Sexy Savanah

posted by Savanah on Sep 28

One of the most cited factors inhibiting economic development is corruption. It increases income inequality, reduces the welfare of societies, impedes economic and political growth and reduces trust in political institutions.  All over the world, policymakers struggle with the creation of anti-corruption policies. This task is daunting because if the anti-corruption policies fail, then corruption will be viewed as an in solvable problem. A problem where interventions will do more harm than good. All policies, whether or not they deal with corruption, need to have a high probability of effectiveness before other countries will risk the implementation, but where is a venue to test it?

One way to test if the anti-corruption policies are sound is an approach to use the scientific process to analyze the effect policy has on individual behavior before the policy is implemented on to the world. This utilizes scientific tools to develop policy. One experiment proposes to investigate three different types of corruption: bribery, patronage and nepotism. Also investigate three different policy interventions: improved transparency, sanctions, and enhanced civic awareness, both in Pakistan and in the U.S. Means to test these policies are underway with the first two pilot projects, one at Rice University and the other at the Institute for Business Administration in Karachi, Pakistan.

Corruption is viewed differently from culture to culture, so the success of an anti-corruption policy will be reliant upon the underlying culture. Basically, the same policies might fail in one culture, but succeed in the atmosphere of another. Generally when a policy is formulated, policymakers will make decisions without knowing the outcome. This scientific approach, a better understanding of what policies will cause corruption to proliferate and what policy will stop corruption dead in its tracks. With this inexpensive, low consequential environment that will demonstrate just how and when anti-corruption policies will be effective.

posted by Savanah on Jun 8

It all with who you know to get anywhere at all in the world. Networking is the key to success in all aspects of your life. Like they say, ‘Its not what you know, it’s who you know.’  Even if your definition of success is to be a millionaire, a musician or a movie star, all that is required is the help of other people. Creating a network of contacts, if you love people, can be intriguing and fun or if your people skills are lacking, can be intimidating and daunting. But, I’ve compiled a list that will get you on your networking way for both the aforementioned personality types.

Of course, first you must conquer your fears. Approaching strangers at some four star New York hotels or in some neighborhood coffee shops is not easy. You will feel awkward, but the more you do it, the more comfortable it becomes. When you initiate new contacts, always remember to be charming and delightful. Prepare a few opening statements or questions. They could be original or use the one’s you’ve always laughed at when you have been approached. Any to get the conversation going and moving forward in order to find common ground. The common ground can range from finding out you grew up in the same city or that you visited the same city, to liking the same movie director. The important thing to remember about finding common ground is you know have their attention.

This is where it can get tricky cause you don’t want to come off as a salesperson, but that’s exactly what you’re doing when networking, you are selling yourself and your talents. You need to gage if it’s the right time to promote yourself, if it isn’t, don’t worry or get upset. Stay relaxed and ask if they have a business card and let them know you really enjoyed their company and see if it’s okay to give them a call later to take them out to lunch or just for a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop. Hand them your business card and have a parting tag line. One they will remember, like, ‘Wow, I’m so glad we met, I really enjoyed your take on things’, or ‘I know you’ll have a great day, I can’t see you not having one’. Just make sure it’s upbeat.

Follow up, follow up, follow up. I would give it 2 to 3 days before you give them a call. If you done your initial first meeting correctly, you won’t have to remind them who you are, they will instantly remember you and will be delighted to meet you the next day for lunch or that cup-o-coffee.  The opportunity to network will arise anytime and anywhere. There’s no set location, selling yourself can happen in public restrooms, yes public restrooms if you handle it right, athletic clubs, parties, on a plane headed to ……. . So be prepared at all times. After a while of practicing your techniques of networking, you will find that networking will become second nature.

posted by Savanah on Jun 1

Mallorca is the main island of the Balearics out of four and its Capital is Palma. The Mallorca terrain, landscapes and the beautiful white sandy beaches are all around the coast. There is something for everbody that makes it an attractive place to retire. The Spanish people of Mallorca are warm and have very charming personalities. Staying in the Best Balearic Hotels and eating at the hotel restaurant, you might run into a Hollywood celebrity; Mallorca is one of the destinations for the rich and famous from all nationalities. There is now a high demand of property because it has cheaper prices from the rest of Northern Europe.

Mallorca’s Government is taking seriously it’s ever growing population and is improving upon the infrastructure. In a few years this will bring up the cost of any property you are considering purchasing. Mallorca has all sorts of property from 1 bedroom beach view apartments to the incredible luxurious Villas which can be used for holiday homes, investments and/or first residents. In general, the resorts on the south islands coast offer a much livelier and perhaps a more suitable for groups of young singles, or those looking for an attractive active nightlife. The North East coastline has and enormous bay which is the residence of the popular resorts of Can Pica Fort and Alcudia. Near by the island’s most northerly point at Cap de Fomenter is Puerto Pollensa, a long time favorite for holiday travellers and is very popular with the cyclists, birdwatchers and hikers. Away from the resorts, Mallorca still retains a pristine charm.

Palma, the capital of Mallorca is the major seaside villa containing a port, yacht harbor and a ferry sailing to the mainland of Spain. There are many excellent shops and many good restaurants, nightclubs and bars. Purchasing property in Palma means the amenities and excellent quality of life will never go away and will make you money within a few years.

posted by Savanah on Jun 1

I’ve been following the Crop Circle phenomena. I don’t know if I believe that they are created by extraterestials or man-made. Maybe the majority are man-made, but then that would make the rest made by extraterestials. The closest I’ve come to believe that these crop circle are a true phenomena is when I received a postcard from a very close friend of mine staying at the Best Ibiza Hotels in Spain. The front of the post card was a picture of the hotel itself. On the backside of the postcard she wrote:

“Spent the night in a wheat field with a group of fellow travellers. Wheat ready to be harvested. We flew over the field the day before and no viable crop circles. Next morning we awoke to a stirring of excited human voices, a crop circle had formed. Wow!”

I didn’t even know Spain had crop circles. I thought only England did, which is another reason for me to be doubtful. She roughly drew what the crop circle was with the little space she had left on the postcard. I was a geometric symbol I didn’t recognize. I, at first, thought that the group of fellow travelers pulled a hoax on her. But, via emails, she relayed to me that there was only a handful of people sleeping out in the field with her, not enough to make and complete the immense size of the crop circle. She also told me she went inside the crop circle and her hair literally stood on end; her husbands did too. She took some aerial photos and documented everything in her blog.

When I finally looked at the crop circle she photographed, I was amazed. Her drawing did it no justice. It was beautiful, intricate and mesmerizing. I definitely felt it was a message from a higher evolved society. One that has achieved peace and profited from this accomplishment; just a feeling I got. So for some small reason, maybe hope, I do believe that some are true messages from outer space letting us know that it will be alright.

posted by Savanah on Jun 1

Johannesburg has long been known as the leader in the realm of mining for gold, hence the nickname, ‘Egoli’ which is translated to ‘City of Gold‘. The gold of this continent is found at very extreme depths under the surface of the earth, some reaching as far down as four thousand miles such as the mines of Western Deep Level.  This is one of the worlds deepest mines.  This has been difficult for the miners due to the fact that the further below the surface of the earth one travels, the hotter it gets.  Air conditioning units are necessary to make working at these depths tolerable and bearable.  While the temperature is kept at thirty two degrees, the humidity is consistently at about one hundred percent.  Gold from this mine in particular, is gathered at the incredible expense of energy, materials and man power.  Even after the tons of dynamite, the electricity, and the various different chemicals used to extract the gold, it is still necessary for it to go through many more stages at the refineries, before it becomes the gold that is most valuable and pure on the markets.

The industry of mining gold has experienced pressure as other countries compete, such as Australia and Russia, and are able to produce more inexpensive alternatives on the world market.  This has affected many businesses in the city, such as tourism and the luxury hotels.  Johannesburg was once an untouched region of South Africa, however that changed rapidly during 1886, when the first miner struck gold.  As wold spread, one of the largest gold rushes in the world took place, and in just three years Johannesburg became the largest city in South Africa.  Many of the black members of society were forced to spend one year tours working in the mines, separated from their homes and their families.  As with so much regarding the history of this country, what came as a result was art.  The men danced to raise their spirits, and the dances of the miners still occur and are celebrated throughout the city to this day.

posted by Savanah on Jun 1

The lack of opportunity for education, and the segregation during the times of apartheid was evidence around the country of South Africa, from the market place to the hotels, Johannesburg and her people needed a voice.  And fighting against the barriers of these times the black artists of the city stood up to gain their rights as the teachers, the gallery owners, the curators and the artists they were and still are.  What started the change was a community art center established in 1952, that offered classes to the adults of the city, the Polly Street Art Center.  Before this time there was no educational offerings to the black artists, no chance for them to develop the techniques and the skills that were available at the time to their white counterparts.  This school was in operation for only fourteen years, but that was enough time to create the passion and the drive and the inspiration that has carried through the artists of today.

The country began re-habbing buildings to be used to house the collections of this artwork in 1872, the first one being Cape Town’s South African National Gallery.  Just about thirty years later, the then director, Hugh Lane, of Ireland’s National Gallery, assembled a collection that was given to South African city, Johannesburg.  The Johannesburg Art Gallery opened in 1915 and was the first building in the history of the country that was built with the express purpose of housing this art collection.  Many other cities have sense followed suit, as more and more people are becoming aware of the significance of the art created by the South African people.  Many of these galleries had an extensive collection of European art, however administrators felt that more of the space should be dedicated to the art that is indigenous and representative of their own country.  Whether one is traveling through Cape Town, Pretoria, or Johannesburg, there are many galleries and museums to spend the day in, to gain a bit of historical knowledge and inspiration from the people who have so long found it necessary to fight just to simply express.