Headline, February01, 2014

''' THE GLOBAL RACE : 

HUFF-HUFF & PUFF PUFF '''

ASK  -conspiracy theorists  -nay, nay, sorry! Ask any number of reasonable and knowledgeable  persons : who they think really runs the world?

And in every likelihood they will point to global banks, such as Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, Oil giants such as Exxon Mobil and Shell may also figure a mention.

AND THEN, and then, there is all, all of the above, but then there is an American  company called  BLACKROCK.

It is the biggest shareholder in all the companies listed above. It owns a stake in almost every listed company not just in America but globally.

Its reach extends further to corporate bonds, sovereign debt, commodities, hedge funds and beyond. 

It is easily the biggest investor in the world, with   $4.1 trillion  of directly controlled assets  and another $11 trillion it overseas through its trading platform.

How does one compete with a masterpiece of Aladdin's genius?

What the world truly needs is some : Tough Love.

For starters, what is this race? Diplomats may tussle, governments may try to outbid each other for footloose business, bit global prosperity is not a zero-sum contest.

Britons will not profit at at the expense of the Chinese, or vice versa. India should not profit at the expense of Pakistan and vice versa. 

They will become richer,  -all will become richer only so long as their country boosts its productivity, no matter what the other opposite number does.

This is not an academic distinction. To hear the Tories talk of Britons needing to compete with the Chinese, you might think they should also compete like the Chinese: by working longer longer hours and suppressing wages.

That is wrong not only because it is a wretched prospect. It also shifts attention from Britons competitive advantage: their capacity for innovation.

For the most part, Britons do not need to work longer  -they already put in among the longest shifts in Europe  -but more ingeniously and more productively.

They need to be not more like the Chinese or Indians, but more like themselves

And in the last Post, all of you would recall, i had highlighted the crumbling and tumbling of Learning levels in rural areas of Pakistan.

Sindh has shown worst students learning outcomes, enrolment as well as school facilities.

 While Punjab Tops  -among the provinces followed by Gilgit-Baltistan, KPK and Baluchistan in terms of students learning outcomes, enrolment and school infrastructure    

The survey findings were based on the testing of   249,832   students including   -41% girls-  in rural parts of 138 districts and 13 urban districts.

The ACER survey was pioneered in India in 2005 and is now being conducted in eight countries to assess their school students learning levels and school facilities.

With respectful dedication to many Indian giants: Dilip Kumar, Sunil Gavasker, Amitabh Bachan, Waheeda Rehman, and the Students, Professors and Teachers of India. See Ya all on !WOW! -the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

''' Rebirth Of The Cool '''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless