I just made some changes to the entry on sculls in Wikipedia. Right now, much of the text is mine (this might not last very long.)

Single Scull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia really is a very interesting place.

Single Scull

Posted by Guy Spier at 02:31 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

This article says it all.

What Lebanon is doing in Hahr el Bared bares many similarities to what Israel did in Jenin. And Lebanon has already killed far more fighters than Israel killed in Jenin. Of course, when Israel did it, it was a massacre. When Lebanon does it, everybody yawns.

Lebanese 'defensive shield' - no problem | Jerusalem Post

The resemblance of the Lebanese chain of events to Israel's April 2002 assault on the Jenin refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield is striking. Israel launched its attack after sustaining seven suicide bombings in a two-week period, culminating in the bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya on Seder night, which killed 30 civilians.

Posted by Guy Spier at 02:58 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

Maybe, just maybe something good is happening in the Middle East right now.

Fatah is battling Hamas in the Gaza strip, and the Lebanese army is battling Fatah al Islam (terrorists) in Palestinian "refugee" camps in Lebanon.

What is good about that? Well, not every Arab wants to take an extreme line, and there are, Arabs outside of Iraq who have come to a point where they are willing to take up arms against their fellows.

I hope so.

Posted by Guy Spier at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

Yet more evidence that Ken Roth cares less about human rights abuses, and more about pursuing a political agenda.

Wal-Mart Watch? - May 21, 2007 - The New York Sun

During the Lebanon War last summer, Human Rights Watch took the position that Israel's self-defense from terrorists was a human rights abuse. Now it is taking the position that anything less than European-style rolling over in the face of labor unions is a human rights abuse. It's getting to the point where the left thinks capitalism itself is a human rights abuse, except when the capitalist is George Soros engaging in trading for the purpose of funding the leftist advocacy groups.

Posted by Guy Spier at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This email is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian peoples looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because the Islamo-Fascists want to do it again.

This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide!

Join us and be a link in the memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world.

Please send this e-mail to 10 people you know and ask them to continue the memorial chain.

Posted by Guy Spier at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments ()

When it comes to kashrut, there is no substitute but to think for oneself.
THE LIFE-OF-RUBIN BLOG

Posted by Guy Spier at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

I have been known to give out an audio recording of Charlie Munger giving a talk at the Harvard Law School on the psychology of human misjudgements. Well, this talk is an example of one of the points that Munger makes in the talk, namely that people who keep learning keep getting better.

Like Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger is getting better.

Value Investing World: Charlie Munger - USC Law School Commencement - May 13, 2007

Posted by Guy Spier at 02:22 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

How to create trust?

The core of this business is about creating trust - which, as we know, takes a lifetime to create, and can be lost in an instant.

The following are some of the things that I do personally to increase my own trustworthiness.

Speaking plainly and honestly.
I try to say what I mean and mean what I say.

Discretion
I try to treat what is told to me as confidential, and only to share it with others if there is clear permission to share.

Reliability and consistency
I try to act reliably.People around me should know what to expect.

Giving bad news up front.
In addition to making a point of giving bad news up front, I try to create an environment where the people I work with do the same thing.I want to live in a web of relationships where one of the motto’s is “give the bad new up front – the good news can wait.”

Welcoming verification
People will always want to verify that I am doing the right thing.My goal is to welcome their desire to check – without feeling, or making them feel that the attention is unwarranted.

Do the right thing when no-one is looking
Sooner or later, someone will catch me doing the right thing when no-one is looking, and that will create large amounts of trust in me.On the other hand, if someone were to catch me doing the wrong thing when no-one was looking, that would destroy huge amounts of trust.Not only could I not afford that – I would not want to live with myself.

Doing the right thing, even if it is not the most expedient.

But why end there? I am willing to take whatever steps will get me closer to my goal.That is why many of my passwords are based on the word “trusted.” Quite simply, I am seeking to will that outcome if there is any chance that it will work.

Posted by Guy Spier at 12:33 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

Posted by Guy Spier at 06:07 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

This article documents some of Buffett's Jewish connections.

JewishJournal.com

Posted by Guy Spier at 01:44 AM | Permalink | Comments ()