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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
August 4, 2012
Docklands Light Railway usage up by more than half
01 Aug 2012 ⋅ by Marc Johnson
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) passenger figures are up 65 per cent with extra Olympic traffic.
Other statistics released by LOCOG show that the number of vehicles on London’s streets have fallen by 17 per cent since the stat of the Games.
Organisers have again predicted an extremely busy day on the London Underground, London Overground and DLR services, with late evening services expected to be busier than usual because of spectators returning from Wembley. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.rail.co/2012/08/01/docklands-light-railway-usage-more-than-doubles/
Olympic effort for London's DLR
Docklands Light Railway usage up by more than half
01 Aug 2012 ⋅ by Marc Johnson
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) passenger figures are up 65 per cent with extra Olympic traffic.
Other statistics released by LOCOG show that the number of vehicles on London’s streets have fallen by 17 per cent since the stat of the Games.
Organisers have again predicted an extremely busy day on the London Underground, London Overground and DLR services, with late evening services expected to be busier than usual because of spectators returning from Wembley. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.rail.co/2012/08/01/docklands-light-railway-usage-more-than-doubles/
August 4, 2012
from Rolling Stone:
When Did Sandy Weill Change His Mind About Too Big To Fail? And Why?
POSTED: August 3, 11:30 AM ET
There were a great many fascinating moments in the now-legendary Squawk Box interview of former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill, in which the creator of the Too-Big-To-Fail model told an astonished Andrew Ross Sorkin that it was time to break up the Too-Big-To-Fail banks. But one moment in particular flew under the radar:
For the moment we can ignore the fact that Weill throughout the interview kept patting himself on the back for his "good thing" of an idea. (Although, if close attention is paid, one does get the impression that Weill sincerely believes he came up with the "break up the banks" idea on his own, and it’s almost like he’s preparing to take credit for it if it happens; this is just one of the many layers of delicious comedy that can be peeled back through careful re-examination of this interview). We can just call all that background noise for now.
Instead, let’s just focus on the "when" question Sorkin raised. Because interestingly enough, Weill addressed this very issue at the close of the year Sorkin mentioned, 2009.
It was back then that Weill’s former co-C.E.O. at Citi, John Reed, paved the way for Weill’s future conversion by issuing his own mea culpa on the issue of Too-Big-To-Fail. Reed wrote a letter to the New York Times on October 22, 2009 calling for the same division of commercial banks and investment banks, saying the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, which had kept those companies separate, was a mistake. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/when-did-sandy-weill-change-his-mind-about-too-big-to-fail-and-why-20120803#ixzz22XMBWX5S
Matt Taibbi: When Did Sandy Weill Change His Mind About Too Big To Fail? And Why?
from Rolling Stone:
When Did Sandy Weill Change His Mind About Too Big To Fail? And Why?
POSTED: August 3, 11:30 AM ET
There were a great many fascinating moments in the now-legendary Squawk Box interview of former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill, in which the creator of the Too-Big-To-Fail model told an astonished Andrew Ross Sorkin that it was time to break up the Too-Big-To-Fail banks. But one moment in particular flew under the radar:
SORKIN: But did this come to you in 2008, 2009, was there a conversation you had with someone, because this is a true revolution.
WEILL: Change. You know I think it is something I’ve been thinking about a lot over the last year and I wanted to really get my thoughts together before I said anything. But I think good things are simple and I think what I’m saying is very simple.
WEILL: Change. You know I think it is something I’ve been thinking about a lot over the last year and I wanted to really get my thoughts together before I said anything. But I think good things are simple and I think what I’m saying is very simple.
For the moment we can ignore the fact that Weill throughout the interview kept patting himself on the back for his "good thing" of an idea. (Although, if close attention is paid, one does get the impression that Weill sincerely believes he came up with the "break up the banks" idea on his own, and it’s almost like he’s preparing to take credit for it if it happens; this is just one of the many layers of delicious comedy that can be peeled back through careful re-examination of this interview). We can just call all that background noise for now.
Instead, let’s just focus on the "when" question Sorkin raised. Because interestingly enough, Weill addressed this very issue at the close of the year Sorkin mentioned, 2009.
It was back then that Weill’s former co-C.E.O. at Citi, John Reed, paved the way for Weill’s future conversion by issuing his own mea culpa on the issue of Too-Big-To-Fail. Reed wrote a letter to the New York Times on October 22, 2009 calling for the same division of commercial banks and investment banks, saying the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, which had kept those companies separate, was a mistake. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/when-did-sandy-weill-change-his-mind-about-too-big-to-fail-and-why-20120803#ixzz22XMBWX5S
August 3, 2012
Sword-wielding knights rob medieval festival
Posted July 31, 2012 05:52:25
A gang of thieves dressed as knights and armed with a sword and an axe robbed the organisers of a medieval festival in north-east France and made off with 20,000 euros ($25,000), police said.
The theft took place in the early hours of Monday as organisers were counting revenues from the festival in Bitche, near France's border with Germany, a spokesman for regional police in Lorraine said.
"According to witnesses, there were three or four individuals, masked and wearing medieval attire," the spokesman said.
They struck one of the organisers with the handle of the axe and escaped with the cash. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-31/gang-dressed-as-knights-rob-medieval-festival/4165332
Sword-wielding knights rob medieval festival
Sword-wielding knights rob medieval festival
Posted July 31, 2012 05:52:25
A gang of thieves dressed as knights and armed with a sword and an axe robbed the organisers of a medieval festival in north-east France and made off with 20,000 euros ($25,000), police said.
The theft took place in the early hours of Monday as organisers were counting revenues from the festival in Bitche, near France's border with Germany, a spokesman for regional police in Lorraine said.
"According to witnesses, there were three or four individuals, masked and wearing medieval attire," the spokesman said.
They struck one of the organisers with the handle of the axe and escaped with the cash. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-31/gang-dressed-as-knights-rob-medieval-festival/4165332
August 3, 2012
from the Human Transit blog:
using dynamite for lack of paint: alex broner on "cities in motion"
Ever since I posted on SimCity and SimCity 4 people have been telling me I must try Cities in Motion. But when you have two jobs and you're already devoting hours to a blog and a book and a remodel, there is only so much time for computer games. Fortunately, Alex Broner has boldly gone there in a guest post, so I don't have to!
In Cities in Motion (a game by Colossal Order, published by Paradox Interactive), one assumes the role of a CEO of a transit company tasked with providing transit to a particular city. In the campaign mode the cities are all based on specific cities at specific historical periods, Berlin during the cold war for example. There is also a “sandbox” mode in which you can play additional cities including player created cities and fictional cities.
Your transit company operates without subsidies for the most part, though there are “missions” which often offer monetary rewards for their completion. The most common mission is to connect two or more places together with a transit line.
In the campaign mode there are certain required missions which you must complete in order to “win” the scenario and unlock further scenarios. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.humantransit.org/2012/07/using-dynamite-for-lack-of-paint-alex-broner-on-cities-in-motion.html
'Cities in Motion' computer transit simulation game
from the Human Transit blog:
using dynamite for lack of paint: alex broner on "cities in motion"
Ever since I posted on SimCity and SimCity 4 people have been telling me I must try Cities in Motion. But when you have two jobs and you're already devoting hours to a blog and a book and a remodel, there is only so much time for computer games. Fortunately, Alex Broner has boldly gone there in a guest post, so I don't have to!
In Cities in Motion (a game by Colossal Order, published by Paradox Interactive), one assumes the role of a CEO of a transit company tasked with providing transit to a particular city. In the campaign mode the cities are all based on specific cities at specific historical periods, Berlin during the cold war for example. There is also a “sandbox” mode in which you can play additional cities including player created cities and fictional cities.
Your transit company operates without subsidies for the most part, though there are “missions” which often offer monetary rewards for their completion. The most common mission is to connect two or more places together with a transit line.
In the campaign mode there are certain required missions which you must complete in order to “win” the scenario and unlock further scenarios. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.humantransit.org/2012/07/using-dynamite-for-lack-of-paint-alex-broner-on-cities-in-motion.html
August 3, 2012
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 Toronto Masters due to ongoing knee tendonitis.
Nadal is a two-time winning of the Canadian Masters (or the Rogers Cup as it is otherwise known).
The Spaniard's first success at the tournament came back in 2005 when as a teenager, most were dismissing him as merely a clay-court player. However, Nadal proved he could cut it on the faster hard courts, beating a 35-year-old Andre Agassi in the final.
......(snip)......
David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils have already confirmed they will not be taking part. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.crunchsports.com/category/Tennis/Rafael-Nadal-withdraws-from-Toronto-Masters-due-to-knee-injury-201208030028/
..............
UPDATE
World No. 1 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Because of Federer’s withdrawal, Canada’s Milos Raonic now moves into the No. 16 seed position and will receive a first-round bye.
The draw to determine first-round match-ups will take place Saturday.
The Rogers Cup runs from Saturday through Aug. 12 at the Rexall Centre in Toronto. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/sports/tennis/article/1236732--rogers-cup-tennis-no-1-roger-federer-pulls-out-of-tournament
Toronto Masters 1000 tennis tourney being decimated by the Olympics UPDATE
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 Toronto Masters due to ongoing knee tendonitis.
Nadal is a two-time winning of the Canadian Masters (or the Rogers Cup as it is otherwise known).
The Spaniard's first success at the tournament came back in 2005 when as a teenager, most were dismissing him as merely a clay-court player. However, Nadal proved he could cut it on the faster hard courts, beating a 35-year-old Andre Agassi in the final.
......(snip)......
David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils have already confirmed they will not be taking part. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.crunchsports.com/category/Tennis/Rafael-Nadal-withdraws-from-Toronto-Masters-due-to-knee-injury-201208030028/
..............
UPDATE
World No. 1 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Because of Federer’s withdrawal, Canada’s Milos Raonic now moves into the No. 16 seed position and will receive a first-round bye.
The draw to determine first-round match-ups will take place Saturday.
The Rogers Cup runs from Saturday through Aug. 12 at the Rexall Centre in Toronto. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/sports/tennis/article/1236732--rogers-cup-tennis-no-1-roger-federer-pulls-out-of-tournament
August 3, 2012
By Mohamed El-Erian Aug 2, 2012 6:30 PM ET
(Bloomberg) The three central bank meetings this week -- the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve -- made very good cases for additional stimulus measures, though they failed to specify what these would be.
Equities and certain bonds that had surged on the basis of last week’s verbal assurances by central bankers and political leaders sold off. There was no panic given central bankers’ promises to do more in the future should additional action be needed. This is what the standard narrative has been.
But it misses important context, and there is more at play here. The unfortunate reality is that, unlike during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, central banks can’t be the saviors this time around for a struggling global economy. Other government entities, with better-suited policy tools, need to step up to the plate.
Why did central bankers disappoint so many this week? I suspect that they wish to keep pressure on other policy makers who demonstrate none of the necessary urgency. The bankers also realize that their policy tools are increasingly less effective. To quote Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, central banks “cannot replace governments.” There’s something else: Central bankers more than anyone are being careful to keep dry whatever ammunition they still have. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/central-banks-can-t-save-the-world.html
Central Banks Can’t Save the World This Time
By Mohamed El-Erian Aug 2, 2012 6:30 PM ET
(Bloomberg) The three central bank meetings this week -- the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve -- made very good cases for additional stimulus measures, though they failed to specify what these would be.
Equities and certain bonds that had surged on the basis of last week’s verbal assurances by central bankers and political leaders sold off. There was no panic given central bankers’ promises to do more in the future should additional action be needed. This is what the standard narrative has been.
But it misses important context, and there is more at play here. The unfortunate reality is that, unlike during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, central banks can’t be the saviors this time around for a struggling global economy. Other government entities, with better-suited policy tools, need to step up to the plate.
Why did central bankers disappoint so many this week? I suspect that they wish to keep pressure on other policy makers who demonstrate none of the necessary urgency. The bankers also realize that their policy tools are increasingly less effective. To quote Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, central banks “cannot replace governments.” There’s something else: Central bankers more than anyone are being careful to keep dry whatever ammunition they still have. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/central-banks-can-t-save-the-world.html
August 3, 2012
from truthdig:
Congressional Carnivores Rage Over ‘Meatless Monday’
Posted on Aug 3, 2012
By David Sirota
To understand how utterly broken our society is, how hostile to sacrifice we are and how willfully ignorant we have become, you need only look at the historic drought hammering the heartland—and how our elected officials are responding to that cataclysm.
As you likely know from this arid summer, America is suffering through the worst drought since 1950. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, half of all counties in the nation are officially disaster areas—a situation that has devastated the country’s supply of agriculture commodities. Consequently, food prices are expected to skyrocket, and eventually, water-dependent power plants may be forced to shut down.
This is a full-on emergency, and USDA, a key agency involved in the national security issues surrounding our food and water supply, last week responded with a minor non-binding recommendation. In its inter-office newsletter to agency employees, it suggested that those who want to conserve water could simply refrain from eating meat on Mondays.
The idea is part of the worldwide “Meatless Monday” campaign, which The New York Times notes is backed by “thousands of corporate cafeterias, restaurants and schools.” In the face of a drought, it’s a pragmatic notion. Cornell University researchers estimate that “producing a pound of animal protein requires, on average, about 100 times more water than producing a pound of vegetable protein.” According to the U.S. Geological Survey, that means a typical hamburger requires a whopping 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/congressional_carnivores_rage_over_meatless_monday_20120803/
David Sirota: Congressional Carnivores Rage Over ‘Meatless Monday’
from truthdig:
Congressional Carnivores Rage Over ‘Meatless Monday’
Posted on Aug 3, 2012
By David Sirota
To understand how utterly broken our society is, how hostile to sacrifice we are and how willfully ignorant we have become, you need only look at the historic drought hammering the heartland—and how our elected officials are responding to that cataclysm.
As you likely know from this arid summer, America is suffering through the worst drought since 1950. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, half of all counties in the nation are officially disaster areas—a situation that has devastated the country’s supply of agriculture commodities. Consequently, food prices are expected to skyrocket, and eventually, water-dependent power plants may be forced to shut down.
This is a full-on emergency, and USDA, a key agency involved in the national security issues surrounding our food and water supply, last week responded with a minor non-binding recommendation. In its inter-office newsletter to agency employees, it suggested that those who want to conserve water could simply refrain from eating meat on Mondays.
The idea is part of the worldwide “Meatless Monday” campaign, which The New York Times notes is backed by “thousands of corporate cafeterias, restaurants and schools.” In the face of a drought, it’s a pragmatic notion. Cornell University researchers estimate that “producing a pound of animal protein requires, on average, about 100 times more water than producing a pound of vegetable protein.” According to the U.S. Geological Survey, that means a typical hamburger requires a whopping 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/congressional_carnivores_rage_over_meatless_monday_20120803/
August 3, 2012
By Mohamed El-Erian Aug 2, 2012 6:30 PM ET
(Bloomberg) The three central bank meetings this week -- the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve -- made very good cases for additional stimulus measures, though they failed to specify what these would be.
Equities and certain bonds that had surged on the basis of last week’s verbal assurances by central bankers and political leaders sold off. There was no panic given central bankers’ promises to do more in the future should additional action be needed. This is what the standard narrative has been.
But it misses important context, and there is more at play here. The unfortunate reality is that, unlike during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, central banks can’t be the saviors this time around for a struggling global economy. Other government entities, with better-suited policy tools, need to step up to the plate.
Why did central bankers disappoint so many this week? I suspect that they wish to keep pressure on other policy makers who demonstrate none of the necessary urgency. The bankers also realize that their policy tools are increasingly less effective. To quote Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, central banks “cannot replace governments.” There’s something else: Central bankers more than anyone are being careful to keep dry whatever ammunition they still have. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/central-banks-can-t-save-the-world.html
Central Banks Can’t Save the World This Time
By Mohamed El-Erian Aug 2, 2012 6:30 PM ET
(Bloomberg) The three central bank meetings this week -- the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve -- made very good cases for additional stimulus measures, though they failed to specify what these would be.
Equities and certain bonds that had surged on the basis of last week’s verbal assurances by central bankers and political leaders sold off. There was no panic given central bankers’ promises to do more in the future should additional action be needed. This is what the standard narrative has been.
But it misses important context, and there is more at play here. The unfortunate reality is that, unlike during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, central banks can’t be the saviors this time around for a struggling global economy. Other government entities, with better-suited policy tools, need to step up to the plate.
Why did central bankers disappoint so many this week? I suspect that they wish to keep pressure on other policy makers who demonstrate none of the necessary urgency. The bankers also realize that their policy tools are increasingly less effective. To quote Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, central banks “cannot replace governments.” There’s something else: Central bankers more than anyone are being careful to keep dry whatever ammunition they still have. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/central-banks-can-t-save-the-world.html
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