Yesterday was a feast of entertainment. With the grandkids to see Shrek 3 in the morning; and to the Los Angeles opera’s Das Rheingold in the evening. The similarities between the movie and the opera were greater than the differences. Both tell tales of human emotion by way of gods, monsters, exaggerated villains, and improbably heros. Both are vastly extravagant visual delights of impossible color and texture. (more…)
Archive for May, 2010
Das Rheingold, Shrek 3, and Mining Opera
Posted in opera, tagged das reingold, das rheingold, LA opera, shrek on May 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Sunday Mining Sermon: Perth, Gallowai Stanfield, and Bill C-300
Posted in Australia and New Zealand, Church, Investing & Finance, tagged Bill C-300, gallowai, perth, ross stanfield, sermon on May 29, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Hence from Perth on a gruelling flight to LAX. A flight designed to tire you out if you need more than four hours a night sleep, even though you theoretically get four from Perth to Sydney and twelve from Sydney to Los Angeles. At least you have plenty of time to contemplate the state of the world as long hours pass by in a small seat to the symphony of plane engines and iPad music. Still you must ask: why does anybody in their right mind willingly go to Australia from North America when they have not yet explored the Rockies or the four-corners of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. (more…)
Aussie mining backflip to tax the mind
Posted in Australia and New Zealand, Investing & Finance, Jobs and Salaries, tagged Australia, mining, rudd, tax on May 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Still in Perth and fascinated by the fights over taxation of the Australian mining industry. Many pages of the local newspapers continue to be devoted to the fight. Sadly there is little clarity or consensus building. The headline in the national newspaper is Rudd to backflip on mining rate. Rudd is the national prime minister who has been leading this debacle. (more…)
More Australian Upside-Down Mining Agony
Posted in Australia and New Zealand, consulting, Investing & Finance, Jobs and Salaries, tagged Australia, invest, mining, tax on May 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Another day beating the bushes in Perth, mostly reading the newspapers and talking to consultants to the mining industry about the proposed new 40 % tax on mining. The arguments degenerate into the absurd with government ministers justifying their proposal to impose new taxes on the basis of outdated reports from obscure USA universities, and disputed figures from taxing authorities. All prompted by accusations of lies, damn lies, and statistics. (more…)
Australian mining tax: investor advice from the trenches
Posted in Australia and New Zealand, Investing & Finance, Jobs and Salaries, tagged Australia, invest, mining, tax on May 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A good friend in the Australian mining industry says the proposed new tax on the mining industry will be a good thing. He says it will slow down the mining industry and that will be good, for things are still so hot and there is still such a skills shortage, that anything that gives the industry a breather is to be welcomed. (more…)
Tax mining, Australia upside down style
Posted in consulting, Investing & Finance, opera, tagged Australia, mining, opera house, sydney, tax on May 20, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Today I arrived in Sydney, Australia. You know this is a strange place immediately: it takes five minutes to get through immigration and one hour and five minutes to get through customs. Enter the USA or Canada and the time is spent getting through immigration and they wave you through customs. Australia seems not to care who comes in; but they are neurotic about what you bring in. Every other country I have visited cares who comes in; but they are oblivious about what you bring in. I stood in line for over an hour so that they could confiscate the sealed packet of raisins and nuts I usually carry to ward off sudden hunger. Obviously things are upside down here. (more…)
Irony or insight? Oil, gas, mining, poverty, and jails
Posted in About the news, First Nations, Jobs and Salaries, North America, Oil sands, tagged aboriginal, Fort McMurray, poverty, ripple effects on May 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Every now and then, I get an e-mail from Ripple Effects Ltd in Fort McMurray. Here is a copy of the latest which is a collection of seemingly unrelated new items. I am not so sure about the unrelated part. As I read it, there is sadness and an insight into why there is poverty and why poor people disproportionately find themselves in jail. I leave you to decide. But seems to me these issues arise too often in aboriginal communities around the world to be mere coincidence. And they are problems that occur regardless of the presence or absence of mines. Must be something in the system? (more…)
Marlin Mine Human Rights Assessment
Posted in Community relations, consulting, Gold, health and safety, Human relations and mining, Latin America, Law (Mining), tagged crack, earthquake, Goldcorp, Guatemala, houses, human rights, marlin mine on May 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Sunday Sermon: Family and the Faith & Fury of Mining. Or impious reflections on Guatemala, Marlin, and Goldcorp
Posted in Church, consulting, Enviromental, First Nations, Gold, Investing & Finance, Latin America, Mining history, opera, tagged ballet, coyote, drugs, el salitre, Goldcorp, Guatemala, Gunoud, marlin, opera, Pentacostalism, religion, Roman Catholic, Romeo and Julie, Romeo and Juliet, sermon, United Church of Canada on May 16, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Guatemala mining by night
Posted in consulting, Investing & Finance, Latin America, tagged Guatemala, investment, mining, NI 43-101 on May 14, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Any city seen by night from on high is impressive. Guatemala City is no exception, From the ninth floor of the Mercure Hotel you see the mountains to the left and the park and gleaming high-rises to the right with a street and fast, out-of-control cars weaving across lanes of traffic. (more…)
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