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guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:30:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Ball lightning?

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:31:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/2011/11/observing-leonid-meteor-shower.html

by rootless2 on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:32:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Mercifully, temperatures have dropped back into the mid to low 20s C and we have clouds today. This is enabling my recent transplants of tomatoes, cucumbers, snow peas and radishes in the garden to flourish. My onions and potatoes seem to be doing fine. Bed prep for the peppers continues after a lull due to my back - i seem to have difficulty when the weather shifts from hot to cool and humid to relatively dry. Humidity, of course, almost never drops below about 20%, unlike Colorado Springs, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Tuscon and even Los Angeles.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 01:06:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, our beans have woken up from their slumbers so I guess tomorrow, come rain or (less probably) shine, I'll have to go and build the frames for them.

Will also see how the onions and garlic are doing now they've finally had enough rain to swell up. Should be a good crop tho' I suspect the squirrels have probably been at them.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 01:36:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

funny you say that, my cat brought a live squirrel in today. i rescued it, and have been trying to nurse it since, about 4 hours now.

amazing how much there is on the net about what to do, i had no idea so many get themselves in trouble and can use a helping hand.

so now he's warm, mostly very peaceful, occasionally spazzing out then settling down for longish periods again. i'm giving him a eyedropper liquid diet of a pinch of salt, 5ooml warm water, a little sugar and honey for electrolytes. i think his left foreleg is broken.

he's a baby red, such a pretty little animal.

wish us luck!

It's a fine line between homage, parody, and consumer opportunism. Jess Walter

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 01:46:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

A few weeks ago I found our cat carrying around a juvenile grey squirrel. He dropped it on the deck and by the way it tried to get away indicated that it had suffered spinal damage, as it could not stand or use its rear legs. The cat would toy with it for hours and I didn't think it could recover - short of a multi thousand dollar vet bill, so I killed it quickly to put it out of its suffering. The cat has brought in live voles, mice, juvenile rats, etc. from the woods around us and let them escape and run under the frig or under counter space, where, if left, they would die and raise a stench. Finding piles of organs on the carpet has been a regular occurrence for the last two months. Fortunately the blood stains come out with an oxidizing enzyme cleaner brushed into the stain and scrubbed around the affected area. The joys of a cat in such a target rich area at this time of year!

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:07:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I have saved countless little critters over the years, but the cutest was a little mouse who jumped onto the back of my hand from a window ledge and sat there very quietly as I deposited him/her far away from the cat. Sadly, Heinz had to euthanize a little mouse here in Germany last week.

I do adore cats, but the toying with the prey is a very negative feature of their behavior.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:29:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

he's still happening!

very tranced out, on the heating pad, but twitches when i go check on him, and is drinking twice as much when i offer.

heartbeat strong, lungs white active, but eyes tight shut, whereas the first hours they were bright and open. i hope he's just having a good kip, and will be more bushy tailed in the morning.

this cat i have is a good hunter, nary a mouse in sight for months, this is the first time he's brought any other kind of animal at all, save the occasional lizard*.

i saw my first viper today, a young one.

lost my first potato plants to the porcupines, just 2 out of 150 odd, so no worries, i planted extra for them anyway.

yinyang beans coming up, kidneys too, peas a foot high and starting to climb their poles, lettuce and cabbage taking off, many plants coming out of transplant shock, basil, (i always hear basil fawlty's wife's querulously shrewish tones when i look at them, lol). onions, kohlrabi, lettuces, squash, strawberries and spinach all looking good and graduating from the mild donkey/horse manure side dressing i have been giving them to medium strength sheep litter/manure as mulching between the plants.

been taking a lot of cuttings to experiment with rooting them, fig, cypress, olive, bay, grape, all rootoned and put in their own recycled dogfood cans.

ditto for garden posts... lucky my cat can't get under the fridge.

*i don't save lizards, though i wish my cat wouldn't bother them. there's a family of finches nesting in my wall and he barely notices them. :)

It's a fine line between homage, parody, and consumer opportunism. Jess Walter

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:35:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I am sufficiently loathe to kill living creatures that I have devised ways, using two layers of paper towel, to gently envelop and then release outside the not infrequent red hornets that get in when doors are left ajar or through a gap that exists between the screen and the patio door that is the result of having an animal door installed for the dog and cat. I have found that the hornets are not particularly aggressive. It also saves having to wipe up the mess that results from squashing the insects. But I do patrol the eaves and knock down hornet and wasp nests as I find them. They can find places in the wood for those nests.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 06:04:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Here's what works for me. Take an empty jar and put it over them and then when they fly to the "top" -- which should be the bottom of the jar -- hold the jar upside down with the lid held against the opening until you get outside where you can gently toss the jar onto the ground and the insect can escape.

Of course, your method works, too, except that for a clutz like me, it would probably involve a sting.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 01:40:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

My method may work better on uneven surfaces around windows, curtains and blinds - for me.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 11:48:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 5)

If I had a bumper sticker that said 'I give 4's for garden posts,' I wonder how many people would understand it?

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:31:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

http://cograilway.com/webcam.htm#Live_Summit_Camera_-_looking_east

New snow on Pike's Peak yesterday. Pleasant down on the flats...

by asdf on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:31:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

http://www.dxcoffee.com/eng/tag/islands-on-the-air/

I feel like i'm in Colorado Springs. Early morning in Bremen 3 grad, late afternoon 19 C.

Many moments of Helen's disco ball.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:55:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Working feverishly (4.00 / 7)

to finish the paper I'm giving at this conference.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 12:13:11 PM EST

Islands on the Air (4.00 / 5)

As an island enthusiast, you might be interested in this obscure hobby: Radio geeks drag their equipment along on holiday to remote locations and spend a week in a tent sending Morse code to one another...

Some of them go to quite outrageous (and expensive) effort to "activate" places that nobody has any real reason to visit...

by asdf on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 01:15:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Islands on the Air (4.00 / 2)

If only the Caribbean were still "remote". Afraid not! If you don't watch your step, you're likely to come across Richard Branson!

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:12:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What once was remote, (4.00 / 2)

is no longer!

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

by maracatu on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:32:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What once was remote, (none / 1)

They forgot to mention the tons of DDT required to keep the mosquitos down... And the hidden fences that separate the western tourists from the benighted natives...

by asdf on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 06:35:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

RIP Maurice Sendak (4.00 / 5)

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 01:21:01 PM EST

Re: RIP Maurice Sendak (none / 1)

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1993-09-27#folio=080

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:38:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hope used to last... (4.00 / 2)

longer than this, when I was young...

François Hollande, and why the Germans can rest easy | World news | guardian.co.uk

As Europe wrestles with its great predicament, Hollande faces charges that he is a "dangerous" tax-and-spend Keynesian out to reverse the fiscal and monetarist rigour of the Germans and trick them into pooling eurozone debt by issuing eurobonds. Crisis sorted.
To judge by his aides, his programme and his statements, however, Hollande is nothing of the kind.
The French would like eurobonds, if they could get them. But with Berlin saying nein for the foreseeable future - though without ruling them out, eventually - Paris is not pushing.
Michel Sapin, Hollande's key economics aide and possible finance minister, told German diplomats in Paris eurobonds were not the answer to the euro crisis, especially if a big enough firewall was in place in the form of the eurozone's bailout fund.
"On eurobonds, Sapin was clearly sceptical," said a memo to Berlin from the German embassy in Paris, obtained by the Guardian.
Sapin also ruled out big spending programmes: in attempting to reform the French economy, Hollande would opt for supply-side measures of the kind Berlin advocates every day.
"It's absolutely essential to generate growth, but this can only be done through supply-side measures and no longer through state spending programmes," the Hollande team told the German diplomats.
Hollande has outlined four policy areas in his push to restart Europe's growth engine: increasing the role of the European Investment Bank, using the EU budget to try to combat recession, using both these vehicles to underwrite big infrastructure projects on a European scale - broadband, green technology, railways and the like - and allowing the eurozone's permanent bailout fund to operate as a bank so that it can tap funds from the European Central Bank.
Of these four, only the latter is very contentious; it is stiffly opposed by the Germans. On the other three: the European commission has been making similar arguments for the past year, and a deal on European "project bonds", using EIB or EU structural funds or both, looks likely at a summit at the end of June.
Such a deal would allow Hollande to claim that his growth agenda is delivering something, while enabling Merkel to emphasise that her "fiscal pact" compelling budgetary rigour across the eurozone is sacrosanct.

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:18:52 PM EST

This story is entirely predictable no matter what happened. When Obama took office, we had a rash of stories about how a large stimulus and setting in motion withdrawal from Iraq were just foolish pipedreams that the new government was being disabused of by the people who really know how things work.

by rootless2 on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:34:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It was Melenchon who was gonna set the Keynsian cat among the austerity pigeons. Hollande was always gonna be the "don't rock the boat" guy

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:52:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hollande, the supply-side socialist (4.00 / 2)

Sapin also ruled out big spending programmes: in attempting to reform the French economy, Hollande would opt for supply-side measures of the kind Berlin advocates every day.
"It's absolutely essential to generate growth, but this can only be done through supply-side measures and no longer through state spending programmes," the Hollande team told the German diplomats.

Memo to Sapin: we're in a demand-side recession. Please read up on the 1930s.

Anyway, get your disappointment five months early on European Tribune (via Eurointelligence, of course)

Hollande drops Keynes in favour of Schumpeter
... According to Le Monde there are several circles of economists who have elaborated Hollande's economic policy proposals. Among the dominating figures are Harvard economist Philippe Aghion ... Les Echos quotes Aghion. ,,The Keynesian model of of relaunching consumption would today aggravate our external deficit. Our thinking is now much closer to Schumpeter who emphasizes the role of innovation for growth in the medium to long term."

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:56:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope used to last... (none / 1)

The Guardian is a Serious© newspaper conducting Serious© analysis for Serious© readers.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:03:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope used to last... (none / 1)

Was it here I saw someone comment that the Guardian has been moving to the right to chase US advertising, in the same way that the Mail has been chasing bikinis to push its US advertising spending

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:10:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope used to last... (none / 1)

Yea, last night.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:12:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Which will inevitably fail. The Grauniad didn't become popular here by being right-wing toolbags.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:36:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope used to last... (4.00 / 2)

We've been fed a lot of German pushback in the Serious newspapers. Let's say that the story in Libération is not quite the same.

We'll see.

Wind power

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:43:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope used to last... (4.00 / 3)

Tonight in the FT:

Hollande at odds with key partners on structural reform
What got less attention was Mr Hollande's revealing admission that he did not share Mr Draghi's vision, quickly endorsed by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, that such a growth plan should be focused on structural reforms, such as increasing labour market flexibility.
Mr Hollande was not coy about this. "Can we really believe that liberalism, privatisations and deregulation, which led us to the financial crisis we are in, will help us get out of the crisis?" he said.
(...)
The new president does not deny that France has a competitiveness problem. That would be hard when statistics show that France's world export market share fell 20 per cent and its eurozone market share fell 9 per cent between 2005-2010.
But he does not believe labour costs are the key and is wary of moves to deregulate the setting of wage and working time conditions.
Michel Sapin, his campaign policy chief and a potential finance minister in the new government, says labour costs are relevant in some industries, but not in others. He argues for targeting measures at sectors exposed to international competition using tools such as taxes.
Mr Hollande may well get a deal of some kind on measures to boost investment in Europe when EU leaders meet in two weeks' time, which he can present as an early victory to his electorate. But it will not disguise the divide on more fundamental reform that exists between the new president and some of his European partners.

Wind power

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:43:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Eurointelligence news briefing (e-mail):

What Hollande must tell Merkel
Back on earth again, this is a good column by Martin Wolf in which he outlines what Hollande has to say to Merkel. First, he must forget his domestic promises. No one will take him seriously if he does not. Second, he must embark on a serious discussion on endgame scenarios, which including five components: symmetrical adjustment, permanent transfers; external surplus for the eurozone; semi-permanent depression; total break-up. Of those five, the only sensible course is number one. Wolf concludes that the chances that Hollande can deliver are small. But he is the only chance the eurozone has got.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 02:37:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Treason!
Much of the crisis commentary is about narratives. The German narrative is well known to our readers here. A quite shocking example, even to us, has been a commentary in this morning's Welt in which the author argues that the SPD's repositioning on the fiscal pact - falling in line with Francois Hollande - was bordering on treason ("Vaterlandsverat"). The argument, by a Dorothea Siems, is the usual one: a growth pact would cost so much money that Germany (!) would be crippled under its debt burden. We were intrigued by the word "treason" because the author clearly portrays this as a fight between French and German interests, and see the SPD trying to align itself with the enemy. (Die Welt is an awful newspaper in general, which is why we have not included it in our press review, but it is now qualifying to make it into our rogue's gallery, along with Bild.)

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 04:15:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Anthony Lane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So how long before we get a rehash of this?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 06:01:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Could he be any more dismissive? (4.00 / 2)

FRENCH ELECTION: HOLLANDAISE
Posted by Anthony Lane
What was self-evident, as he took the stage last night, buoyant with smiles, was not that François Hollande needs more iron in his soul. He needs an iron. Has there ever been a baggier head of state? The tie was loosened at the top; the white shirt looked like an aerial view of the Alps.
(...)
You could hardly blame Hollande, on an evening officially set aside for love and joy, if he neglected to mention, except in passing, the large and extremely fractious gorilla, better known as the public debt, that is clinging to France's back. To do so would have been in poor taste. Wiser and more soothing, surely, to do what the French do more efficiently than all peoples, and float heavenward in a mood of rare abstraction. "Austerity cannot be a fatality," the new President said, poising between a principle and a pledge. But nicety can be an enormity, and what is rippling through Europe right now is the apprehension that France, with a novice at the helm, will veer aside from the stringent course laid down by the governments of the Eurozone; in short, that Hollande will boost and bolster where others have struggled to pare, and perhaps, in so doing, set a continental trend. For campaigning purposes, such beneficence was ideal. Sixty thousand new teaching posts to be created, for example: who could argue with that? If you were a parent, perturbed by the size of your child's class at school, why would you not vote for such a program? The only possible comeback must be offered, sotto voce, by a killjoy: "Who will pay?"
(...)
Best of all was his stated ambition to "reach budgetary equilibrium by the horizon of 2017." That's the great thing about horizons: the nearer you get, the further they recede, into the endless mist.
Hollande did not stay long. He looked brave and pale, as you would if you had just looked in your diary and realized that your first major appointment was with Angela Merkel.
(...)
Then there is Martine Aubry, who may well be Hollande's choice for Prime Minister and who, in 2010, openly compared Sarkozy, in his handling of the public finances, to Bernie Madoff. Has there been, in the astonishing chorale of vituperation directed at Sarkozy--at his unabashed pro-Americanism, his enjoyment of the Presidential trappings, his perceived otherness, or un-Frenchness--a reedy note of anti-Semitism? (One of his grandparents was Jewish.) Hard to pin down; what can be said, at least, is that some of the vocabulary in which it was couched would have sat all too easily in the mouths of anti-Dreyfusards, in 1899.
And what of the forty-eight per cent of French people who did vote for Sarkozy--the losers, the sober, and the believers in what he liked to call "real work?"

Barf.
And that's supposed to be witty, I guess.

Wind power

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:49:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Could he be any more dismissive? (4.00 / 3)

Propaganda can be witty, even if it's lame, wrong, and lies. Did i say LAME?

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:01:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Could he be any more dismissive? (none / 1)

Should have used CAPS AND BOLD!.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 06:15:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Could he be any more dismissive? (none / 1)

The accusation of anti-semitism paired with the use of Vichy phraseology for "real work" is nicely done.

by rootless2 on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:04:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Too Many Commas (none / 0)

Did William Shatner write this shit?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:34:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Could he be any more dismissive? (none / 0)

Lane is an upper-class English film critic.

Lane lives in Cambridge with Allison Pearson, a British writer and former Daily Mail columnist

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 01:16:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Well, instead of sitting around watching the stocks in my 401K tank a bit further, I made a jam of rhubarb, strawberries and mango.

Oh the things the USA has to suffer because of silly European voters (SNARK).

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 02:43:55 PM EST

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Be thankful you have a 401K.

Besides, you have a German husband, you can always get a 1€ job (per hour, known in 'Schland as an ein Euro Job). (/snark)

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:38:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Try thinking of its value in Euros. It probably went up a lot, thanks to the Greeks.....

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:44:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Not an unreasonable suggestion, considering most of your everyday expenses are paid in euros.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 06:18:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The 401K isn't much, but I AM thankful for it, for sure. It's supposed to help get my grandkids through college.

Yeah, Crazy Horse, picture me by the side of the road planting pansies in the roundabouts. I'd sneak in veggies and get fired.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 01:47:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

;-))

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 03:09:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Spanish government repeating Northern Wreck (none / 0)

You read it here first.

El Pais: Economía asegura el futuro de Bankia ante las dudas de los ahorradores

* El Gobierno afirma que se ha cambiado la presidencia para sanear la entidad
* El ministro Guindos dice que Goirigolzarri es un ejecutivo "con enorme experiencia"
El Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ha desmentido "rotundamente" que la entidad financiera Bankia haya sido intervenida por el Gobierno. En un breve comunicado, emitido a media mañana, el departamento que dirige Luis de Guindos explica que lo que se ha producido es el anuncio del "inminente" cambio en la presidencia de la entidad. "A partir de ahora, el objetivo es ejecutar un plan de saneamiento, reestructuración y mejora del gobierno corporativo que garantice su viabilidad futura", explica Economía.

Confronted with savers- doubts, the Economy Ministry reassures on the future of Bankia

* The government claims the presidency [of Bankia] has been changed to restructure the entity
* The minister [Luis de Guindos says that [presumptive CEO] Goirigolzarri is a "hugely experienced" executive
The Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness has roundly dismissed that the financial institution Bankia has been intervened by the Government. In a short communique issued in mid-morning, the department led by Luis de Guindos explains that what has taken place is the announcement of the "imminent" change in the chairmanship of the institution. "From now on, the goal is to carry out a plan for clean-up, restructuring and improvement or corporate governance that guarantees its future viability", Exonomy explains.

<facepalm>

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:19:02 PM EST

Re: Spanish government repeating Northern Wreck (none / 1)

Things are accelerating: Bankia and its parent and "bad bank" BFA to push forward their board meetings to tomorrow to name new CEO. Savers leaving the ship. Rumours of 20 billion nationalisation on Friday.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:59:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Spanish government repeating Northern Wreck (none / 0)

It's reported here quoting unnamed "financial sources familiar with the government's plan" that the departure of Rato was precipitated by Deloitte, BFA's auditors, refusing to sign off on BFA's accounts due to a 20 billion hole.

Woo fucking hoo. And Rajoy thought he could manage this by hinting yesterday in a radio interview that there might be money to clean up banks, having Rato resign on his own, and waiting until Friday to do things on his own time.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:03:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Kommende NRW Wahl (4.00 / 4)

'Schland's most populous state votes on Sunday. I'm not living there anymore, but it's still an important vote.

Unbelievably, and to the great consternation of his own party, the top candidate for the CDU decided to tell voters this was a referendum on Frau Spar-kel's Euro policy. Without consulting her, apparently.

Now, no one is saying that many voters will follow his lead and vote on whether they think Draghkel's policies fit the German mentality or not. Or whether this is actually going to be a referendum on austerity. Especially since the CDU leadership was caught going what-the-fuck?

Now Röttgen, our current environmental minister, and part of the duo who my colleagues negotiate weekly with on pressing offshore wind issues, is certainly no idiot. Or more certainly, is he an idiot?

Does he believe he's going to pick up 6% and win it all, riding Merkel's frumpy dresstails? Or is he shifting the possibly quite sobering defeat to her?

In any case it scares me, because it may disaffect some CDU votes to go to the crazies, Lindner's FDP. But it sure makes for insane political theater.

PS. What if he wins, and it means the majority of NRW Germans like the way the Bundesbank runs Yurp?

Luckily, there are people on this site who will set me straight if i've read this wrong. And you can read it all in the German on the usual sites.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 03:58:00 PM EST

PS. What if he wins, and it means the majority of NRW Germans like the way the Bundesbank runs Yurp?

He knows he won't win. But if you feel an economic crisis soon, don't forget that it's the left's fault: irresponsible leftists in Greece, France, and even NRW, throwing tax-money out of the window and thus strangling the economy. That's what he is saying. And it might work: things will turn much worse, and who's in the government?

No, I don't think he is an idiot.

by Katrin on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:12:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Gah...

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:32:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Me don't think he's an idiot either, though my colleagues in negotiations say otherwise.

The SPD/Green government should be able to deflect the blame if they had TINA on their side. But they don't.... yet. So you may well be right.

Lindner's no idiot either, damn, that's why he's so frickin dangerous.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:33:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Fuck, should be "if they had TARA on their side."

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:34:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kommende NRW Wahl (4.00 / 3)

There is already so much harm done, it's high time for a swing to the left, BUT at the same time its's too early, because social-democrats need 20 more years in the opposition and daily beatings to get rid of all that neoliberal BS.

by Katrin on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:58:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm going to bet you're wrong, it won't take 20 years. It will come far more quickly.

But I'll also bet you're right, it will be a new version of a sellout.

Luckily, with any luck, if we might lucky be, we'll both be wrong, as the young figure out new pressures to put on the establishment, luckily.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:04:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, the swing to the left will come much more quickly, but a bit of sense in the SPD (or other social democrats) won't come in time. And in Germany we don't even have a strong left with thumb-screws driving the SPD to the left. Sigh.

by Katrin on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:29:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

'Schland's most populous state votes on Sunday. I'm not living there anymore, but it's still an important vote.

i forgot to put the animated smiley at the end... hope you all got the joke. i did want to emphasize that this is, as mathematicians say, "way more" important than the results of the relegation fight between Düsseldorf and Berlin, or the vote in Schleswig-Holstein last week.

Perhaps more important than the hot fight between neo-nazis and fundamentalist Muslims in NRW, most recently in Köln. (entschuldigung, Cologne)

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 04:54:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, I got it and meant to comment on it ;-)

What's wrong with two sets of reactionary arseholes beating each other up in Cologne?

by Katrin on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:02:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sonntagsfrage - Nordrhein-Westfalen (Wahlumfrage, Wahlumfragen)

Danke.

What's wrong is that the heavyweight asshole fight distracts from the real issues. We've got a long way to go to wake the German electorate up. Though reverse Wachstum might go a ways to help.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:08:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kommende NRW Wahl (4.00 / 4)

What's wrong is that while the assholes beat each other up, they draw people's attention to asshole ideas. But Crazy Horse already said that.

Endless repetition of propaganda has an effect even on people who think they disagree. I don't know the effect all these months of intensely publicised crazy in the US Republican primary without a counterbalancing Democratic primary will have on the attitudes of the US electorate (moving the Overton window and all that).

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 01:06:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Gah (none / 1)

Institut Auftraggeber Befragte Datum CDU SPD GRÜNE FDP LINKE PIRATEN Sonstige Institut Auftraggeber Befragte Datum CDU SPD GRÜNE FDP LINKE PIRATEN Sonstige
YouGov BILD O * ?
??.0?.-??.05. 07.05.2012 31 % 37 % 11 % 5 % 4 % 9 % ?
Forschungs-
gruppe
Wahlen ZDF T * 1.082
30.04.-03.05. 04.05.2012 31 % 38 % 11 % 6 % 3 % 8 % 3 %
Infratest
dimap ARD T * 1.003
01.05.-03.05. 03.05.2012 30 % 38,5 % 11 % 6 % 4 % 7,5 % 3 %
YouGov KStA,
Sat.1 NRW O * 1.038
20.04.-29.04. 03.05.2012 31 % 36 % 11 % 5 % 4 % 10 % ?
Forsa stern T * 1.008
23.04.-27.04. 02.05.2012 32 % 37 % 10 % 5 % 3 % 10 % 3 %
Emnid Focus T * 1.001
23.04.-24.04. 27.04.2012 32 % 38 % 10 % 5 % 4 % 9 % ?

How did the FDP creep back up into nearly alive territory?

Von überall könnte das Volk, Urbrut alles Undemokratischen, Zelle des Terrors, über die gewählten Hüter von Wachstum und Wohlstand® kommen. - flatter

by generic on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 06:53:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gah (none / 0)

I'm no expert on NRW politics (nor 'Schland for that matter), but I believe it's primarily because the FDP has a charismatic to some leader there, Christian? Lindner. Perhaps also because there's a fair amount of rich factory owners, and the financial services industry in Düsseldorf.

Also disaffected CDU voters?

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Wed May 9th, 2012 at 03:07:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

From the British Department of You Couldn't Make It Up:

Nick 'Dave' Clegg and Dave 'Nick' Cameron Announce Five Year Plan in Tractor Factory

Actually part of a meeja event originally billed as a relaunch of the coalition, but almost immediately rebranded as - er - something important that definitely wasn't a relaunch.

There is still no alternative. But after last week's local council elections, it seems like there might be more of a missing alternative than there used to be.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue May 8th, 2012 at 05:57:00 PM EST