http://yuuji.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/metrosecret17/

往尖東列車現在到站，乘客請勿超越黃線。暗乘時，請小心月台與車廂間嘅空隙。
往尖东列车现在到站，请乘客不要超越黄线。暗乘时，请小心月台与车厢之间的空隙。
The train for East Tsim Sha Tsui is approaching, please stand behind the yellow line and mind the platform gap when boarding secretly.

天造之材，
走進迷陣，
剎那貪快，
情天也變陰，
無邊遺憾
不可一，不可再。
向衝門說不，向意外說不。

一片愁雲慘霧只因為一個月台空隙．．．．．哎．．．我細個嘅時候都試過跌過落去九龍塘站嘅月台空隙，好彩我阿爸阿媽一手將我拉番起，總算無事。呢幾年，隨住基電柱話咩要響電梯道要緊握扶手，企定定唔准郁，結果就越嚟越多乘客要衝入乘車（駆け込み乗車），嚟快得一分鐘得一分鐘 結果掛住衝上車，就會唔得得左其實National Rail services嘅車站因為響柴頭時代留低嘅，彎位特別巨。

大家都知道香港係英國不可分割嘅一部分，咁響英國嘅情況又點呢？好多車站本身段差同彎道都好巨，甚至你隻腳踢到個空氣袋都未上到車，香港嘅段差同空隙都細過British Rail，所以叫做好好嫁啦．．．又好似呢幅圖咁，為左俾Tube嘅乘客可以響同一個月台轉乘National Rail services，所以就得架地鐵嚟，火車就唔多掂

除此之外，人身事故都係困擾National Rail services嘅難題之一。National Rail services為左由國際級鐵路，晉身世界級鐵路，響起價值幾百億嘅西線嘅時候因為請左虧鐵而嚟嘅工程師，所以照樣參照玫瑰園計劃嘅荒島綫咁，本身就設計有玻璃幕門。 咁但係自己條本線都要嫁，如果唔係好似依家經濟不景氣咁三日唔埋兩日又人身事故，咁大家番工番學放工放學都唔駛旨意有車搭。

於是乎，繼90年代National Rail services通勤五方面作戰之後（車輛+信號+車站+噪音+客服），又要搵顧問公司稔下要點可以裝到玻璃幕門。當時虧鐵就話，響地上車站裝唔到幕門係因為車站無冷氣，裝完之後只會侷死客，所以暫且不提。 咦．．．巨鑊．．．National Rail services個個車站都唔響地下，咁未唔駛裝？？！？！？！ 於是乎就唯有響島式月台車站嘅月台上蓋加冷氣機，如果係側式月台呢，就響幕門度加三菱制通風機，再用本身車站係背面非封密嘅嘅特性嚟通氣。嘩．．．咁西線嘅日本幕門都好大塊玻璃，咁重會唔會冧月台嫁？頭先都話ed，香港係英國不可分割嘅一部分，起野用料比標準多幾倍，所以唔駛慌。咁點解又傳說話幕門會整冧月台呢？ 1. 傳聞虧鐵為左拖延起幕門而講嘅　2. 甜人連月台幕門會倒塌都講得出，有咩9up佢地唔識講呢？拿我地一年交咁多錢碎，就係養埋d咁嘅（有大元貝話佢地叫弱智兒童）人啦。

不過大家坐過西線之後都會知道呢隻日本幕門響近地面嘅位置會有一個斜出嚟嘅box，佔位都唔係話小，咁響National Rail services上面個月台就就嚟逼番落大堂，再加野就認真唔多掂。咁唯有安月台閘，薄到貼，簡單又方便w

日本係最先用薄形月台閘嘅地方，於是發展到目前，基本上每間公司嘅每隻型號都會連動開關門提示音嘅功能。當時顧問公司曾經提議過National Rail services用日本嘅月台柵，不過佢地嘅睇法同田少一樣：如果乘客衝門，或者響車門關上前一刻上唔到車而月台柵又閂埋左嘅話，就會被困響「月台與車廂間之空隙」，後無路可退，前無路可進。

但係顧問公司居然無指出其實日本嘅可動式月台柵其實都有紅外線感應，如果有障礙物呢，佢係唔會閂嘅，咁個客未可以出番嚟攞，於是乎田少最關注嘅問題就唔存在啦。不過既然無人知道問題已解決，此post已完嘅時候，大家依然好認真咁去考慮月台空隙嘅問題，於是顧問公司就同時再指出左日本有第二d solution去解決月台空隙嘅問題，就係響月台閘打開嘅時候伸出嘅月台伸縮板，裝左之後就perfect晒啦（佢地估）

結果又要招標搵番西線幕門嘅果間公司嚟同佢地研究點樣做月台伸縮板嘅呢隻新product出嚟，希望可以好似日本咁combine埋月台閘嘅運作。於是由前朝攪到依家改埋朝換埋代，個試驗計劃都要繼續做。但係點解依家又試到無晒聲氣呢？

第一係因為如果有乘客企響月台踏板上面，佢係唔會郁嘅，咁到時又要趕羊咁趕番佢走，唔好阻住地球轉。
第二就係個月台板要同信號系統傾下計，談下心。例如話車到嘅時候，要架車經信號系統叫踏板伸出嚟。之後呢，踏板又要同TBL講「我伸左出嚟啦」。咁TBL就會將個Target speed變000，唔准郁。 於是係咁，車門先可以打開。車門閂ed之後就又要經TBL叫踏板收埋，收埋晒之後先可以有番target speed行車。如是者，每次攪一攪都成十幾二十秒。東鐵每程車個個站務都會遲十幾二十秒先肯閃燈開車，再個個站都要有踏板攪十幾二十秒，睇怕都可以全日用定速Mode運作。

不過唔係話日本月台柵係唔會響有障礙物嘅情況下閂埋嘅咩？咁仲諗咩月台踏板呀？
WFC？都無人知道呢個真確的嘅事實 依家改朝換代之後，烏龜鐵路實會同你裝法國月台閘（即係響荒島綫果隻呀），不過法國月台閘要用另外一條柱做障礙物橫向感應，閘門本身又厚，可以入得垃圾筒 棄老洞，到時車門閂左，月台門又閂埋，慢慢同空隙玩遊戲都未遲嫁 就算依家佢會俾錢用日本月台柵，輿論又話要解決空隙問題，唔好再俾天造之材因為殺那貪快而走進迷陣。同埋就係，依家烏龜鐵路跟本唔記得要裝嘅係月台閘門，唔係伸縮板，伸縮板只係因為唔知道日本月台柵有障礙物就唔會閂驚大家跌落空隙先要裝，要東線同礦場下的鐵路有月台閘？下世啦。

——

題外話：話說今日坐東線嘅時候，架高達烏蠅頭去到隧道中心突然間講野 ，大家都知道響隧道講野真係可以嚇死人。小的人老呆癡不特止，仲唔多嚇得．．．俾佢咁玩法真係唔多掂。不過稔時稔唔通高達烏蠅頭經過上次響我屋企樓下嘅人身事故之後變左瑞士銀行愆生產品列車？

Things are changing in the way that people interact with brands and organisations. But the advertising and communications industry is in large part stuck in the past. On Thursday, at the Battle of Big Thinking, I will make a plea for the planning community to become agents of change. The Declaration of Interdependence states some simple principles which could help to enable that change.

If others share these views then this will become a place to have some of that discussion. I am hoping that we will share examples of planners working together to bridge the gaps between disciplines. I am hoping for ideas about how we can do better. Let’s ignore the politics of agencies and work together. Let’s make a change.

If you are someone who is already doing this then please share. If planners, or thinkers, across the communications industry can work together we can get back to doing what we do best for our clients. Developing ideas which create change and transform business. If you want to know more, both the speech I gave and the Declaration can be found here.

Please join in.

This is a blog about cars.
Stay tuned for more posts.

Nos dias 14 e 15 de outubro realizou-se a Consulta Democratica para eleição de Reitor entre os pos-graduandos.

Resultado Geral: 31 votos

Francisco Miraglia: 11 votos (VENCEDOR)

Francisco de Oliveira: 7 votos

Glaucius Oliva: 5 votos

Wanderley da Costa; 3 votos

Sônia Penin: 3 votos

Sylvio Sawaia: 1 voto

Nulo: 1 voto

Vote você também: http://wp.me/pDnQk-2X

Before I get started on this one, I am going to warn you. Vulgar language may, or will, be present from this point on. Please read my page first (to the right) if you have not already. This part will make much more sense after. I promise!

I arrived in Fort Sill, OK. I had one duffle bag filled with toiletries, and two sets of clothing. It was a small base. A lot different from what I had expected. The first thing I remember was how cold it was. Spine-chilling. We had arrived at the in-processing base. Here is where you receive your uniforms, dog tags, and all your field gear (canteens, battle combat gear, etc.). Also, it is where you give them all of your personal information. I mean everything. It was where I created my first will. Not something you really want to think of on a first day.

The days were long. Nothing but classes, and formations, and more classes. Then it was breakfast! Ahh yes, the chow hall. Long lines where you are heal to toe, or what is more commonly called, “butt to nut”, with the person in front and back of you. Haha. Nothing but mind games everywhere you went. They purposely put TV’s in the chow halls to watch. Don’t watch television! You will be hungry the rest of the day. I do remember the food. Mmm…. definitely good. And surprisingly filling. It made me a little suspicious. Basic was not too bad! Haha. There are three things from in-processing I remember the most. My drill sergeant, my “Wish List”, and “The Tracks”. Although I can’t remember his name, I sure remember his face. Like it was burnt in to my brain! This guy was absolutely insane. He was Airbone Infantry. Airborne Assault. Also complete with a Pathfinder patch. Google this if you are lost. This guy scared me. Then there was my “Wish List”. And that is exactly what it is. Five bases that you WISH to be your first Duty Station. I really don’t see the point of this… it’s a teaser list. For my five (in no particular order), I picked Germany, Korea, Italy, Fort Lewis (close to home)… and I can’t remember the last. I think Germany and Fort Lewis were my top two. And that was that. Now the third thing that scared me more than anything, was “The Tracks”. I kept overhearing people talking about the tracks. What the hell are the tracks!? And when do we see it?

I soon came to find out I never wanted to cross the tracks. Also, I found out… I had not even arrived at basic training yet!! Once you cross the tracks, you are leaving the last bit of freedom you had. You are now hellbound for 9-weeks of basic training. After two weeks of in-processing, we were loading up to cross the tracks. Not on a bus. But rather, on a cattle trailer. A very small cattle trailer. We were not worthy enough to ride on anything better.

40-50 guys. Each carrying two duffle bags weighing about 40Ibs each, while also trying to hold on to 20 more pounds of gear that is unable to fit into your duffle bags…. all crammed into a small cattle trailer. “Butt to nut” is correct. Stand and wait nervously until we stop.

“GET OFF!! GET OFF YOU LITTLE SHITS!”

“Line… the fuck… UP!”

“Don’t drop your fucking gear!! Do not even think about it!”

“Your mommy isn’t here to protect you now, magot!”

Wow… boy was he right. We poured out of that trailer in bunches! Running as fast as your ass could move with 100+ pounds of gear. I tried to keep it off the ground as best as I could but everything you had was just so damn awkward in shape that it would throw your ass around.

“Move it! Move it! Line up on the drill floor! TOE THE LINE! Toe the God damn line you piece of shit! That’s it! Everyone! Get down! Get the fuck down! Get in the front leaning re- … do not let your gear touch the ground!! Get your fucking gear off my God damn clean floor!!”

Holy shit, are you kidding me?? What have I got myself in to? WHERE the hell am I!?! We had to get down in a push-up position, and somehow throw all our gear on our backs so they would stay off the ground. And hold that position until everyone had their gear off the ground. After 10-15 minutes, I think we finally got it. Or maybe the drill sergeants gave up on us.

“Get up! Get the fuck up! You have one minute. One fucking minute… to get your lazy asses up stairs, find a bunk, drop your shit, and get back down here in formation! GO!!”

We were gone! I found a bed, dropped my things, and headed back downstairs. It was a madhouse, but I made it back down in time. But… I fucked up. As soon as I got in formation I realized it. I fucked up. I approached my head drill sergeant: Drill Sergeant Johnson.

“Drill sergeant, I left my pa-…”

“Where in the FUCK is your patrol cap!?!? You got 10 fuc-… 10 God damn mother-… just go! Get the fuck out of here!! This is the first God damn day!”

And that was that. I almost shit in my sweat drenched uniform. That was the first and last time I ever made a mistake. Drill Sergeant Johnson was one mean looking soldier. He stood about 5′10″, Black, piercing white eyes that screamed “Killer!”. I have never seen someone’s arms so cut before. I was this guys bitch for the next two months. And I was not looking forward to it.

From that day on I made sure I didn’t do anything wrong. I tried to fly under the radar the rest of my stay there. They was 60 men to a platoon. Each platoon had their own sleeping bay. These bays were immaculate. And it was our soul purpose to keep it that way. I saw people dropping out left and right. People that could not take the pressure. These were the guys who wanted to commit suicide. They had their own formation. No belts. No shoe laces. No dog tags. And they wore bright orange vests. They had nothing they could use to strangler themselves. They thought they were going home, but they ended up staying longer then we did. That was their punishment.

The first two weeks was ungodly. Everyone was sick with the flu. I was fine. But during our marches to the chow hall… the sight, and smell was torture. Every two feet in any direction was throw up. Even on the walls. It made me want to throw up. Confining all these men to one bay, it was simple for everyone to get sick. I’m not sure how I survived it. I have never seen so much puke before in my life. The one good thing that was coming soon… was the gas chamber.

I do not wish the gas chamber on anyone. Chlorobenzylidene Malonitrile, known as CS gas, has ridiculous effects to the human body. CS gas is an irritant. Specifically, it irritates mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, causing tearing, sneezing, coughing, etc. It prevents you from taking deep breaths, or even breathing at all because instantly your chest starts to tighten. Once we were told to “break the seal” of our gas mask, we had to yell out our name, rank, and social security number. It burns your skin! And makes you want to scratch. Scratching your eyes is the worst thing you could ever do. If you do, you would wish you never had eyes. If you are sick entering the gas chamber, you will feel 100% refreshed upon leaving the gas chamber. Of course, once all the CS disipates off your body, the mucus stops pouring out of your nose and mouth, and your eyes quit watering.

On Sundays we had our free time. Even though that was the day we had to shine up the bay. Once completed, that was your time to write letters, buy toiletries from the PX (Army/navy store), or just relax. I always wrote letters back home. And to who… a girl. Which who I have failed to mention this whole time.

———————————————————————

Of course there is that “special girl” in this blog! Every soldier has someone special. It’s funny how we met too. Or, how we know each other. This goes off the topic, but it needs to be said, and is vital information.

Her name is Camille. We actually started talking to each other when I was a freshman in high school. We met on AOL Instant Messenger, back when it was more popular, haha. Yes, I met someone on the internet. I can’t remember who contacted who. It was too long ago. She was from Maryland. I was from Oregon. We talked every now and then – just small talk. But throughout high school we started talking more, and more. When she sent me her picture I thought she was extremely cute. I was a young and horny freshman though, haha. She was a Caucasian girl. Long brown hair, brown eyes. Gorgeous smile. At first it was friend talk. She would always ask me advice about her and her man friends. And I would do the same with me and my lady friends. The beginning of my senior year we were still talking. A lot closer then before, but still just friends. I will admit, I did have some feelings for her but I knew things would never go anywhere due to our distance. Then she did something that I could not believe. She lied to me. About her image. She made me think she was this Caucasian girl… she isn’t Caucasian. It was all a big game her and her friend (the Caucasian) were playing to fool guys. Honestly I was a little heart broken. Right after she told me, I saw her for the first time. On webcam! She is Asian. Filipina to be exact. I was pissed off. Furious as to why she would do such a thing… and keep it a secret all this time. It took me a while to forgive her, but I did not to throw away everything that we had gone through. So I gave in. After high school I ended up meeting this girl. Who… I… lost my “V” thing too. I met her that same day. Couldn’t believe I lost it to her. I guess deep down I was still mad at Camille. I didn’t even love this girl. We dated for a couple months – on and off. She did not have any goals in her life. And I felt like I was being used for everything. And I mean my body too. I never thought I could get tired of sex… but I did. So, I ended it. I didn’t think Camille would care, so I told her. It made her cry…

She stopped talking to me for awhile. But I promised her I would keep in touch. And I did. When I was in basic training I would send her letters, poems. And from time to time I would call her. Things were back to normal with us. Until I started getting these… feelings. I was not positive, because I have never felt that way before. But, I thought I loved her. I was sure of it. Overtime, when you talk to someone so much… you can’t really help but get feelings for them. You can’t control what your heart feels. I wore her picture around my neck, next to my dog tags. And never took it off. Finally, I got the courage to tell her… in a letter.

“I was in class when I read your letter. I fell off my chair…” – her exact words.

And so, we went along with it. Not knowing where I would end up.

Back to basic training…
———————————————————————

Overall, basic was not as bad as I thought. I earned the name “Heineken”. No one could ever pronounce my real name. They would always say Her-nee-sin. Wrong. So I stuck with the beer name. For me, the worst part of basic was the road marches. 3k, 5k, 10k, 12k 15k. Fifty pound ruck sack strapped to your back, full combat gear, including weapon. Not my kind of thing. I was horrible at the road marches. They gave me the worst shin splits ever. I had to suck it up. I was not about to fail anything after coming all this way. I would always end up falling near the back of the pack. The drill sergeants tend to ease up on you the closer you get to graduation. During the 15k march, I was struggling. Then something surprised the hell out of me.

“Come on Heineken, you can do it. Push it!”

Drill sergeant Johnson spoke the words I thought would never come out of his mouth. And he pronounced it right! That was all I needed. I was doing pretty good.

Another week passed, and I had not seen a girl in over a month. Then the nurses came. Goodness! I forgot what I was missing out on. “Stick me again, please?”

The following day we had Iraq veterans come talk to us. They told us, eventually, we would be going to Iraq. And a lot of us would not be coming back. Not something I wanted to hear. None of us wanted to hear that crap. But, it only made us stronger. It put us in that mind set. Drill and Ceremony was cut from basic training. We were not going to use it in Iraq. We were in war-time. They wanted us to concentrate more on combat scenarios. I thought nothing could prepare me for deployment. All it did was make me miss the people I loved the most.

The last 3-4 weeks there, Oklahoma became hot as hell. And weird weather started coming through. One week before our graduation we had our one week FTX (Field Training Exercise). Pretty much you stay out in the field the whole time conducting land movement exercises, and live on the rifle range. During our last firing exercise, the weather got vicious. They were calling for tornadoes but the drill sergeants ignored the warnings.

This was the first tornado I have ever been in. It was not only one though – it was two. Minutes seemed like seconds before the drill sergeants became frantic. Rushing everyone to, “Get in the God damn vehicles!!”

I could not believe how quick the wind picked up. The rain was blowing sideways. Everyone was in a panic. The visibility was so low, I was unable to find my gear. My battle buddy, Rodriguez, was having no luck either. Finally, I had found it. The winds were becoming stronger. I could barely see what was going on, but off in the distance I could see the drill sergeants literally picking up soldiers and throwing them in the back of the vehicles. With no time to think I grabbed my battle buddy and told him we had to get going. We started heading toward the trucks when my ID pouch with Camille’s picture came off my neck. Get the fuck out of here. When I turned back I saw that it had wrapped itself around one of the “V-stake” notches used to hold the weapons. I quickly ran over and grabbed it, wasting no time, hauling my ass back to the truck… only to be thrown with Hurculean strength in to the back! The 2 1/2 ton trucks were able to haul everyone out of there. On the way back to the barracks we passed by our camp. Or what was left of it. The tents were no where to be found. Actually, we were not able to find anything. That ended our FTX…

Following day: Graduation. And my parents visited. I could not believe how much I had missed them. I had passed basic with no problems. Then I got the news. I was heading to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, in Maryland. I had to surprise Camille.

Nun entscheiden also in der Schweiz Städte, Verlage und vielleicht auch die APG darüber, welche Plakate aufgehängt werden dürfen und welche nicht. Die grundsätzliche Fragen, wozu die öffentliche Hand ihren Boden hergibt (Werbung für beliebige Produkte scheint dabei unbedenklich zu sein) und was die Rolle von politischer Werbung überhaupt sein kann und soll, beliben dabei zunächst außen vor.
Lieber disktuiert der Tagi ausführlich darüber, ob das Plakat der Minarett-Initiative gedruckt werden kann/soll und von wem. Die TA Media überlässt den Entscheid den Verlagen, Newsnetz präsentiert das Plakat aber ohne jegliches Problembewusst sein gratis (wie auch die Tagesschau):

Dazu noch der obligate Kurt Imhof in der BZ:

Und man müsste aufzeigen, dass die Medienresonanz auf das Plakat zum Medienpopulismus gehört, der den politischen Populismus befördert und der demokratischen Kultur wie dem Ansehen der Schweiz in der Welt schadet.

Zurück zu den beiden Fragen:

1. Müssten nicht die von der Stadt der APG angeboteten Plakatstellen entweder alles zeigen, was sich im Rahmen des Gesetzes bewegt – oder dann einfach entfernt werden, weil sich der Staat nicht darüber finanzieren soll, was irgendwelche Leute auf irgendwelchen Plakaten darstellen wollen? Sollte Werbung nicht einfach etwas Privates sein?
2. Politische Werbung könnte m.E. von heute auf morgen verboten werden. Werbung sollte auf den Ausgang politischer Entscheidungen keinen Einfluss haben. Die beiden Argumente
   a) so könnten sich oppositionelle Anliegen Raum verschaffen, ihre Anliegen zu präsentieren und
   b) so könnten komplizierte Sachfragen für alle Stimmberechtigten »runtergebrochen« werden
   kann ich nachvollziehen – sie könnten aber dadruch entkräftet werden, dass z.B. beiden Seiten ein Gefäss auf SF offeriert wird (gleich lang), dass die Broschüren halbiert werden und in ihrer Form offener werden etc. Es wäre auch möglich, dass Plakatwände auf öffentlichem Grund hälftig an beide Seiten für die Information abgegeben werden – so dass es letztlich keine Rolle mehr spielt, wer wie viel Geld aufwendet, um einen Wahlkampf zu gewinnen.

Het ambtenarenpensioenfonds APG heeft Alpinvest Partners een mandaat gegeven om jaarlijks ruim 4 miljard euro te investeren.

Dat blijkt uit uitspraken van CEO Volkert Doeksen van AlpInvest, tijdens een conferentie in Hongkong.

Teken van vertrouwen
De toezegging van APG betekent een teken van vertrouwen in de private equity-sector, die een moeilijke periode doormaakt, aldus Doeksen. De CEO wilde niets kwijt over voor hoeveel jaar de overeenkomst geldt.

Veel beleggers in private-equity-fondsen zagen in het afgelopen jaar hun beleggingen wegsmelten. Ze kunnen of willen geen kapitaal meer in private equity-fondsen steken.

Exclusief
Alpinvest is voor de helft eigendom van APG, dat circa 173 miljard euro aan pensioengelden beheert. De andere helft is in handen van het pensioenfonds voor de zorgsector PGGM.

Het private-equity-fonds belegt sinds 1999 exclusief voor deze twee pensioenfondsen. Sinds 2000 kreeg het daarvoor meer dan 40 miljard euro toevertrouwd.

APG was woensdag niet voor een reactie bereikbaar.

You might remember APG’s «Ali Kebap» campaign with the wonderful stereotype Turkish kebab vender. That campaign was remarkable and made people talk. When I was in Lausanne, Switzerland, this past weekend, I walked by a boutique that had their shop windows decorated with many of the above-shown posters. I just thought, “WOW! This is catchy.”

The Ali poster was catchy not because Ali wasn’t beautiful – and by the way, beauty is subjective – but because you don’t expect someone like Ali to be on an ad poster. The Boutique Masculine Sud poster works with exactly the same tools. You don’t expect a lady like her to be half-naked on a poster for a boutique.

In my opinion, the poster is awesome, since it made me smile and get interested in what Boutique Masculine Sud does.

~ Sebi

A JWT tem um dos planejamentos mais hypados dos dias de hoje. Reconhecimento mais que merecido. No “APG Creative Strategy Awards”, considerado o prêmio que mais reconhece a estratégia, o case que está na frente da bolsa de apostas (rola bolsa de apostas mesmo!) é um assinado pela unidade indiana para a DTC – Diamond Trading Company. O cliente queria que suas jóias fossem usadas pelas noivas indianas nas cerimônias de casamento, ao invés das tradicionais jóias de ouro.

Depois de longas pesquisas e conversas com a equipe criativa, o planejamento chegou no seguinte:

To overturn centuries of tradition requires more than advertising. A bride wearing a bright red dress and bedecked in gold jewellery is an iconic Indian image.  The diamond bride though was our creation. Before this campaign, the concept did not exist. We had to make the Diamond Bride a reality, so that young brides out there knew what they could aspire to be on their big day. We set out to inspire the ideal of becoming a diamond bride, using a holistic communication model. With three re-inforcing pillars working together.

A estratégia em si:

Dress: Help translate desire into action

Advertising: Create desire around the notion

PR: raise the legitimacy of the action

The dress is a focal point of her wedding for every girl. Brides-to-be had told us, that even if they wanted to, they could not wear diamonds until they found outfits to match. And the market was full of wedding outfits that matched gold jewelry. Planning’s answer was an intensely practical one – create a distinct look for the diamond bride to help translate bridal desire into action. Thus, clothing emerged as a channel for the diamond bride idea. This also created innovative channels of expression and PR support for our campaign.

The best way to take this idea forward emerged via communications planning, we thought of approaching India’s finest designers to imagine this so-far mythical figure and imbue her with flesh and blood. Creatively speaking, that meant making India’s top 3 fashion designers Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani de facto advocates of the diamond bride. Each designer had their interpretation of the bridal look-the common thread being diamonds. This look was given visibility across media-as infomercials on TV and advertorials in magazines like Vogue and L’officiel. Additionally, we used the route of direct marketing to reach our target. Literally, handing them images they could shop to. A trend booklet on the Diamond Bride was sent out to subscribers of Femina and Hello magazines.

The film shows a bride bedecked in diamond jewellery. Once the ceremony is complete, the husband puts the sindoor (vermillion applied on hair parting for married Indian women) on her hair and the diamond tiara falls into place. That’s the cue for the bride to signal the end of the ceremony and she whispers in the groom’s ear: you may now kiss the bride. In short, a private moment in a public affair. Kissing the bride in the Indian context is NOT a matter of custom. (And public mention of kissing is quite taboo). In fact, asking for a kiss is a sure sign of self-expression from a bride who knows how to bask in the moment.

To put it in context, what the film does is place the diamond (in effect, replacing the traditional mode of jewellery) bang in the centre of the elaborate Indian wedding ceremony, thus conferring upon it a legitimacy that was always reserved earlier for gold, and a sense of modernity that gold can only aspire.

Eis os resultados:

In terms of research results, the proportion of diamond jewellery worn at weddings increased more than four times.  In terms of market results, the wedding diamond jewellery growth of 30% exceeded the overall diamond jewelry growth of 20%.

Agora as conclusões:

We learnt that the preference between precious products is actually the preference between precious cultures. We learnt that planning is about translating old things into new meanings.

Our client’s response to the campaign said it best: “The best part of this campaign is that it is not product focused. It is not just about the shine of the diamond, but about the shine of the bride, which is a real discriminator.”

De grote Nederlandse pensioenbeheerders, waaronder APG en PGGM, hebben een brandbrief gestuurd naar Eurocommissaris Charlie McCreevy (foto). Zij maken zich ongerust over de richtlijn die de EU over alternatieve investeringen als hedgefondsen in voorbereiding heeft.

De pensioenfondsen stellen dat de voorstellen hun beleggingsrisico’s ernstig beperken, zo staat in de brandbrief waarover Fondsnieuws beschikt.

Brede steun voor brandbrief
‘It may reduce investment opportunities and risk diversification, lead to higher costs and lower returns, and may not reach its intended objective to reduce the systemic risk as experienced under the current financial crisis’, staat in de brandbrief aan de eurocommissaris voor de interne markt.

De pensioenfondsen en institutionele beleggers hebben meer dan 450 miljard euro onder beheer. Het gaat om APG, Blue Sky Group, Hoogovens Pensioenfonds, MN Services, PGGM, Philips Pensioenfonds, Progress, Shell Pensioenfonds, Syntrus Achmea Asset Management.

Het initiatief wordt gesteund door de Vereniging Bedrijfstakpensioenfondsen en de Stichting voor Ondernemingspensioenfondsen.

Compliance officer Gerben Everts van APG, die de brief heeft opgesteld, zegt dat men het belang van de beleggers bij deze richtlijn duidelijk heeft willen maken.

Meer transparantie, niet regels
Men vindt dat de richtlijn te veel ‘a one size fits all’ benadering heeft. Zo worden private equity fondsen met hele andere kwesties geconfronteerd dan hedgefondsen, stellen de opstellers van de brief.

De institutionele beleggers vragen om een aanpassing van de richtlijn. Volgens hen moet bescherming van (institutionele) beleggers worden bereikt door meer transparantie en niet door meer regels.

‘Kosten voor leden omhoog’
De ondertekenaars van de brief vinden dat de scope van de richtlijn te breed is, de compliance kosten er te hoog door worden en dat daardoor de kosten voor de leden van de pensioenfondsen zullen stijgen en dientengevolge de opbrengsten zullen dalen.

Ook uit andere landen bestaat toenemend verzet tegen de richtlijn. De initiatiefnemers zeggen dat zij ondermeer contact hebben met de Britse National Association of Pension Funds, die ook bezwaar tegen de richtlijn heeft aangetekend.

brandbrief_mccreevy_030909[1]

Cordares en APG hebben hun beleggingsportefeuilles nog steeds niet samengevoegd, hoewel hierover een jaar geleden een positief besluit is genomen.

Als reden voor het feit dat Cordares zijn beleggingsportefeuille nog steeds niet heeft overgedragen, worden complexe interne processen genoemd.

Dit schrijft FEM Business vandaag op zijn website.

Volgens APG is het overdragen van individuele beleggingen van de ene naar de andere juridische entiteit juridisch complex en tijdrovend.

Schaal- en kostenvoordelen

Cordares is de pensioenuitvoerder van een aantal woningbouwcorporaties. Een jaar geleden werd besloten tot een samenvoeging van de beleggingsportefeuilles van Cordares en APG. Als reden hiervoor werd verwezen naar de schaal- en kostenvoordelen.

Ook werd ter onderbouwing van de fusie verwezen naar innovatieve technieken voor asset- en risicomanagement. Hierbij lag het accent niet op winstmaximalisatie, maar op behartiging van de collectieve stakeholdersbelangen zoals de dekkingsgraad van pensioenfondsen en de indexering van pensioenen.

Al in één gebouw

De beleggers van Cordares en APG zitten inmiddels al wel samen in het kantoorgebouw Symphony aan de Amsterdamse Zuidas. Volgens APG wordt de fusie van de beleggingsportefeuilles dan ook gewoon doorgezet.
Ook wijst de pensioenuitvoerder erop dat de voltrekking van de fusie ook ten minste een jaar zou duren.

* 26/08 19hs

Reunião Aberta na Sede da APG-USP – Discussão sobre as eleições para reitor: propostas de democratização da estrutura de poder e pauta específica da Pós-graduação.

* 31/08 , 19hs

Assembléia no Espaço de Vivência do DCE + cervejada

* 10/09, 19hs

Reunião Aberta na Sede da APG

* 16/09, 19hs

Assembléia(local a ser estabelecido)

*19/09

Encontro de Pós-graduandos das universidades estaduais paulistas na USP

Art and Social Intervention: The Incidental Person

Also forthcoming at apexart: The Incidental Person, curated by Antony Hudek;

I don’t have time to do a full post right now, but thought you might like a teaser……let me introduce Calu!

El miercoles 18 de este mes, me tocó visitar la Academia Profesional Gourmet, como queda cerca de la Central, en donde estoy haciendo un curso de Ingles, aproveche darle un vistazo a las instalaciones. Como la vez pasada que fui a Chuao a ver otra escuela me eché una buena perdida, esta vez imprimí en Google Maps la ruta de como llegarle y no me tardó nada encontrar la escuela.

Las instalaciones son muy acogedoras, tiene un Salón  de exposiciónes  y dos en donde se imparten clases de Teoría, es muy fácil de localizar y me atendieron amablemente. La carrera dura 1 año, otorga el Título de Chef de Cocina Profesional, inscrito en el INCE, más no estoy segura que en Ministerio de Educación. El Pénsum, es uno de los más completos y los precios son bastantes accesibles.

Dirección: Calle Codazzi, entre las Av Las Ciencias y la Facultad, Qta. Gourmet, Los Chaguaramos

Horarios:

9:00 AM a 11:00 AM

11:30 AM a 1:30 PM

6:00Pm a 8:00PM

Precios: 300 BsF Inscripción + 650 BsF Mensualidad.

Uniforme: 500 BsF

Leon Phang är planner på reklambyrån Jung von Matt och bloggar på The Planning Lab. Han är även ordförande för svenska plannerföreningen APG och brinner för reklam som både är kreativt inspirerande och strategiskt effektiv. Leon har redan gett sig in i debatten här på bloggen med konstruktiva tankar. Det var läge att låta honom vädra sina åsikter som gästdebattör.

385%! 589%! 765%!
Efter en titt i 100-wattarens vinnarbilaga 2008 tyckte jag att alla tresiffriga procentökningar verkade oseriösa och utan verklighetsanknytning.

Att lösa detta trovärdighetsproblem är förstås rätt i sig men det gör inte 100-wattaren mer intressant. Tävlingen kan vara så mycket mer än en seriös och rationell storasyster till Guldägget.

Nyckeln ligger i hur man ser på begreppet effekt.

Antingen kan effekt vara ett alibi för reklambranschen att få göra kul och kreativ reklam. Eller så finns det ett annat sätt att se på effekt som faktiskt är värt att belöna.

Till saken hör att företag i västvärlden faktiskt inte har något effektivitetsproblem. Våra företag är ju redan vältrimmade och optimerade. De är effektiva!

Västvärldens problem är snarare brist på innovation. Eller rättare sagt, vi kan alltid behöva mer innovation för att inte hamna i den globala ekonomins kölvatten.

För de flesta är innovation lika med nytänkande, projekt som kräver riskkapital och som kan leda till fantastiska saker som biotech, rymdresor, miljöteknik och smarta robotar.

Men innovation är också ett förhållningssätt till affärer, för i grund och botten är det optimism, vision, risktagande och entreprenörskapet som föder innovation. Nytänkande inom marknadsföring är en del av detta. Och då pratar vi inte om kreativ reklam, utan om att definiera om ett företags produkt, dess konkurrenter, dess marknad – kanske rent av dess existens.

Exempel:

Vad händer om ett företag säljer sina produkter till helt andra människor?

Eller ger bort sin produkt gratis men tar betalt för en reklamen i stället?

Eller digitaliserar sin analoga tjänst, eller gör den fysisk om den är digital?

Eller kombinerar sin produkt med en annan produkt på marknaden till något nytt?

Eller gör tvärtom från vad det brukar göra?

Huvudpoängen är att på samma sätt som reklambyrån är kreativ när det gäller utformning av reklam kan en företagsledare vara kreativ när det gäller att definiera strategi, taktik och förhållningssätt till sitt varumärke och sin marknad. Siffror går från att vara passiva redovisningstal till vapen för förändring.

Framförallt blir tresiffriga procenttal inte alls slumpmässiga fantasital utan ett resultat av risktagande, mod och innovativt tänkande. Det är en verklighet värd att belönas.

/Leon Phang

Many home sellers, especially those that have sold homes before in soaring markets, want to list at a price greater than the market value. They usually say “we can always come down.”  Not a good idea and this is why.

Lets take a look at what happens from the time the home is listed. When entered into the MLS, the property information goes out to multiple websites and is sent to buyers with matching criteria. The problem with the home being overpriced is that those buyers know it. They have access to accurate home value sites and they have more than likely seen other properties in the area at lower prices. They are going to wait until your price comes down. So, the best opportunity to get the most money in shortest time is lost.

Now we are on the market for 30 days and you decide it is time to drop the price. Remember it is a declining market and one more factor is coming into play, more inventory. You see more than twice as many homes are coming on the market than are being sold. Your home is worth less than it was when it was originally listed, it has time on the market (not likely to get full price offer) and you have more competition.

The moral of the story is, in a declining market you may want to list your home 5-10% below current market value, if you really want to get it sold in the shortest time. Second that will more than likely get you the highest price as well (may create a bidding competition).  In this market, highest list price does not equal, highest net price.

For more on pricing and a free report on the 10 questions to ask before you choose an agent, go to http://TheWhittakerTeam.com