Kellogg's is a waste of space

In this consumer's world we chow through huge amounts of stuff, probably a lot more than we need. Over the years economists have reminded us that having things doesn't necessarily mean happiness, and can even mean unhappiness. The latest on this theme is Robert Skidelsky's 'How Much is Enough?' which draws on a theme of Maynard Keynes in the 1930s, where he imagined that as the human race grew richer it would seek more leisure. Eventually we'd only be working 15 hours a week. But that simply hasn't happened and the desire for more is a strong as ever. Pity then that Kellogg's, the famous branded cereal provider continues to rip us off and that we continue to fall for it. A box of Kellogg's All Bran Flakes here is smartly packaged but the contents are way less than the box. Kellogg's might argue that the contents 'settle' in transit but even the packet itself inside is a lot smaller than the box. This is waste, a lack of economic efficiency and deludes an easily-deluded public. Each box takes up more space in the truck, in the trolley and on the shelf. Well, it's a free market (sort of) and if Kellogg's gets away with it, well so be it. Kellogg's sure is big business, with 3rd quarter sales of $3.7bn and operating profit of nearly half a billion. It's a brand that's been around for over a century, not many like it. The QSL is from WKAR Radio broadcasting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan just a few miles up the road from Kellogg's HQ in Battle Creek, MI. It was heard on a trip to Chicago in 1992.

Jain mutinies save insects

Relative to insects we are gigantic. And we have god-like control over them in one-on-one situations. Take this little ant that was caught on the lid of a pot on the stove. As it heated up the ant started running about crazily to get away. I blew it onto the kitchen dresser and off it scampered. Then there was this little spider which had crept into the folds of the pool cover. As I pulled the cover over the pool some water seeped on to the top, trapping the little creature. Every now and again it would make a dash in one direction or another looking for a way out. This would only last a second or two. I guess instinct was telling it not to move for too long so as not to be spotted by a  predator. I left the cover to dry so the spider would find a path to freedom. Sure enough it was gone a couple of hours later. In VS Naipal's book India - a Million Mutinies Now, he talks about a Jain who is unwilling to walk outdoors for fear of treading on insects scuttling in the street. I can't say I'm that freaked out but I don't like to hurt little creatures if I can possibly avoid it, drawing the line at mosquitoes, which deserve termination with full prejudice. Of course, were the human race to decide to wipe itself out in a nuclear war insects would most likely have the best chance of surviving. The QSL is from All India Radio, Kurseong in the north-eastern corner of India, near Bhutan. This is another classic, signed by AK Bhatnagar and heard in Kent in 2001.

Guatemala sways Obama's ticket

After a lot of jawboning about swing states, Obama won the lot, with the exception of North Carolina. Much of this was due to the Latin American vote which swayed most of the southern swing states Obama's way. Hispanics made up 10% of the national vote and this is sure to rise in the years ahead. The population is growing (up 43% in the past decade) and the turnout is still only around 50% compared to well over 60% for other groups. In Florida, it was close with only 74000 votes separating the candidates out of over 8 million cast, razor-thin on any measure. Hispanics made the difference and these days Cuban-Americans are rivalled by voters from other parts of Central America, like Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. America is changing colour and language so any party that wants to count will have to take heed. Notions of building electric fences across the Mexican border are unlikely to be winning strategies! The election was yet another example of America's thriving democracy, with all its flaws, not least of which is the absurd amount of money spent by candidates. We have to see now whether the newly-elected politicians are capable of mature compromise on the deficit and long-term national debt. So far children have been at play in Washington. The QSL is from R Maya de Barillas in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on the Mexican border. This 1 kW station was heard on 90 mb in London in 1995. Station chief José Castañeda sent a lovely typed letter including congratulations on my Spanish! Actually my Spanish is very rudimentary but I had the use of a translator to put my letter together.

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, gone in a flash

Just back from another rush trip to western Europe. On one day we flew - London to Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Stockholm and even managed to see some clients! It was a pity the Copenhagen visit was so brief as I had no chance to meet again with Anker Petersen and Kaj Bredahl Jorgensen, stalwarts of the Danish Short Wave Club International, which has been going for over 50 years. I had a delightful meeting with them in a Copenhagen hotel last year which ended up with a picture of us on the DSWCI magazine - fame at last! The club bills itself as 'DX Club that  had  global  membership 30 years  before "Globalization" ' and it's true. In my early teens I knew where every country in the world was and most capitals, even the islands in the Pacific and tiny places like Belize (British Honduras) and San Marino, to say nothing of little dots like Tristan da Cunha and Cape Verde Islands. It always amazes me when people talk about 'visiting Africa' as if it was one homogeneous place rather than a continent with over 50 countries, easily spanning both sides of the equator. Denmark itself is quite a small country with a high standard of living. I believe Scandinavia to be probably the most civilised region on the planet. The QSL is from Radio Denmark heard on long-wave in Kent in 1996.

A tale of two Argentine naval vessels

While the Argentine navy's corvette, Espora (ARA P-41), has calmly rested in Simon's Town harbour over the past two weeks, another of its ships, the Libertad, is clogging up Tema, Ghana's main port. This 100-metre long tallship is a training vessel and was seized on 1 October under a court order relating to Argentina's brutal debt default in 2002. Elliott Capital Management, which still owns a piece of Argentina's defaulted debt, has steadfastly pursued a payout despite the exchange into new debt that was effected in 2005. And now, in New York, the US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Argentina is barred from giving priority to bondholders who accepted the 2005 debt exchanges that flowed from Argentina's massive sovereign debt default at the beginning of the decade. This is not the end of the saga by any means as Argentina will surely appeal this ruling. But in the meantime, Libertad is blocking berth 11 at Tema and the Ghanaian Ports Authority wants to move it to a quieter part of the harbour. Down in Simon's Town, the P-41 has idled on the outer wall of the harbour and is blocking nobody. In fact it didn't even participate in the latest exercise which involved warships from Brazil, India and South Africa. The QSL is from WPTR in New York, heard on 1540 AM in Cape Town back in 1968.

Kagame and Kabila - could they ever be a dream team?

Much of sub-Saharan Africa is high-growth GDP territory these days, eclipsed only by Asian economies. Rwanda is right up there with the highest, seemingly capable of growing at a 7-8% clip, versus around 5% for the region as a whole, and with only modest inflation to boot. This is a  far cry from the country ravaged by the appalling civil war in 1994 when something like 20% of the population was wiped out. In the aftermath millions more were killed in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after Laurent Kabila (father of current DRC president, Joseph Kabila) came to power. Rwanda has gotten great press in recent years, billed by some as 'Africa's greatest success story'. Under the rather authoritarian government of Paul Kagame the economy has made great strides, pursuing a kind of command and control strategy reminiscent of Singapore. It is very strong on regulatory overhaul: it now takes just one day to register a new business. Unfortunately, the conflict in neighbouring DR Congo continues, with the UN now accusing Rwanda of supporting rebels in eastern DRC. This area is immensely rich in minerals and it's likely that the lure of profits in tin, tungsten and tantalum mined in the region is behind the funding for this rebel activity. The potential for these two countries in the next century is potentially enormous if only they could cooperate. Kigali, Rwanda's capital could become the service hub for DRC's eastern mineral wealth, to the benefit of both their populations. The QSL is from Radio Rwanda, heard in Johannesburg in 1992 on the 49mb where it is still active today.

When Irish oil is smiling

Ireland consumes about 140k barrels of oil a day, all imported, so this week's announcement of an offshore field in the Celtic Sea could turn the country into an exporter. A platform in the Barryroe field, 50km off the Cork coast could produce as much as 100k bpd and a number of platforms are possible if Providence Resources can get backing. The discovery is likely to inspire further exploration as well as downstream development and oilfield services. Currently there is only one refinery, fortunately in Cork, close enough to pipe the Barryroe oil. Irish real GDP peaked in 2007 and is still running some 8% shy of that, having flatlined for the past year, so any boost from the oil industry would be welcome. Ireland runs a current account surplus with the latest data showing exports up 18% year-on-year. Imports are running at about EUR 4bn per month with oil making up one-twelfth, about EUR 4bn per annum. So Barryroe would add to the surplus or increase capacity to import other stuff. The positive balance of payments factor distinguishes Ireland from its Eurozone peripheral partners. The Irish 10-year bond yield has fallen dramatically over the past year, from a high of nearly 15% to under 5%, almost identical to Italy's. Economic woes have pushed emigration to the highest for years, especially among the young. But the economy is gradually self-medicating after years of pain and the oil boost (with the potential for more to come) is a sweetener. The QSL is from Radio Telefis Eireann broadcasting on AM. The transmitter on 729 kHz was in Cork, using 10 kW and heard in London in 1996. Both these transmitters have since shut down.