A fine first day in California, although some pretty depressing news and views from mining Africa–but then corruption and incompetence in Africa is so routine I hesitate to write about the common-place, for it is so common.   Seems to me if you choose to invest or work in mines in Africa, you must be prepared to take the tough along with the profit or loss.  Them guys are not angels–they are tribalists, and tribalists look after the tribe first, and maybe the white worker or investor last, if at all. 

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Monday morning free advice:  if you are reading one of those books or papers on managment and you see one of those figures involving a circle of activity,  I recommend that you put the book down and flee.  You surely know the kind of figure I mean.  There is generally a circle that is divided into a number of activities.  There is generally an arrow that directs you to go around the circle in a clockwise direction.  The most common activities into which the circle is divided are: plan; do; monitor; evaluate.  Or some combination or variation thereof. 

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