Riskopoly

The most appropriate game for our trying times:

The Game of Capitalist Imperialism!

(Risk and Monopoly are both registered trademarks of Parker Brothers, Inc.) “RISKOPOLY” and its rules are the property of Daniel M. Haley
Copyright 1975, 1996 All rights reserved.

Riskopoly is a combination of the games Risk and Monopoly. Though played as a board game, Riskopoly is actually a game of negotiation, cunning, economics, and politics. As model of the “real world” Riskopoly goes far beyond its venerated parent games. The formal rules of Riskopoly are actually just a framework. The real rules are those that govern global warfare and international business. The game is best when played creatively — and always remember EXTORTION IS LEGAL!

http://www.gilwood.org/riskopoly.htm

You’d better have all day — or at least until the End of History — to play.

train stories

Everyone in the big city’s got ‘em.

This morning:

A scruffy man shambles on to the bus, picking at the inch-long dreads curling from his scalp. He sits down across from me, removes his shoe, and begins rubbing his foot inside a decaying gym sock.

“That’s all there is to it,” he muttered to himself as I exited the train.

The chills don’t hit me until I start up “Waiting For Godot” for my 8 AM class.  A coincidence too trite to be believed; yet the thought hits me instantly: how did he know?

This afternoon:

I instantly recognize the sweet vomit smell: the young woman sitting next to me has Dmitri Gin on her breath at 2:30 in the afternoon. At the mercy of the rancid odor, like pickled body odor with a hint of pine, her mints are useless.

Trust, pt. 3

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

Pick the choice that BEST answers the question or completes the statement

1. Trust is ______________________.

a. a benefit concert

b. a smiling middle-aged white man

c. a smiling middle-aged white woman

d. a gun

Trust, pt. 2

Things I Do Not Trust (in no particular order)

1. Corporations large and small
2. Organic Foods
3. People who buy organic food
4. Anything on TV
5. People who trust anything on TV
6.  People who proudly proclaim The Daily Show as their only source of news
7. The benevolent owners of social networking sites
8. People who call for the benevolent owners of social networking sites to censor speech
9. Anyone calling for benevolent higher ups to censor speech
10. Russia
11. China
12. The U.S.
13. Excessive self-disclosure
14. Slavoj Zizek
15. Jeff Koons
16. Teetotalers
17. Moderates
18. Computer software
19. 27-inch Zeniths
20. Justin Timberlake
21. The Music press
22. The press in general
23. Banks
24. Conflict avoidance
25. Economists
26. The Economist
27. My turntable needles
28. Vegans
29. Hybrid cars
30. Cars in general
31. Bio-fuel’s a scam too
32. Bono
33. Google
34. John Edwards strikes me as particular disingenuous
35. People who build their resumes
36. Fair-trade coffee
37. Ethical consumer products in general
38. Bosses and supervisors
39. People really into fantasy like Lord of the Rings and shit
40. People into classic rock
41. People into modern rock
42. People who don’t like movies with subtitles
43. People who pathologize those who disagree with them
44. Anyone under 30, myself included

Trust, pt. 1

 

Trust is a relationship of reliance. A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes, law and their previous promises.

Trust does not need to involve belief in the good character, vices, or morals of the other party. Persons engaged in a criminal activity usually trust each other to some extent.

 

This section does not cite any references or sources.

 

A critical element in studies of trust behavior is power. One who is in a position of dependence cannot be said to trust another in a moral sense, but can be defined as trusting another in the most strict behavioral sense. Trusting another party when one is compelled to do so is sometimes called reliance, to indicate that the belief in benevolence and competence may be absent, while the behaviors are present. Others refer only to coercion.

 

 

 

Every brand is a promise. How will yours be kept?

 

Marketers need to uncover the subconscious emotional motivators that are not apparent with more superficial market research methods. They simply must sample emotions, not people. It’s critical to look at undercurrents in emotions and how these affect consumer behaviors and decisions. Marketing success depends on knowing the nature of consumers’ emotional reactions instead of sampling their surface opinions.

 

 

 

Trust is an abstract concept whose definition can differ based on the individual. However, when it comes to brand trust in international markets, it can mean only one thing. International companies need to ensure that foreign consumers have trust for their brand if they want to have successful relationships with their customers.

 

Every brand makes promises. Following through on the promise builds a brands image, just as failing to deliver can forever bury a brand.