The Carpers Who Hate The Singapore Summit

The naysayers and Trump haters, in their criticisms of the Singapore Summit, are wilfully ignoring the point that Summit was just a part of the process of detailed negotiations going on between USA and North Korea, and ROK and North Korea.

They also ignore the fact that no other president would have met Kim Jong-un, without North Korea first meeting conditions that would be in effect have meant the unconditional surrender of North Korea.

There is a seachange of attitude from North Korea wrt its interactions with the rest of the world. This is a once in a generation opportunity to heal a decades old sore.

Like it or not, Trump is part of this process!

Fun Untrue "Facts" - The Fake Meme About North Korean Nuclear Promises

Germany Is Terrified of Brexit

Der Spiegel will have an extra 23 pages in English this week. #Brexit https://t.co/8Q9CFf6ZCw pic.twitter.com/BOOM1gfm1I

— Christian Odendahl (@COdendahl) June 10, 2016

Germany is terrified of a Brexit vote as it knows it will cause other "Northern" members (eg Netherlands and Denmark) to leave, thus causing an imbalance between Germany and France/Southern European countries that are economically weaker and have a different view as to how to run an economy.

The EU Referendum - Which Way To Vote?

The real issue in the EU referendum, one that neither side has really focussed on, is where the EU is actually going wrt a political and monetary union, and whether that will actually work without causing complete chaos.

Look at Greece as an example of what happens in the euro when things go wrong (50% plus youth unemployment etc). 

If we vote to remain we will be confronted some years ahead with having to decide on full integration, or being on the periphery (in effect side lining ourselves). This is the real issue that no one wants to/seems able to discuss. It will be then that we realise what we have actually got ourselves into.
 
To that end, the decision as to which way to vote EU referendum will be best decided by your guts, as the statistics that both sides are throwing about (financial, immigration etc) are all bollocks.  

Step back on the day and ask yourself, does the eu/euro model feel right and will  it work?

That will give you the answer.

Ukraine Spot The Difference

Armed protesters taking over government buildings in Kiev - GOOD

Armed protesters taking over government buildings in Crimea - BAD

Out Of The Mouths of Fools

"Even though I didn't know it was illegal, I absolutely felt it was in the category of a serious breach of privacy."

Rebekah Brooks (source BBC).

A Critique of US Foreign Policy

The Source of Creative Inspiration

At TEDIndia, Hollywood/Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "Mr. India") pinpoints his source of creativity: sheer, utter panic. He shares a powerful way to unleash your inner storyteller.

Shekhar Kapur is a visionary filmmaker and storyteller who works at the intersection of art, myth and activism.

New Sex Scandal Rocks BBC

The Irony of The EU Nobel Prize

It is "ironic" that the EU has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, given that whilst the EU may strive for peace outwith its borders, its financial policies are creating chaos and violence within its borders.

Body Language - How It Shapes What You Are

An excellent lecture by Amy Cuddy on how body language shapes what you are.

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Amy Cuddy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions — and even our own body chemistry — simply by changing body positions.

The Linkedin Password Hack

It seems that the recent security breach at Linkedin, whereby millions of passwords have been reportedly compromised, may be worse than originally reported.

Accountancy Age reports that the original figure of 6.5 million passwords being breached may be far short of the mark, and that the figure could be considerably higher.

The security firm Imperva claims that even though only around 6.5 million encrypted passwords have been posted online, it is likely that the unknown hacker has far more data.

Therefore those of you who have a Linkedin account are strongly advised to change your passwords to new, more secure and unique ones.

Linkedin have yet to tell its members about the breach, or advise them as to what they should do.

This is not an example of effective crisis management, and will damage the brand, reputation and share value of the company.