Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has a bout of scarlet fever and will miss this week's EU summit in Brussels, his foreign minister says.The minister, Franco Frattini, said he would attend instead of Mr Berlusconi. Italian media reports say Mr Berlusconi, 73, has a mild form of the fever, which can result in a sore throat, high temperature and rash. He is thought to have caught it from one of his grandchildren. Doctors have advised him not to travel yet
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has a bout of scarlet fever and will miss this week's EU summit in Brussels, his foreign minister says.
The minister, Franco Frattini, said he would attend instead of Mr Berlusconi.
Italian media reports say Mr Berlusconi, 73, has a mild form of the fever, which can result in a sore throat, high temperature and rash.
He is thought to have caught it from one of his grandchildren. Doctors have advised him not to travel yet
He's pissed that the appeals court confirmed Mills' guilty sentence today to 4 and a half years prison (0f which he will not serve an hour thanks to the Prodi-Mastella holy indulgence law.)
The sentence established that Mills was corrupted by Berlusconi to perjure himself under oath. Mills' false testimony saved Berlusconi in one of his many criminal trials.
Now the sentence will go to the highest court where it will likely be confirmed but extinguished over the statute of limitations.
Two radical reforms are needed in Italy. One: A defendant who is found guilty must begin to serve his prison sentence rather than wait out another two grades of justice. Two: Once the first trial begins or a suspect is caught, the statute of limitations ceases to be.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, has said that he "appreciates" the support shown by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, over Tehran's nuclear programme.Erdogan, who arrived in Tehran for bilateral talks on Tuesday, has accused Western nations of hypocrisy in criticising Iran's uranium enrichment programme while remaining silent on Israel, which is believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal. Ahmadinejad told Erdogan: "When an illicit regime possesses nuclear arms, one can not talk about depriving other nations from the peaceful nuclear programme.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, has said that he "appreciates" the support shown by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, over Tehran's nuclear programme.Erdogan, who arrived in Tehran for bilateral talks on Tuesday, has accused Western nations of hypocrisy in criticising Iran's uranium enrichment programme while remaining silent on Israel, which is believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Ahmadinejad told Erdogan: "When an illicit regime possesses nuclear arms, one can not talk about depriving other nations from the peaceful nuclear programme.
The Czech Constitutional Court is considering a complaint against the European Union's reform treaty by 17 Eurosceptic senators who say the document would infringe Czech national sovereignty. The Lisbon Treaty, which is meant to streamline decision-making in the bloc and give the EU greater clout on the world scene, has to be ratified by all 27 EU member states, with the Czech Republic the only country yet to do so. Jan Fischer, the country's prime minister, said he did not expect the court to make an immediate decision on Tuesday and that a subsequent hearing would probably make the ruling. The court has rejected a similar complaint before and most lawyers expect the complaint will be dismissed.
The Czech Constitutional Court is considering a complaint against the European Union's reform treaty by 17 Eurosceptic senators who say the document would infringe Czech national sovereignty.
The Lisbon Treaty, which is meant to streamline decision-making in the bloc and give the EU greater clout on the world scene, has to be ratified by all 27 EU member states, with the Czech Republic the only country yet to do so.
Jan Fischer, the country's prime minister, said he did not expect the court to make an immediate decision on Tuesday and that a subsequent hearing would probably make the ruling.
The court has rejected a similar complaint before and most lawyers expect the complaint will be dismissed.
David Lammy, the intellectual property minister, has today warned that the UK cannot solve the problem of copyright piracy without the support of other European governments.Lammy, speaking at the government's digital creative industries conference C&binet, said the UK has been stymied in its efforts to strengthen the enforcement of copyright because it is a "minority" player on the European stage."Some people tell me that content is national, they tell me the solutions lie in my backyard [but] this is not right, content is international," he added."Solutions lie internationally. For us, solutions lie in Europe. The UK must continue to encourage and support wider innovation and improve access to copyright works. But we can do relatively little domestically. A great deal of policy making is harmonised at European level and progress simply can't be made without a European consensus," Lammy said.
David Lammy, the intellectual property minister, has today warned that the UK cannot solve the problem of copyright piracy without the support of other European governments.
Lammy, speaking at the government's digital creative industries conference C&binet, said the UK has been stymied in its efforts to strengthen the enforcement of copyright because it is a "minority" player on the European stage.
"Some people tell me that content is national, they tell me the solutions lie in my backyard [but] this is not right, content is international," he added.
"Solutions lie internationally. For us, solutions lie in Europe. The UK must continue to encourage and support wider innovation and improve access to copyright works. But we can do relatively little domestically. A great deal of policy making is harmonised at European level and progress simply can't be made without a European consensus," Lammy said.
The flow of digital content is hampered by national borders and their laws, an EU report published last week shows, leading the European Commission to argue that better rules on consumer access and copyright are needed. [...] Eliminating illegal downloads has been a key priority for the EU. The issue has dominated year-long discussions on the Union's pending telecoms package, which was derailed in the summer after a row over Internet users' rights and illegal downloads. The Parliament surprised onlookers last Thursday by voting against an amendment on users' rights that it had fought hard to retain (EurActiv 23/10/09). Amendment 138, which would give accused illegal downloaders the right to a fair trial, was reworded to a right to "a prior, fair and impartial procedure". Internet activists argue that big media is lobbying the EU because trials are too costly and too slow. But downgrading the job of penalising illegal downloaders to a judicial authority would be marred with errors as Internet addresses are not an accurate way of tracking the person who downloaded content illegally, activists argue.
[...]
Eliminating illegal downloads has been a key priority for the EU. The issue has dominated year-long discussions on the Union's pending telecoms package, which was derailed in the summer after a row over Internet users' rights and illegal downloads.
The Parliament surprised onlookers last Thursday by voting against an amendment on users' rights that it had fought hard to retain (EurActiv 23/10/09). Amendment 138, which would give accused illegal downloaders the right to a fair trial, was reworded to a right to "a prior, fair and impartial procedure".
Internet activists argue that big media is lobbying the EU because trials are too costly and too slow. But downgrading the job of penalising illegal downloaders to a judicial authority would be marred with errors as Internet addresses are not an accurate way of tracking the person who downloaded content illegally, activists argue.
Two things that didn't end communism Reagan and 'people power': The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall offers a chance to demolish some of the myths ...there is now a near-consensus among historians that Mr. Reagan's policies not only failed to end the Cold War, but probably prolonged it for several years beyond its likely end date, by propelling the most reactionary Communists into power. "The more belligerent the United States became, in terms of Reagan's rhetoric and in terms of arms buildup, the stronger the hard-liners became in Moscow," Mr. Brown says. "Whenever the Cold War became colder, the most militant Communists, the KGB and the military-industrial complex within the Soviet Union became stronger." In fact, the collapse of communism was probably made possible, and certainly rendered peaceful and non-violent, by quite another set of Western policies - the kinds of policies that are finally being revisited today as an alternative approach to such authoritarian governments as those of Iran, Myanmar and North Korea. West German governments, starting with chancellor Willy Brandt in the 1970s, decided to meet the Communist East with engagement and aid, not confrontation. These NeueOstpolitik ("new eastern policy") tactics provided targeted financial assistance and even bought hundreds of dissidents out of prison. At the same time, the East European regimes had become linked to the West by borrowing tens of billions of dollars from petroleum-enriched banks. There was no talk of financial boycotts. These two policies had an extraordinary effect. In public, Communist regimes were competing directly and aggressively with the market-oriented West. But behind the scenes, in places where it mattered, these regimes had become deeply dependent on the West.
...there is now a near-consensus among historians that Mr. Reagan's policies not only failed to end the Cold War, but probably prolonged it for several years beyond its likely end date, by propelling the most reactionary Communists into power.
"The more belligerent the United States became, in terms of Reagan's rhetoric and in terms of arms buildup, the stronger the hard-liners became in Moscow," Mr. Brown says.
"Whenever the Cold War became colder, the most militant Communists, the KGB and the military-industrial complex within the Soviet Union became stronger."
In fact, the collapse of communism was probably made possible, and certainly rendered peaceful and non-violent, by quite another set of Western policies - the kinds of policies that are finally being revisited today as an alternative approach to such authoritarian governments as those of Iran, Myanmar and North Korea.
West German governments, starting with chancellor Willy Brandt in the 1970s, decided to meet the Communist East with engagement and aid, not confrontation.
These NeueOstpolitik ("new eastern policy") tactics provided targeted financial assistance and even bought hundreds of dissidents out of prison.
At the same time, the East European regimes had become linked to the West by borrowing tens of billions of dollars from petroleum-enriched banks. There was no talk of financial boycotts.
These two policies had an extraordinary effect. In public, Communist regimes were competing directly and aggressively with the market-oriented West. But behind the scenes, in places where it mattered, these regimes had become deeply dependent on the West.
Avoid the comments section... In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Jan Guillou, number one journalist in Sweden (and well-known upper-class multimillionaire extremist, with a history of supporting everyone from Mao and PFLP to Saddam Hussein), has been shown to have been a KGB agent between at least 1967 and 1972, and was very possible tipped off by the KGB about the IB (according to retired senior KGB operative Boris Grigorjev), the secret Swedish intelligence agency which Guillou and two other fellows unveiled in 1973. This was the journalistic "discovery" of the century and launched Guillous career which has powered on since. It's even more fucked because Guillou later became friends with the old boss of the IB, who helped him write bestselling spy novels... It's really, really fucked up. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
I don't think this will affect Swedish domestic politics, more than that people will dislike the politically correct May-68 elite even more, now that their first bannerman turned out to have had secret contacts with the KGB. A lot of people are probably saying "told you so" right now. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Jan Guillou + KGB
in the Google search window and 77,100 'hits' come back.
Don't know enough background to provide links to qualified, informative, information.
Der Tag, an dem Angela Merkel zur Kanzlerin gewählt wird, beginnt mit einer Nachricht, die weder die CDU-Chefin noch ihren künftigen Außenminister Guido Westerwelle erfreuen dürfte. Eine Erhebung des Meinungsforschungsinstitutes Forsa macht deutlich, was das Wahlvolk von den von Merkel und Westerwelle abgesegneten Steuererleichterungen hält: Wenig. Die in den Koalitionsgesprächen ausgehandelten Steuersenkungen auf Kosten des Staatshaushalts kommen bei den Deutschen nicht gut an. Nur 22 Prozent der Bundesbürger finden sie in der Umfrage für den stern verantwortlich, 69 Prozent - insbesondere die Anhänger der Oppositionsparteien - sind dagegen
Eine Erhebung des Meinungsforschungsinstitutes Forsa macht deutlich, was das Wahlvolk von den von Merkel und Westerwelle abgesegneten Steuererleichterungen hält: Wenig.
Die in den Koalitionsgesprächen ausgehandelten Steuersenkungen auf Kosten des Staatshaushalts kommen bei den Deutschen nicht gut an. Nur 22 Prozent der Bundesbürger finden sie in der Umfrage für den stern verantwortlich, 69 Prozent - insbesondere die Anhänger der Oppositionsparteien - sind dagegen
FDP = Fook Deutsche People
Of course, i've got nothing personal against him, i'm completely impartial. that's why i used the quicksand image, wishing it wasn't merely an image. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
Die größere Panne als der kleine Mikro-Unfall hatte Bundestagspräsident Norbert Lammert wenige Sekunden zuvor verkündet: Statt der 332 Abgeordneten von CDU, CSU und FDP haben lediglich 323 Abgeordnete für sie gestimmt. Neun Stimmen fehlten Merkel aus den eigenen Reihen. Denn beim Zählappell in den Fraktionen am Morgen waren noch alle da. "Auch wegbleiben ist eine Statement", schimpft danach einer aus der Unionsfraktion.
When the Treasury decided in the summer of 2003 that its five tests for entry into the euro had not been met, the subject was kicked deep into the political long grass and has remained there ever since.That may change. The fact that Britain proceeded to grow faster and had lower unemployment than the big economies of euroland meant those who supported UK membership of the euro - including Tony Blair, now one of those tipped to be the European Union's first president - remained silent.But with Germany and France poised to record strong growth in the third quarter and Italy looking well placed to return to growth, the question of whether Britain should join is being raised once again.
When the Treasury decided in the summer of 2003 that its five tests for entry into the euro had not been met, the subject was kicked deep into the political long grass and has remained there ever since.
That may change. The fact that Britain proceeded to grow faster and had lower unemployment than the big economies of euroland meant those who supported UK membership of the euro - including Tony Blair, now one of those tipped to be the European Union's first president - remained silent.
But with Germany and France poised to record strong growth in the third quarter and Italy looking well placed to return to growth, the question of whether Britain should join is being raised once again.
