Sunday, July 10, 2016

UK In Chaos Post-EU Referendum

Latest article on TalkMarkets, here:

http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/news/uk-in-chaos-post-eu-referendum?post=99728


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Friday, July 08, 2016

Friday Night Is Music Night: Saxophony

JD on the sax:

Invented by Adolphe Sax in 1840 the saxophone was never really accepted in classical music circles but was taken up enthusiastically by the jazz fraternity as explained here by Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone#In_jazz_and_popular_music

Here are a few star performers showing how the versatility of the sax makes it suitable for so many styles of music-

 Stan Getz:



Boots Randolph:



Johnny Almond:



Moon Hooch are a sort of punk/funky version of John Coltrane or even Roland Kirk!



Woody Herman recorded at Canegie Hall Center New York City November20,.1976 ( The 40th Anniversary) featuring his star soloists- Jimmy Giuffre,Stan Getz,Al Cohn and Zoot Sims:




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Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Exploding Pianos



An interesting story about exploding pianos, flour and the value of those pianos in an age of instant entertainment.

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Monday, July 04, 2016

Brexit: These Are The Times That Try Men’s Souls

New Fourth of July article on the British Constitutional Crisis of 2016, in TalkMarkets:

http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/brexit-these-are-the-times-that-try-mens-souls?post=99141


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Saturday, July 02, 2016

Economics and migration

"In Britain new migrants from the EU contribute more to the exchequer than they take out." - The Economist, today.

In my latest piece on TalkMarkets, I ask some questions about that assertion. Can anyone help with facts?


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Friday, July 01, 2016

Friday Night Is Music Night: Smooth Soothe

JD pours oil on troubled waters:

After the sound and the fury of the Brexit vote it is time to wind down into tranquility with some peaceful contemplative music-




Ljerka - Li Žilavec is a mezzo-soprano from Croatia and has a beautifully pure voice, here singing "Do not dry the ocean of my love." The photo is of Paramahansa Yogananda who wrote the words and music.



...and Snatam Kuar with a musical interpretation of the words of Francis of Assisi:




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Monday, June 27, 2016

EU: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT US!

***(Snowflake warning: may contain more than 20 words, also some facts. Worse still, contains no swearing. Find a safe space to calm.)*** 

 Farage is poor at publicity stunts - his recent Cap'n Bird's-Eye sail down the Thames was pirate-raided by a well-heeled tax exile (and an expensively-shod woman). Of course, the media can "help" him be poor at that, and the level of collusion between them and Cap'n Bob (plus Cameron by cellphone) has yet to be coldly dissected.

 Besides, what difference does it make? Before, during and after the vote nearly everyone on social media appears to have been howling with their hands over their ears.

 But here's a rationality test - for anyone who can receive as well as transmit, how about actually listening to the points made by the same "cheeky chappy" in the EU Parliament a few days ago - the EU failed to listen all the way back to 1999.

 The other point I'd make is that there may soon be no EU to go back to, and that won't be just because of the UK (we flatter ourselves). For example we'll be lucky if the Greek Left doesn't get their country to flee to Russia to save it from the prolonged cruelty of their treatment at the EU's hands. Maybe that's why Putin is being so restrained in what he says, and why unlike Obama he kept his nose out of our business.

 Italy is going to get interesting too, and we should remember (as after our vote, how can we forget?) that opposition to the grandiose project comes from the Left as well as the Right. Look for example at Democrazia Verde - both sovereignist AND "green".

Hear a punchily-delivered but fact-filled argument from Italian economic journalist Paolo Barnard:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYzlcfhJn1Q 

 - better than most of what we've heard from either side in the UK.

 [Btw I see Soros made another billion out of the Referendum from his betting - while simultaneously publicly saying we should Remain. He delighted in telling us it would be bad for us:

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-latest-george-soros-wins-big-prediction-black-friday-a7102481.html 

- but Paolo Barnard's latest article begs to differ (Google translation)...

"And note: after Black Monday in 1987, in two years everything was in place as before . 

"Just to inform. 

"And ah! Brexit gave a slap than 3,900 billion dollars a multi-billion dollar portfolio of the world. Not bad."

 http://paolobarnard.info/intervento_mostra_go.php?id=1531 ]

 The word that rang like a bell in Farage's speechlet below was "hubris." But also listen to what he says after that about cooperation and trade.

It's not the end of the world.

P.S. The Parliamentary Labour Party hates Corbyn like a wedgie - but Craig Murray thinks the Blairites are trying to get rid of him before the Chilcot Report is published:

 https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/06/still-iraq-war-stupid/

Well, if you got this far you can't be a snowflake, you must be a hailstone.

So - here's Nigel:

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