Who did Irish taxpayer’s bail out?

An unsurprising analysis of teh commitment teh Irish government took on in bailing out unguaranteed bondholders.  Read Who are the bond holders we are bailing out? by David Malone author of Debt Generation.  The list is good to have, though it is the story that makes you cringe with disgust at the greed and carelessness …
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Israeli commandos attack aid ship – the discussion continues

When I read headlines like: Deaths as Israel storms aid ship or Israeli Massacres Go International; Commandos Kill 16 Free Gaza Activists I despair.  And then to read the vitriolic comments for and against the action, my sense of desperation grows.  I feel more strongly for the underdog and I can not fathom why such …
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Are we saying goodbye to privacy in EU? and the world?

Norway, a member state of the EU, makes most tax information available to the public for free, online and with analysis tools.  You can compare incomes and wealth of celebrities, friends, yourself.  You can see where people live.  There are positive aspects to this open approach to disclosure – it supports a more egalitarian economy.  …
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Change in The East too.

Japan has voted for change. After more than half a century of nearly unbroken rule the LDP was defeated in a landslide victory by the Democratic Party of Japan. Of course, it is not easy to win an election in the face of an economic recession – people are naturally unhappy with the status quo. …
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Is the trillion dollar deficit an issue?

It was going to happen sooner or later. Maybe the meltdown in the world of finance hastened the trillion dollar deficit, though US governments have been trying hard to breach that milestone. Three months before the end of this financial year it’s happened. Maybe it’s not such a frightening number in the context of the …
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12 year lows are rare

I don’t think that the economic contraction has ended yet, but there are signs of a bottoming out of some markets. The US market has been cleaning itself out for six months, though moral hazard remains as do some big skeletons (like the Madoff, Stanford …). The Fed Chairman is concerned about stagflation too. But …
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China’s NPC opens with some interesting indicators

China’s National People’s Congress opened today with a speech by Premier Wen Jiabao. While these presentations are usually quite unrevealing and perhaps a bit propagandist, some interesting things were said.  There will be a continued push to stimulate the economy including a € 0.5 trillion investment package.  But part of the bdget includes an increase …
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