Friday's Big Easy : Endless Recycling

When a company gets into trouble, you usually have some kind of consultant showing up with the following advice : "After having thoroughly screened the company, we think the major problem is that you try to do too much and hence are not capable of producing top line products and serving your customer properly. Restrict yourself to what you can do best, even if it means making only 1 product. Reorganize (polite word for lay offs)". Five years later when in trouble again, the same consultant shows up and now the analysis seems to point that you have become too dependent on 1 specif product and/or 1 specific client. Specialization can be a dangerous tactic to follow. Better is to diversify your product and customer range so you change and 5 years later etcetera etcetera etcetera. Likewise, we now cut the cost of hiring young unemployed in order to tackle youth unemployment, creating substitution problems somewhere else of course. And in 5 years time we do it for the elder long term unemployed etcetera etcetera etcetera.

Recycling is of all times, only rarely we see solutions showing up which are revolutionary or completely out of the box. Also this time - in times of economic crisis - the debate is usually focused on 2 mainstream schools which have been fighting a battle ever since 1930. Could it be that there is somewhere another solution, may be a kind of go between or something completely new, or do we have to recycle these theories and/or give them a fundamental face-lift ? Or may be the interaction of human beings on a macro economic scale is too complicated to grasp in 1 big comprehensive theory. To that extend, economics is for instance different and more humble in both its approach and aspirations than other human sciences such as for example sociology : nomos (laws of human nature) versus logos (universal laws of devine nature). So basically, our circle of professional economists have to admit that from time to time we are selling BS, but at least we don't pretend it's from a devine nature.

Talking about recycling, Friday fun goes easy and likes to focus on 3 singer song writers, your musical holiday treat for the year. First of all Luka Bloom, a straight from the heart Irish folk singer with a delicate great guitar touch. He turns into "rap" because he doesn't want be labeled or being put in a specific box/corner. Somehow however he manages to produce Blackbush Whiskey quality, all the way into the grand finale. So welcome in Luka's living room searching for love and recognition, there's nothing wrong about that. And if you can find the time, check this link which involves the ultimate form of love and Pablo Picasso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H3QZCUn9LY

Our second contestant is Justin Currie (Delamitri). This is basically an ode to existentialism, endless repetition, with some very catchy cynical one liners http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/del+amitri/nothing+ever+happens_20039191.html Basically :

Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all, the needle returns to the start of the song and we all sing along like before. Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all, they'll burn down the synagogues at six o'clock and we'll all go along like before

For our third and last contestant, recycling always comes in handy, be it with the band Crazy Horse and greasy guitars, Pearl Jam or in this case a true sober gem. And the solo unplugged version of "Stringman" has the extra. Let Grandpa Neil Young take care of the rest, with very wise lyrics by the way.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/stringman.html

You can say the soul is gone, and close another door, just be sure that yours is not the one

And I am singing for the stringman, who lately lost his wife, there is no dearer friend of mind, that I know in this life

On his shoulder rests a violin, for his head where chaos reigns, but his heart can't find a simple way to live with all these things

Nevertheless cheer up, cheers and have a nice weekend