African proverbs

I've often posted on quotes, but a friend recently sent me a link to a big collection of African proverbs. Lots of wisdom in these words, and here are some of my favorites: To get lost is to learn the way. ~ African proverb He who learns, teaches. ~ Ethiopian proverb You always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win. ~ African proverb You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down. ~ Bateke proverb Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone. ~Moroccan Proverb Traveling is learning. ~Kenyan Proverb Peace is costly but it is worth the expense. ~Kenyan proverb War has no eyes ~ Swahili saying There can be no peace without understanding. ~Senegalese proverb If you can’t resolve your problems in peace, you can’t solve war. ~ Somalian proverb He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk. ~ Malawian proverb A large chair does not make a king. ~ Sudanese proverb Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. ~ Bondei proverb It takes a village to raise a child. ~ African proverb Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you. ~ African proverb Hold a true friend with both hands. ~ African proverb Show me your friend and I will show you your character. ~ African proverb Bad friends will prevent you from having good friends. ~ Gabon proverb Make some money but don’t let money make you. ~ Tanzania The rich are always complaining. ~ Zulu Money can’t talk, yet it can make lies look true. ~ South Africa What you give you get, ten times over. ~ Yoruba The surface of the water is beautiful, but it is no good to sleep on. ~Ghanaian Proverb You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty. ~Congolese Proverb Three things cause sorrow to flee; water, green trees, and a beautiful face. ~Moroccan Proverb A beautiful thing is never perfect. ~Egyptian Proverb Youth is beauty, even in cattle. ~Egyptian Proverb

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Journalism malpractice unabated

At Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Steve Rendall discusses numerous stunning examples, historical and recent, of journalists withholding important stories from the public at the request of the federal government.

Journalism is supposed to hold power to account. That’s the principle implicit in the U.S. Constitution’s singling out a free press for protection. If that principle were respected, the Washington Post’s admission (2/6/13) that it and “several news organizations” made a deal with the White House to withhold the news that the U.S. has a drone base in Saudi Arabia would have been a red flag, triggering widespread discussion of media ethics. But these deals have become so commonplace that the story generated less concern among journalists than did the denial of press access to a recent presidential golf outing.

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The Bechdel test for movies

The Bechdel Test is a simple test which names the following three criteria for rating movies: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. [Update 4/28/13]: More on the Bechdel test from the Double Parent, focusing on princesses who need to be rescued by a prince, many of these movies by Disney. And . . . the story of Wonderwoman. You can view the entire one-hour video at PBS.

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Matt Taibbi points out the big banks newest crime

Interest rate swaps are were the action is these days, according to Matt Taibbi. And manipulating the Libor should be a crime.

"The plaintiffs, I believe, are confusing a claim of being perhaps deceived," he said, "with a claim for harm to competition." Judge Buchwald swallowed this lunatic argument whole and dismissed most of the case. Libor, she said, was a "cooperative endeavor" that was "never intended to be competitive." Her decision "does not reflect the reality of this business, where all of these banks were acting as competitors throughout the process," said the antitrust lawyer Sokol. Buchwald made this ruling despite the fact that both the U.S. and British governments had already settled with three banks for billions of dollars for improper manipulation, manipulation that these companies admitted to in their settlements. Michael Hausfeld of Hausfeld LLP, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs in this Libor suit, declined to comment specifically on the dismissal. But he did talk about the significance of the Libor case and other manipulation cases now in the pipeline. "It's now evident that there is a ubiquitous culture among the banks to collude and cheat their customers as many times as they can in as many forms as they can conceive," he said. "And that's not just surmising. This is just based upon what they've been caught at." Greenberger says the lack of serious consequences for the Libor scandal has only made other kinds of manipulation more inevitable. "There's no therapy like sending those who are used to wearing Gucci shoes to jail," he says. "But when the attorney general says, 'I don't want to indict people,' it's the Wild West. There's no law."

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