Comments by A_Casual_Business_Trvlr

Dear Sir,

the torch bearer is depicted on the wrong track - conceptually and geographically.

On a 20 Euro note he should run from right to left (east to north west) burning first the ΕΥΡΩ letters then Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain ending in Ireland.

Did the Banker by any chance return, forego or give to charity any of the ill-gotten gains that GS handsomely reward him with for dealing with the muppets ????

"In 1800 two-fifths of the world’s trade passed through the city."

A result perhaps of the wishes of a Monarchy that unjustifiably and cruelly declared foreign lands as its own and send their treasures and slavery products back to England - rather than a result of market forces?

Sooner or Later the printing press will start working. Printing fresh hot euros, for the PIGS to pay theid debts, for the Germans to strengthen themselves and actually a weak euro is not a very bad thing for the Eurozone after all

Tipping should not be in any way calculated as a percentage of the bill.

Why should I pay double fees in the same restaurant if I choose wines with double the price?

The waiter is doing the same exact job on a $20 bottle, a $50 bottle and a $100 bottle

Picked and remunerated by their friends in the nominations and emoluments committees.

Can only be voted for/against.

No real race of say 5 candidates for 2 director posts.

Both insiders and minority shareholders have the same weight in their voting.

Can they ever be independent?
-Not IMHO, not even "outside directors" as the title says

Maybe the Economist, who knows so much and can pass its absolute judgment in historical conflict, tell us why the British are still entitled to keep a sizeable portion of the island as sovereign base areas and why any solution proposed over the past 35 years always includes super rights for them?

The Euro was launched as a common currency in the good years and with rules as per the good years scenarios.

In the back of the global financial turmoil Greece is the weakest link in the Eurozone.

Without doubt Greece has not done its bit and is paying the bill.
But still shame on the European Leaders and Institutions for all their actions and mostly inaction

I sympathize with taking a child to see a parent's workplace and strongly encourage it.

I visited when I was a child my parent's office. Quietly sitting at an extra desk, drawing or doing my homework.

But we have to draw the line somewhere:

What about a traffic warden's little boy waving his arms following cues from the parent? Would you accept that as a driver?

Two important issues that call for a big debate, be it internal for someone thinking of enrolling in an MBA program or general for people who have an MBA.

(1) What is the reason of getting into an MBA program, usually long after graduating from a university degree?

Is it to put the three letters on your card?

I would argue that the value of any program would be to enhance knowledge and skills so to be able to climb up the corporate ladder, not by just putting three letters after your name. Some people have these skills naturally others might be willing to pay for the coaching.

(2) The second has to do with snobbery or appearances. Someone from a top tier university will today refrain from enrolling in a program that might be considered as inferior to a star CV.

Once top schools recognise that there are a lot of top tier university graduates unwilling to pause their careers, move across the world with their families to enroll in a program then distance learning MBAs might become more mainstream.

But at the moment, these institutions have their plates full. They charge enormous amounts for tuition fees, have very stringent criteria and an oversubscription for places.

Fortunately or unfortunately the Euro is facing its first real test.
Rules were made in an era of global blue skies.
They need to be re assessed, re evaluated and change.

Yes, Greece has much to blame for its woes. And for a country without industry, with heavy defence spending due to its difficult neighbourhood and reliance on the tourist income of the western world coming out of recession 2010 was going to be difficult.

But there is more at stake here than just Greece.

The strength of Euro as a currency is tested as well and it is my belief that Europe "will not do a Lehman" with Greece.

It's probably a global education, selection, pay, potential & incentives problem.

Who else would want a job like that?

In the age of RFID, GPS trackers, full wireless connectivity there must be surely a cheap and easy way to be able for the airline and passenger to keep complete track of the luggage.

Please bear in mind that in most parts of the western world (ex-USA)the vast majority of people do not own a gun, is probably illegal for them to own one, have never held one and probably will never will.

It is really a shame that we have really not learned anything from previous decades in applying it to today's challenges.

10-15 years ago each piece of hardware, each application, each peripheral was customised to its own field and platform.

Enter the internet age and we have reached almost platform independence. We can interact on this article, others from a pc, others from a mac, others from a mobile phone, others from an ipod touch, others from their tv.

But yet, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Nokia believe they can make their own version of the world with their app-stores, customised applications and so on and so on.

This is way too stupid.

One unknowingly 'wrong' action and a trigger happy officer on the other end could have cost his life.

I would love to say as other comments to keep away from planes but that's not possible. But hand luggage only might be a better option.

I believe the article was specific to colleagues. If your colleague is of a higher status than yourself then it would be difficult to refuse conversation or to appear nerdy or rude. On the other hand if the status is equal you can always state your intentions early before check-in and boarding so avoid any embarrassment mid-flight

Nobody is saying that photos (by any party Hertz or the client) are a foolproof method of evidence in a court of law.

But having the pictures would probably dissuade the "guilty" party of disputing damage.

Taking pictures with your phone is also recommended for the same reasons in a road accident - for insurance purposes.

I really do not buy the 'subsidy' line.

Do a back on the envelope calculation of revenues and costs to see that no element of subsidy exists.

If the first & business class customers were indeed subsidising the back end, then the trumpeted niche business only model would thrive or at least present modest losses. But instead the business only model has been a huge disaster and the back end either directly or indirectly will pay for those losses

Why do people keep comparing Ryanair to the other airlines?

Ryanair is offering an intercity bus service on air. You get what you pay for.

Going by coach from London to Paris is cheaper, no assigned seats, no extras. You can also of course go by 1st Class Eurostar.

But the price is not the same, the extras will not be the same and please do not compare them.

Ryanair does a marketing trick by comparing its prices against full fledged airlines.
It provides a social service to millions of passengers who did not have an alternative.
But further analysis and comparison to other airlines offering a full service does no justice to Ryanair or other airlines.