Pope Benedict on Twitter

As you know, Pope Benedict has decided to enter the world of Twitter. His account will not be active until December 12, 2012 and he has not yet posted a single tweet but already has more than 300,000 followers. He will, of course, end up with millions of followers. His Twitter name, in case you are interested, is @Pontifex. He will, however, not be replying to any messages you send. 

Yemen and Germany

The recent bombing plots have prompted Germany to immediately halt all flights from Yemen to Germany. It seems that twice weekly flights from Yemen to Franfurt are too risky for comfort. Germany - and all of Europe - will soon be forced to take extraordinary measures to protect itself. Does anyone blame them?

Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy recently announced that he would give French farmers strong financial support - they deserve it as much as the financiers he said. I agree with that 100%. The future of the EU rests with its farmers and its ties to Russia. The more I read about Sarkozy the more I believe he understands politics well. This topless woman might agree with that too.

A little dilemma

Swiss voters amended their constitution on Sunday to outlaw the construction of minarets, the Moslem church symbol - like the spire in a cathedral. They did not outlaw the Moslem faith, just the minaret. It so happens that the Swiss courts cannot rule the amendment unconstitutional because the amendment is now part of the constitution itself. What to do? I suppose the European Union could make a case of it if they want to. I have no clue and neither does this topless woman.

Missile Defense Shield

From Yahoo! News: “PRAGUE – Scuttling a missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland helps smooth relations between the U.S. and Russia. But at what price? Some of America's staunchest allies are the East Europeans — and on Thursday, they expressed dismay at what many see as a slight after decades of their support for the U.S. Among them were some famous names, including Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity leader and Polish ex-president. "I can see what kind of policy the Obama administration is pursuing toward this part of Europe," he said ruefully, adding: "The way we are being approached needs to change." Evidently, today’s leaders don’t know anything about Winston Churchill and World War Two history. Not to worry. I am absolutely certain that wherever the U.S. can’t handle security matters in Eastern Europe, the EU will step in, as soon as they re-arm. This topless woman is from the Czech Republic and she does not look worried to me.

Wind Turbines Are Beautiful

From another popular news site: “Paris – Wind is the fastest growing renewable energy in Europe – making up a third of new energy here, with 20 turbines added every working day in 2008, according to EU statistics. What the European wind energy industry now wants is to expand – offshore. Ocean winds are a stronger and more predictable form of energy than the ones on land, and the industry is pushing a $57 billion investment to allow broad-winged turbines to spin at sea. Offshore turbines are also seen as a solution to complaints from Europeans who do not want the gargantuan turbines in their backyards. Complaints that the turbines ruin ocean views have slowed US efforts to get a project started off the coast of Massachusetts. The US has virtually no offshore wind energy, though the Obama administration has started to work on the issue.” My own opinion is that turbines actually decorate the ocean. I think they look cool coming out of the water. Just be careful that you don’t smack your boat against one of the pylons.

Backing down

From a Yahoo! News story: “TEHRAN, Iran – A young French academic and local staff of the British and French embassies stood trial Saturday with dozens of Iranian opposition figures and confessed to being involved in the country's postelection unrest. Iran's opposition and rights groups have condemned the trial as a sham and say such confessions are coerced and scripted. Britain, which seemed caught off guard by the appearance of its embassy employee, called it an outrage, while France demanded the immediate release of its citizen. Reiss has been charged with acting against national security by joining protests, gathering information, taking photos and sending them abroad. The French Foreign Ministry on Saturday called for the immediate release of both Reiss and embassy employee Afshar, saying that the charges against them were without basis. The ministry statement also objected to the conditions under which Reiss and Afshar were being tried, and "deplored" that neither woman was represented by a lawyer. Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, expressed concern over the trials and noted that actions against one EU country — citizen or embassy staff — is considered action against all EU member states.”

Believe it or not, this is the first time in recorded history that a statement like the one made by Sweden, has been made. Put it down on your calendar. This virtually guarantees that Iran will back down – very soon. What do I know? Nothing.

Diplomacy is funny

From a Yahoo! News story: "PRAGUE – Despite deep Russian misgivings, the European Union and six former Soviet republics formally agreed on Thursday to pursue a new partnership meant to draw the eastern nations closer into the EU orbit. The agreement approved by presidents, premiers and their deputies from 33 nations is meant to extend the EU's political and economic ties in exchange for commitments to democracy from beneficiary nations. But already riled by NATO's eastward outreach, Moscow views the so-called "Eastern Partnership" plan with suspicion. Kremlin ally Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of the International Affairs committee in Russia's upper parliament house, said Thursday the Prague meeting was a geopolitically motivated effort by the West to increase its influence over former Soviet republics, Russian news agencies reported.
"This Eastern Partnership is directed against no one, including Russia," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among 17 heads of governments attending, along with four heads of state. Javier Solana, the EU's top diplomat, chided unidentified Russian leaders by saying their comments "have not been very constructive vis a vis the meeting of today." "This is not against Russia," he told reporters.

This, of course, is a bunch of nonsense. The deal is aimed at Russia, plain and simple. Politicians and diplomats can NEVER be honest. That would spell disaster for everybody, no?

Transparency

Pay no attention to the markets. The markets will be just fine - I don't want to repeat myself so much. In less than a year, everyone will be better off. The adjustments will have washed away all the dirty financial grime. The thing you should be paying attention to is the proposal to eliminate cash as an instrument for barter. The Europeans no longer trust the U.S., even if they act like they do. Keep your eyes on the November meeting of the G20. Your credit card will be your new ID. All of this in the name of financial transparency. Get a second opinion if you feel the need.

Europe and Finance

As I was saying, the EU has initiated a plan, by way of French President Sarkozy, to revamp the current world financial setup - whatever that is. The idea of a universal currency and a worldwide cashless system might be proposed. The idea will be resisted - for now. What the credit crisis brought out into the open is a serious credibility problem regarding the future strength of the U.S. economy. Japan, China, India, Russia, and all of Latin America will benefit greatly from this.

"On Friday, Sarkozy repeated his call to overhaul the global financial system so that it can be better supervised in the wake of the crisis.
"Together we need to rebuild a capitalism that is more respectful to man, more respectful to the planet, more respectful to future generations and be finished with a capitalism obsessed by the frantic search for short-term profit," Sarkozy said
Sarkozy has floated the idea of reforming rating agencies and even exploring the future of currency systems.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who engineered a British bank bailout that inspired U.S. and European rescues, is proposing radical changes to the global capitalist system, including a cross-border mechanism to monitor the world's 30 biggest financial institutions. "