Europe’s “Little Ice Age” may have been triggered by the 14th Century Black Death plague, according to a new study. From the <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=331&amp;entry_id=196″ title=”http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4755328.stm” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4755328.stm’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>BBC News</a>:<br />
<blockquote><br />
Dr Thomas van Hoof and his colleagues studied pollen grains and leaf remains collected from lake-bed sediments in the southeast Netherlands.<br />
<br />
Monitoring the ups and downs in abundance of cereal pollen (like buckwheat) and tree pollen (like birch and oak) enabled them to estimate changes in land-use between AD 1000 and 1500.<br />
<br />
The team found an increase in cereal pollen from 1200 onwards (reflecting agricultural expansion), followed by a sudden dive around 1347, linked to the agricultural crisis caused by the arrival of the Black Death, most probably a bacterial disease spread by rat fleas…<br />
<br />
“Between AD 1200 to 1300, we see a decrease in stomata and a sharp rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, due to deforestation we think,” says Dr van Hoof, whose findings are published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.<br />
<br />
But after AD 1350, the team found the pattern reversed, suggesting that atmospheric carbon dioxide fell, perhaps due to reforestation following the plague.<br />
</blockquote>

What would the ipod box look like if Microsoft went to town on it? <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url=aHR0cDovL21lZGlhLnB1dGZpbGUuY29tL01pY3Jvc29mdC1SZWJyYW5kcy1pUG9kLVBhY2thZ2luZw==&amp;entry_id=195″ title=”http://media.putfile.com/Microsoft-Rebrands-iPod-Packaging” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://media.putfile.com/Microsoft-Rebrands-iPod-Packaging’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>This<a/>.

Quoting the <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=302&amp;entry_id=194″ title=”http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=macIntelQA” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=macIntelQA’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Q&A for Intel macs</a> on the MS website: <br />
<blockquote><br />
Q. What does the announcement about Intel-based Macs mean for Virtual PC for Mac?<br />
<br />
A. Virtual PC for Mac Version 7 is still the best emulation solution for users who have PowerPC-based Macs, but it does not run on Intel-based Macs. We are working with Apple to determine the feasibility of developing Virtual PC for Mac for Intel-based Macs. Virtual PC for Mac is highly dependent on the operating system and hardware and will require additional development to run on Intel-based Macs. <br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
So if you are highly dependent on running Virtual PC apps on your mac stick to your G5 until they have released for Intel.<br />

It was a little disappointing to see this <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=301&amp;entry_id=193″ title=”http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/road-rage-scare-for-cycling-champ/2006/02/22/1140284094573.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/road-rage-scare-for-cycling-champ/2006/02/22/1140284094573.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>article</a> in the SMH today. A group of cyclists were chased down by an enraged driver after a close call at a petrol station.<br />
<br />
As a cyclist I see insensitive drivers all the time - boxing cyclists into the left most of the lane, cutting them off (we can’t stop as quickly as cars!!) or being generally aggressive. The only country that I have really felt safe cycling is the Netherlands - there cyclists are given the right of way as the dominant form of transportation but over here it is a different story.<br />
<br />
I can understand that some cyclists do flaunt the road rules and engage in high risk behaviour on the road but I think that drivers should be much more aware of cyclists on the road and learn to give them right of way on the road. It’s not the rules of the jungle out there, we all pay taxes in order to maintain the roads and it it just simple courtesy to give the cyclists a little more consideration the next time you pull out of a driveway or cut into what you think is a clear gap.

I got a lovely letter the other day from “Direct Share Purchasing Corporation” offering to buy my shares in IAG for a little over half their market value. I did the only thing worthy of that offer and immediately binned it. I’m not sure how many people would fall for it but it is interesting to note the evolution of these letters over the years as I’ve had a few of them.<br />
<br />
It is interesting to see that now he has to tell you the true market value of your shares but he is still able to get your SRN and details once you have signed the form (it is power of attorney). I never got a letter where he has tried to pay the value of the shares off over 45 years like he did with one of his OneSteel purchasing offers. It was calculated that the value that he had placed on the shares was 78c in real terms compared to the $2 that the shares were valued at the time.<br />
<br />
My advice is that if you get one of these letters and you feel compelled to sign them then please read some of these links first:<br />
<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=298&amp;entry_id=192″ title=”http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/corporate/aboutus/2006/20060202warningtosmallinvestorsonsharedeals.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/corporate/aboutus/2006/20060202warningtosmallinvestorsonsharedeals.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>NSW Office of Fair Trading warning on David Tweed’s schemes</a><br />
<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=299&amp;entry_id=192″ title=”http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Tweed-finds-profit-preying-on-old-folk/2004/12/29/1103996611426.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Tweed-finds-profit-preying-on-old-folk/2004/12/29/1103996611426.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Tweed finds profit preying on old folk</a><br />
<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=300&amp;entry_id=192″ title=”http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2003/s945062.htm” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2003/s945062.htm’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>ASIC investigation report</a>

<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=297&amp;entry_id=190″ title=”http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/14/419er_jailed/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/14/419er_jailed/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>The Register</a> reports:<br />
<blockquote><br />
A Nigerian 419er was last Friday jailed for 376 years by a Lagos court for “stealing, forgery, impersonation and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences” contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud Act, the Nigerian Daily Independent reports.<br />
<br />
Harrison Odiawa, 38, aka Abu Belgori, managed to extract $1,939,710 from US national George Robert Blake on the promise of a percentage of a bogus $20.45m Ministry of Health contract. The classic advance fee scam saw a duped Blake transfer the “advance payments” after seeing forged documents - including a certificate of registration with the Corporate Affairs Ministry and the aforementioned forged Ministry contract - which convinced him he was indeed about to get rich. Blake raised the cash from his company, Quest Exploration and Development, and his own personal assets.<br />
<br />
Odiawa was eventually tracked and arrested in Lagos by Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) operatives. During his trial, Blake appeared as the star witness and identified Odiawa from his voice because “because they had conversations for more than 100 times over the telephone”. Odiawa countered that he was not in fact the person who had scammed the American but rather “chanced on the telephone number he found on a computer that was not lodged out from the internet in his cyber café”.<br />
<br />
Judge Joseph Olubumi Oyewale was unimpressed, and in jailing the 419er on 48 of the 58 counts on which he was charged, also ordered him to pay back $1.6m to his victim. He said he hoped the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.<br />
<br />
Blake has already served a 30-month jail sentence in the US for money laundering and bank wire offences.<br />
</blockquote><br />
Good to see that they are starting to have some success in tracking these people down!

Accord to this <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url=aHR0cDovL3NmZ2F0ZS5jb20vY2dpLWJpbi9hcnRpY2xlLmNnaT9maWxlPS9jL2EvMjAwNi8wMS8zMS9NTkc2MkgwNjk5MS5EVEwmdHlwZT10ZWNo&amp;entry_id=189″ title=”http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/31/MNG62H06991.DTL&amp;type=tech” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/31/MNG62H06991.DTL&amp;type=tech’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>article</a> in the SF Gate, Larry Ellison of Oracle fame, causes his personal accountant much grief over his huge spending, massive debt and unwillingness to unload his immense amount of Oracle shares to offload some of his debt.<br />
<br />
Apparently he (Larry Ellison) has a US$1 billion line of credit from a variety of banks loaned against his share portfolio (the majority of which is in his Oracle holdings). This costs him around $75 million a year in interest payments alone. In a handwritten note, his financial adviser laid out Ellison’s expenditures in a year:<br />
<br />
“1) Life Style — annual $20m<br />
<br />
2) Interest Accrual — annual $75m<br />
<br />
3) Villa in Japan — $25m<br />
<br />
4) New Yacht — $194m — over 3 yrs<br />
<br />
5) America’s Cup — $80m — over 3 yrs<br />
<br />
6) UAD — 12m over 3 yrs.” <br />
<br />
Larry Ellison’s financial adviser, Philip Simon, encouraged the Oracle founder to sell his company’s shares when the stock market got soft in March of 2000. Simon wrote March 29, 2000:<br />
<br />
“Dear Larry. … “<br />
<br />
“I’m getting increasingly concerned about stock market valuations (query — have you seen the reviews on Robert Shiller’s new book “Irrational Exuberance?”) — and believe this would be a good time to take some money off the table. … I’d just like to start cashing out.”<br />
High anxiety<br />
<br />
In an e-mail to Ellison dated May 3, 2002, Simon expresses grave concerns about the Oracle founder’s spending.<br />
<br />
“I’m worried, Larry. … I know you view me as a pessimist. Maybe you’re right, though I would disagree. Nonetheless, I think it’s imperative that we start to budget and plan. New purchases should be kept to a minimum. We need to establish and execute on a diversification game plan, to eliminate (yes, eliminate) all debt and build up a significant, conservatively structured, liquid investment portfolio. If this means sacrificing 30% of your current holdings in Oracle, so be it. With stock options and Oracle’s share repurchases, your ownership percentage has been increasing somewhat over the last year or two.”<br />
<br />
“I do not want you to end up like Carl Karcher, Wang, Bernie Ebbers, and the countless others. Yes, Oracle’s a different company; no debt, real cash earnings, clean accounting. But, when the pendulum swings the other way, it can overshoot. PE multiples are driven by market (or should I say, mob) psychology. There’s no science or logic in the short or medium term. “<br />
<br />
“I know you don’t like to discuss this. I know this e-mail may/will depress you. However, I believe it’s my job to address issues you’d prefer not to confront. You told me years ago that it’s OK to raise the ‘diversification issue’ with you quarterly. Well, I’m doing so. View this as a call to arms.” <br />
<br />
All of this sounds like sensible advice to me - you definitely don’t want to put all your money into one stock, diversification is the cornerstone of mitigating risk in your portfolio! But it is interesting to see that even with a multi-billion dollar fortune, people like Ellison still get emotional about their stock portfolios.

What do you get when you get a group of guys, musical instruments and a way too high opinion of themselves?<br />
<br />
<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=294&amp;entry_id=188″ title=”http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=684″ onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=684′;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Hall of Douchebags</a>