Focus: Cronyism

It has been moved a lot: from my briefcase into my suitcase, from my bedside table to my desk, from my car seat to the train seat, then into the hotel and back into the suitcase. All through the last week, it travelled with me.

Except that I never found time to read it. The reason is probably because I was too busy doing cronyism.

But seriously: I like this “brand eins” quite well, too. After all, it supports my prejudices. Because I am sure that many small ones can fight even the gigantic ones quite well, provided they stick together.

And we all know that you will most enjoy the magazine in which you find written what you already believed, anyway. Basically, it is a very simple concept. I, too, subscribe to it.

But let us take a closer look at the magazine itself. Here are a few of the articles you should read:

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My petrol station in Ottobrunn

Prices at the station fluctuate in both directions all the time. Often, they vary by 5 cents and more within a single day. Regional differences (Munich City versus Ottobrunn) are also often significant, even if we are talking the same time of day and the same brand.

First and foremost, this strikes me as illogical. Why would a litre of diesel fuel from the same concern cost several cents more at Ottobrunn than in the centre of Munich at the same time of day – and vice versa? And why three cents less in the evening? And then four cents more on the next morning? Why all those ups and downs?

I used to believe the reason was a nervous market. Assuming that speculation, market bottlenecks and the like are the reason for this phenomenon, I wrote an article about it.

Now I have a better explanation:

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What do you see on this picture?

If you know the right answer, send an email to  me!

There is a small present waiting for the first three correct answers.

Here is a selection of what you can choose from:

• the huge orange and storm-proof IF umbrella,
• the book The Heretic Lupert Lay and How the Church Was a Failure or
• 1 packet of Supremo (gourmet coffee from Unterhaching)

Here is a clue: this piece of sports equipment has been photographed in Southern Germany.

The solution will be published in this blog two weeks from now!

RMD

(Translated by EG)

Experiences made in China

Western enterprises have lots of problems with production in China. The following report was related to me:
Deliveries from Chinese factories often have substandard quality. Up to 30 % of the incoming products cannot directly be used in the (automated) assembly lines. You have to return the deficient parts and then you have to deal with all sorts of trouble by the deliverymen. That is the western method.

The Chinese have a different solution to the problem. Parallel with the fully automated assembly line, they operate a second line, the “manual-industrial” line. This is where those parts in from delivery end up that do not precisely fit. Doing it manually, they manage to do readjustments where necessary.

Of course, this is only possible because in China, labour – relative to the other expenses – costs practically nothing.

RMD
(Translated by EG)

P.S.
The China experiences have been related to me personally, so for me they are second-hand. For more information, just enter „China“ in the IF blog search engine.

Here is my idea of the weekend!

Some way or other, I more and more tend towards Edwin’s (E2E) opinion (Meinung) that you should not be quite as fast to desert the highest office of the state as “our” Federal President Horst Köhler was. It looked a little like desertion (Fahnenflucht).

Hard times, in particular, are the times when you have a responsibility. Basically, you can only disclaim it for very compelling reasons. And then, these reasons should be openly and truthfully given.

Anyway, to me it seems like the entire office of the Federal President has been deteriorating during the last few years because of the political habits and the abuse by the party (Oligarchie).

So here is what I propose:

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Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Grün (Philosopher, IF blog author and good friend) has experience with dialectical seminars. As a special highlight in his seminars, he offers knowledge gain on pre-defined problems by creating a “vexilla”.

I practiced the “ars construendi vexilla” a lot with my mentor Rupert Lay and appreciate the method very much. And I always gladly recommended it to others. But what is a modern manager supposed to do if he does not know the meaning of a word?

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Here are my tweets of next week on

Blogging and Twittering – Wisdoms and Rules:

100701 The blacksmith twitters, the goldsmith blogs. . #Twitter #Blogging #Crafts #Comparison

100702 Once in a while, you may/can/must write an absurd tweet or blog. #Twitter #Blogging #Absurdities

100703 Unfortunately, inclement weather cannot be changed by twittering or blogging. #Twitter #Blogging #Magic

100704 Your birthday is also a good day for writing tweets and blogs. #Twitter #Blogging #Loneliness

100705 During the soccer World Championship, you can also enjoy twittering and blogging. #Twitter #Blogging #Sports #Fun

100706 Dictatorships offer a huge field of activity for twitterers and bloggers. #Twitter #Blogging #Resistance #Freedom

100707 In a dictatorship, you cannot twitter or blog at all. #Twitter #Blogging #Suppression #Restrictions

There is a new tweet each day. See Twitter and “follow” RolandDuerre!

Enjoy!

RMD

(Translated by EG)

Chinese experiences

I wanted to know about the current situation of farming in China. In particular, I was interested in finding out to what degree it is industrialized. After all, there must be a reason for all the labour drifting towards the big factories and producing cheap goods for our markets at minimum wages.

The answer came as a surprise for me. Our China traveller told us that the rice fields of China are still – like in the old days – worked with the water buffalo with intense physical input. The industrialization of farming is still a concept of the future.

As a consequence, I assume that soon even more cheap labour will be drifting towards Chinese factories. Somehow or other, I cannot say I like this prospect, and I hope the time-space-gap will soon increase again (for instance through an increase of transportation and energy costs).

However, while leading her water buffalos through the rice fields, the Chinese farmer of today uses her mobile phone. Because in China, it is quite cheap to use the mobile phone and buy the necessary equipment.
She just cannot “twitter”. After all, that would make her knowledgeable about what goes on in the world. Which is something nobody wants.

“Water buffalo and mobile“: the Chinese version of our Bavarian “Leather Pants and Laptop“?

RMD
(Translated by EG)

P.S.
The China experiences have been related to me personally, so for me they are second-hand. We started our series with News from China (Neues aus China).