Journal Entries
Gordon (Bennet) Brown
Posted May 17, 2011
Somebody told me recently that whaen Grodon Brown was asked what was the worst mistake he made in government, his reply was not 'selling most of Britain's gold' but 'speed humps'. Can anyone verify this?
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Latest reply: May 17, 2011
Another Point of View II
Posted Jan 27, 2011
In June 2008 I wrote ‘America still thinks it has to run the world1.’ Well – I beg to differ.
And in September the financial excrement hit the punkah and most of what I had said in June has happened, pretty well as predicted.
But what happens next, now that Uncle Sam implodes, having 'outsourced' just about everything but its billionaire bankers and junkies and a 'middle-class' that is fast becoming an endangered species?
Sitting in Morocco in September and October 2008, it was easy to feel a little smug, especially as the head of The Banque Du Mahgreb has steadfastly refused to yield to years of pressure from America to 'liberalise' the banking system here. There was no 'credit crunch' in Morocco for the simple reason that you could not borrow from the banks here unless you had more than you wanted to borrow already deposited there.
Of course Morocco suffered, but indirectly, as its main trading partners are European and the Europeans didn't have much to trade with. But Morocco looked elsewhere and has actually done rather well out of the situation and is set to become the major 'Hub' on the Western side of the Eastern hemisphere. Within the next decade, Tangier will be another Jebel Ali and Casablanca another Hong Kong.
But another thing is now happening. The June 2008 article ended with:
“What,” one might well ask, “is the promise of America?”
“IBM – or – Insh’Allah, Bookhrah, Mâafeesh”
And how by-our-lady true. America's half century of world domination is over; half a century of propping up despots and dictators, selling arms to both sides and raping continents of their natural resources in the name of 'free-trade' (particularly in Africa).
Now America has no power to intervene. Tunisia last week, Egypt this, Yemen today and then – almost certainly Algeria next.
What will be next, as Africa (Sudan) has already begun to realise that the arbitrary lines drawn across the continent by the colonial powers in the 1830s are just that – arbitrary – and have no bearing on ethnicity, religion, language or tradition? Nigeria2, the Ivory Coast and the Congo are the next most obvious countries to follow Sudan but the really terrifying prospect is that the entire continent could become one almighty Yugoslavia as every ethnic group in the entire continent demands independence.
One can't see the UN having much influence if that were to happen, but – let's face it – the UN is already recognised as a joke and half of it's 'peacekeepers' as serial rapists.
Morocco is, justifiably terrified, especially as it has been embroiled in the Western Sahara dispute since 1975 and the country is made up of nine different ethnic groups. However, Morocco is very different from all other African countries with very, very long history of being incredibly loyal to their Sultan (or King).
The importance of the King – Mohammed VI – cannot be underestimated and what he has done for the country since 1999 is incredible. It is the King that holds this country together, in a strangely similar way that the English Language holds India together as one country.
Moroccan journalists complain about the restrictions on the press but totally fail to even begin to comprehend their responsibility. You cannot criticise the King at all and I support that 100%. Why?
Morocco still has a far too high illiteracy level (although that is changing fast with the generation born since 2000). What Moroccan journalists fail to understand that, to illiterate Muslims, the 'written word' is entirely different. To them, the only written words that they really understand is the Koran and there is therefore an inbuilt perception that ANYTHING written is similar on the basis that if it written down and read to them it is somehow 'the word of God'.
By all means criticise the 'monkeys' (the politicians – as they are generally referred to) but NOT the King.
The poor and illiterate Moroccans WANT to have a grand wealthy King – a King that they can be proud of. The last thing that they want is a dumbed-down monarch who has to justify his expense account to a committee of the monkeys.
Even in the UK, despite the calls for the monarchy to be abolished, it won't be because the vast majority of the population actually like the pomp and ceremony of the royal occasions, and I would bet a pound to a penny that if there were a referendum as to whether they would rather pay for the civil list or the bank managers' bonuses, the answer would be 100% for the civil list.
But Mohammed VI has done far more for Morocco than most Moroccans realise. At the beginning of the century, there were complaints from the educated middle classes, that 'things were moving too slowly'. They weren't, and if they had moved any faster, Morocco would now be in turmoil. It isn't (other than the traffic in Casablanca) and the rate of change is moving upwards exponentially.
When the dream of Morocco becoming a major world 'Hub' actually happens, Morocco might well be in something of the same position as it was during World War II and be an isolated neutral corner as Africa tears itself to pieces. And , Morocco will be sitting there, very nicely, in a position to pick up all the pieces as Africa puts itself back together – a totally different Africa – and be the .distribution centre for the whole of West Africa, the Mediterranean, an impoverished Europe, a bankrupt North America and an increasingly wealthy South America.
I'm going to keep my money on Morocco.
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Latest reply: Jan 27, 2011
The New World Order
Posted Jan 26, 2011
With Davos in the headlines, we need to start to understand that India and China will be calling the shots in the future, so it would do well to understand the Indian 'business mind'
___________________________________
How Indians Do Business – Lesson 1
Rajpat (father): “I want you to marry a girl of my choice.”
Son: “I will choose my own bride!!!”
Rajpat: “But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter.”
Son: “Well, in that case... OK"
Next Rajpat approaches Bill Gates.
Rajpat: "I have a husband for your daughter.”
Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!!!!!”
Rajpat: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank.”
Bill Gates: "Ah, in that case... OK"
Finally Rajpat goes to see the president of the World Bank.
Rajpat: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president.”
President: "But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!”
Rajpat: "But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law.”
President: "Ah, in that case... OK"
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Latest reply: Jan 26, 2011
More Lunacy of QA
Posted Jan 22, 2011
It's not really a problem translating lunacy but I have just had another 164 pages to do, which describes (in immense detail) how everyone watches everyone and reports what they have seen. The man digging the hole in the ground has 15 people 'supervising' him. The 'digger' gets 150 dh per day - every 'supervisor' between 500 and 5000.
And .........
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Latest reply: Jan 22, 2011
The Lunacy of QA
Posted Jan 14, 2011
I had just had to translate 30 pages (over 8,000 words) of a French 'Quality Assurance Programme' (within 24 Hours) that forms part of the 'front end' of a large building contract.
It made me realise the other reason that I got out of the architecting business, QA just buries everything under totally useless and unnecessary paperwork and explains why so many buildings, these days are finished way over time and billions over budget.
Essentially QA boils down to this:
1: Write down what you are going to do today and send copies to everyone, but especially the QA Manager.
2: Do whatever you were intending to do during the day.
3: At the end of the day write down what you have done and then send copies to everyone, but especially the QA Manager.
4: If there is an iota of difference between item 1 and item 3 you have to write detailed reports in triplicate, explaining why and send copies to everyone, but especially the QA Manager, and then wait to get your knuckles rapped with a piece of damp lettuce.
(I have yet to find out who checks the QA Manager).
Projects are now run by 'Project Managers' who are mostly nothing more than 'Quantity Surveyors' (building accountants) who reinvented themselves when the pocket calculator effectively did themselves out of a job. Building Owners fell for their totally spurious argument that THEY were the best people to run building projects as they could get things done 'REALLY CHEAP'. The only problem with the argument is that neither by their training or experience do they know damn-all about the immense complexities of 'construction' – just how cheap things are.
There are armies of them and they produce tones of paperwork and use immensely sophisticated 'project management' software, based on critical path analysis (always a dubious science), that nobody can possibly understand and allows project programmes to be manipulated at will by the underpaid clerk in the back office who actually puts in all the unnecessary information..
I am all for computer technology but nothing has ever managed to replace the completely idiot-proof 'bar-chart – a piece of paper that was stuck on the site office wall and showed when every 'task' on the job would start and finish.
Over thirty years I have worked in nine countries and well built over $600,000,000 worth of buildings (cost at time of construction – with inflation – it would now run to several billion).
Every single one one was completed 'on time and in budget'.
How and why?
Basically a building management system that I learnt in Lagos when I worked for Godwin & Hopwood. Bearing in mind that then (the late 70's) nothing worked and yet we managed to complete immensely complicated buildings efficiently – on time and in budget.
The system was very simple:
Once the contract had been signed there was a 'Pre-Contract Meeting'. ALL the minutes were written by hand with a carbon copy. I (the architect) kept the original and the contractor kept (and distributed as necessary) the carbon copy.
The first three items on the agenda were always identical:
Item 1: During the course of this contract there will be a site meeting on (day of the week) at (time). The main contractor and all sub contractors shall attend every meeting, unless otherwise agreed.
Item 2: Anything written in the minutes of the meeting shall be taken as an 'Architect's Istruction' within the terms of the contract. Such instructions will not be followed with an other communication.
Item 3: If the contractor or any subcontractor deems any such 'instruction' as having a cost implication, they shall inform the architect at the following meeting – if not – the work will be within the contract price.
Other than the monthly payment certificates, these site meeting minutes were (often) the ONLY correspondence throughout the entire contract.
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Latest reply: Jan 14, 2011
PedanticBarSteward
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