Cost of Living in Sudan

Friends have asked before on what is the cost of living like in Sudan. The exchange rate here has risen a lot against the US$ Dollar. From a low of Sudanese Dinar 265 to a US$1.00 during October 2004 to a current high of Sudanese Dinar 201 to a US$1.00.

We do purchase our usual groceries / foodstuff around the Khartoum city centre. We have to go around to look for a reasonable price. See below a copy of a supermarket receipt for the normal foodstuff we bought and then you can compare it with the cost of living at your place. (please note that the receipt is denoted with the old Sudanese Pound rate which is 100 Sudanese Dinar equivalent to 1000 Sudanese Pound so the actual bill is actually 19,559 Sudanese Dinar).

The old Sudanese Pound was used by the country until the government changed it to the Sudanese Dinar some years back. Some shops still display their pricing under the Sudanese Pound rate.

The government of Sudan is changing its currency in stages starting with the smallest denomination note of 100 Sudanese Dinar to 1 Sudanese Pound (same name but under a different rate) as below in the picture below.

It will move to change other Sudanese Dinar notes of 500, 1000 & 5000 to Sudanese Pound as well.

Picture shown here is the 1000 Sudanese Dinar note (front & back).

When you look at the supermarket receipt, I think you could say that the purchasing power here in Sudan is really weak. Imagine 1000 Sudanese Pound is equivalent to US$5.00.
Tags: Journal, Life, Diary, Currency, Sudan, Sudanese Dinar, Sudanese Pound, Cost of Living, Purchasing Power

Difference Between Problem & Solution

Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million.

They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.

Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line . He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems. Always focus on solutions & not on problems.

Tags: Problem, Solution

Virtual Flower

Time to get those presents/flowers for your girlfriends/wives for the coming Valentine's Day. There is still time to order. Click the brochure below and you can order your gifts online from my friend's virtual shop.

Tags: Valentine's Day, My Virtual Flower, Flower, Online

Casino Dealer Training Course

With Singapore having approved two major tourism projects, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World, that will materialise from year 2009 onwards, the country has prepared itself to supply the skilled workers to support such tourism industry.

The International Club Games Training Center in Singapore has a Casino Dealer Training Course that will issue either a Certificate in Casino Management / Certificate in Dealing Casino Games / Certificate in Table Games Supervision after a 6 months stint with them. The training centre is equipped/styled after a real casino and filled with dozens of baccarat, roulette and blackjack tables.

Graduates will learn the following skills in the course:-

* swiftly gathering the scattered casino chips from the green roulette table into her cupped palm in stacks of 20

* calculate pay-outs at the roulette wheel, where the winnings depend on the placement of a chip and require quick-thinking math skills

* schooled in theoretical situations such as how to spot a cheat

* how to remain calm with aggressive customers (source: The Star)

Tags: Casino, Singapore, International Club Games Training Centre, Casino Dealer Training Course, Baccarat, Roulette, Blackjack, Training Course

'Doomsday' Vault Design Unveiled

What Doomsday? Something's happening that I have not heard of?

Norway has designed a vault to house seeds from all known varieties of food crops. I like this country as they do really plan so far ahead. This vault is built in anticipation of future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.

Construction for this vault shall begin in March and the first seeds shall be in by year 2008.

The vault's location has been examined and climate forecast has been made up to 200 years ahead. The Norway government has begun its contribution of US$7.9m with Germany (US$9.5m) and Ireland (US$3.8m) following their footsteps. The collection and maintenance of this vault shall be done by The Global Crop Diversity Trust, a foundation for food security.

More info on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Reading: Food crops in a changing climate - The Royal Society

Reading: What is a genebank and how does it work? - The Global Crop Diversity Trust

Tags: Food Crops, Doomsday, Vault, Norway, Svalbard International Seed Vault, The Global Crop Diversity Trust, Climate, Environment, Seeds

Pan-Asian - UnMalaysian?

The recent ban on Pan-Asian looks in advertisements are not going to be accepted by government-owned television stations. Now let's see, RTM1, RTM2, TV3, NTV7, 8TV & Channel9, all these channels are government-owned and they are the only free TV channels available in Malaysia. Pan-Asians can only be involved in advertisements that will run in the only private television channels (other than those mentioned above) under the Astro station.

Why the non-acceptance? Even though if the Pan-Asians are having full & legitimate Malaysian citizenship? Reason? Discrimination Again?

Reading: Models with Pan-Asian look not happy with proposal
Reading: Malaysian models defend the mixed look
Reading: Move seen as giving others a chance
Reading: Ad agency explains why Pan-Asians are preferred models
Tags: Pan-Asian, Discrimination, Advertisement, TV Channels, Malaysia, Models

English Gone Foreign

With the latest transaction done for the purchase of Liverpool by both George Gillett and Tom Hicks, there are now 7 English football clubs in the English Premier League that are owned by foreign owners:-

Manchester United - Malcolm Glazer, owner of American football's (NFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chelsea - Roman Abramovich, owner of Sibneft, a Russian oil company

Portsmouth - Alexandre Gaydamak, interest in financial and real estate businesses

Aston Villa - Randy Lerner, owner of NFL's Cleveland Browns and MBNA Corporation, bank holding companies

Fulham - Mohamed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods Department Store, with further interest in aviation companies, casino, real estate and hotel

West Ham - Eggert Magnusson, Icelandic businessman

Liverpool - George Gillett, owner of NHL's Montreal Canadiens, with interest in resorts, golf courses and food industry and Tom Hicks, owner of NHL's Dallas Stars and MBL 's Texas Rangers

The above owners are multi-billionaires/millionaires in their own capacity. They bought football clubs due to their 'want to win' attitude and that's the trait that brought them to where they are right now. On the other hand, the foreign owners see these investments simply as a business opportunity or a personal plaything.
Tags: Sports, Football, English Premier League, Manchester United, Malcolm Glazer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, Sibneft, Portsmouth, Alexandre Gaydamak, Aston Villa, Randy Lerner, Cleveland Browns, Fulham, Mohamed Al Fayed, Harrods, West Ham, Eggert Magnusson, Liverpool, George Gillett, Montreal Canadiens, Tom Hicks, Dallas Stars, Texas Rangers, NFL, NHL, MBL