“Change philosophy to achieve sustainability - DAILY KOS” plus 3 more

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• Change philosophy to achieve sustainability - DAILY KOS
• For Azinger, winning team philosophy emerges from individual sport - CBS Sports
• "Philosophy" same under Dantley - Denver Post
• Fitch: Fairfax's Ratings Unaffected by Acquisition of Zenith; Outlook ... - Forbes

Change philosophy to achieve sustainability - DAILY KOS Posted: 19 Feb 2010 01:50 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Here is a link to my last population diary, by the way. First I will describe the typical American philosophy as I have experienced it for all my 54 years of living: Other than a few common sense ideas, such as gravity works, for example, I will always believe just what I feel like believing, and you can do the same, and we will just hash out our differences some which way. Other than violent crime, I will live my life whichever way feels good to me, and you can do the same. The result of this philosophy is way too many people making way too many babies, and way too much stuff to give those children, which is the worst sabatoge of civilization, and the babies will be the victims of the sabatoge.  Making babies at this point in history, plus excess stuff, with no master plan for a sustainable number of humans, that is child endangerment, or some such crime.   The change in philosophy I am calling for is:  What you already do for minor annoyances by people you like, that is, you understand the motive, and understand that it is not a bad person doing a bad thing, but rather an understandable annoyance, do that for everyone, no matter what.  No exceptions.  If someone killed some people, understand that he has no free will, and he did no serious damage to the infinite universe.  You are upset because you feel bad about what happened, because it hurt your human sensibilities.  Yes, of course, we can lock up a killer, to protect the rest of us.  But realizing that no one is guilty of bad behavior allows you to work with everyone, including groups of millions that we cannot lock up, like the Taliban and AlQaida, and all jihadists, all those who hate America, etc.  Working together to build a consensus on what to do about sustainability. I forgot to explain that the fact that there is no free will is clear from the fact that the human brain is a machine, a computer.  So it is bound by the same clear law of cause and effect as the rest of the universe.  That minor annoyance behavior, and the killing that the killer did, these are the effects of causes.  No free will.  Causes from outside the organism, either genetics or learning, influenced by nutrition and exercise.  If you thought that number 1 sounds hard to get everyone to accept, this one may be even harder:  The idea that the philosophy in number 1 is the same as the idea that gravity works and the Earth is round and spinning.  We must agree on the same philosophy, all of us.  We must give up the idea that we can tell each other that it is just okay for everyone to believe whatever, the Earth is flat, tobacco is not poison, this gun will not really hurt you, because you will go to heaven, etc.  The whole point of having an organized civilization is to put boundaries on the behavior of the members.  Thinking is behavior.  From thoughts come words and actions.  We cannot say that thoughts are free, words are free, but actions must be restricted.  They all go together.   Abortion is murder. That idea has been preached for decades, and now George Tiller is dead.  Ideas can kill, if the idea is wrong enough, and chanted long and hard enough.  Ideas can kill. So, you may feel that I am advocating thought police, as in Orwell's 1984. And that brings us to the old problem with government amongst humans.  There is always the fear that with too much power in the hands of too few, the power corrupts, and the few in power will just have fun for themselves, while failing to do what is best for the greater good. However, if we let everyone vote, and millions of voters know nothing about any topic other than whatever they do for a living, such as plumbing, and there is no test to see if the voters know anything at all about the issues, then we are giving power to a worse collection of dictators than the kings of old times.   The dictators are those who use billions of dollars to hire folks to persuade millions to vote for Republicans, who are owned by big business, and that is our current dictators.  The current dictators have hired thought police already.  Education is just another kind of thought police.  There is no freedom.  We only think what we learn.  We are all prisoners of whatever we have learned.  But if we can look out and see the truth... You are not sure of what is the truth, but you are letting the thought police hired by the Republicans teach what ever will give them power, true or not. I am saying there needs to be an aggressive policy of education, along with contraception, so that we do not have so many to educate, and the education must be very strict, with the understanding that the philosophy and science that is taught is simply correct.  And it must be taught the same way that we teach that the Earth is round, and it spins.  It should not be taught that there are competing ideas, but rather that the simple facts are facts.  The debate is over. And any power in government, such as the power to vote should only be given to those who understand that the Earth is a sphere that spins, and tobacco is poison, and there is no free will, so no one is evil, and there is no evil behavior.  This takes the edge off of anger.  Anger management.  Lynch mobs should not have power.  Angry voters should not have power.  Only smart voters should have power. Of course, the question is, who decides what is correct information?  Well, if we cannot trust a consensus of college professors and other experts, as we do with science questions, such as global climate change, then we are Republicans.  So, if the philosophy professors and other experts ever come to a consensus on philosophy, we should teach it aggressively, as fact. The problem I see, however, is that in America, we have such a powerful feeling, as I stated at the top, that we can never find the Truth.  The Truth is some magical ghost we can never put in the can and analyze, always out of reach.  And so we teach each other that we can never agree.  So we just kill each other, or at least never imagine that there is truth to be known, just opinions.  The Earth is spinning?  Just my opinion. The problem with all this, as I present it in this diary, is that so few agree with me about the correct philosophy.  And even fewer imagine that philosophy should be taught as science is taught.  A fact is a fact.  Some ideas are more clear than others, but certain ideas are very clear.  That is how we must teach philosophy.    Just imagine that I am correct.  Then imagine yourself joining in the chorus of those who insist that, other than a very few ideas, we must allow a free flowing market place of ideas, and who ever spends the billions on the persuasion, gets the millions of voters to go along with big business.  Imagine that the biggest enabler of fascism is the American freedom idea.  Free to be duped by big business?  That is America. To tone down the radical, stark nature of this diary, I suggest you read it as a plea to move in the general direction of the utopia I propose.  I lay it out in stark terms, wishing that these ideas would grow into a movement that could make some great and noticeable progress, some great improvement to civilization.  But I feel the need to push hard, so that a hard push from me, minus a hard push back, might still show some progress.  So please do not think me unreasonable to push as hard as I can.  I have no realistic hope of making any progress at all, as it is.  Do not ask me to stop trying. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

For Azinger, winning team philosophy emerges from individual sport - CBS Sports Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:10 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. BOCA RATON, Fla. -- He won't be playing the Open at St. Andrews this year, and he doesn't feel royal or ancient. In only his second week on the Champions Tour, after turning 50 on Jan. 6, Paul Azinger knows this is where he's meant to be. "After 28 years on the PGA Tour, this feels right," said Azinger, who's playing the Allianz Championship at Broken Sound this week. "I'm comfortable. But it's an interesting dynamic. For all of us -- Freddie Couples, Tom Watson, Bernard Langer, Hale Irwin, Jay Hass -- this tour is kind of our reward, our gold watch, yet it's really, really competitive." Azinger, the Ryder Cup captain who won 12 PGA Tour titles, including the 1993 PGA Championship, did not do well in his first Champions Tour event, giving himself a C- for finishing 21st last week in Naples. "I hadn't hit a meaningful shot in seven months," said Azinger, who is enjoying the camaraderie of the other golfers, the meaningful tips and shared strategy. Fitting for a guy who almost reinvented the Ryder Cup. It's a delicious memory. Team USA had lost three consecutive matches to Team Europe, but in 2008, Azinger had a different idea. He didn't put a great ball-striker with a great putter, or someone with outstanding iron play with a long hitter. He assembled the foursomes based on ... personality? "I had seen a documentary on the Navy Seals and they worked on a 'pod' system, small teams within a bigger team," said Azinger, who's written a book to be published in May about the U.S. victory at Valhalla, which he hopes to call Cracking the Code. He believes major corporations can benefit from what he learned about the philosophy of team-building. "I studied the personalities of the players," said Azinger, who worked with renowned psychologist Ron Braund. "I talked to each one for weeks before the competition started. Ron and I targeted who was aggressive, who was steady, who needed encouragement and who needed to be challenged." His plan actually started two years before the event, when he chose Ray Floyd, Dave Stockton (who called Azinger "the greatest Ryder Cup captain ever") and Olin Browne as his vice captains. He put each one in charge of a four-man group, then sorted the team into three pods. The philosophy was to start with the aggressive personalities, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim, followed by the two popular local players, Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes, then finish with unflappable players like Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Stewart Cink. "We had green-light and caution-light players," said Azinger. "I told them they were going to practice together, get to know each other, be responsible to each other. I told them we were going to value relationships over assets." Coincidentally, attention to detail had been the philosophy of Nick Faldo, Team Europe's captain. But this time it worked for the United States, giving them their first Ryder Cup victory in nine years. And it was especially satisfying for Azinger. "I am 10 times more proud of that than anything else I did in my career," he said. "The margin for victory is so small. Did you know in Las Vegas, the house edge is only 1 percent? At the highest level of all sports, it's razor thin." Azinger, realizing that all great coaches have a worthwhile philosophy, had former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz speak to the team. Holtz told them his philosophy of WIN -- "What's Important Now" -- something the players repeated to themselves all week. Tiger Woods was recovering from his knee injury in 2008, but kept in touch with the players by text. Friday, Woods is holding a press event to discuss his return to the PGA Tour. "I have all the respect in the world for Tiger's ability, his command of a very difficult game," said Azinger, "but I can't say I really knew him. I can't say anybody really did." Azinger, who likes the course at Broken Sound ("it's in fantastic shape and it's interesting," he said) believes he can teach team building to anyone. After all, he taught himself. "I was not a natural leader," he said. "Golfers are by nature self-absorbed. We're disciplined and committed, but we're not necessarily leaders. I learned so much through this experience. I think I have something to share." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

"Philosophy" same under Dantley - Denver Post Posted: 16 Feb 2010 11:58 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. When the Nuggets' George Karl misses games and practices while battling cancer, the coaching will come from Adrian Dantley. It won't be the first time the seven- year Nuggets assistant has taken over when Karl has been absent. Dantley did so for Karl in 2007 and won twice, even leading the Nuggets to a win over the Lakers in Los Angeles. Karl pinpointed games at Golden State on Feb. 25 and at Minnesota on March 10 as two definite dates he will not be on Denver's bench because of intensive radiation treatments. "We just keep it business as usual," Dantley said when asked about taking over. "We want guys to focus more. Of course, we're going to have to do more work when he's out. So everybody is going to have to do more than they normally do if he's not there. Each person has to step up a little bit more, do more work." Dantley said he won't change anything when the head coach is gone. "It wouldn't be A.D.'s coached team because it would be the same team," Dantley said. "I'm just subbing in for him. Just do whatever I can to hopefully win the games. I know in the past two games that I coached, George got on me in a funny kind of way because I normally play the starters a few more minutes than he did. That's in the back of my mind. But the main thing is to win these games." Karl said he has high hopes for the Nuggets contending for an NBA title "if the dudes over there cooperate," he said, looking at his players. "We've had a very good season; we need a better second half." Asked about Dantley's coaching style versus Karl's style, Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said: "It's a different voice, but it's still the same philosophy, still the same schemes. Guys have been around each other for a number of games, so we know what it's going to take to go out and compete. Not worried about it. We have a lot of great coaches on that bench that know the game that contribute every day." Added all-star guard Chaun-cey Billups: "A.D. knows the game, pretty much inside and out. He's not the talkative run-up-and-down, get-after-you type of guy. But he demands enough respect that when he talks, you listen. It means that myself and Kenyon and (Carmelo Anthony) and the captains have to take on a bigger piece of the pie as far as responsibility goes, as far as keeping everyone in line, as far as keeping everyone together. It'll be a challenge, and it'll be something that we're going to have to keep our fingers on as well." Dantley recently coached the NBA's rookie team in the All-Star Weekend game to a victory over the league's sophomore team. This, he said, is a different challenge. "I'm not a yeller or screamer. You can get your point across," Dantley said. "Will they listen? That's another thing. What we have to do is just focus and come ready to play games. Just come in with professionalism and win games." Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Fitch: Fairfax's Ratings Unaffected by Acquisition of Zenith; Outlook ... - Forbes Posted: 19 Feb 2010 10:18 AM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. BusinessWire - Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited's (Fairfax) announced proposal yesterday to acquire all of the outstanding common shares that it does not currently own of Zenith National Insurance Corp. (Zenith), does not affect ratings on Fairfax or any of its subsidiaries, according to Fitch Ratings. This proposed acquisition is consistent with Fitch's view of Fairfax as a 'true' holding company, whereby it acquires and oversees subsidiary insurance and reinsurance company operations under a decentralized management approach, while it seeks to add value through centralized investment management skills. As such, Zenith is expected to continue to operate independently under its existing management team and strategic philosophy, with investment management shifted to Fairfax. Article Controls email print reprint newsletter comments share del.icio.us Digg It! yahoo Facebook Twitter Reddit rss The cash consideration of approximately $1.3 billion, or $38 per share, represents a 31.4% premium over the closing price on Feb. 17, 2010, and will be funded with a combination of holding company cash, subsidiary dividends and a $200 million equity offering completed today. The acquisition is expected to close in second quarter 2010, with Zenith becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax. Fairfax has a history of investment in Zenith dating back to 1999, when it purchased a 38% stake in Zenith from Reliance Insurance Company. Fairfax's investment peaked at about 42% before it sold its entire position over the 2004-2006 period, generating $540 million of cash at a time when Fairfax needed a source of financial flexibility. Fairfax currently owns approximately 8.4% of Zenith's common shares, which were purchased more recently. This transaction follows Fairfax's purchases in 2009 of the remaining 27.4% of Odyssey Re Holdings Corp. (Odyssey Re) and 36.4% of Northbridge Financial Corp. (Northbridge) that it did not already own. Fitch's ratings of Fairfax are based on its role as a 'functioning' parent holding company with varied subsidiary profiles and a complex cash flow profile. Fitch's ratings of Fairfax's three core operating businesses - primary U.S. insurance operations through Crum & Forster, Canadian insurance operations through Northbridge and reinsurance operations through Odyssey Re - are rated at stand-alone levels currently, with no enhancement or detriment from the parent company. Going forward, Fairfax should benefit from increased upstream dividend capacity through its 100% owned operating subsidiaries. Fairfax's equity credit adjusted debt-to-total-capital ratio was 23.5% at both Dec. 31, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2008. Following completion of the proposed acquisition, financial leverage should remain within or below Fitch's expected range of 25%-30%. Earnings-based interest coverage (excluding realized gains) improved to 2.6 times (x) in 2009 from 0.2x coverage in 2008. Fairfax also continues to maintain a sizable amount of holding company cash, short-term investments and marketable securities of $1.2 billion on Dec. 31, 2009, and expects to have approximately $1 billion following completion of the proposed acquisition of Zenith. Fitch currently rates Fairfax and subsidiaries as follows: Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) --Issuer Default Rating (IDR) 'BBB-'; --Senior debt 'BB+'; --$181 million 7.75% due April 15, 2012 'BB+'; --$91 million 8.25% due Oct. 1, 2015 'BB+'; --$283 million 7.75% due June 15, 2017 'BB+'; --$144 million 7.375% due April 15, 2018 'BB+'; --CDN$400 million 7.5% due Aug. 19, 2019 'BB+'; --$92 million 8.3% due April 15, 2026 'BB+'; --$91 million 7.75% due July 15, 2037 'BB+'. --CDN$250 million series C preferred shares at 'BB-'; --CDN$200 million series E preferred shares at 'BB-'. Fairfax, Inc. --IDR 'BBB-'. Odyssey Re Holdings Corp. --IDR 'BBB'; --$50 million series A unsecured due March 15, 2021 'BBB-'; --$50 million series B unsecured due March 15, 2016 'BBB-'; --$40 million series C unsecured due Dec. 15, 2021 'BBB-'; --$225 million 7.65% due Nov. 1, 2013 'BBB-'; --$125 million 6.875% due May 1, 2015 'BBB-'; --$50 million series A preferred shares 'BB'; --$47 million series B preferred shares 'BB'. Odyssey America Reinsurance Corp. --Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) 'A-'. Crum & Forster Holdings Corp. --IDR 'BB+'; --$330 million 7.75% due May 1, 2017 'BB'. Crum & Forster Insurance Group: Crum and Forster Insurance Company Crum & Forster Indemnity Company The North River Insurance Company United States Fire Insurance Company --IFS 'BBB'. Northbridge Financial Insurance Group: Commonwealth Insurance Company Commonwealth Insurance Company of America Federated Insurance Company of Canada Lombard General Insurance Company of Canada Lombard Insurance Company Markel Insurance Company of Canada Zenith Insurance Company (Canada) --IFS 'BBB+'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. These rating actions reflect the application of Fitch's current criteria which is available on Fitch's web site at 'www.fitchratings.com' and specifically include: --'Insurance Rating Methodology' (Dec. 29, 2009); --'Non-Life Insurance Rating Criteria (Global)' (March 2, 2007). Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com. The issuer did not participate in the rating process other than through the medium of its public disclosure. ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. SOURCE: Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings Brian C. Schneider, CPA, CPCU, +1-312-606-2321 (Chicago) Dafina M. Dunmore, +1-312-368-3136 (Chicago) Brian Bertsch, +1-212-908-0549 (Media Relations, New York) brian.bertsch@fitchratings.com Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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