LONDON, October 13 (RIA Novosti) - Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday world leaders should set up a new Bretton Woods system to tackle the global financial crisis.

"Sometimes it takes a crisis for people to agree that what is obvious and should have been done years ago can no longer be postponed. We must create a new international financial architecture for the global age," Brown said.

The Bretton Woods system established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states at the end of World War II, laying the groundwork for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Brown said global institutions like the IMF "were all devised by men and women of great vision."

"With the same courage and foresight of their founders, we must now reform the international financial system around agreed principles of transparency, integrity, responsibility, good housekeeping and co-operation across borders," he said.

He said the new system should be based on transparency and integrity.

"First transparency. We must now insist on openness and disclosure, with an immediate adoption of the internationally agreed accounting standards - and the standards being brought forward for the valuation of assets," he said. "Second integrity. We must tackle once and for all the conflicts of interest which have distorted behavior and undermined trust, and now lie at the heart of public concern."

source: RIA Novosti

“Some of those who had left their homes are refusing to return home because they fear retribution for their involvement in violence,” Raila claims.

Raila defended his call for amnesty for the hundreds of people arrested during post-election violence in Kenya in December 2007 and January this year. "The majority of people who just protested and demonstrated, we have said, should be released."

Raila made the statements to Radio France International (RFI) at the World Policy Conference last week. The conference was held in the town of Evian in Southern France. Heads of state and government were invited to the summit which Raila was given a chance to address.

Though the interview was held several days ago, there has been little discussion of Raila's remarks in Kenyan media in light of the delicate state of ethnic relations in the country. The statement that internally displaced people (IDPs) were involved in violence is likely to be received negatively by hundreds of thousands of people yet to return to their homes after three months of looting, killing and destruction early this year.

IDPs see themselves as victims of the violence, forced to abandon property and livelihoods they had toiled many years to build.

Ethnic tensions stoked by politicians erupted in violent clashes after disputed elections in December 2007. The top contenders for the presidency were Mwai Kibaki on the PNU party and Raila Odinga of ODM. As happens with most African countries, Kibaki was supported mostly by his Kikuyu ethnic group while Raila got most votes from his Luo tribe. Raila, had earlier formed an alliance with politicians from the Kalenjin tribe and the Kalenjin voted as a bloc for ODM.

Due to uncertainties over the actual winner of the December 27 poll, Kalenjin in the Rift Valley fought the Kikuyu, destroying property, homes, businesses and motor vehicles. Entire villages were razed to the ground. Hundreds of thousands of Kikuyu, Kisii and Kamba fled ODM strongholds in the Kalenjin and Luo heartlands in the Western part of Kenya.

The Kikuyu retaliated in the last week of January 2008, leading to the eviction of tens of thousands of Luo, Kalenjin and Luhya from areas in Central Kenya dominated by the Kikuyu, Kamba, Embu and Meru tribes.

Raila and ODM continually deny organizing the violence. In last week's interview with RFI, Raila rejected the idea that all those covered by the amnesty had been involved in violence, saying that much of the violence had been provoked by excessive police force.

By March 2008, at least 1,000 people were dead. Half a million were homeless and living in football fields, churches and schools across Kenya. A massive international aid operation was launched to feed the displaced.

Former United Nations Secretary General Koffi Annan led mediation efforts between Kibaki and Raila, resulting in a coalition government. Kibaki kept the Presidency while a new post of Prime Minister was created for Raila. However, ethnic tension remains high.

While Kibaki and his PNU party insist that everybody has a right to live and work anywhere in the republic, ODM members say that the Kikuyu should leave the Rift Valley. Riots were witnessed at the Coast after rumors circulated that Kikuyu settlers were planning to relocate there. ODM got a majority vote at the Coast.

Large numbers of IDPs are unable to return home because of continued threats from their former neighbors. Indeed, many who attempted to return have been attacked. The government is giving out Shs10,000 (US$138) to each family but the money is simply not enough to start life afresh.

Some of the refugees are pooling the money and buying land elsewhere. They have given up hope of ever returning to the Rift Valley.

Also, as two good partners to that... Awards go to Lush's "breath of fresh air", a lovely face toner.

And... Lush's "Aqua mirabilis", which does for the whole body what the "sweet japanese girl" does for the face, also with almond crumbs.

And, because I simply can't help it, Lush's "each peach" oil massage bar, which smells like Christmas again... Doesn't actually have any peach in it. PMSL They just thought they'd give it a weird name. Anyway, it's got mandarins... And I sooooo love that smell.

And to cool all those hot things... The Evian Brumisateur. Which is indispensable, especially on hot summer days, or when you're running a fever (of any sort lol), it's cheap and it's wee better than Vichy's Eau Termal. Feels somewhat softer. But the later mentioned is good too. Anyhow... Feels amazing when it's hot, much better than runnin' through a bunch of sprinklers.

Medvedev’s Plan

by Anna Arutunyan

President Dmitri Medvedev offered two five-point plans on getting the world out of the financial crisis and forging a new security treaty to maintain world peace, taking a tone that was anything but confrontational as global crisis overshadowed the controversy over Russian actions in Georgia. Speaking a the World Policy Conference in Evian on Wednesday, Medvedev sought to rebuild friendly ties with Europe even as he laid the blame not just for the financial crisis but for a "crisis of Euro-Atlantic policy" at the feet of a unipolar world order. Calling for more cooperation and dialogue, he was supported by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who urged Russia to join an emergency session of the G8 in order to find a way out of the crisis. The rapport witnessed before the two leaders met one-on-one following the conference suggested that Russia and Europe stood miles away from a new Cold War.

Medvedev outlined a series of steps that could lead the world out of the present malaise, but he also focused on forging a new system of security, arguing that the one created post-Cold War has proven to be a failure. The result, Medvedev said, was the conflict in Georgia and the financial crisis.

"Recent events in the Caucasus have demonstrated that it is impossible to appease or contain an aggressor based on bloc approaches," a grave, yet firm Medvedev said in his address, implicitly addressing the United States. "If irresponsible, adventurous actions by the ruling regime of a small country (Georgia in this particular case) are capable of destabilizing the situation in the world, is this not proof that the international security system based on unipolarity no longer works?

OK, this is a direct reference to the aggression of Saakashvili and the US using this to try to paint Russia as the aggressor.  Saakashvili was used by the US to provoke Russia.

"It is also evident that economic egoism is also a consequence of the unipolar vision of the world and of the desire to be its mega-regulator. It is a dead-end policy in terms of global economic development. I think that the origins of the current situation can be found in the events that took place seven years ago. After the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the United States started a chapter of unilateral actions which was not coordinated with the United Nations or even with a number of the United States' partners. It is enough to mention the decision to withdraw from the ABM Treaty and the invasion of Iraq."

Correct.

Two More Five Point Plans

Echoing a series of fiscal and monetary measures being implemented at home by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Medvedev pointed to regulation as a way out of the financial crisis.

"First, I believe that in these new conditions, we need to streamline and systematize both national and international regulatory institutions," he said.

"Second, we need to get rid of the serious imbalance between the amount of issued financial instruments and the real returns on investment programs. The race to compete fuels financial soap bubbles, while public companies' accountability before their shareholders is eroded.

There's that word instruments again, financial instruments.  He means derivatives.

You can't have an economy based on predatory financier gambling.  In the end, you're going to have to produce something... which means a real concrete product.  Wall Street has moved almost all of the US industrial base offshore for cheaper labor.

"Third, the risk management system must be strengthened. Each market participant needs to hold responsibility for his share of risks. There should be no illusions about the ability of any asset to rise endlessly in value. The world just does not work this way. It is contrary to economic laws.

A warning against economic bubbles..

"Fourth, we need to ensure maximum information transparency and full disclosure for companies, tighten supervisory requirements and increase the responsibility of rating agencies and audit companies."

One of the main problems of derivatives is that no one really knows how much there is.  Not only is it not regulated, it's not even reportable under the current system.  Estimates range from $1-2 quadrillion ($1-2,000,000,000,000,000).

"And finally, fifth, we need to ensure that everyone will reap the benefits of removing barriers to international trade and free movement of capital."

Basically saying we need some fairness in free trade agreements.

Later in the address, he focused on a new European security treaty as a key alternative the unipolar world order - one bent on eradicating military conflict.

"The Treaty should clearly affirm the basic principles for security and intergovernmental relations in the Euro-Atlantic area. These principles include the commitment to fulfill in good faith obligations under international law; respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, and respect for all of the other principles set out in the truly fundamental document that is the United Nations Charter...

"The inadmissibility of the use of force or the threat of its use in international relations should be clearly affirmed. It is fundamental for the Treaty to guarantee uniform interpretation and implementation of those principles...

"It should guarantee equal security, and I mean equal security and not any other kind of security. In this respect we should base ourselves on three ‘no's. Namely, no ensuring one's own security at the expense of others. No allowing acts (by military alliances or coalitions) that undermine the unity of the common security space. And finally, no development of military alliances that would threaten the security of other parties to the Treaty.

Again, he's referencing Saakashvili and Georgia's aggression.

"It is important to confirm in the Treaty that no state or international organization can have exclusive rights to maintaining peace and stability in Europe. This applies fully to Russia as well.

"It would be good to establish basic arms control parameters and reasonable limits on military construction. Also needed are new cooperation procedures and mechanisms in areas such as WMD proliferation, terrorism and drug trafficking."

It's freely admitted that the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan is a major opium/heroin producer.  The taliban was actually anti-opium.

Meanwhile, Medvedev backed Sarkozy's proposal for an enlarged G8 meeting to deal with the financial crisis, but called for a more inclusive organization. "We must include other key economies: China, India, Brazil."

The Evian conference suggested much headway had been made in the Caucasus conflict, which had threatened relations between Russia and Europe since it erupted August 8.

Even while the Wall Street Journal opined Thursday that Medvedev had "dumped a truckload of vitriol" on the US, the conference served to fortify a reconciliation between Russia and Europe in face of criticism over Russia's actions in Georgia.

"Relations between Russia and Europe remain on solid ground," foreign policy expert Sergei Karaganov, speaking by phone from Evian, told The Moscow News. "Attempts to draw Russia into a new Cold War have failed. "Confidence... in America has fallen to a low that has not been experienced since the 20th or even the 19th centuries."

source: Moscow News

I hope its true.

Berlusconi didn't give any details about what kind of rules leaders were looking to change, except to say that leaders are "talking about a new Bretton Woods.''

The Bretton Woods Agreements were adopted to rebuild the international economic system after World War II in a hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The aim of the agreements was to establish a monetary management system, initially by pegging currencies to gold. The IMF was set up later to help manage the international financial system.

source: Bloomberg

Alguns não o consideram mais do que um fantoche nas mãos de Vladmir Putin. Seria este o homem – ou melhor, o tirano – que controla a Rússia. O outro time, que tem entre seus integrantes o peso-pesado Henry Kissinger, alfineta a visão de Dimitri Medvedev como, simplesmente, uma espécie de ‘nova fase’ do império Putin. Discussão quente que promete – a Foreign Affairs aguarda ansiosa.

Enquanto o lento desenrolar da história aponta os que estão certos nesse imbróglio (e a Guerra da Geórgia parece dar mais razão ao primeiro grupo), Medvedev tentou provar que tem voz própria. E, como o nós, apelou para a blogosfera.

O jovem líder (ele tem só 43 anos) lançou um vídeo-blog com layout sereno, onde aparece falando firme direto de seu escritório, alinhado a três computadores. Detalhe meio inútil: uma tela está com o próprio blog, a outra com o obelisco do Museu Hermitage, símbolo do poder do Czar, e a outra ainda, desligada. No fundo, dois mouses (será que ele usa um em cada mão?).

No primeiro e único post até agora, Medvedev fala sobre a conferência de Evian, que debaterá assuntos ligados à segurança no mundo. O homem já adianta que considera "o atual sistema internacional de segurança coletiva extremamente ineficiente", haja vista Kosovo, Iraque, Afeganistão e... o Cáucaso. Aguardamos ansiosos o próximo post.

(Para constar: Putin acabou de lançar um DVD intitulado 'Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin'. É verdade.)

Head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn:

"The world economic situation is very worrying and the IMF is going to publish growth forecasts that are markedly lower than what we have had until now.

"The formula of a new Bretton Woods is a pretty formula. What is sure is that it is necessary to review the functioning of the architecture of the global financial system."

source: Reuters

Last night we went to the Hog Penny pub and we treated to free cocktails (in return for some education on English bar/cocktail language) then, after some considerable time and corresponding quantity of beers/cocktails we thought it would be a brilliant idea to enter the Evian Bermuda competition to win tickets to Beyonce who is playing here on Friday (or Saturday or something!) as we found out the closing date was today. I can't claim any credit for the creative genius behind this but you can see the early morning results of Cleo and Kaths acting, musical and creative genius and my slightly tipsy directorial and behind camera skills/non skills on youtube here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8i9uiAQj0o

J'ai toujours cru que je n'étais pas sensible à ce genre de luxe (moi, je me contente facilement d'un petit hôtel de charme deux étoiles). Eh ben finalement, je dois avouer que c'est plutôt agréable ! Le service impeccable, la déférence avec laquelle on répond à toutes vos demandes. Ouaouh, pas mal ! Le risque, c'est que j'aime vraiment ça, que j'y prenne goût... Enfin, non, ça ne risque pas, car je n'ai ni les moyens ni l'envie de me payer de tels services. Mais quand d'autres payent pour moi, alors pourquoi pas. Je reconnais que c'est très agréable !

Et j'ai même dégusté un filet de perche ce soir (la question est : est-ce une perche du Léman ou bien de Lituanie ?...) avec un verre de blanc et un verre de rouge. J'en ai le hoquet au moment même où j'écris ça d'ailleurs.

Bon, faut pas oublier que je suis là pour le boulot (la question est : le modèle des Breast Unit est-il applicable en France ?), mais si j'avais eu un peu plus de temps, j'aurais pris un bateau pour rejoindre la Suisse, de l'autre côté du lac, et j'aurai bu un jus de pomme suisse avec les P'H !

PS : ce qui est con, c'est que je n'ai pas pensé à prendre à mon appareil photo, sinon j'aurais publié une image de la piscine, sur laquelle donne la terrasse de ma chambre. J'aurais bien fait un petit plongeon, là...

One of the best facial mist out there has to be Evian's Brumisateur. We know there is always this argument with facial mist: does it setup makeup or disperse makeup. But rest assure, the Brumisateur does not disperse them like other mists. Ok, but that is not the point for this post. What we really want to share is the special limited edition of the Brumisatuer, with the canister designed by acclaimed fashion illustrator Stephane Manel. The colours are very vivid and it is not hard to notice that the shape of the bottle compliments the femininity of the illustrations. Our favourite? Got to be the Paris version.

Canister design le originale.

Errmm, thats a huge Brumisateur you've got there.

Nailtiques

There are many different types of Nailtiques products and treatments. They are
all specifically designed to improve and enhance the appearance of fingernails
and skin. Most of the Nailtiques formulas are designed and formulated to improve
the condition of fingernails. Nails that are dry, flaky, that chip or peel, are
no match for the treatments by Nailtiques. It takes seeing to believe, but after
you use the Nailtiques products you will find your nails are repaired, healthy,
and beautiful like you always dreamed of.

Rejuvacote

If you have been wearing acrylic nails for some time, or even a short period of
time, you know how thin and brittle your natural nails can become. Your natural
nails actually become so thin that they are flimsy and can easily break, crack,
or peel. But, Rejuvacote rescues your nails. No matter how bad your nails are
after wearing acrylics you can use Rejuvacote and see significant results in no
time.

OPI Nail Polish

There are all sorts of nail polish you can choose from. There are nail polishes
that simply add color, there are others that treat a specific problem like weak
nails, and there are still more that have a combination effect. You may have a
favorite nail polish, most women do,
but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try out some other nail polish brands,
either. There are some outstanding types of nail polish you can choose from. In
fact, there are all kinds of nail polish that are probably better than yours so
try some of the salon brands and see which ones you like best!

Gorgeous Hands at Last

Using products like Rejuvacote, Nailtiques, and salon quality nail polish will
result in you having gorgeous hands in just a few weeks. You may never have

imagined that you could have beautiful hands, but with these treatments you can!

The AP notes that:

Such last-minute changes in EU summit venues are unusual.

I'm not sure if this is anything of consequence or mere logistical delay as claimed by the Sarkozy's office.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=evian,+france&daddr=paris,+france&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=48.268569,2.504883&sspn=10.371813,19.775391&ie=UTF8&ll=47.45738,4.44672&spn=2.79858,4.2811&t=p&output=embed&s=AARTsJpSbZysUG15Lk_Movt3QN1naXdVKw&w=425&h=350]

As you may have heard, the EU declined to include the "European perspective" phrase in an agreement that the Brussels is scheduled to sign with Kyiv at the EU-Ukraine summit in Evian, France on September 9th.  Instead, the EU will acknowledge: "the European aspirations of Ukraine" and will leave "open the way for further progressive developments in EU-Ukraine relations."  The difference is one of depth and level of commitment.

The latter phrases allow the EU to remain, at least nominally, engaged with Ukraine, but unambiguously refuting any idea of a prospective membership in the European Union.  The former phrase (i.e. European perspective) would identify Ukraine's EU aspirations as something more than a hypothetical idea.

What's your point?

To myself, I thought that this is not surprising.  With the EU still digesting the 2004 and 2007 enlargement waves, experiencing the Romania-Bulgaria fatigue syndrome, and dealing with an internal problem caused by Ireland's vote against the Lisbon constitution treaty, any talk of further enlargement perspective for other states, especially those like Ukraine with 46 million citizens or Turkey with 70 million, must be nauseating.  Although, smaller states, like Serbia with a population of 7 million, have a more realistic perspective as we have recently learned from Mr. Barroso; Julien Frisch disagrees.

But I guess I was wrong.  It's not because of the above.  It's actually something entirely not related to the EU.

The reason that the EU decided against recognizing the "European perspective"of Ukraine is, because of the recent break-up of that country's ruling coalition, according to an EU diplomat (Ukr. via Neeka's Backlog) on the inside of the EU-Ukraine negotiations.

It's really that simple.  You see the Ukrainians - some would argue because of their political culture - undid their own chances at a closer relationship with the EU.  Here is what the diplomat said (rough translation; original in Ukrainian here):

The shortsightedness of your politicians is surprising. Up until as late as Wednesday, Ukraine's prospects were quite good to have included in the political section of the Association Agreement such statements as: "on the basis of shared values and Ukraine's European choice" and "will be open." However, now they are scratched off.

I agree that politicians are shortsighted.  Being rational actors, there are large incentives to maximize their self-interest in the short-term than over a long run.  Thus, that's not much of a criticism to say that "your politicians" are shortsighted.  Are the EU politicians well known for their long-term thinking?

Furthermore it is puzzling why the withdrawal of one section from the ruling coalition, and the consequent potential for a pre-term election is NOT an example of shared values between the EU and Ukraine.  As a democracy with competitive, free and fair elections, Ukraine is attempting to find an institutional solution that will accommodate all of its political actors.

It is a democratic process through which every democratic state must pass through if it is to move beyond the adjective - "transitional."  Well consolidated democracies, such as Canada and Japan are currently going through the same coalition formation/pre-term election process, and Belgium in the past year took 196 days to form a coalition, which almost beat their 1977 record of 208 days.

Thus, it would seem that what Ukraine is going through right now SHARES quite a bit with the European values.  It is unfortunate that some in the EU instead of owning up to their true reasons (i.e. fatigue enlargement and internal constitutional crisis) prefer to shift the blame on the other party in the negotiations.

May I suggest to the reader a small book by one Harry G Frankfurt titled - On Bullshit?

• Image credit:  User:Serhiy on Wikimedia Commons; license:  GNU Free Documentation License.

We made our own Evian commercials yesterday at the US Open... judge for yourself whose is better. Dan's shot:

...or Noele's retaliation. (She cracks up at one point, because she was making fun of me for saying 'Evian' wrong, and she did the same thing.)

(Aspirateur de tonton)

Zoé, ma deuxième nièce, est une gamine de 12 ans, très éveillée, qui se pose des tas de questions… et  ne manque jamais de chercher la réponse de mon côté.
Dernière interrogation en date : "Tonton, à quoi ça sert un blog?"
"Euh?"
"On peut faire de l'argent avec?"
"Aux États-Unis, oui. Là-bas, si on est lu par assez de gens, on devient une star du Net, on attire les publicitaires, on se fait sponsoriser, et on transforme un petit exercice d'écriture en un business rentable. Il y a des exemples connus. En ce moment, le New York  Times a d'ailleurs une pub : "Comment faire fructifier votre blog", qui fournit toutes sortes de recettes."
"Et ici?"
"C'est plus compliqué, on se méfie, on veut que ça reste pur. La France a un côté rétro. Et puis la plupart de nos webstars étaient des vedettes avant de bloguer."
"Mais, tonton, tu es déjà une célébrité, tu devrais être riche."
"Je suis peut-être une star à tes yeux, mais cela ne nourrit pas son homme. Et puis, je n'ai jamais eu le sens des affaires…"
"N'empêche, j'ai bien aimé tes citations de marques : Siemens, Dyson, etc. C'était pour les appâter, mine de rien?"
"Chut, ne le répète à personne! On appelle ça du placement de produit. Pour le moment, je n'ai pas de retour"
"C'est quoi le "placement de produit"? Explique-moi."
"C'est courant au cinéma. Tu prévois de montrer à l'écran une certaine marque de voiture, de télé, d'ordinateur (Apple est très fort là-dessus), tu insères dans le scénario des références "innocentes" à telle ou telle banque, que sais-je? Dans une scène de repas, quand un personnage s'extasie sur la saveur du vin ou l'onctuosité d'un yogourt à la fraise, tu peux être sûre que c'est du placement de produit, et que le directeur de production a touché son pourcentage."
"Et si je t'aidais à en faire autant, tout en finesse?"
"Par exemple?"
"Et bien, tu pourrais commencer ton billet du jour comme ceci : "Ce matin, j'ai enfilé mon slip Athena et mon 501 et j'ai chaussé mes crocs jaune citron. J'étais en train de savourer mon Banania et mes Cornflakes lorsque le Phillips sonna. C'était la Société Générale…"
"… qui me rappelait gentiment mon découvert, merci, chérie."
"Oh, mais je suis sûre qu'il y a des choses à faire."
"Orson Welles ne s'en est pas privé. Il a vanté toutes les marques de l'univers. Aujourd'hui, George Clooney, , Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Gorbatchev et tant d'autres ont tiré profit de leur image… On a vu de respectables Académiciens participer à la promo de certains dictionnaires, et je connais des exemples plus anciens, et  plus cocasses…"
"Dis voir!"
"Et bien, Boris Vian, dont tu n'as sans doute pas entendu parler, prit un jour contact avec l'eau d'Évian. Il leur a envoyé une photo où l'on voyait toute la famille Vian, attablée, en train de boire… de l'Évian. Il leur a même fourni le slogan : "Évian, l'eau des Vian". Brillant, mais ça n'a pas marché…"

(tonton plus fort que Boris!)

"J'ai une idée : fais la même chose, en deux temps, d'abord devant une Vittel, puis devant une Évian. "Tonton boit Vittel" et "Tonton boit de l'Évian". Envoie la photo Vittel aux gens d'Évian, la photo Évian à ceux de Vittel. Fais croire à chacune que le concurrent est sur le point de te faire un pont d'or…
"Oui, et alors?"
"Mais que tu es encore disposé à négocier."
"C'est du racket, ça peut mener loin…"
"Et rapporter gros! Alors, on essaie?"
"Écoute, Zoé, pendant que nous parlions, j'étais en train de regarder un vieux Lelouch, et en l'espace de vingt minutes, j'ai relevé cinq placements de produits. C'est du pur génie. Je ne lui arriverai jamais à la cheville, il faut s'incliner devant les maîtres. Je préfère renoncer…"
"Tonton, tu ne serais pas un peu dégonflé?"
"Ça y est, encore une pub déguisée! Il est trop, ce gars!"
"Ciao, tonton, je te laisse à ton film."
"À bientôt, Zoé…"