is in part brought about by a desire to catch up with the west. The west is seen as cool, and better than Japan in many regards. There is a certain amount of envy over the lifestyles we have, the freedoms we enjoy. The Japanese are still somewhat constrained by societal demands. Also, Japan is a land of earthquakes! Meaning your house is lucky to make it to 30 years without some kind of heavy damage! If a house is totalled, then of course, everything in it has to be replaced too! An example of this is my girlfriend, Yuko. She has a wide flatscreen hi def digital TV which she's had for 3 or 4 years. It works well, the picture quality is excellent, but because it is "old" she wants to junk it!
2) Technology is cheap!
False. Look at my answer above. The high demand for the latest thing keeps prices high. I have a Nintendo Wii. And its great! But people wonder if I am wierd because I ONLY have a Wii! People will have a Wii and PS3, or a couple of the hand-helds. This demand keeps prices up at the same levels the west pays. However, whilst the prices are not cheaper, you will buy THE latest, and best that is on offer.
3) Japan is safe.
True. It is quite safe. The murder rate is really low (I think its because the Japanese are too tired!), and all other levels of crime are lower. People will go to the convenience store and leave the engine running whilst they do their shopping. Of course, this does not mean Japan is a utopia, far from it, however, it feels safer. But it is adviseable to take standard precautions, especially in cities. One thing to note. Keep your bike locked... But dont panic, if it does go missing, there is a high chance it will make its way back to you!
4) Discipline.
True. Up to a point. Japanese society puts "society" first, and "individuality" second. This means you cant rock the boat. That does not mean everyone is perfect. Far from it. Kids can be bad. Good students pass entrance exams and get into good schools, and will go to good universities and get good jobs. However, if you do not pass those exams, you go into a lesser school, and the system (which is good at one end) begins to let them down. Japanese education is excellent at the top end, but it is very inflexible, so at the bottom, kids start to get left behind. These kids stand little chance of getting into the good universities, so their motivation drops through the floor. Like the west, there are good students, and bad students. However, there is a stark gap between the two!
5) They are all small
True. Or at least, it was. As Japanese society changes and moves closer to the west, they are introducing more wester nelements into the diet. Such as more dairy goods. A long time a go, diary was not that common. Now, it is. The Japanese average is shorter than the average westerner. However, given the healthy nature of the diet, they are much slimmer, and this helps create an image of a tiny people.
6) It is all futuristic
True/False. Depends on where you live. If you live in the city, then yes, it is. If you go to the country, then it is not. In the country, people hold on to the traditional way of live, roads dont get repaired that often. Thats because they suffer a lot of winter damage and earthquakes! In the city there are so many people, so the city managers have to adapt to cope with massive numbers of people. This means the introduction of technology to help speed things up!
7) Polite
OH so very true! Given "Society is first" people are polite to each other so as not to cause offence. This results in a lot of bowing and apologising. They will still help a dumb foriegner like me! Smiling and being polite, even if they are muttering under their breath about stupid foriegners! However, privacy is really important. Not a surprise in a country with such a high population density. This privacy means that some Japanese choose to almost ignore people they dont know. This is not rudeness, but that they are private and since they dont know you, they wont do anything to interefere. However, this does, in some people, lead to them doing stuff that we would consider 'rude.' There are some Japanese unfortunately, who dont like foriegners and will completely ignore us. They will try to push in in front of you in lines, etc. However, obvious signs of displeasure, outright glaring, or invading their personal space is usually enough to make them swiftly back down!
Well, I hope this helps! Japan is fast paced/slow, high/low tec, polite/rude, old/new country. And, like I said at the start, it arrived at a high, almost western style of living, down a completely different path. My best advice is to twist your brain 90 degrees. This will help you survive here!
Really cool NHL jersey stuff!
Found a great blog, called "icethetics." There the blogger and his associates are go about all things NHL, and the artwork of the NHL. They are currently posting ideas on how to "re-brand" various NHL teams, as well as posting the launching of teams 3rd jerseys. All in all a rather cool site, exploring various options for teams.
My personal favourite is the re-brand for the New Jersey Devils. Rather natty beasts head logo!
Anyhoo. Pop over and have a look!
My personal favourite is the re-brand for the New Jersey Devils. Rather natty beasts head logo!
Anyhoo. Pop over and have a look!
Referees around the world!
Referees around the world are a universally disliked breed. Apart from in Japan. Where they are respected. Until that is, I went to see Albirex Niigata take on the Urawa Red Diamonds. Albirex is a "peoples club" and Niigatas main top flight team (There is a Niigata Albirex basketball team. But who cares!). They regularly top the average attendance charts without the team matching! Now I know a little bit about how City fans feel! Urawa on the other hand is run by a corporation, and the guy heading the corporation is a big fan of Manchester United. So it is no surprise that the club colours are red, white, and black! Also, their first sponsor was Vodafone!
Urawa is a major power team that has recently enjoyed a lot of success. Niigata however, has not! It is unfortunate. But you have to give them a lot of credit! Every game, the go into battle more orangey than the most die-hard Dutchman!
So, off I trot to the Big Swan stadium to see Niigata take on Urawa, and things start well with the Niigata fans in excellent voice (Inspired by the fact Urawa are in town!). And the Urawa fans not so sparky!
They had been on a run of 5 straight losses and the fans where not happy! The big banner they unfurled during the warmup basically spells out to the team that they are not happy with the current form, and the team had better shape up!
And so the game kicked off, and Niigata definately had the edge through the game, and the better of the chances. And where unlucky not to bag the odd goal. However, the referee was truly appalling! And his moment of glory came when A Niigata player had the ball near the box, and turned away to try to break free from the defender. As he did so, the defender ploughed through him. The Niigata players where, rightly, angry, and only made more angry when the referee in all his wisdom awarded Urawa a free-kick! From which they went on to score! Final score 1-0. So, for the first time ever that I have seen in Japan, the ref got booed off!
OK. Now to carry on with the random brain mumblings that rattle round in this ol' noggin of mine!
I am, and forever will be, mad keen on Hockey! And my number one team is the Manchester Phoenix! Here is my uptake on the season so far, from afar!
Well, so far, so good. Last years team did imress me, in fits and starts. A bunch of good players, who just did not manage to click! I did get to see them a couple of times, and in the Christmas game against Cardiff (which we lost) I just got the feeling of a team half a step out with itself. Passes going just behind or in front of a stick. Players peeling off rather than heading deep for a pass. Just a lot of work, and a heck of a lot of missed chances!
However, I just get the feeling that with THIS team, Tony Hand has managed to right some of these. Whilst the team is a little step up in quality overall, I feel that the fact that these errors are being ironed out means that the team has become greater than the sum of its parts!
Lots of well-boding all round!
Very impressed with the reports coming out of Manchester about Mr Beauregard. You have to respect the guy! Hatfulls of points, currently leagues top scorer, and all this with just the one eye! Talk about adjusting to cope with a disability! I suppose this disability has worked in Manchesters favour, as I am fairly sure that if it werent for the injury and losing an eye, he would be way higher up than with an Elite League team! Long may he continue to wear the colours of the Phoenix!
Also, very happy we have a Brit goalie! Murphy was a little bit of an unknown quantity when he joined the Phoenix, with no-one really sure how he would face under the week in week out preassure he would face. And so far, he is standing up very well! Obviously taking the chance to show his mettle!
Also, the team as a whole looks good. Gelling nicely and the result is the string of brilliant results! Turning over Sheffield twice, doing Nottingham in Nottingham, walking into Coventry and being unlucky to lose! It is looking good for the Phoenix! We may not be the team to win the league, but we are definately going to cause other teams and their fans a few sleepless nights as we roll around kicking over a good many applecarts on the way!
I can definately see us picking up a trophy this year. Most likely one of the one-off cups. On our day, we can turn anyone over, and the others wont want to face us in a high stakes game! I would love us to pick up the Playoff Championship! However, any trophy will do!
In a perfect world, I want us to win the league! I can dream...
I am, and forever will be, mad keen on Hockey! And my number one team is the Manchester Phoenix! Here is my uptake on the season so far, from afar!
Well, so far, so good. Last years team did imress me, in fits and starts. A bunch of good players, who just did not manage to click! I did get to see them a couple of times, and in the Christmas game against Cardiff (which we lost) I just got the feeling of a team half a step out with itself. Passes going just behind or in front of a stick. Players peeling off rather than heading deep for a pass. Just a lot of work, and a heck of a lot of missed chances!
However, I just get the feeling that with THIS team, Tony Hand has managed to right some of these. Whilst the team is a little step up in quality overall, I feel that the fact that these errors are being ironed out means that the team has become greater than the sum of its parts!
Lots of well-boding all round!
Very impressed with the reports coming out of Manchester about Mr Beauregard. You have to respect the guy! Hatfulls of points, currently leagues top scorer, and all this with just the one eye! Talk about adjusting to cope with a disability! I suppose this disability has worked in Manchesters favour, as I am fairly sure that if it werent for the injury and losing an eye, he would be way higher up than with an Elite League team! Long may he continue to wear the colours of the Phoenix!
Also, very happy we have a Brit goalie! Murphy was a little bit of an unknown quantity when he joined the Phoenix, with no-one really sure how he would face under the week in week out preassure he would face. And so far, he is standing up very well! Obviously taking the chance to show his mettle!
Also, the team as a whole looks good. Gelling nicely and the result is the string of brilliant results! Turning over Sheffield twice, doing Nottingham in Nottingham, walking into Coventry and being unlucky to lose! It is looking good for the Phoenix! We may not be the team to win the league, but we are definately going to cause other teams and their fans a few sleepless nights as we roll around kicking over a good many applecarts on the way!
I can definately see us picking up a trophy this year. Most likely one of the one-off cups. On our day, we can turn anyone over, and the others wont want to face us in a high stakes game! I would love us to pick up the Playoff Championship! However, any trophy will do!
In a perfect world, I want us to win the league! I can dream...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Right. Seeing as how everyone is doing this bloggy thing, thought I would give it a try! Seems to be the Next Big Thing! We have had Myspace, now Facebook, so, next, I guess, everyone will be blogging! It is all kind of cool. I remember a long time ago when to communicate took letters, faxes, or really expensive international phone calls.
Whereas today, all it takes is some random mumblings and its around the world in seconds!
So, this is going to turn into my random collection of thinkings based on the things I enjoy. And things that I dont. So, it will consist of life in Japan, my opinion on world events (I dont understand a lot of Japanese tv, though I will blog on that too!) because I spend a lot of my time reading newsy stuff from around the world. It will also feature my take on sports. Blogging on football in Japan, and my take on events surrounding the world of Ice Hockey. More specifically, the Manchester Phoenix. My first and always team! I am somewhat excited that I will be able to get to see them this Christmas!
Whereas today, all it takes is some random mumblings and its around the world in seconds!
So, this is going to turn into my random collection of thinkings based on the things I enjoy. And things that I dont. So, it will consist of life in Japan, my opinion on world events (I dont understand a lot of Japanese tv, though I will blog on that too!) because I spend a lot of my time reading newsy stuff from around the world. It will also feature my take on sports. Blogging on football in Japan, and my take on events surrounding the world of Ice Hockey. More specifically, the Manchester Phoenix. My first and always team! I am somewhat excited that I will be able to get to see them this Christmas!
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