Politics as Poetry till 10 september 2011

Three and a Half Economists http://t.co/A31lri4 – Kings cameron obama et alia have no clothes. We the People have to seize the time!

Freedom prosperity peace justice security – for all God’s Children, not only whites, americans, british, israelis, jews

@Al_Fatah69 @Johnyrocket69  jr is obviously paid by cia and or mi6. Better to ignore these Mercenaries of Disinformation

The #guardian is not what it seems #mi6

Http://t.co/UeNXJ9h for a great new launch of the cd3wd for schools project!  Highest quality textbooks on dvd player – a revolution!

@LSal92 leila, get your parrot a twitter account and let us also please have some audio of it on the web? Teach it some political stuff?

@FarahSaafan #scaf will rig your election- i guarantee. You absolutely need my free public domain & greatly feared by the west voting system

@UKMilOps like prince harry you actually enjoy killing people, especially when they are foreigners. This is against the will of God

@LSal92 @SalamLuvsFood not even 30 cents, more like 3 cents. If 250g ground coffee costs $4 then producer gets $0.16= 4% #fairtrade #farce

@gatodabruxa usa uk france are internally democratic but externally fascist

@AnonymousIRC @AnonyOps spoiled vote campaign for usa elections would be  interesting……

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sMpu8HFR428Uuf6_4FisFgw/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/2011/sep/06/in-praise-of-george-smiley&cat=world – idiot guardian editorial calls for ethical MI6. Impossible when uk usa are politically externally fascist

@ElBaradei dont forget also chance of election rigging. Consider please fraud proof voting http://cd3wd.com/seev – my own project, Mohammed

@alScotlandi open your own shop. A hatch through your front door. Preorders & enquiries by sms. Use dedicated phone you turn off when out

@LSal92 @BeirutToJupiter usa uk both externally fascist. Impossible not to hate their foreign policies,and foreign actions, overt & covert

In uk an inquiry is spelled c o v e r u p #cameron #torture #rendition #libya #uk

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sHhUJ145E7inzXDASygqELw/view.m?id=15&gid=society/2011/sep/05/third-europeans-mental-disorder&cat=world – western society makes you nutty – official. This is why i love warmth friendliness sanity of MiddleEast & third world

@KRuddMP kevin are you interested in #fraudproofvoting for the third world?  Seriously. Http://cd3wd.com/seev/ – no need for disruption & death

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sHhUJ145E7inzXDASygqELw/view.m?id=15&gid=world/2011/sep/04/libyan-commander-demands-apology&cat=most-read – more compelling evidence that #uk is #externallyFascist #fascist. A rollocking read! Anyone for tea & torture, chaps?

@alScotlandi britain is also a major externally fascist world power & meddler

@LSal92 i used to hear that other #arabs are #jealous of #palestinians because smart fast resourceful

@ralphtalmont @Johnyrocket69 – a very common tradeoff – you sell your freedom for money in your pocket. Also the whole basis for states

@GenocideAware @Radiodabanga  #bachir continues his racist money wars using proxies. Someone has to stop this guy!

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/en/issue-no-570/computing/rwanda-progress-repo/en – as usual, the olpc problem is almost total lack of good & relevant content. Http://cd3wd.com

@NickKristof if it walk like a #prowesterndictatorship & it quacks like a prowesterndictatorship, then it is a prowesterndictatorship

Inside every country & also globally, the #Elites are working #against the  #Interests of the #People

#west – the world & its entire resources belong to us & to us only. It is our birthright. We will kill lie cheat imprison torture to keep

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sLUVNuAqXnXrSE1-LHTwbaQ/view.m?id=15&gid=world/2011/sep/01/sarkozy-le-monde-bettencourt-affair&cat=world – secret services in western counties now used for illegal and party-political purposes by western presidents & PMs

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8736496/Libya-the-minister-the-Tory-donor-and-a-contract-to-supply-oil.html – corruption at the heart & soul of #cameron #ukgov #alanduncan #vitol #libya #ntc

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8736204/Central-bank-flight-to-Federal-Reserve-safety-tops-Lehman-crisis.html – serious stuff which indicates that the non-rich will get a long & rocky ride globally. Global banking out of control

Let the  west allow #gaddafi to stand as presidential candidate. It will save a lot of lives. #libya #election

#icc #kenya #icckenya – the real miscreants were moi #kibaki & #danielarapmoi. Also uk usa for refusing to allow #fraudproofvoting. Minnows

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,783654,00.html#ref=nlint – global #speculators drive up global food prices & deliberately create #poverty for their own personal financial #gain

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8716240/Libya-live.html – how the vultures come to feed! Democracy my ass! Let us install a corrupt #prowesterndictator puppet! West is the best

@ArabDissident most western countries are getting worse – it is a rot & corruption from inside. Due to greed & fascism by the elites

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sK68YGoV63xLRtaZeN_6iuA/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/2011/sep/01/palestinian-political-leadership&cat=world – the problem is #corruption, and the west love corrupt leaders! They also foster corruption

@NickKristof nick, libyans must be very myopic uneducated or stupid. How long before they discover truth about America’s external fascism?

@JMCooper2010 @Gsquare86 #prowesterndictatorship – the term which no western journalist dare ever use, on pain of death. I include Fisk

@WilliamJHague politics is the art of postponing the inevitable – and #fraudProofVoting http//cd3wd.com/seev

@WilliamJHague #askFS do you think #fraudproofvoting is a Good Thing for #libya? For the whole #thirdWorld? If no why not?

@DavidBurudi #digitalbooks for #dvdplayer are here!  Ksh7/book

@DavidBurudi #librariesclose dont worry i am today mastering books on dvd for dvd player – 30 x 300 page books per dvd @ $3 ksh200 each

#southafrica – the west & the whites love the #corrupt #mandela mbeki #zuma & #malema who steal  but dare not mention #40pcmineralroyalties

#southafrica – the west & the whites love the corrupt mandela mbeki zuma & malema who steal  but dare not mention #40pcmineralroyalties

#southafrica – the west & the whites love the corrupt mandela mbeki zuma & malema who steal & collaborate but will not help their own people

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/politicians-oust-foreign-tyrants-alternatives?cat=commentisfree&type=article – another BS article from #guardian & @j_freedland – #fraudproofvoting is the weapon of choice against #dictators!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/politicians-oust-foreign-tyrants-alternatives?cat=commentisfree&type=article – another BS article from #guardian & #jfriedland – #fraudproofvoting is the weapon of choice against #dictators!

Alex weir (@Alexweir1949) has shared a Tweet with you:

“Alexweir1949: http://t.co/R3rpaSe – #uk – a rich country where many are poor. Globaization & this cruel capitalism brings poverty to affluent societies!”
–http://twitter.com/Alexweir1949/status/108787145799516160

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist?cat=commentisfree&type=article – a monopoly scandal with vast profits. Must-read. #global #academicpublishers #scandal

@cdashiell send in #fraudproofvoting to every dictatorship including #syria. Much less expensive in money & lives

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8720697/UK-schools-not-fit-for-purpose.html – uk & western education systems not fit for purpose. Radical rethink out of the box is required!

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a76d2ab4-cf2d-11e0-b6d4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1WPTMrhDi

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/stephen-king/stephen-king-the-magicians-of-monetarism-have-very-few-tricks-left-up-their-sleeves-2345677.html – world economy needs a boost – pay third world 40% mineral & commodity royalties, see modest & sustainable boom #winwin

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/8727283/If-we-have-the-courage-more-tyrants-like-Gaddafi-will-fall.html – let the west also pull the carpet from #prowesterndictators who equally oppress & steal from their people!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2030859/SUZANNE-MOORE-Your-GCSE-multiple-choice-.html – many gcse are irrelevant to work & to real life. Which explains dropout & alienation. Time to think out of the box

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/paul-vallely-there-is-no-moral-case-for-tax-havens-2345096.html – let us have a global ban on all tax havens- a level playing field for all. The rich will bitch but tough luck for them

Guardiannews: George Osborne warns tax cheats: ‘I will find you and your money’ http://t.co/c9WALwr – a joke! #cameron helps tax cheats!

British gov’t has applied a blanket ban on all kind of marches and protest gatherings http://t.co/JKbbJwe STFU Cameron – 2011=1984. fascism

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/opinion/wrong-answers-in-britain.html?_r=1 – nyt attacks #cameron for his fascist words & deeds. Well said #nyt! #Fascist britain, fascist cameron

#libya – #nato & west destroy infrastructure without permission then use people’s money to rebuild with own contractors & inflated contracts

@tovangar2 @GreeGreece: #Libya is just one more reminder that the US is externally fascist and an economic failure at home

#cameron – the arab spring is a step further away from oppression & dictatorship & a step closer to freedom democracy & #fraudproofvoting!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/aug/26/eric-schmidt-chairman-google-education?cat=technology&type=article – google & schmidt are correct – but scottish #education better than #english since no early separation science & arts

#libya – beware of strangers bearing gifts!

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-08-24-gaddafi-a-vicious-despot-driven-from-power – this pathetic article fails to make any case for deposing and/or killing #gaddafi. #fraudroofvoting would be better!

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/traps/2011/08/26/zuma-needs-a-democratic-zimbabwe-to-gain-credibility-over-libya/ – interesting compare #southafrica attitude #libya & #zimbabwe. Every dictorship needs  #fraudproofvoting not invasion

@DavidBurudi @ObedMuindi  #sugarprice #botswana $1/kg

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2011/08/25/cameron-and-osborne-did-the-tax-deal-to-support-tax-evasion-theres-no-other-explanation/ – #cameron #uk support tax evasion while punishing poor – is this his Big Society?

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2011/08/25/cameron-and-osborne-did-the-tax-deal-to-support-tax-evasion-theres-no-other-explanation/ – #cameron #uk support tax evasion while punishing poor & allowing police to execute british citizens with impunity!

@GreeGreece: Behind civilization and freedom lies ONE monster with many faces. Theft killing torture oppression poverty disease lies money

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,782315,00.html#ref=nlint – markets out of control and dangerous to humanity

http://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/18cb7f14-ce3c-11e0-99ec-00144feabdc0.html – interesting stuff by former usa state dept slaughter. #libya. She does not mention #fraudproofvoting….

#cameron #obama must state they will pursue punish all uk usa thieves from #libya people to highest levels (unless they receive 20%)

#libya is now full of thieves, domestic & foreign. Many work for uk usa france italy. Others are called bp exxon chevron. Some are mi6 cia

@AJELive noone is legitimate until elected using #fraudproofvoting #libya #norway recognition

AP: More on Libya: NATO says it may play a role in Libya in the post-Gadhafi period. -EF #libya – who elected this NATO? what mandate?!

@journeytogaza @altoidamadeus #eilat attackers were probably #Mossad

@LouisAlosa #kagame is a #dictator. The west love him. I have worked there several times. Trust me #prowesterndictator

@aperiozar not quite yet. Peoples candidate, proper election with zero ifes, carter idea westminsterFoundation advisers. #fraudproofvoting

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/the-daily-cartoon-760940.html – #cartoon #cameron #sarkozy #gaddafi #oil. Brilliant. Says it all

@LouisAlosa @alykhansatchu @DavidBurudi #kagame is a #prowesterndictator. Simple. #fraudproofvoting

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-how-long-before-the-dominoes-fall-2342202.html – #fisk cannot use the expressions #prowesterndictator & #antiwesterndictator ! What a little puppet of mi6 you are!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/swglSy3Na1QKSYGI4JmCL0A/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/2011/aug/22/libya-hard-road-ahead-editorial&cat=world – #libya needs no stealing by elites and/or foreigners. Freedom prosperity peace justice security & #fraudproofvoting!http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/swglSy3Na1QKSYGI4JmCL0A/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/2011/aug/22/libya-hard-road-ahead-editorial&cat=world – #libya needs no stealing by elites and/or foreigners. Freedom prosperity peace justice security & #fraudproofvoting!

Cd3wd interview alex weir 20 mins http://cd3wd.com/radio/karma_tinfoil_20110819.wma

@mattmdiaz @jeff_kaye america is internally democratic but externally fascist

Momentous but dangerous days in #Libya where respect for human rights & #fraudproofvoting must be a part of the final outcome.

@shahrzadmo #libya. Corruption-free democracy is feasible with #fraudproofvoting, which the west will kill for to stop

#Germany’s Merkel: #Gaddfi’s money must be ‘secured’ in the name #Libya’s people, used to finance democracy transition & #fraudproofvoting

@devilsavocato having been assassinated over #fraudproofvoting by british & french itelligence i trust no one

@devilsavocato @Reuters having been censored over #fraudproofvoting by aje bbc presstv sky cnn scotsman guardian independent i trust no one

@WilliamJHague ok, well done. But wouldnt #fraudproofvoting have been less destructive, less deadly, faster, less expensive, more just?

@UKMilOps – ok guys, well done. But wouldnt #fraudproofvoting have been less destructive, less deadly, faster, less expensive, more just?

@AJELive: PJ Crowley, former US state dep. spokesman: west will need lots of cia & mi6 boots on the ground in #libya http://t.co/84TR1HS

@AJELive: PJ Crowley, former US state dep. spokesman: west will create #prowesterndictatorship in #libya http://t.co/84TR1HS

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/svQgOV-pdDk_7cNkhHHvFJw/view.m?id=15&gid=commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/aug/21/libya-nato-intervention-gaddafi&cat=world – very good stuff from denis kucinich, usa senator or congressman about #libya #fraudproofvoting, denis!

#blair states no #moraldecay in uk. How can he recognize something which he was part of? http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/08/blair-middle-riots-social

@samikishawi @monaeltahawy mona, who is paying you? Israel or America?

South Sudan attacks leave 500 dead after ethnic clashes http://t.co/0rsxOMb – #bachir is behind this! Enemy of the People!

The Rich prefer #cruelCapitalism since the yields are higher for them.  But for every $100bn they gain the global economy loses $10 trillion

The Rich prefer #cruelCapitalism since the yields are higher for them. But the downside for everyone else is disproportionately large

@jaraparilla cruel capitalism must be eliminated & replaced by kind & benevolent capitalism  or by socialism-with-freedom

@GreeGreece usa #afghanistan till 2024- enough time to get most of those  minerals out on the cheap..

Be realistic. Demand the impossible. #fraudproofvoting

@LSal92 #idf on #gaza is deliberate provocation by over-reaction to #mossad -conducted eliat bombing, for which noone has claimed

#waralert! Mossad hit eliat, iran walks into israeli/usa trap, idf hits tehran. UN & puppet BKM express regret & wring hands, slap wrists

#wariscoming! Mossad hit eliat, iran walks into israeli/usa trap, idf hits tehran. Bbc cnn sky aj are willing accomplices to dastardly deed

#wariscoming! Mossad hit eliat, israel overattacks gaza, hamas rescind ceasefire, iran walks straight into israeli/usa trap, idf hits tehran

@LSal92 you start to wonder – was #eliatbombing done by #mossad to start this whole thing off?

@steverichards14 – #libya – #fraudproofvoting would and will rid the world & its people of all #prowesterndictator & #antiwesterndictator

@LSal92 that is probably #israel intention – to wage #war against #iran by hitting #gaza. And #usa know the plan….

jewish brutality good arab brutality bad

Architectural/ Design Competition for One-Room-Families

Architectural/ Design Competition for One-Room-Families

The Prize? – satisfaction only…
There have been increasing media reports that in USA, Britain and other Western so-called Developed Countries, there are increasing numbers of middle-class poor, homeless, and now whole families living in one room.
Since IKEA has not yet risen to that challenge, time for some enterprising young or old designers, architects or even engineers to turn some brain power and ingenuity to alleviate the suffering of others and to improve their living conditions…

The task:
To design a layout and furniture for a typically-sized room (or in fact for several different typically-sized rooms), which can provide:
- Sleeping for 2 adults together plus 2 babies, children or young adults separately, with options for less and even more people and different mixes (e.g. single parent families)
- There should even be a conversion that the double bed can become 2 singles either by separation or by a central bolster
- Seating for the above
- Location for TV (preferably wall-mounted or close-to-wall)
- Personal washing – probably body washing using a bucket and/or plastic bath, with a shower as an alternative
- Storage and washing of dishes (which may be largely plastic rather than china)
- Storage for clothes and shoes and/or suitcases or equivalent
- Possibly space or apparatus for hanging and drying washed clothes
- Cooking (probably using 2-ring stove, combined oven and 2 ring stove, or microwave)
- We will assume that toilet is external
- In some cases there will be an external bathroom/ shower
- In some cases there may be access to an external kitchen and stove/ microwave
- Noise and sound will be a major consideration – so that personal music remains personal, and that some can sleep while others don’t – the technologies required for that
- Some privacy will be a consideration, especially when washing changing and sleeping
- Maybe some exercise apparatus of some kind? – maybe as part of the bunk beds or sleeping platform?
- Some secure storage for valuables? – maybe several lockable boxes built into the bunk beds for example?
- Smoke alarm location and in some cases a CO2 alarm
- Room heating and possible cooling (air conditioning or fans) and also general ventilation

The furniture will be in one scenario:
- Inexpensive
- Light and easy to pack up, transport and assemble
- Comfortable
- Durable and sturdy, even for heavy people
- Making full use of space, including vertical space (e.g. bunk beds of some type)
- Will avoid claustrophobia where possible
- Will be as far as possible multifunctional (e.g. beds as sofas)
- In some cases there should be a range of options for very inexpensive through to quite high-cost equipment

The design and choice of furniture will extend to items such as stoves, fridges, plastic buckets, plastic baths, mattresses/ sleeping rolls etc.. The fridge may be non-existent, or may be a shared fridge or freezer with lockable containers….

There will also be cases where the furniture is landlord-provided and others where all or most of the stuff will be tenant-provided. Certainly the emphasis will be on minimalism, and for example the use of sleeping bags, inner sleeping sheet-bags, and duvets rather than on conventional bedding

Furniture stuff such as the sofa-beds and bunk beds may actually become commercial products, or even timber or steel vendors may sell kits.

The ideas and designs can also be applied to Third World shanty town tin and plastic shacks.

Submissions should detail actual items and part or catalog numbers, photos and prices where items are not catalogued. Proper dimensioned engineering drawings for designed furniture with itemised purchase list. List of tools and prices required for construction and assembly.
Ideally, photos of actual or computer-simulated rooms complete with people at various activities.
There must be some tricks to learn from Japanese experience, and even from Formula 1 or Etap Hotels.
I have plenty of well-read web space and can host any or all submissions. Otherwise we make a small link site or blog to collate any and all responses…..
Note that just some good ideas and partial submissions are also very welcome – no need to go the whole hog….
Alex Weir, Gaborone, Botswana, Afrika, Wednesday 31 August 2011

Low-cost surveying instruments for Third World

*** All Rights Reserved Alex Weir 2011 ***

Zero Cost Laser Surveying Instruments using inexpensive laser pointers
When I was younger, surveying instruments were expensive, bulky and required a moderate level of expertise to use.
Laser pointers are available in 2011 for $7 retail.
In the Third World, there may be some cases where a less-than-professional instrument would do the trick, and I am guessing that one could be made from 1 or from 2 of these totally standard laser pointers.
Such a device would be used in conjunction with a 100 metre measuring tape (or 100 metres of polypropylene string knotted at metre intervals). It might also utilise a standard builder’s level. It might even use a compass (available for about $6). And maybe a GPS, or else a mobile phone with position capability (Google Latitude or Google Maps or something similar). And it could be used for:
- A Level
- Measuring Distance
- Measuring Angle
- Measuring land area
- Making straight lines
It could be made of steel pipe, sheet and some round bar, and may use wooden push-in legs.
Maybe somebody has done this (?). Or maybe somebody should. I am passing this out so that people who know the business of surveying can come back with ideas and designs.
Maybe some of the things which need to be done don’t actually need an instrument as such – that is also a possibility…. – your feedback is welcomed here in the Comments below…. Or by email to alexweir1949@gmail.com

That’s all for now folks!
Alex Weir, Gaborone, Botswana, Friday 26 August 2011
*** All Rights Reserved Alex Weir 2011 ***

Immediate and Future Action on cd3wd and cd3wd for schools

*** All Rights Reserved Alexander Weir 2011 ***
Immediate and Future Action Plan for cd3wd and cd3wd-for-schools
Alex Weir, 22-26 August 2011
Executive Summary
New material available to cd3wd plus new techniques of mastering that material to dvd and USB flash ram have led to an imminent expansion in the range and in the quantity of products which cd3wd disseminate.
The new products are primarily to do with schools and education. The new markets are everyone globally with a DVD Player but without a computer, with also some emphasis on smart-phones and sub-smart-phones. However 3 of the 6 new DVDs are specifically for individuals and organisations with computers.
Dissemination will be largely commercially-driven, by vendors selling at typically US$ 3 per dvd. There will be free downloads of all products. We expect at least 6 different dvd products.
The new products will become available through late August and September 2011 – watch http://cd3wd.com/cd3wd/ , cd3wd.com on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/cd3wdcom/108251079258502) , or http://alexweir1949.wordpress.com for updates (which will appear in all 3 media concurrently, but with some small delay at http://cd3wd.com/cd3wd/ )
END of Executive Summary

1. The Environment:

2. We (the royal we – Alex Weir / http://cd3wd.com ) recently paid some attention to the two great projects Wikipedia-for-Schools and also Project Gutenberg.

3. We also recently developed and refined the technology for producing highly-readable text-plus-photos on dvd or flash ram for dvd players to show on Televisions. Since maybe 2% of average Third World Country population have access to computer but 60% have access to DVD Player-with-Television this is a huge jump forwards.

4. We need also to pay some serious attention to the rising populations of smartphones and also sub-smartphones or CIEMs (cheap internet enabled mobiles) in the Third World. Maybe at the moment it is average 5% smartphones and 20% CIEMs, but both percentages are rising.

5. There is also the question of products such as Vodafone’s Webbox, which is on sale in Ghana and in South Africa. This is a box with mobile phone sim-card and GPRS/Edge connectivity which uses a normal USB keyboard and a TV as the screen.

6. We need also to pay some attention to the World Bank-driven on-going privatization of School, College and University Education throughout the Third World, and the parallel trend of declining quality of education in the remaining State Sector.

7. We need also to try to counter the obscenely high charges by these existing and new privatized Primary Schools, Secondary (High) Schools, Colleges and Universities.

8. More Detailed Considerations

9. Wikipedia-for-Schools has about 5,500 excellent and visually appealing articles in English on countries, geography, history, English, religion, mathematics, art, music etc. In fact the quality is such that this project is effectively equal to or better than many existing school textbooks. Orientation is towards the UK syllabus, which is found in many English-speaking third world countries. The content is about 2.7 GB, and is wrapped up in a specialised format which makes it difficult to break down into bundles.

10. Project Gutenberg is about 17,500 e-books from the years BC through till about 1930 (i.e. it is out-of-copyright material). Most are in plain text, with a few some in html or pdf formats. Many literary classics are there, and some reference books such as the CIA 2010 World Factbook, Roget’s Thesaurus etc.. We downloaded and used the 2006 dvd of 4.33 GB of individually zipped files (which it seems is NOT available through Gutenberg’s mailing scheme – only through download). Gutenberg daily get 100,000 e-books downloaded. http://www.gutenberg.org/

11. The technology for producing highly-readable text-plus-photos on dvd or flash ram for dvd players to show on Televisions – we use http://www.in-media.de (or http://www.mediakg.com ) Slideshow XL product, along with http://www.a-pdf.com for pdf-to-jpg conversion, pdfill for pdf editing and for print-to-pdf, picpick.com screen snap-shooter-to-jpg, and Microsoft Word 2010 to edit txt files into pdf. The exact process is detailed elsewhere and will be listed on the DVDs and downloads as listed below.

12. There are 3 options with Smartphones and CIEMs:

a. Conventional browsing

b. Conventional browsing but on a free-tariff model – aka Orangeworld.com – where the Mobile Network Provider (Orange, Vodafone, Sprint, Bharti Airtel, Safaricom, Virgin etc) provide a toll-free service when browsing certain sites or sub-sites from their networks from certain countries (or indeed from all Third World Countries). Such a scheme is a financial and political (and CSR/PR) issue. No headway has been made so far after 2 months with this question. But it is a very interesting way to get more usage of cd3wd and cd3wdfs in the Third World…

c. Offline browsing/viewing. Most devices are sold with 2 GB SD or microSD cards only, although many or most are capable of reading and using 32 GB cards. The cost is pretty much $2/GB these days, scaled linearly. An additional consideration is that, if the files on the card are relatively small (e.g. html and jpg/gif files) then space utilisation is very inefficient (typically 50% only). Thus 500 MB of html files on a PC will require 1 GB space on a SD Card. There may well be advantages in converting html content to larger PDF’s, both for space utilisation and for reading/viewing purposes. This will be investigated over the next few days, and feedback may be re-incorporated here in a later version of this document. Viewing can be done on certain devices using browser, pdf viewer, text viewer or html viewer. Feedback results – htm seems preferable to pdf since htm is formatted automatically for the narrow screen displays. Note that phones which use opera mini cannot usually browse local material – since opera mini can only be routed via one of the opera servers in Norway – to get around this it may be necessary to install a second alternative browser.

d. Loading of material onto smartphones and CIEMs can be done by:

i. Cable from pc
ii. Bluetooth from pc or server
iii. Bluetooth from other smartphones (peer-to-peer)
iv. Physical removal of SD card to computer, copy/overwrite and replace
v. Download from internet (unfortunately usually/always chargeable)

e. We need to think ahead also to a general environment where in the Third World, which will still have slow and expensive bandwidth, there may be a place for Bluetooth downloading to smartphones/CIEMs of files while waiting in the supermarket queue – e.g. of today’s newspapers, government & community notices and announcements. Such a service would be free and would be sponsored or funded by in-file advertising. The files would be pdf and/or html/jpg/gif and/or plain text. Alternative to Bluetooth would be a mini-USB cable, probably of the type used by Androids and IPhones. The system would always look for the directory SDCard/newspapers or some similar convention, and would not overwrite of today’s files were already on the phone….

f. A further option may be that people queuing in supermarkets can download stuff to their USB Flash Ram, which can then be played in their DVD Player using DVD-PS technology…. – e.g. of today’s newspapers, government & community notices and announcements. Such a service would be free and would be sponsored or funded by in-file advertising. The file format would be the photo slideshow – .avi or similar video format.

g. It appears from the above that option (c) may be the best at the moment, although work should be done on implementing (b). (a) is already in place for cd3wd although not yet for cd3wdfs.

13. The best way to counter trends as per (6) and (7) above is to automate or semi-automate education and learning. Education, along with Law, Medicine, Engineering, and IT are slow to be automated. These sectors are largely producer-driven and are not really operated for the benefit of the consumer.

a. An option for State Schools is to have one teacher per school, with 5-10 classes, 5-10 Televisions and DVD players, hopefully some computers. There may be some lower-paid security/ child-minder personnel to assist. Students/pupils will have 10-20% teacher contact time. The rest will be self-learning, CBT, Video training, or Still-DVD training. The students/pupils will also be given the full DVD’s to take home, whether or not they have a dvd player, tv and electricity at home (they may get access at a communal facility, a commercial facility, or a friend or relative’s house). 5 year’s textbooks will typically fit on one dvd using photo slideshow technology.

b. Private schools will take advantage of the same DVD-PS (photo slideshow) technology, but will also have many computers and use full interactive CBT material. As time progresses, hopefully State Schools move to at least one CBT station per 5-10 classrooms and then eventually 5/5 or 10/10. The provision of high quality free public domain CBT material for all subjects is a matter of great importance – Donors should have already funded and supplied this (!).

c. Note that ideally there is one PC or server per classroom or one PC per school, and pupils can access through their smartphones or CIEM’s. This access may be via the internet (which then becomes chargable!) or through Wifi or Bluetooth connection or some similar system, where there is a very localised wireless system. I am guessing that using the pc and wifi router as a wifi hub with the smartphones having wifi switched on would work – they could be totally disconnected from the internet but have their own little wireless network (?). Probably this kind of system has never been used yet (except in military environments?), but I think all the components are available – it would only be a question of systems integration or configuration ***

d. Note that the DVD-PS stuff also plays fine on computer

14. A Third and Deeper Level of Briefing

15. Regarding (6) and (7) again, with perfect competition, there would arise private schools which were less profit-oriented and more education oriented, possible run as cooperatives by the teachers. Having global public-domain teaching material would help such a movement.

16. Since the school building cost is a major factor and a major investment (and risk), using factory, office or warehouse buildings as schools would help tremendously, since they could be rented on a monthly basis with no up-front investment. School furniture could hopefully also be rented or leased in a similar fashion, or very basic simple inexpensive but not uncomfortable school furniture could be designed and manufactured.

17. Solutions and Action

18. Liberate and popularise the dust-on-shelves Gutenberg and Wikipedia-for-schools Projects for the Third World, from their relatively healthy Developed-Country utilisation to a relatively untouched Third World Population.

19. Use DVD-PS technology to expand coverage from the 2% of Third World populations who have internet access to about 60% who have access to DVD player and TV.

20. Use DVD-PS for cd3wd to a very small extent but for cd3wd-fs to a much greater extent. There is great scope for groups using cd3wd to create their own dvd-ps’s concentrating on particular documents covering a particular topic so that the participants can have full access to material at home.

21. Cd3wd will master and issue the following dvd’s for computers and for dvd players (all dvd’s for dvd players should also play on computers but not vice versa)

a. Cd3wd_fs_wkp_cmptr_6 will have the existing Wikipedia-for-schools content at 2.7 GB in computer/windows format plus the tools for making DVD-PS (without product keys of course – those must be bought directly if required. Note that it is possible to make fully functional small photo slideshows – up to 10 slides – without purchasing any key). Plus also probably some of Gutenberg and some of cd3wd itself – both as Samplers or come-on’s. This dvd will be 95% for computer usage but will also have a few of the DVD-PS photo slideshows as samples/examples and for trying out on various dvd players and Televisions. Target audience schools, ministries, and school kids with computers at home.

b. Cd3wd_fs_wkp_dvdps_7 will have the remastered-for-DVD-PS existing Wikipedia-for-schools content. We estimate that about 50% of the 2.7 GB material can be fitted into a 4.33 GB dvd. It will also have the toolkit for making DVD-PS, and the indexes/ title listings only probably for cd3wd and for Gutenberg. To the NTSC standard which is used in North America and Japan, and which plays on pretty much every PAL DVD and TV (which are prevalent throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia). Target audience schools, ministries, and school kids with dvd players, tv and electricity at home or a communal or commercial rig available nearby.

c. Cd3wd_fs_gut_cmptr_8 will have about 3 GB of the unzipped and directly accessible higher quality content from Gutenberg 2006 downloadable dvd. Accessible from computer only (in txt mainly with some html and pdf). Plus the tools for making DVD-PS. Plus about 1 GB of the Wikipedia-for-schools content as pdf files. Plus some DVD-PS samples. Plus the indexes/title listings for Wikipedia-for-schools, cd3wd, and the complete Gutenberg. Target audience schools, ministries, and school kids with computers at home.

d. Cd3wd_fs_gut_cmptr_9 will have about the remaining 4 GB of the unzipped and directly accessible lower quality content from Gutenberg 2006 downloadable dvd. This 4 GB plus the 3 GB from Cd3wd_fs_g_c8 together comprise the complete material from Gutenberg 2006 downloadable dvd (when unzipped). Accessible from computer only. Plus the tools for making DVD-PS. Plus samples of the Wikipedia-for-schools content as DVD-PS. Plus the indexes/title listings for Wikipedia-for-schools, cd3wd, and the complete Gutenberg. Target audience schools, ministries, and school kids with computers at home.

e. Cd3wd_fs_gut_dvdps_10 will have probably 40 out of the 1750 total Gutenberg titles in DVD-PS format, taking about 3.5 GB of the 4.33 GB dvd space. Also the pdf (and in some cases jpg) files from which that dvd-ps content was created – thus it will be possible for people to get access to print (from a computer) material which they have viewed on dvd player. It will also have some Wikipedia-for-schools content in DVD-PS format, the DVD-PS toolkit, and maybe the cd3wd title-listing in DVD-PS format. The focus of this #1 product will almost certainly be classic novels, poetry and plays which are used in the UK secondary school exam system, as listed on the Wikipedia-for-schools product. About 80% of those titles appear in the Gutenberg product, and will be put into this dvd, along with the matching reviews and discussions from the Wikipedia-for-schools product. Target audience general public/ readers, schools, ministries, and school kids with dvd players, tv and electricity at home or a communal or commercial rig available nearby.

f. Cd3wd_fs_gut_dvdps_11 etc may be one or more of the following themes:
i. Religion (Christianity, Islam and hopefully some others)
ii. Cookery books
iii. Reference books -e.g. Roget’s Thesaurus, CIA World Factbook 2010 etc
iv. Children’s books

Target audience pastors, religious persons, parents, people who cook and/or eat, general public/ readers, schools, ministries, and school kids with dvd players, tv and electricity at home or a communal or commercial rig available nearby.

g. Cd3wd_efl_x_dvdps_12 etc will be for early learners and for persons learning English as a foreign language. It will be in DVD-PS Photo Slideshow format with audio/voiceover. The intention will be to assist the alphabet, numbers and words recognition process. Since this product should be quite small, it may be issued only as downloads, instead of as a complete dvd. Alternatively it may be issued as part of a Children’s Books dvd as above. There is also great scope for using this technique for teaching Arabic, Urdu, Thai, even Chinese, and one can imagine several language products on one dvd. Even assistance in learning English can be in several different modules depending on which language you are coming from….

Target audience parents, general public/ readers, schools, ministries, and school kids with dvd players, tv and electricity at home or a communal or commercial rig available nearby.

22. Downloads for smartphones and CIEMs. Cd3wd will bundle content from cd3wd, Wikipedia for schools, and from Gutenberg into handy 500 MB chunks by subject area for use on smartphones. Downloading by Bluetooth, cable, or by SD Card removal and replacement. There may also be scope or reason for bundling into 10 MB chunks. These chunks will be available for download and may also be bundled onto dvd. Whether the concentration is on html or pdf? – it seems that html is better because the output adapts nicely to the narrow smartphone screen, unlike pdf (?). Target audience – people who like to read and who like free stuff…..

23. Commercial policy –

a. All downloads will be free of charge from http://cd3wd.com and related websites.

b. Some dvd’s will probably be issued free as a seed/starter into third world countries

c. We see the majority of dvd distribution as occurring through vendors who we anticipate will sell the dvd’s for about US$ 3 each (BWP 20, ZAR 20, GBP 2, EUR 2 etc..). The dvd’s as listed above are internally bundled and combined so that such sales do not contravene any restrictions set by Project Gutenberg in particular who (for very good and commendable reasons) insist that any sales which occur must take materials cost only and zero labour and other costs. This recommended US$ 3 charge compares with the cost of blank bulk dvd’s at US$ 0.20, and an effective copying cost which approaches zero. We recommend US$ 4/dvd as a maximum price – that is the figure we already use for our airmailed distribution of cd3wd dvd’s from our USA Mailing Depot (we airmail free of charge to all Third World Destinations, partly funded by the profit from our Developed Country Sales).

d. Using such normal commercial channels, then we anticipate a wildfire / snowball effect where the DVD-PS content in particular gets a very wide distribution in a very short time (there may be a slow start however – a lot depends on sympathetic media and governments).

e. There will be no restrictions on who is allowed to vend the products – it would anyhow be unenforceable – anyone who buys a dvd or set of dvd’s today can himself or herself become a dvd copier and vendor tomorrow – thus we have a pyramid or snowball situation.

24. There should be great scope for Donors, NGOs, Third World Governments or philanthropic publishers and/or authors (do they exist?) to master existing high quality school textbooks onto DVD-PS format and make them Public Domain. Alternatively, there is a strong possibility that informal vendors would create such DVDs themselves as pirated products; Cd3wd would never condone such actions, nor participate in any such program.

25. Some numbers on the economics of printed paper vs. computer dvd vs. dvd player dvd-ps:

a. Colour printed school textbooks cost in Botswana (a small market) seems to be about $10/100 pages or $1000/10,000 pages.

b. Photocopy cost globally is typically $0.08/page (?), or $800/10,000 pages (black-and-white)

c. Global cost of A4 copy paper is approx. $8/500 sheets for good quality paper

d. That would seem to imply a cost for paper of $0.40 per 100 pages of A5 book, without any ink, master, printing, marketing, retailing, origination costs. That comes to $40/10,000 pages, or $4 per typical 1000-page textbook (which normally costs in the region of $30 these days in the USA, but maybe $15 in India?).

e. Global cost of blank bulk DVD-R or DVD+R approximately $0.20 each

f. One such blank DVD takes about 10,000 pages in dvd-ps format (with 1 second between slides and no audio or voiceover)

g. Thus cost is $0.20 / 10,000 pages net of copying cost, distribution etc.. If one takes a retail charge of $3/dvd, then cost moves to $3/10,000 pages. The buyer can reduce that cost by sharing with friends or by himself/herself becoming a reseller.

h. Think also that a USB Flash Ram Memory Stick can be used on a DVD Player instead of a DVD – the cost for an 8GB stick is about $16, and it can be reused over and over again. It usually needs to be loaded from a computer – DVD Players themselves and even smartphones at the moment cannot load and unload USB Sticks.

i. If we consider electricity costs for running dvd player and television, dvd player is typically 25 watts and TV (46 inch) is typically 250 watts. Electricity cost is typically $0.10/kiloWatt-hour. Therefore 1000 hours per year (3 hours per day) usage for book reading translates to $25/year, and probably covers 10,000 pages. That translates to $25/10,000 pages energy cost. If a petrol or diesel generator, or PV solar array has to be used then the cost is usually higher by a factor of x2 to x4 (?).

j. Investment for computer – approximately $500. Investment for DVD Player – approximately $30. Investment for large TV – approximately $200 – $800. Note of course that a DVD Player and decent TV are almost considered basic items in a house with electricity supply.

26. Some numbers on logistics:

a. Manual loading and scanning books without dis-assembling those books – maximum practical throughput per 8-hour shift = 500 pages scanned/8 hours – which translates to 160 hours for manual scanning of one complete dvd-ps format dvd, if that is the route which is taken.

b. With dis-assembly of books and de-binding, using automatic feed double-sided scanner can process 1000 pages per hour to pdf or jpg files

c. Photo Slideshow XL throughout on Toshiba L650 laptop with i5 quad processor approximately 200 pages/hour – or 50 hours to master the complete content for one dvd-ps format 4.33 gb 10,000 page dvd.

d. Print-to-pdf using PDFill is very fast – and never a bottleneck.

e. Screen capture from an application (such as the Wikipedia-for-Schools product) using http://picpick.com has an output of about 60 pages per hour – and thus is a serious bottleneck if that has to be used for any bulk or volume. Print-to-pdf using PDFill is much preferable productivity-wise although the result and quality are less good…..

f. A-pdf throughput conversion of pdf to jpg files to input into slideshow XL package – very high – maybe 5000 pages/hour – not a bottleneck

g. Processing using MS Word of txt text-files into PDF for a-pdf then photo slideshow processing – maybe 1000 pages / hour – certainly much faster than the slideshow XL and not a bottleneck.

h. Thus the minimum investment for mastering one dvd-ps seems to be 50 man-hours, with a much higher 210 man-hours if manual scanning is employed. If the DVD mastered is popular and has large or huge sales then of course the investment is justified. But because of the buy-and-sell pyramid situation, there is no guarantee that any investment in time and effort to master a DVD will make a return for the creator/seller. This probably means that there will be a line of people (we hope) to copy and resell such DVD’s, but relatively fewer people willing to create masters. And those who do create such masters may be looking at a higher price than $3 – 4 retail.

27. Conclusions

a. DVD Player Photo Slideshow Technology is an interesting and economically/financially attractive alternative to conventional paper books. Where a computer is not available it is a good alternative for passive (non-interactive) material. That applies in the home and also in the classroom. The unusualness of using a TV to read instead of watching video is an obstacle which hopefully will be overcome. The quality on 46 inch Televisions is very good, hopefully that quality and viewing acceptability remains down to 32 inch and below…
b. This technology is attractive in the Third World, where maybe only 2-5% have computer access at home, but also in the West, where a distinct segment of society is through financial and/or cultural reasons largely excluded from the IT Revolution.

c. It is even possible for newspapers in the West to popularise such technology through newspaper DVD giveaways – such giveaways are already primarily oriented at DVD Players and not at DVD’s for use on computers.

d. The use of DVD-PS with audio/voiceover for language teaching for juniors, adult education/ adult literacy and for foreign language teaching has great potential…..

Alexander Weir, Gaborone, Botswana, Monday 22 – Friday 26 August 2011
*** All Rights Reserved Alexander Weir 2011 ***

Crisis in British Education brings Opportunity

Crisis in British Education brings Opportunity

The current debate in and about British Education is not thinking logically and certainly not out-of-the-box.
The education system is and has been:
- Designed to keep the upper classes on the top, and the lower classes on the bottom

- Designed for the convenience of the employees/ teachers, and not to advance education nor to advance the  students/ pupils

- Lacking automation and efficiency measures

- Teaching stuff most of which became obsolete some years ago

- Where everything is designed towards educating the top 5-15%, and the rest are put on the trash heap (the really intelligent put themselves on the trash heap in despair)

Now that university education is beyond the reach of most mortals who are not in the Cameron/Clegg/Rooney classes, we need radical rethink:

- Examine what is actually taught at university, especially by examining the textbooks

- Examine what industry, commerce, civil service/ public sector, retail and small business need (if they even know)

- Consider from 5 years onwards to completely bypass the whole exam system, since university entrance is no longer a feasible option

- Consider to learn from textbooks using self-learning and group-learning, with some private and paid input from unemployed university teachers and lecturers

- Use not only conventional textbooks, but also e-textbooks, particularly those which can run on conventional dvd player and do not require computer* (most but not all of the poor and the lower classes have dvd players)

- Let government and private initiatives make high quality electronic material available free of charge to all (the same for private schools as for the lowest and poorest person) (this will probably scare the Tories, who are in fact very afraid of open competition, especially when their own children are less intellectually capable)

There is of course a general problem, which affects employment as well as education:  as society and technology become more advanced, there are some skills which are simply not required, e.g.:

- Calculators and computers and even mobile phones mean we don’t need to know how to count above 10.  We don’t need fractions, remainders, arithmetic of any kind

- Keyboards,computers, mobile phones mean we no longer need handwriting – we don’t need to write nor to read handwritten material.  We need to type and to read typewritten material only.  Kids of 5 or even less can learn to type instead of write

- Machine translation means we no longer actually need to learn any foreign languages – very soon affordable devices will perform simultaneous audio/verbal translation for business people and tourists (and will even keep a transcript).  Maybe everyone will only need to learn English (?!).  Mind you, I personally love foreign languages and believe that speaking more than one language is good for the brain.

- Google and other search engines mean that the previous desire to pack a huge amount of useful and useless knowledge into the skull of 17 year olds is now pretty much a futile endeavour (a bit like continuing with the London Cab-Driver’s ‘Knowledge’ – learning every street in London – in the age of satellite navigation!)

- If and when politicians and especially media barons will stop trying to make everyone hate foreigners, then Religious and Moral Studies may no longer be so necessary – since much of it is a sop to a multiculturalism which Cameron, Merkel and Breivik have declared as ‘a failure’ ( I personally adore and embrace multiculturalism, and believe that Breivik and the other 2 are pathetic and inadequate)

- History and geography can become living studies, using more multimedia.  And thereby interesting to everyone and not only the elite.  Especially if the political nature of society and government through the ages is exposed (without becoming a pseudo-marxist diatribe) (it was and is all about the money!)

What to do with all the time which will be freed up?

Certainly my 3 years of undergraduate university education was pretty much a waste of time – we learned little and what we learned could have been done in much less time if the lecturers had been remotely interested in productivity and efficiency.  Shorter school courses? Shorter college courses? More self study at all levels? 

The main things which students today require are:
- Learn how to learn

- Learn how to be logical

- Learn how to be intelligent

- Learn how to adapt

- Learn how to be fast to learn, adapt and think

- Learn a little bit of everything – maybe in that process one will stumble on what one really wants to do

- Learn how to survive if everything collapses (grow food, make shelter etc)

- Learn how to be innovative (!) And how to think out of the box

- Learn how to be creative

- Learn how to be competitive economically and cooperative organisationally

Most of these can be started at the age of 5 and below.  If properly pursued, then no one will need to go to university – all the good things about university will already have been imparted by the age of 16 or 17.

The general problem which affects society in present day and in future is this:

- As technology develops, the skills which were previously required in the human are now embodied in the machine (the NC machine tool, the office computer, the robot assembly line, the automated engine factory, online computer-driven government and local government services, etc etc etc)

- We are now required to operate and use tools and machines without necessarily knowing or understanding how those tools and machines work

- Jobs are becoming de-skilled – manual and office jobs, and even professional jobs such as lawyer, engineer, architect, teacher, doctor

- Unfortunately this renders us open to wage competition from people around the world, who live and work in societies where the cost of living is much less

- If we are unlucky, this results in the majority of us in the so-called developed countries becoming poor;  if we are lucky, the same thing results in the majority of the people in the so-called less-developed countries becoming also rich like us

- My personal belief is that the present world order where the rich are becoming increasingly ultra-rich is unsustainable neither economically, socially nor ethically, but don’t let that colour anyone’s judgement of the rest of this blog/ paper

So – my summary and conclusion?

Every applecart is due for overturning.  Those in established positions must be very afraid.  Everything must be challenged.  The lower classes must be looked after or allowed to look after themselves, and to prosper.  The rich will always look after themselves, but let them not queer the pitch for everyone else, which is what they have been doing up to and including the present.

This is not the end of the conversation – it is only the beginning.

Alex Weir, Gaborone, Botswana. Friday 19 August 2011
http://cd3wd.com/contactus/  alexweir1949@gmail.com  +267 738 15632 http://alexweir1949.wordpress.com/

Three and a Half Economists

Three and a Half Economists

Over the last few weeks until today 18 August 2011, several noted economists and financiers have been proposing ideas.  Three of these guys stand out:

1.  Nouriel Roubini was basically arguing against short-term austerity and for middle-term austerity (meaning probably short-term intelligent stimulous of some kind and austerity by mid-2013)

2. Ha Joon Chang argued for:
a. A UN Ratings Agency
b. Ban on CDS Credit Default Swaps and other complex instruments
c. Ban on ALL tax havens
d. Revising incentives for financial sector workers so as to deincentivise risky trades
e. Creditors to share sovereign debt losses (particularly relevant to the European situation)

3. Today Jeffrey Sachs pitches in.  I must confess to disliking the guy, ever since he point blank refused over 6 weeks late 2006 to discuss or even acknowledge my Fraud Proof Voting Project for the Third World.  I still dislike and distrust him for that, but must confess that his arguments today largely make sense.

4. His case I set out as follows, since I think that he (like most writers) lacks logic and conciseness:

5. Markets are collapsing in Europe and USA

6. Reason is no economic strategy and zero or weak leadership

7. Problems are global capital markets plus Asian (Chinese) competition

8. Globalisation is the problem

9. Low skilled jobs have moved to low cost areas (mainly China)

10. Most industrial investment has also gone to these same low cost areas

11. USA and UK/Europe housing booms kept unemployment low before bursting.  A new housing boom is no solution (will not come and if comes will not have good consequences)

12. We NEEDED –
a. Better skills
b. More exports
c. Public infrastructure investment
d. Public investment in green/low-carbon energy

13. We GOT -
a. Austerity without investment
b. Stimulous which has been consumption oriented only

14. RESULT -  no jobs

15. Super-rich have gained from globalisation
a. – they have encouraged and demanded low corporate taxes and have set governments against each other in a race to the bottom
b. They extensively use tax havens and park their money there so as to pay zero or minimal tax

16. We Now NEED -
a. More public investment in education and training
b. More public investment in infrastructure (which can be self-financing with good future pay-back)
c. To greatly reduce and/or eliminate the cost of foreign wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen etc..
d. Tax increases for the rich and corporations in the medium term, giving us balanced budgets in the medium term (Weir Note – presumably 2013/2014?)

17. We also need EXPORT-LED Growth, through:
a. Better skills from the education and training
b. Better technology (through R+D?)
c. By financing e.g. Africa to buy our machinery and infrastructure, as the Chinese have done

18. Petty political manoeuvrings and need-to-get-reelected however in USA and also in Europe is messing everything up – the world is in a crisis, and every politician is behaving with narrow national interest or – even worse – narrow political party interest.  Instead of behaving like statesmen while the world is in crisis.
End of Sachs’ exposition….

My criticisms?
19.  Export to whom? (Africa? – do they have any money? – but see the item 2 spaces below…)

20. Why not call for complete ban on tax havens as Chang as done? (very radical stuff!)

21. Why not call for a 40% royalty on all minerals, but especially those extracted in Third World Countries?  Along with Fraud-Proof Voting (TOO Radical!) and Universal G2P (Government-to-People payments), and maybe Payment Commissions replacing Finance Ministries in Third World Countries, and maybe an insistence on Kind Capitalism (as opposed to the nearly universal Cruel Capitalism which we are seeing everywhere these days), these measures could turn around the world economy and give us all the boost we need.

I like all 3 contributions, and of those Chang’s are easily the best.  But he had to publish in the Guardian, unlike the other 2 who were in the prestigious Financial Times.  I guess because Chang called for the total ban on Tax Havens then FT would refuse to publish….

So – I recommend Chang’s 5 point plan plus my stuff as above added in….

Unfortunately, the rich and powerful don’t like these kind of measures….
So – what we need is for the People – en masse – to shake off this Conventional Wisdom that only so-called Economists and so-called Financiers and so-called Financial Experts can judge the quality of measures!  Like IT guys, they hide selfish and globally-destructive proposals and decisions behind a smokescreen of jargon.

Seize the Time!  Break on Through to the Other Side!

We have nothing to lose but our Poverty and our impending worsening Poverty, and the Poverty of 95% of the World’s People.

Alex Weir, Gaborone, Botswana, Thursday 18 August 2011

Politics as Poetry 2011.08.18

@bhookh_com hunger is #1 cause of death in india

http://trc1.emv2.com/HS?a=ENX7CqgRK9Is8SA9MKLf8F3nGHxKCMt5YfcStGb5lw8W0bBhOG5mpqVsje_HxHDbxlOA – bill gates #bmgf program against #malaria will fail. They are the most Useless among the #Useless!

#uk 20% #unemployment16-24 age group.  #cameron & #clegg ask me how since your advisers dont know – #free highquality #content

#uk 20% #unemployment16-24 age group. This free content can be along lines of http://cd3wd.com & can even run on dvd player without pc

#uk 20% #unemployment16-24 age group. Situation needs useless government to organise useful free e-content for uk & global youth

#uk 20% #unemployment16-24 age group. Since university entrance is no longer a hurdle then study your own stuff during (free) school time

#uk 20% #unemployment16-24 age group. University is no big deal. Buy & share the books. Allow anyone to sit university exams. Simple!

@RYANGIBBINZ #tsvangirai just needs good advisers. Get #mugabe & #zanupf out then prepare for new faces 5 years later #zimbabwe

@amnesty: How can #technology advance #humanrights? I told you 2006, but since you are a fake organization you rejected #fraudproofvoting

@DavidBurudi @SokoAnalyst too many thieves politicians presidents pms  ministers #kenya #kibaki

Alex weir (@Alexweir1949) has shared a Tweet with you:

“hatem: “@breale: 67 open source replacements for really expensive software http://t.co/DGuQHac #processmaker #sugarcrm #openbravo #linux #bpm”"
–http://twitter.com/hatem/status/103985672565686273

#uk – tough on young poor black rioters, easy on rich white bankers & killer cluster bomb makers. Fascism in action!

@bbc_whys india is too unequal, rich underpay everyone else. No purchasing power in the economy. +26773815632

Uk #moraldecay affects #police & #rioters equally. Two sides of  the same coin

@slim404  @ISIETN #tnelec  @hatem ISIE svp permettez moi vous assister  conduire un election garantie sans truc – http://cd3wd.com/seev/

@slim404  @ISIETN #tnelec #fraudproofvoting @hatem ISIE svp permettez moi vous assister  conduire un elections garantie sans truc – serieux

@slim404 Election committee @ISIETN says it did not receive any request to monitor elections from foreigners #tnelec #fraudproofvoting

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/these-indiscriminate-killers-leave-their-deadly-legacy-from-libya-to-lebanon-2338175.html – #cluster weapons – manufactured used & sold by russia china #usa & financed by uk & uk public banks. West is #fascist

@AlexChipapa #fraudproofvoting http://cd3wd.com/seev #malawi #dictator #mutharika

@AlexChipapa i am white but not lazy mr alex. Democratically elected means zero in this modern world when uk usa rigg elections #mutharika

http://greenimalist.com/2011/08/cd3wd-do-everything-yourself/ – great article on my cd3wd.com project

#uk #rural #bus using twitter as free searchable database can enable immediate rural #carsharing. Only problem may be old using internet

@afro_swit until there is #40pcMineralRoyalty plus #fraudproofvoting plus g2p universal payments. #whiteGuilt #southAfrica

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/williamsaundersonmeyer/2011/08/13/a-cellular-licence-to-print-money/- good article + comments on #mobile companies & politicians stealing from the poor in #africa

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oxfam-official-quits-haiti-post-2337097.html – #oxfam another #ngo fiasco in #haiti #parasites #antipeople #westernBS

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ethiopia-counts-the-cost-of-east-africas-crisis-2337272.html – #ethiopia counts the cost of #prowesterndictator meles #zenawi

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/jeremiahkure/2011/08/10/malawi-on-the-precipice-too-ghastly-to-contemplate/ #mutharika is yet another #dictator who needs the cold wind of #fraudproofvoting http://cd3wd.com #malawi

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4553&qid=300464 – #kenya internet #schools #textbook project belgium & japan

#Egypt accepts US$2 billion from #WB http://t.co/HH3u5kk – needless & foolish when thief #mubarak had $70n in western banks! @Gsquare86

@AntaReportNews @M_akbik for genuine elections use #fraudproofvoting – feared by the bad, loved by the good. Feared & hated by usa uk china

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8695556/Without-Saudi-support-President-Bashar-al-Assads-brutal-dictatorship-in-Syria-looks-doomed.html – since #saudi severed with #syria, #assad downfall is now only a matter of time & how many more innocent to die

@360CNN #ukriots – fascism abroad inevitably creates some fascism also internally, which triggers protests, riots & then escalating fascism

@engpravda #internationalCommunity is pure BS & fantasy & is full of sh*t. Uk usa have only their own devious commercial intetests at heart

#ukriots occurred because uk police kill with impunity. Simple!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8693546/Can-anything-douse-the-economic-flames.html – necessary that savers & creditors absorb some losses in order to resolve present crises, including sovereign debt

I think uk reaction to #ukriots is deeply racist. I hear nothing against or about the 25 police killings per year in custody

Disturbing #ukriots opinion poll – 33% want live rounds against rioters. We fought fascism 39-45 only to adopt & nurture fascism 2011!

#cameron – Pockets of our society are not just broken but frankly sick.Guess he means his police death squads…..

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/pressure-grows-on-swazi-king-to-open-up-royal-slush-fund-2334162.html – #swazi king another thieving #prowesterndictator – when the king is greedy the people are poor

#ifo2 refugee camp scandal #un #unhcr #kenyagov #somalia #famine – ifo2 camp still closed for no good reason. Someone must bribe #kibaki

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/un-and-kenya-attacked-over-60m-somali-refugee-camp-that-still-stands-empty – yet more un & devcoop gross incompetence!

@asoolalsayed wrong – gordon brown and des browne are well above the law. Uk is much less democratic than brits & foreigners think

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779413,00.html#ref=nlint – british malaise #ukriots – brits seem universally to approve of police death squads. Very scary. Zero democracy

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779071,00.html#ref=nlint – answer is #fraudproofvoting – simple! Http://cd3wd.com/seev #arabspring revolution in danger

.http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/09/can-syrians-dare-to-hope?cat=commentisfree&type=article – great from a syrian. They do need #fraudproofvoting! But the West will not allow

#cameron – i want & demand that the current 25 deaths per year in police custody become zero!  And I welcome all peaceful protests

Predatory Economics not Zero Sum Game http://wp.me/p1kSt0-70 – public losses are 100x private gains by speculators & global rich & leaders!

#cameron – we no longer have the death penalty, so police death squads seemed to be an excellent solution

#cameron – police, politicians & rich people are a different life-form, and require quite separate treatment and laws

#cameron – anyone commiting murder will receive life, unless they are police, in which case they will receive guaranteed immunity

#Cameron: We will not allow a culture of fear on our streets, apart of course from fear of the police

#Cameron: “Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ they will have legal backing – this includes of course their death-squads”

#cameron – we need to have stronger penalties, but not for police death squads, who have and will have blanket immunity

#cameron – we will teach these criminals ballroom dancing & cricket! That will sort them out!

#cameron – these people who insist on living in poverty only have themselves to blame. Why dont they marry someone rich or go to good school

#cameron – we will advise police in future when they execute someone to dispose of body in special acid baths & deny all responsibility

#cameron – nothing is rotten in the State of Britain!

#cameron – the only violence on our streets which will be tolerated is by our highly trained & deadly police!

#cameron – right-minded conservative voters have no reason to fear our unaccountable police death squads who kill with impunity

#cameron – we will pass laws that everyone must live in a rural village and have pleasant lifestyle, nice car, play cricket, vote tory

So- much more recession is coming. We need to harness & organise all these underemployed brains & bodies to improve society in every country

poverty causes hunger. Corruption causes poverty. Dictatorship causes corruption

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/09/can-syrians-dare-to-hope?cat=commentisfree&type=article – great from a syrian. They do need #fraudproofvoting! But the West will not allow

http://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/fac0b38e-c1d1-11e0-bc71-00144feabdc0.html  – interesting stuff. He says without fear of police there can be no order. What BS. must everyone fear police?

Un ratings agency. Ban all tax havens. Ban cds & all complex instruments. Creditors share sovereign debt losses. Zero incentive risky trades

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/09/democracy-leaders-cannot-protect-us – the problem in uk & elsewhere is that leaders no longer work for the People but for theselves or whoever pays most!

http://newsletters2.mg.co.za/servlet/link/6026/72057/6501209/590922 – mugabe & military attack civilians in pre-election state terrorist violence. Bring on #fraudproofvoting! Uk says no!

#cameron – it is noble that uk police every year execute 25 uk citizens with impunity. This distinguishes us from gaddafi & assad

#cameron – it is noble that uk police every year execute 25 uk citizens with impunity. This is an indicator of our civilization

#cameron – it is noble that uk police every year in custody & without trial execute 25 uk citizens with impunity. This maintains our freedom

@sonsofmalcolm @avinunu @AJEnglish aje are one of the many respected organizations who censor all coverage of the #fraudProofVoting Project

@SayedModarresi @khdalshatti in our western dominated global society, #prowesterndictators are good, #antiwesterndictators are bad – BS!

Arab #prowesterndictators tell #assad that #antiwesterndictators are a Bad Thing. Death to ALL dictators! Or #fraudproofvoting!

Without the murder of mark #duggan there would be no riots. Is having police who kill with impunity something to be proud of? #ukriots

@Gsquare86 every phone is trackable by national & international securityservices, even when switched off. One has to remove the battery

#fraudProofVoting – #censored by opendemocracy.org tariqRamadan philipBarclay FCO DFID MOD number10 – gee – this has to be GOOD!

#fraudProofVoting – #censored by williamCoffey Scotsman robertFisk  independent guardian  telegraph desBrowne – gee – this has to be GOOD!

#fraudProofVoting – #censored by IFES IDEA CarterCenter worldbank imf  osce ers eris amnesty transparency – gee – this has to be GOOD!

#fraudProofVoting – #censored by gavinesler abdelBariAtwan alQuuds zenaBadawi sky cnn gordonBrown justinForsyth – gee – this has to be GOOD!

#fraudProofVoting – #censored by bbc aljazeera presstv georgegalloway jeffreysachs billclinton tonyblair – gee – this has to be GOOD!

@SherineT sue usa uk for blocking #fraudproofvoting since 2006 which would have & will still remove all dictators pro & anti western!

@haJoonChang – 1. Create UN ratings agency  2. Force creditors to absorb %age of bad sovereign debt 3. Ban complex financial products

@haJoonChang – 4. Render all tax havens illegal 5. Completely change incentive structure in financial industry to penalize risk-taking

Untrammelled Capitalism is killing the world & creating #poverty. Bring back the #KindCapitalism we used to know & love!

In our modern society, the rich are removing $10 trillion from global economy so that they themselves can gain $ 100 bn. Selfish destroyers

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/number-one-problem-economy-europe?cat=commentisfree&type=article – sounds like the middleclass & poor are getting screwed also in germany! AngloSaxon NeoCon model again the culprit!

http://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/f35f1722-c1b1-11e0-acb3-00144feabdc0.html – ft says uk schools must help underachievers – but where will the jobs be? And what about irrelevant curriculum?

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/global-finance-dysfunction-at-heart?cat=commentisfree&type=article – global financial system needs 6 here-detailed safeguards which hurt the rich & safeguard & help everyone else!

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/08/morning-papers-financial – so many good articles here today!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/global-finance-dysfunction-at-heart – this economist @haJoonChang really has his shit together

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8630533/Riots-the-underclass-lashes-out.html – the uk underclass lashes out

Uk economy in ruins. War machine runs amok. All parties ignore underclass. Police kill with impunity. Revolution seems good idea

Uk economy in ruins. War machine runs amok. Parliament corrupt.  Police kill with impunity. Revolution seems like intelligent & good idea

Uk economy in ruins. War machine gobbles money & kills innocents for no reason. Police kill with impunity. Revolution seems like a good idea

Uk economy in ruins. War machine & royalty gobbling money. Poverty unemployment. No jobs no hope. Police kill with impunity. Revolution?

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/oneyoungworld/2011/08/08/good-governance-is-not-enough/ – #southAfrica needs #fraudproofvoting, #40pcMineralRoyalty, elimination of corrupion by #anc #malema #zuma

@samikishawi #somalia drought became #famine because of usa policy & actions 1990 till today & beyond. Usa is 100% culpable

@Gsquare86 inequality and poverty must go!

@thegenderwire @jetsetfeminist because devcoop industry does not want third world to develop, prefers to waste money on useless projects

#assad – it is the duty of a dictator to kill those of his citizens & fellow countrymen who oppose his rule. Those people are outlaws

@WilliamJHague #arabspring will bring #fraudproofvoting – which britain has vehemently & murderously opposed! Http://cd3wd.com

#Germany says #Assad will lose his legitimacy to rule if he doesn’t immediately implement #fraudproofvoting in #Syria http://t.co/GRyGFvb

#Germany says #Assad will lose his legitimacy to rule if he doesn’t immediately implement #fraudproofvoting in #Syria http://t.co/GRyGFvb

http://trc1.emv2.com/HS?a=ENX7CqgRK9Is8SA9MKLAQgznGHxKCNF77PcStGb5lw8W0bBhOG5mpqVsje_HxHDbxlOv – bahrain is not divided between shia & sunni – it is a #prowesterndictatorship! Make dictatorship history!

http://m.ft.com/cms/s/0/f443f640-c115-11e0-b8c2-00144feabdc0.html – crucial article by #roubini – runs counter to #osborn #merkel #usa & others who will remain rich unlike us others

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/fair-elections-promised-as-tanks-pound-hama-2333288.html – syria needs #fraudProofVoting as a solution to present deaths & chaos

#southAfrica #zuma states #nationalization will not work in south africa. But #40pcMineralRoyalty WILL! Make poverty history! #m&g #anc

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022993/DOMINIC-SANDBROOK-Capitalism-crisis-warning-history-Eighty-years-ago-banking-collapse-devastated-Europe-triggering-war-Today-faith-free-markets-faltering-again.html – capitalism in crisis. Rapacious war-mongering feed-the-rich-only usa/uk neocon philosophy now in tatters. Solution?

Globally, #unemployment, #poverty, inequality becoming more serious problems! Require solutions from outside box. Present path isnt working!

Only 58% of usa population are in work, lowest since 1983. Globally, #unemployment, #poverty, inequality are becoming more serious problems!

Deaths of US special ops troops marks continued ‘senseless waste of human life’ in Afghanistan – #Obama #news

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/08/mubarak-trial-arab-father #faridFarid most important is to reclaim #mubarak money for #egyPeople & #egyEconomy & to implement #fraudProofVoting

Syrian foreign minister has said elections to a new parliament will be held by year’s end. http://t.co/yBfz1pm – i offer #fraudproofvoting!

15% germans 20% brits 25% americans 80% africans 85% indians live in poverty, & increasing! UN rubbish West rubbish. Action is required!

#katyClark #newStatesman – #trident only required by a britain which is externally fascist & in a world populated by #dictators. #fraudProof

@DavidBurudi #ruralPoverty #kenya. Problem is massive land holdings by wazungu & foreigners. Land shortage. Thieving presidents. Rigged vote

The Gulf Cooperation Council urges an end to “bloodshed” in #Syria and calls for #FraudProofVoting to be implemented globally #gcc

Istaelis feel that they themselves should have #socialJustice, but #Palestinians not. Selfish radicalism

Uk economy in ruins. Britons suffering. But uk war machine continues its insanities. Madness. Bring on #fraudproofvoting! Save the world!

America economy in ruins. Americans suffering. But usa war machine continues its insanities using chinese & other foreigners money. Madness

@ArabDissident @iRevolt #nato to invade #syria. Nato usa uk are very afraid of #fraudproofvoting & have tried to kill to stop it but failed

@ArabDissident @iRevolt #nato to invade #syria. Nato usa uk are very afraid of #fraudproofvoting because they like to steal from the poor

@ArabDissident @iRevolt #nato to invade #syria. Nonsense! #fraudproofvoting & fraud proof election will give syria people what they want!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8684942/Libya-Italy-demands-investigation-into-whether-Nato-warship-ignored-refugees.html – unnamed #nato warship kills 100 libyans in med, noone cares. Libyan lives worth nothing states @WilliamJHague

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8684942/Libya-Italy-demands-investigation-into-whether-Nato-warship-ignored-refugees.html – #nato defies its own humanitarian mandate to save libyan lives – when desperate libyans try to sail to europe #kill

@alScotlandi #lotto #islamic – only ok if you give 95% genuinely   to the poor & not to bogus charities like oxfam, xtianAid, SaveChildren

Uk usa announce global 40% mineral royalty payment, #fraudproofvoting, universal lowcost e/m-bank accounts & G2P payments. Stocks soar 25%

@bhookh_com make premature death history! Make hunger history! Make poverty history! Make corruption history! Make dictatorship history!

@bhookh_com Make poverty history! Make dictatorship history! #fraudProofVoting http://cd3wd.com/seev/