Great to see creativity and social enterprise alive & well in Hong Kong. YouTube - Nokia E7 Smartphone - HK Honey

YouTube - Nokia E7 Smartphone - HK Honey

Nice one!

http://www.hkhoney.org/

Great to see creativity and social enterprise alive & well in Hong Kong.

wonder how much nokia spent on producing this though!

My comments re Entrepreneur friendly Britain « The Equity Kicker

Entrepreneur friendly Britain « The Equity Kicker:

Indeed, this are all great news for entrepreneurs in UK indeed.

there is also likes of http://www.newentrepreneursfou...

don't forget the multitude of networks and events..

Question is that will we have more quality entrepreneurs (present & future) to rise up for the challenges & opportunities.. certainly hope so, as we need everyone to chip in to create great companies and build up economies and not just a lot of noise & no substances.. we need endurance runners not people that are after 5/15min of fame across the whole value chain.

now back to work (for me).

@GarethWong

short comments of how 'power corrupts'.. do we need 2use F** in business environment?? The Lean VC, Global Edition (March 2011, London)

The Lean VC, Global Edition (March 2011, London)

I have observed a while this tech. "scene", been to a few events, major, small, twittervals & even pay for conferences, and learnt of many re-incarnations of some industry greats (yes, some do change job/role/focus/directions every 3mths!) and sadly I don't go anymore, as mostly same stories, different faces which I will not see again (yes, they vanish & give up also!)

but I do keep tap, as certain part of it will be the future (people, initiatives, funds, etc.) and I am here to stay for sure (if I don't migrate that is) ...

interesting to see Dave's presentation earlier today, similar messages, more initiatives, but his last 3 slides grabbed my attention, and reminded me of this article of "How Power Corrupts Leaders" .... cos maybe the money, social media popularity and groupies does change one's perspective?

I have never met Dave, heard & trust that he is a great guy (look forward to meeting) but also noticed his many tweets and contributions & talk and initiatives.. & no doubt that he is a multi-millionaires (albeit an outspoken ones, I have met many millionaires & billionaires but they tend to be more guarded, guess more to loose and in fact some afraid of kidnapping, which is real danger, just to be clear, I am very poor myself, hence I dared to blog).

surely though, it seems to me that maybe I am old school, and sadly missing the point.. but his slides that contain the F*words just unnecessary.. or maybe he is taking stance of HBO, more sex, drugs, and profanity, make the product more popular?

see it for yourself full presentation below (full of wisdom) but the two key slides in question:

I do know how annoying it is when people you don't know come up & speak to you as though they know you (let alone pitching), when I did the international speaker circuit (we too can & have done 5 countries in 4 days), too many time-wasters and some outright rude figures (some feel entitled to do so) approaches and stop me...

Hence now I do not speak nor chair conferences anymore but will make exception for some good guys (conference organisers/industry leaders) I mainly help in background and would turn up and support mainly.. this might be better than to swear at the world (cos that is what essentially the social media is helping Dave to do)... this works, as number of people approaches me decreased, but then again, I try to walk much quicker and try not to make eye contacts (practice the star gazing stare, Prof.Brian Cox is my idol), just a thought and maybe different way of looking at/dealing with it.

Wonder how @FredWilson deals with it?

The Lean VC, Global Edition (March 2011, London)

View more presentations from Dave McClure

YouTube - "As One" - 10 year old Aiyana-Lee sings for Japan - Play for Japan #play4jpn

YouTube - "As One" - 10 year old Aiyana-Lee sings for Japan - Play for Japan #play4jpn

Julia Mills on SkyNews below to help raise awareness of the Japan Society Earthquake fund:

We encourage people to donate to the UK Japan Society appeal: http://www.japansociety.org.uk/donate/

If you, or anyone you know, would like to donate, it would be mush appreciated. If in the "claim gift aid" section you write OTSUCHI, the money will go directly to a local charity in Julia's mother's hometown.

info on: http://www.japansociety.org.uk/earthquake/

& intricacies of how charities allocating the money here (& some pictures of aftermath of OTSUCHI):

http://garethcxo.blogspot.com/2011/03/help-our-friends-in-otsuchi-prefecture.html

Criminals Look Different From Noncriminals | Psychology Today

Criminals Look Different From Noncriminals | Psychology Today

Must read..

so, guess we can now legitimately (without challenge from the tribe of political correctness do-gooders) that we should and can stereotype people!??

do this test: see who is a convicted criminal below and who is not?

JIANG GUO FANG 姜國芳, one of my favourite Chinese artist

Especially his series on the forbidden city:

or more contemporary ones:

more details in Chinese:

http://art.people.com.cn/BIG5/41385/71467/index.html

& English:

JIANG GUO FANG - Paintings / 24th Sept. 2009 - 3rd Jan. 2010

In short, live to 'excel' & not stop. I agree. Japan, Libya, and Why Leaders Should be Paranoid - Rosabeth Moss Kanter - Harvard Business Review

Japan, Libya, and Why Leaders Should be Paranoid - Rosabeth Moss Kanter - Harvard Business Review:

paranoia has a negative connotation, I trust finding a worthy competitor, or set goals for oneself to achieve would equally work, as it depends on what each person's personal drivers might be.

"The positive paranoia mantra: Imagine the worst, and create the best. That's a good lesson for leaders under any circumstances."

YouTube - Counterfeiting In China

YouTube - Counterfeiting In China

Dan Chow, law professor at The Ohio State University talks about the problem of counterfeiting in China. He says there is no silver bullet to stop this practice and that some local authorities in China often approve of it because it strengthens the economy.

LinkedIn crosses 100m member mark, proving the recession is not bad for everyone [infographic] | The Wall Blog

LinkedIn crosses 100m member mark, proving the recession is not bad for everyone [infographic] | The Wall Blog

nice one indeed. must read, click through when you have time.

meanwhile, the all important pic:

Turkey becoming key business gateway also? Turkey, the EU and the Mediterranean uprisings | Czech Position

Turkey, the EU and the Mediterranean uprisings | Czech Position: "Turkey, the EU and the Mediterranean uprisings"

This is a great if maybe slightly long but insightful article.

Separately, I heard UK has been helping turkey in the background re EU membership and lobbying, if that is really the case, then, this could yet be another great diplomatic manoeuvre.

Given the latest turmoil in middle east, Turkey might and probably will become the best gateway for the region, not only politically but also business wise.

For leaders of the business world (bigger SMEs, mid market firms that look for regional & international growth, namely our typical CXOs, min.CEO of firm with £3m/US$5m profit), get yourself ready now, if not only to visit Istanbul if you still have never been.

Key challenge is where do you start?

if you qualify, ping me, I know some family dynasties there (some promised to help us to launch it there), and maybe I can link you up when we have some adhoc CXO Istanbul private gatherings.

"Grandfather of Allergy" Dr. William Frankland, A life in Allergy :: The Anaphylaxis Campaign

A life in Allergy :: The Anaphylaxis Campaign:

So proud to know that our friend Bill is so famous! ;-)

Dr. A.W.Frankland – “A Life in Allergy” – Part 1
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/information/about-us/a-life-in-all...


Celebrating a Century of Progress in Allergy
A film celebrating the centenary of the only cure for allergies and the life and work Dr William Frankland – the UK’s oldest serving doctor, has been produced by Dr Sophie Farooque, who was the UK’s first allergy trainee and is now the country’s first allergy consultant to have been an allergy trainee. The film will be shown at the 2011 BSACI Annual Meeting on July 11th.
bsaci.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&...

Another article courtesy of BMA (pdf): bsaci.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_downlo...

"A great supporter of desensitisation, Frankland has noted that the rise in allergy can be linked to our increased cleanliness and the levels of hygiene in modern life. 'We don't set off our immune system early on, we are too clean. In the former East Germany for instance, with very poor work and housing conditions, people were less allergic'."

Nice video. #think: Freddie's posterous - Home

#think: Freddie's posterous - Home: "smartel"

nice..

Will it work? luxury+social media.. same target audience??Neiman Marcus challenges in-store customers to earn mobile game rewards -Luxury Daily-Mobile

Neiman Marcus challenges in-store customers to earn mobile game rewards - Luxury Daily - Mobile:

It would be curious to see.. when I go to Neiman Marcus.. do not see many social media type audiences..

It would be great to see if this would really work.. not likely both parties would be happy to share their findings..

its like Harrods join forces with foursquare (who has many more users btw!) or with the uk local rummble.. are they even still around?

fact of the matters are these:

1>Internet, people rarely pay for things, except things that are standardised and have slight/better discounts, e.g. banking/insurance/DVDs/film/theatre tickets etc.

2>Mobile, people pay even more rarely, mostly subset of 1>

3>social media mostly make money for the platform and technology providers who have scale... number of the B2C successes are few & far between (unless it is part of the wider marketing mix, like for Dell etc.) to add incremental value..

4> truth is that people would still trust/prefer offline relationships..

therefore, this would only work if Neiman Marcus is using this campaign to:

a.) as call to action of their present customers who has an Android phone. (do they know who already has an android phone? and do they know how to download this application in-time for the 'excitement'??)

b.) using the application to reach more target audience for Neiman Marcus... (personally don't think they overlap much... but I have no clue, please do tell me if you have the information!)

but then again, it is great that they are doing this, as otherwise, we will have no innovations.. but it would only help if they share at least some high level insights..

so much is at stakes though (luxury B2C brand, and further series of fund raising), most likely this will be last we hear of it!

"Game face
The partnership between Neiman Marcus and Scvngr is an example of how a luxury brand can be an innovative leader in the retail industry by leveraging a social game.

Incorporating the interactive game with the retailer’s Big Night Out campaign creates a stronger community engagement.

“Scvngr has over a million players nationwide and we liked the idea of interacting and engaging with a new audience,” Ms. Gierhart said. “We believe that the digital- and mobile-based program Scvngr developed will appeal to this customer by creating a fun and interactive shopping experience.”"

Photos of Japan After Earthquake and Tsunami - Photographs - NYTimes.com

Photos of Japan After Earthquake and Tsunami - Photographs - NYTimes.com

Sobering...

Help our friends in OTSUCHI prefecture Japan Society of the UK - Make a Donation to the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund, help local people

Japan Society of the UK - Make a Donation to the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund

It's been awful as my friend's family is in Sendai and the coastal towns of Otsuchi, Kamaishi and Miyako.

They were unable to contact any of them for several days and they are still missing a cousin and an aunt. Luckily, the majority of their family seem to have escaped, although they are now suffering food, water and heat shortages and have lost their houses.

We encourage people to donate to the UK Japan Society appeal:www.japansociety.org.uk/donate/
If you, or anyone you know, would like to donate, it would be mush appreciated. If in the "claim gift aid" section you write OTSUCHI, the money will go directly to a local charity in my friend's mother's hometown.

Also, one of Jetro's clients emailed this morning to say that if "Friend of Intralink" is put in this box, they will match donations up to a total of £10,000.

If your corporation want to do some matching fund, please do get in touch!

The British Red Cross is donating to the Japanese Red Cross, but the money will not go to any other charities over there so if there is more donated than the Japanese Red Cross can use for their activities, these funds will be used for later disasters elsewhere.

This is totally understandable and necessary, but the problem is that this seems to be the main charity that British people are donating to, thinking their money is going to Japan but it may not. This is why they support the Japan Society.

more pictures of Japan aftermath from LATimes: Otsuchi, Japan — Reiko Miura, 68, cries as she looks for her sister's son

Rescue workers amidst the rubble as they picked their way through the shattered city of Otsuchi.

A ship is seen perched on top of a house in the tsunami devastated remains of Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture.

Brilliant insights shared by Lord Turner, FSA Chair, but 2keyPt?? Leverage, Maturity Transformation & Financial Stability: Challenges Beyond Basel III

Leverage, Maturity Transformation and Financial Stability: Challenges Beyond Basel III:

it was big shame that I missed the speech last night, but as many great regulators nowadays, his speech & slide decks are already available from FSA site!

It is ashame that the regulatory structure of UK will yet be changed again... but one thing I have observed, which is key challenge for maintaining any financial industry, which is this:

1.) is it feasible for any of mathematical genius to 'predict' what the intricate and maybe less inter-linked companies, markets, & instruments might behave in a continuously changing financial, geopolitical & natural disasters afflicted world??

2.) have you also noticed that Cash was not mentioned in the slides and only twice in passing in the speech??

This is the reason why GamBond®and how we work together with industry to create a custom but focused default risk insurance industry. It is so paramount as we recognise that one can only predict so much regarding how industry perform and KPIs defined/measured, but by focusing on cash flow and with the value chain, GamBond® know how to rate, monitor and put a price on future default risk(s) of a sector worldwide.

It is very different view to look at the situation but in short, we DO NEED a different view to rate, monitor industries from a long perspective. This will re-focus how companies are formed, structured, and run.. we need to cut these endemic short-term-ism as too many companies and people get hurt!

What do you think??

"Between 2007 and 2009 the global financial system suffered a huge crisis, with major harmful macroeconomic effects. In response, a major programme of regulatory reform has been launched and is part complete.

Last year we agreed a major reform of bank capital and liquidity standards – Basel III.
This year the Financial Stability Board will decide measures to address problems created by systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) – by banks seen in the past as ‘too big to fail’.
These changes will make a major difference..."

How much do you know about Facebook Photos? [infographic]

How much do you know about Facebook Photos? [infographic]

Read more: http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/03/15/how-much-do-you-know-about-facebook-photos-infographic/#ixzz1GnbBtFom

Nice post from @theWall

"A great infographic giving a a breakdown of the phenomenon that is Facebook photos. A few quick takeouts for you:

• *There will be 100 billion photos on Facebook by Summer 2011
• *6 billion photos are uploaded each month
• *Over 750 million photos were posted on Facebook globally during new years eve weekend
• *40% more photos are uploaded on the weekend than during the week
• *The most photos out of any day in the week are uploaded to Facebook on Sunday
• *Women upload and tag 2X more photos to Facebook than men
• *Older users upload as much as younger users BUT they tag less"

Read more: http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/03/15/how-much-do-you-know-about-facebook-photos-infographic/#ixzz1GnbH4lk1

Earthquake Losses May Be Limited for Japanese Non-Life Insurance Providers - Bloomberg

Earthquake Losses May Be Limited for Japanese Non-Life Insurance Providers - Bloomberg:

seem to have adopted best practice despite not being forced by regulators to do so, thats how it should be done!

"Japanese non-life insurers may face limited losses from the country’s strongest earthquake because of contingency reserves and an exclusion from insuring damaged nuclear plants, analysts said.

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings (8725) Inc., Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. (8766) and NKSJ Holdings Inc. (8630), the three-biggest non-life insurers, may have 20 billion yen ($250 million) to 80 billion yen each in commercial losses, according to Keefe Bruyette & Woods Inc. The three have set aside about 88 percent of their 593.2 billion yen maximum liability, Fitch Ratings said."

how to prepare for any diaster, quiz your knowlege about earthquake.. get prepared a 'go-bag' & person/family safety procedures now!

Our thoughts are with all the families affected in Japan... this shows how vulnerable we all are from disasters in the world, from natural to man made events..

Question: How prepared are we????

If you are in London, are you living in flooding area(s)?? see it for yourself here.

It is now time to reflect... and see what might need to be done to prepare ourselves and our families (our work has health & safety and disaster procedures.. why do we neglect our own families??) :

from US Homeland security: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/basic_preparedness.shtm

get Kids involved: http://www.fema.gov/kids/ready.htm

get a Diaster supply kit: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/supplykit.shtm

Great site, suggest you explore: http://72hours.org/index.html

Interactive test of your earth quake knowlege from SanFran: http://quakequizsf.org/

=== non governments, social media info below:

and also in video in terms of what need to be done to prepare yourselve:

document form (although sadly US centric, but good advice none the less.)

How to Prepare for Any Disaster

Must see if you are in Paris.. The Eighteenth Century at the Musée du Louvre / Messerschmidt

The Eighteenth Century at the Musée du Louvre / Messerschmidt

Must see if you are in Paris!

high res photos of Earthquake rocks Japan - CNN.com

Earthquake rocks Japan - CNN.com

Our thoughts & prayers are with those families that are affected.

gosh, look at the destructions ...

Nice one, so, "what do Finns associate with sex" then?? I wonder. FT.com / FT Magazine - Don’t touch me, I’m British

FT.com / FT Magazine - Don’t touch me, I’m British:

Nice one, so, "what do Finns associate with sex" then?? I wonder.

"Applying Carroll’s theories to Britons, you understand why foreigners think we are repressed. Americans won’t touch strangers, the French won’t talk to them, but Brits will neither touch nor talk to them. Passport to the Pub, a semi-official guide for foreign tourists to the UK, warns: “Don’t ever introduce yourself. The ‘Hi, I’m Chuck from Alabama’ approach does not go down well in British pubs.”

Nor are Britons permitted to make eye contact: the former French prime minister Edith Cresson, disconcerted that British men didn’t look at her, estimated that one in four was homosexual. No wonder Britons drink ever-increasing amounts of alcohol. Alcohol was first distilled so that British people could reproduce.

Latins are luckier. They can touch and talk to strangers even when sober. But they, too, follow one ground rule shared by the French, Americans and British: they only get naked with people of the opposite gender in sexual situations."

Japan's latest earthquake is 5th biggest since 1900! Magnitude 8 and Greater Earthquakes Since 1900

Magnitude 8 and Greater Earthquakes Since 1900:

latest Japan quake was 8.9...

our thoughts are with our friends in Japan.

" Date - UTC - Time Latitude Longitude Magnitude Fatalities Region
1. 1960-05-22 19:11 -38.29 -73.05 9.5 1,655 Chile
2. 1964-03-28 03:36 61.02 -147.65 9.2 125 Prince William Sound, Alaska
3. 2004-12-26 00:58 3.295 95.982 9.1 227,898 off the west coast of northern Sumatra
4. 1952-11-04 16:58 52.76 160.06 9.0 Kamchatka, Russia
5. 2010-02-27 06:34:14 -35.846 -72.719 8.8 Offshore Maule, Chile"

Must watch series if UR in UK: Civilization: Is the West History? - 4oD - Channel 4

Civilization: Is the West History? - 4oD - Channel 4

set your sky+/Tivo/freeview+ NOW

• Science

  In 1683 the Ottoman army laid siege to Vienna, the capital of Europe's most powerful empire. Domination of East over West was an alarmingly plausible scenario. But Islam was defeated: not…

  Next Episode: Sun 13 Mar, 8pm on Channel 4

===

In this series, I want to show that what distinguished the West from the Rest - the mainsprings of global power - were six identifiably novel complexes of ideas and behaviours. For the sake of simplicity, I summarise them under six headings:

1. Competition

2. Science

3. The Rule of Law

4. Medicine

5. Consumerism

6. The Work Ethic

To use the language of today's computerised, synchronised world, these were the six 'killer applications' - the killer apps - that allowed a minority of mankind originating on the western edge of Eurasia to dominate the world for the better part of 500 years.

Now, before you indignantly write to me objecting that I have missed out some crucial aspect of Western ascendancy, like capitalism or freedom or democracy, or for that matter guns, germs and steel, please read the following brief definitions:

1. Competition - a decentralisation of both political and economic life, which created the launch-pad for capitalism;

2. Science - a way of studying, understanding and ultimately changing the natural world, which gave the West (among other things) a major military advantage over the Rest;

3. The Rule of Law - a cumulative model for peacefully resolving disputes between individuals over property which formed the basis for the most stable form of representative government;

4. Medicine - a branch of science which allowed a major improvement in health and life expectancy, beginning in Western societies, but also in their colonies;

5. The Consumer Society - a mode of material living in which the production and purchase of clothing plays a central economic role, without which the Industrial Revolution would have been unsustainable;

6. The Work Ethic - a moral framework and mode of activity derived from Protestant Christianity that provides the glue for the dynamic and potentially unstable society created by apps 1 to 5, above.

Make no mistake - this is not another self-satisfied version of 'The Triumph of the West'. I want to show that it was not just Western superiority that led to the conquest and colonisation of so much of the rest of the world; it was also the fortuitous weakness of the West's rivals.

In the 1640s, for example, a combination of fiscal and monetary crisis, climate change and epidemic disease unleashed rebellion and the final crisis of the Ming dynasty. This had nothing to do with the West.

Likewise, the political and military decline of the Ottoman Empire was internally driven more than it was externally imposed. North American political institutions flourished as South America's festered, but Simon Bolivar's failure to create a Latin American United States was not the gringo's fault.

The critical point is that the differential between the West and the Rest was institutional. Western Europe overtook China partly because in the West there was more competition in both the political and the economic spheres. Austria, Prussia and latterly even Russia became more effective administratively and militarily because the seventeenth-century Scientific Revolution happened in the Christian but not in the Muslim world. The reason North America's ex-colonies did so much better than South America's was because British settlers established a completely different system of property rights and political representation in the North from those built by Spaniards and Portuguese in the South. European empires were able to penetrate Africa not just because they had the Maxim gun; they also devised vaccines against tropical diseases which African societies were just as powerless against.

In the same way, the earlier industrialisation of the West reflected institutional advantages - the possibility of a mass consumer society existed in the British Isles before the advent of steam power. Even after industrial technology was almost universally available, the differential between the West and the Rest persisted; indeed, it grew wider. With wholly standardised cotton spinning and weaving machinery, the European and North American worker was still able to work more productively, and his capitalist employer to accumulate wealth more rapidly, than their Oriental counterparts. This series is about all these differences. About why they existed and why they mattered so much.

This is an excerpt from the book Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson. Click here to find out more

26yrs old guy forced on operating table to sell kidney in China, 26岁小伙违法卖肾入狼窝 被强行推上手术台_资讯频道_凤凰网

26岁小伙违法卖肾入狼窝 被强行推上手术台_资讯频道_凤凰网

tough world, guy was going to sell one of his kidney for ¥40,000., decided not to do it, but was false imprisoned, and ultimately forced onto operating table, and was left with only ¥27,000.

beneficiary paid ¥300,000.00 for the kidney, mostly were kept by the hospital and the middlemen.. this is the economy and reality of this one guy tried to but chickened out selling his kidney.. scary indeed.

selling one's organ is against the law in China btw.

sad but it is a very big danger when people are desperate for money, in a world without a supportive social system..

"胡杰：电话我也不敢打他们的电话，我心想打电话，他们的人都不见了，开始都说好了，而且患者也说要给我四万，但是他们中介是不同意，就给了我两万七。

曾子墨：患者一共为这个手术支付了多少钱？

胡杰：患者对我说过他说是三十多万。

曾子墨：那余下那二十多万都被各方的中介分掉了？

胡杰：应该是吧，反正他们有三方的中介，有医院的，有患者的，还有我的那个中介嘛。

曾子墨：医院从中获取了多少利润你知道吗？

胡杰：医院反正是最多的，拿钱是最多的，他们患者也是那样透露，聊天我听到过。"

Why beer makes ugly girls look hot - Mastercom viral marketing and viral video campaigns

Why beer makes ugly girls look hot - Mastercom viral marketing and viral video campaigns

Nice one.

must watch!

this guy has no able hands, using feet to write, cook, make money (not been to school either!) 【拍客】中国阿甘的故事（一） - 视频 - 优酷视频 - 在线观看

【拍客】中国阿甘的故事（一） - 视频 - 优酷视频 - 在线观看

this guy has no able hands, using feet to write, cook, make money (not been to school either!)

his resolute NOT to rely on other people to help him is a lesson to us all.

just look at the effort it takes him to put his clothes on and cook.

Fact that he taught himself how to write with his feet by learning from TV subtitles...

put those teenagers in the western world that flunk school, who rely on benefits and hang around doing nothing to shame.

His last words (in this segment) were very touching and inspiring: "No matter how tough it is, I will never cry!"

Great selection, particularly Data Backup 5 Free BlackBerry Apps for Business

5 Free BlackBerry Apps for Business:

great selection, particularly

"DataBackup

If you just want to save every piece of information on your BlackBerry without bothering with automated reports or updates, DataBackup is the simple solution. With a couple clicks you can save all your contacts, pictures, documents, etc. onto an SD card. While it doesn’t have a high-tech cloud saving system, sometimes having a physical backup can provide a little more peace of mind. You’ll have to get that SD card on your own though, so make sure you have it installed before you try to save anything."

Subway beaten.. McDonald's No Longer Biggest Restaurant Chain - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

McDonald's No Longer Biggest Restaurant Chain - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK:

what does this mean from the consumers' perspective?

privately held company like subway in some cases might be better and more focused on 'getting the business right, rather than messaging the numbers for the quarterly report..

I personally think that the financial market should focus more on the 'long finance'...

"Last year, McDonald's revenue was £14.85bn (US$24bn) compared to £9.2bn (US$15.2bn) for Subway.

The international presence of some other fast food giants:

KFC: 20,200 locations worldwide in 109 countries

Starbucks: 17,009 locations in 50 countries

Pizza Hut: 13,100 locations in 97 countries

Burger King: 12,100 locations around the world"

My short comments re Failure to manage JV biggest risk of year, says William Hill | eGaming Review

Failure to manage JV biggest risk of year, says William Hill | eGaming Review

This is not a surprise, only real JV with all interests and rewards aligned (and some still fail) is in a major infrastructure, or licensing bid, that create the right consortia that all bring certain value and take certain rewards..

case in point consortia of Camelot that run the UK lottery license.. mind you, there were still some hoo ha about one of the partner, and the corrective action(s) were done to redress that.

we are talking amongst friends here, but given the diminishing target audience for the remote gaming world, guess aggressive M&A plans would make sense to appease the public investors..

one should therefore turn our eyes to look at those private companies that are growing organically.. but then again, they are less exciting, why deal with the boring volvos when one could dine with the Ferraris?

Good luck to all.

BR

@GarethWong (private tweet)

(gaming related tweets @LeGambit )

Top 10 Rules For Fat-burning Exercise - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

Top 10 Rules For Fat-burning Exercise - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

good luck guys & girls

speed tests very sad speed of a 8Mb/s line.. only 0.72Mb/s !!!?? incredible!

1187692332.png (300×135)

disgraceful speed for a 8Mb/s line.. midnight!

Thus/Demon Internet, sadly I may have to leave you after almost 20yrs of usage!

disgrace!

update:

better today but still...

by http://www.speedtest.net/ what do you get in UK or other countries?

Must read for Entrepreneurs' Relief: make sure you qualify - Advice & Guides :: Real Business - News & advice for business people

Entrepreneurs' Relief: make sure you qualify - Advice & Guides :: Real Business - News & advice for business people:

Must read.

"Previously, a deduction was given against the gain, which reduced the amount of gain subject to tax. The gain was then taxed at the then Capital Gains Tax rate of 18 per cent. This gave an 'effective' tax rate of ten per cent of the actual gain.

The June 2010 Budget introduced an 'actual' ten per cent rate of tax, which is applied to the gain qualifying for Entrepreneurs' Relief. While for many this change will not make a difference, for some it can have a significant effect:"

despite this might be a bit populist, no doubt thought process would be brilliant! Niall Ferguson: why the West is now in decline - Telegraph

Niall Ferguson: why the West is now in decline - Telegraph:

Despite this might be a bit populist, no doubt Niall's thought process would be brilliant!

tune in/set your sky+ or watch online now: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/civilization-is-the-west-history/4od#3170212

"In my new book and series, I argue that what distinguished the West from the Rest – the mainsprings of global power – were six identifiably novel complexes of institutions and associated ideas and behaviours. For the sake of simplicity, I summarise them under six headings: 1. Competition 2. Science 3. Property rights 4. Medicine 5. The consumer society 6. The work ethic.
To use the language of today’s computerised, synchronised world, these were the six killer applications – the killer apps – that allowed a minority of mankind originating on the western edge of Eurasia to dominate the world for the better part of 500 years.
This is of more than purely historical interest. For it is only by identifying the causes of Western ascendancy that we can hope to estimate with any degree of accuracy the imminence of our fall.
My conclusion is that we are already living through the twilight of Western predominance. But that is not just because most of the Rest have now downloaded all or nearly all of our killer apps. It is also because we ourselves have lost faith in our own civilisation."

Brain food, & good cholesterol means English breakfast 'stays' on my menu! ;) Why eggs are back on the menu

Why eggs are back on the menu:

Brain food, & good cholesterol means English breakfast 'stays' on my menu! ;)

"Choline
Eggs are a brain food, as they are one of the richest sources of choline, needed for healthy brain development and function. The yolk from a medium sized egg contains around 300mg of choline.
Most of the choline we need comes from our diet. It is used by the body to form the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, involved in memory function.
Low levels of choline can lead to a deficiency in folic acid, also important for a healthy brain. Choline plays an important role in the brain development of the unborn child and also helps prevent birth defects."

double standard criteria... guess ok? London Chamber of Commerce Chinese Business Association (CBA)

London Chamber of Commerce Chinese Business Association (CBA):

given this very reasonable and indeed timely requirement, as no doubt there would different type of challenges for especially big state own enterprises who might be considering foreign expansions..

"Membership of the CBA is open exclusively to Chinese-owned companies or companies originating from China which have been set up in the UK. Entry is free as part of London Chamber of Commerce membership."

but look at the 2 out of 4 founding partners:

	China Telecom Europe - China Telecom Europe provides a comprehensive range of quality integrated communication solutions and is committed to building an Information Silk Road contributing to promote economic prosperity and cultural exchange between the East and West
	HSBC - headquartered in London, HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. Its international network comprises over 8,000 offices in 87 countries around the globe. HSBC is the world's local bank
	Jones Lang LaSalle - a global financial and professional services firm specialising in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide and is recognised for its knowledge and expertise as an industry leader
	KPMG - KPMG in the UK is one of the leading providers of professional services with expertise and experience in all industry sectors covering accounting and tax through to cost reduction, mergers and acquisitions and regulatory change

Guess in someways, KPMG & Jones Lang are Chinese owned companies? or as we would have it, different rules applies and no other competitions of theirs can join? ;-)

nothing wrong with this though, as long as it brings value to their members.. just would be ashame if the motive is purely to get more people to join LCCI.