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Volume Four, Number Twenty-nine
"Zest
for Enlightenment"
The
Irregular Newsletter of Z/Yen Limited
December 2004
Z/Yen Runs London
 The
intrepid Z/Yen running team braved the wet and cold to join 29,996 other
foolhardy souls in the Nike RunLondon 10K night race. Taking part were Mary
(the winner), Jeremy, Mark and Francesca. Logistical multi-tasking support was
ably provided by Giles Wright who carried bags, bought chocolates and beer and
managed to get himself a kebab (rising to third place in the Z/Yen kebab league)
while the race was going on. Giles easily gets confused between the concept of
a donor and a doner.
My
Lords and Ladies
For the past year Michael has been the Chairman of the Broad
Street Ward Club, parading about the City with his ceremonial badge of a lion
(or cat). There are 25 Ward Clubs in the City of London representing the
electors. Broad Street is the largest club with over 250 members, dates to 1278
and, in the Christmas panto spirit, has links with Dick Whittington and his cat
(or lion). And talking of links:
www.broadstreetwardclub.fsnet.co.uk Z/Yen staff, particularly Linda, Helen
and Becky, have been helping Michael organise a series of fascinating monthly
events that culminated in a recent luncheon for the Lord Mayor of London and his
delightful wife Fiona at the Guildhall for 220 people. At the luncheon it
wasn't exactly Ten Lords-a-Leaping but it was heaps of fun for all, including Sherriffs, Aldermen, Ambassadors, Rectors... The main course was lamb, but
don’t get excited Giles, it was chops, not kebabs. Fortunately, Michael steps
down next year and the pressure on the office should fall - Three-Ladies-Dancing
in the streets of Broad Street Ward.
We’ll All Be Better Off – Payroll Giving
 Z/Yen
has been awarded a major contract by the Institute of Fundraising to run a
managed service for the innovative new
Payroll Giving campaign, announced in the
Chancellor’s pre budget statement on 2 December. Tagged “We’ll All Be Better
Off” and ominously abbreviated to WABBO, this scheme provides grants to
organizations employing fewer than 500 people to help them set up payroll giving
schemes. When you factor in tax relief, a monthly Payroll Giving donation of
£10 costs a higher rate taxpayer only £6. In addition, for the first six months
of an employee’s Payroll Giving, the Government will match up to £10 per month
pound for pound, making the donation worth £20 to the charity. To be clear,
Giles, the Chancellor will not give you a free doner kebab with every kebab you
buy; this is about matching funds for charity donors. Many Now & Z/Yen
readers will have already seen the publicity around this campaign, although the
official launch will be in January. Ian Harris is directing the Z/Yen work; the
service will be managed by Linda Cook, who will be ably assisted by Helen
Davies, Becky Dawson and no doubt others as the campaign grows and thrives.
This is a prestigious and exciting string to our charity sector bow. Please
contact Ian or Linda for now if you want to know more about it.
We Could All Be Better Off - Betting
 Christmas
could come early for readers of Now & Z/Yen if they read "Betting on the Future:
Online Gambling Goes Mainstream Financial": by Michael Mainelli and Sam Dibb.
Michael and Sam's work was published by the Centre for the Study of Financial
Innovation and there was a major workshop on the topic this month. The basic
thesis is that increased liquidity in online gambling means that some
traditional financial products, e.g. football player bonus insurances, will be
challenged and that some innovative new financial products shall arise, e.g.
house price hedges via bets on sale indices. Of particular interest to Now &
Z/Yen readers who like adventurous opportunities to make a quick buck, the
report contains some pretty much fool-proof advice on how to beat the bookie.
Please contact Michael if you would like a copy of the paper.
PropheZy Predicts Prizes
In addition to last year's DTI Smart Award for PropheZy,
Michael was awarded IT Director of the Year by the British Computer Society for
Z/Yen’s work on PropheZy, our risk/reward prediction engine, and VizZy, our data
modeling visualisation software. Michael collected the award to
rapturous applause but was unable to thank everyone from the plumber to his mum
on the night (the BCS wouldn’t let him). Importantly, more and more people are
not only recognising the revolutionary nature of PropheZy through the awards
system, but are starting to build applications using it. People wanting more
details on how PropheZy might help their organisation should contact Michael in
the first instance.
Kwacha in the Wright
 Z/Yen
would like to offer its congratulations to Giles and Nikki who tied the knot in
Zambia on November 12th. A fully relaxed Giles in now back the office preparing
for Z/Yen's 2005 survey work. We’ll draw a veil over the potential for mishap
on honeymoon in Zambia if you don’t know your donor from your doner (nothing a
few hundred thousand Zambian Kwacha couldn’t solve), but simply wish Giles and
Nikki all the very best for their future together.
And a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our
readers.
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