Global Agenda articles from April 2008

Global Agenda archives from April 2008

The invention of mother; Language; Learning the language behind the language.
April 1, 2008... Learning the language behind the language Monday | Tuesday Tuesday LEARNING other languages brings you the realisation--at first disappointing, but ultimately comforting--that 99% of the conversations around you are utterly...

A threat of turmoil in Turkey; The Constitutional Court in Turkey agrees to consider banning the ruling party; The Constitutional Court in Turkey agrees to consider banning the ruling party.
April 1, 2008... Considering a ban on the ruling party TURKEY edged towards prolonged political and economic turmoil on Monday March 31st after the country's most senior court unanimously agreed to consider a case calling for the banning of the ruling...

Victimless leather; Business.view; And other great new ideas.(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2008... And other great new ideas "I FELT cruel when I turned it off," says Paola Antonelli, senior curator at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The "it" in question is a tiny coat that has been grown in a test tube using cells around a...

Paulson the plumber; A plan to fix America's cracked system of financial regulation; A plan to fix America's cracked system of financial regulation.
April 1, 2008... A plan to fix America's financial regulation MUCH of it will take the best part of a decade to see the light of day, if it ever does. Even the short-term recommendations face a rocky path to implementation. Yet a plan unveiled by America's...

High inflation in South Africa; Interest rates are likely to rise again in South Africa; Interest rates are likely to rise again in South Africa.
April 1, 2008... Interest rates are likely to rise again in South Africa Tito Mboweni has warned that global conditions are set to become more difficult. With inflation continuing to rise, it is hard to see how the central bank governor can avoid another...

Marcel waves goodbye; UBS loses its boss after more big writedowns; A Swiss bank suffers further subprime strife.
April 1, 2008... The boss departs after more big subprime-related writedowns at UBS NOT long ago, when an illustrious bank was in trouble, it could announce, with some fanfare, the support of sovereign-wealth investors from the Gulf states or the Far East....

Leheadline; Language; The starkness and innovation of Hebrew.
April 2, 2008... The starkness and innovation of Hebrew Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday IN HIS short story "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentine writer who was also a philologist, posited an imaginary language in...

Marcel waves goodbye; UBS loses its boss after more big writedowns; A Swiss bank suffers further subprime strife.
April 2, 2008... The boss of UBS quits after big writedowns NOT long ago, when an illustrious bank was in trouble, it could announce, with some fanfare, the support of sovereign-wealth investors from the Gulf states or the Far East. In December, when UBS...

Impossible dream; Asia.view; Sri Lanka's triumphant government.
April 2, 2008... Sri Lanka's triumphant government FOR a quarter of a century, Sri Lanka's bloody ethnic conflict between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils has sputtered on, with periods of all-out war and low-intensity insurgency, ill-observed...

Labour pains; Why the ruling Labour party is struggling in Britain; Why the ruling Labour party is struggling in Britain.
April 2, 2008... The ruling party in Britain is in trouble British politics are at a critical juncture. The period of Labour hegemony that began in 1997 is coming to an end. Despite a change of prime minister and an influx of younger ministers to the...

Waiting in limboland; Zimbabweans wait to see whether Robert Mugabe will go; Zimbabweans wait to see whether Robert Mugabe will go.
April 2, 2008... Zimbabwe waits to see whether president Robert Mugabe will go after the opposition wins the parliamentary election WHATEVER the final outcome of Zimbabwe's curious general elections at the weekend--and it remains possible, despite...

Qawfing fit; Language; Politics and glottal stops in Palestinian Arabic.
April 3, 2008... Politics and glottal stops in Palestinian Arabic Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday ARIEL SHARON'S last act was to stop me learning Arabic. When the then Israeli prime minister suffered the massive brain haemorrhage...

Seen from on high; Europe.view; Russia's secret satellite snoopers.
April 3, 2008... Russia's secret satellite snoopers Correction to this article IF YOU use Google Earth to follow the A-212 road west out of Pskov, shortly before you reach what was until 1940 the Soviet border with independent Estonia, your eye may be...

Waiting in limboland; Zimbabweans wait to see whether Robert Mugabe will go; Zimbabweans wait to see whether Robert Mugabe will go.
April 3, 2008... The ruling party loses parliament. What now? WHATEVER the final outcome of Zimbabwe's curious general elections at the weekend--and it remains possible, despite indications of a big win for the opposition, that President Robert Mugabe will...

So sorry, goodbye; Ireland's prime minister stands down; Bertie Ahern quits as Ireland's prime minister.
April 3, 2008... Bertie Ahern is quitting BERTIE AHERN announced his resignation as taoiseach (prime minister) on Wednesday April 2nd, so as to go before he was pushed. He was the greatest electoral asset of his party, Fianna Fail, for most of his 11-year...

Posturing and more; North Korea looks belligerent again; North Korea looks belligerent again.
April 3, 2008... Explaining the latest belligerence of North Korea Inter-Korean tensions have risen. Recently North Korea has committed a string of provocative acts towards its southern neighbour--test-firing missiles off the coast, expelling South Korean...

The case of the missing clicks; Is Google already past its best? Is Google already past its best?
April 3, 2008... When people click on Google's ads less often DID Google, the world's largest web-search engine, peak last November 6th, when its share price hit an all-time high of $742? Some people on Wall Street seem to think so. They now value the firm...

Lush life; Language; The baffling, beautiful richness of Russian.(Viewpoint essay)
April 4, 2008... The baffling, beautiful richness of Russian Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday THE language I am fondest of is Russian. It is a bruised sort of affection, like the residue of many years with an intense but...

A dream deferred? America 40 years after the murder of Martin Luther King; America 40 years after the murder of Martin Luther King.
April 4, 2008... Forty years after the murder of Martin Luther King MARTIN LUTHER KING dreamed of a day when his children would be judged not by skin colour but by character. Black America has moved far since his murder on April 4th 1968, at least on the...

Diesel's second coming; Tech.view; Will Americans finally warm to diesel cars?
April 4, 2008... Will Americans finally warm to diesel cars? EARLY last year, this column predicted that a new generation of lean and clean diesel cars would soon be heading for American shores ("Rudolf's revenge", February 9th, 2007). On cue,...

From Russia with love? Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, takes a pragmatic approach at the NATO summit in Bucharest; Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, takes a pragmatic approach at the NATO summit in Bucharest.
April 4, 2008... Vladimir Putin's pragmatic approach VLADIMIR PUTIN knows he is a master of political theatre. "There is a religious tremor before any of my speeches," he said at the end of the NATO summit on Friday April 5th. And so there was. Attending...

The political cost of inflation; Rising prices spark labour unrest in Vietnam; Rising prices spark labour unrest in Vietnam.
April 4, 2008... Rising prices spark labour unrest in Vietnam On March 31st more than 15,000 workers at a Nike-contracted factory in southern Vietnam went on strike to demand higher wages in the face of rising prices. Although the strike was called off on...

Gloomy days in America; More gloomy jobs figures in America; More gloomy jobs figures in America.
April 4, 2008... More dismal jobs figures suggest a recession is upon America IF THERE were any lingering doubts that America's economy is shrinking, the news on Friday April 4th has probably put an end to them. According to figures released that day, the...

Gloomy days in America; More gloomy jobs figures in America; More gloomy jobs figures in America.
April 5, 2008... More dismal jobs figures IF THERE were any lingering doubts that America's economy is shrinking, the news on Friday April 4th has probably put an end to them. According to figures released that day, the economy lost 80,000 jobs in March,...

In the round; Art.view; Christie's sells an expanding circular table.
April 5, 2008... Christie's sells an expanding circular table ONE question that has had furniture designers scratching their heads for years has been this: how do you get a round table that seats six, say, to expand at Christmas or Thanksgiving to fit 12,...

The week ahead; An election in Italy and other news of the week ahead.(Zimbabwe's general elections )(global economic crunch)
April 6, 2008... An election in Italy and other news * ZIMBABWE remains in limbo a week after its general elections and despite the success of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the parliamentary vote. The president, Robert Mugabe, looks...

The view from afar; How the Middle East follows America's protracted election.
April 6, 2008... The Middle East watches America's election THE thrills and spills of the presidential primaries in America are captivating audiences far beyond its shores. And not unreasonably so: whoever makes it to the White House will influence far more...

From Socrates to Soros; Market.view; Pondering the crisis, and peddling a new paradigm.
April 6, 2008... Pondering the crisis, and peddling a new paradigm CRISIS breeds opportunity, as the bottom-fishers starting to circle beaten-up mortgage bonds and leveraged loans can attest. For George Soros it offers a chance of a different sort: to...

Power to the workers; South Africa's largest black-empowerment deal; South Africa's largest black-empowerment deal.
April 7, 2008... South Africa's largest black empowerment deal South Africa's largest black empowerment deal to date has received a broad welcome. The Sasol transaction has set a new benchmark for future arrangements. South Africa's biggest ever Black...

Sour grapes; Australia's wine country; From boom to near-bust in a decade.
April 7, 2008... From boom to near-bust in a decade I AM trying to spy a platypus, an elusive Australian aquatic mammal said to reside in the Yarra River, with little success. I'm in the Yarra Valley, a stunningly beautiful region about an hour's drive...

More light than heat; Green.view; Bureaucratic meddling has harmed solar power.
April 7, 2008... Bureaucratic meddling has harmed solar power LAST week, EDF, one of the world's biggest energy firms, announced it would invest $50m in a firm called Nanosolar, which aims to produce cheap solar panels. Nanosolar believes it can sell panels...

Hanging on; How Robert Mugabe plans to hang on in Zimbabwe; How Robert Mugabe plans to hang on in Zimbabwe.
April 7, 2008... President Robert Mugabe clings on THE opposition says it has won, but Zimbabwe will have to hold its breath a bit longer, as the country seems to be heading towards a run-off in its presidential election. More than a week after the vote,...

Penn put to sword; Hillary Clinton sacks her chief political strategist; Hillary Clinton sacks her chief political strategist.
April 7, 2008... Hillary Clinton sacks her strategist, Mark Penn TURMOIL erupted in Hillary Clinton's campaign on Sunday April 6th after Mark Penn was sacked as her chief strategist. His offence was meeting Colombian officials to discuss the passage of a...

Rampant inflation in Ukraine; Why nothing is being done to fight inflation in Ukraine; Why nothing is being done to fight inflation in Ukraine.
April 8, 2008... Why nothing is being done to fight inflation in Ukraine Ukraine's inflation rate topped 26% in March, propelled by surging food prices and the government's largesse. Although high food and energy price inflation are global phenomena,...

Sweet somethings; Australia's wine country; Weathering the storm by being unfashionable.
April 8, 2008... Weathering the storm by being unfashionable Monday | Tuesday Tuesday I WANDER into a hotel bar in the town of Rutherglen, in northern Victoria, where I am struck by an enlarged print of an old black-and-white photograph framed on...

Looking good, feeling good; Novartis and Nestle strike a big deal; Novartis and Nestle strike a big deal.
April 8, 2008... Novartis and Nestle strike a deal FARSIGHTEDNESS is an asset whose value should not be underestimated. Novartis, a Swiss drug giant, proved that it has at least one eye on the future on Monday April 7th, when it agreed to buy 25% of Alcon,...

Happy birthday, HBS; Business.view; Harvard Business School at 100: Whither the MBA?(Company overview)
April 8, 2008... Harvard Business School at 100: Whither the MBA? ON APRIL 8th 1908, the Harvard Business School (HBS) was officially founded by the Harvard Corporation. At 4pm this April 8th, a cake, drinks and toast mark its centenary. More...

The bust begins; House prices are dropping in Britain; House prices are dropping in Britain.
April 8, 2008... Housing-market woes spread to Britain FOR years the housing market in Britain has defied gravity. For a few months in 2004 and 2005 house prices moderated, before taking off again. But now, finally, tighter credit and overstretched...

Still hopeful, broadly, about Iraq; America's most senior general in Iraq testifies before the Senate; America's most senior general in Iraq testifies before the Senate.
April 8, 2008... David Petraeus, America's most senior general in Iraq, testifies before the Senate GENERAL David Petraeus, America's most senior general in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, its ambassador to Baghdad, went before the Senate on Tuesday April 8th to...

Motherland; Australia's wine country; Into the thriving heart of Australian viticulture.
April 10, 2008... Into the thriving heart of Australian viticulture Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday MY JOURNEY through Australia's wine country has brought me to the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia. After running...

A flaming row; A flaming row over the Olympics and Tibet could worsen; A flaming row over the Olympics and Tibet could worsen.
April 10, 2008... Protests may overshadow the Olympics IT IS still four months before athletes gather in Beijing for the Olympics, but already the games are embroiled in controversy as protests grow over human-rights abuses in Tibet. The immediate concern...

Summitry, punditry, wizardry; Europe.view; Some tricks of the trade.
April 10, 2008... Some tricks of the trade A big international conference, such as last week's NATO summit in Bucharest, can seem bewildering. So here are a few tips on how to crack it. First, the more important the person the less useful the meeting....

Skewed gains; Massive Chinese investment in Tibet produces few results; Massive Chinese investment in Tibet produces few results.
April 10, 2008... Massive Chinese investment in Tibet produces few results For a leadership that has committed to the development of China's backward western provinces, recent riots and continuing tensions in Tibet have been a huge embarrassment to say the...

The comeback of private equity; Are private-equity firms calling the end of the credit crunch? Are private-equity firms calling the end of the credit crunch?
April 10, 2008... Are private-equity firms calling the end of the credit crunch? Correction to this article SOVEREIGN-WEALTH funds did not do it. Joe Lewis, the billionaire investor who bet and lost on Bear Stearns, definitely did not do it. Will...

Isolated pioneers; Australia's wine country; Australia's distant west shows the way forward.
April 11, 2008... Australia's distant west shows the way forward Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday ON A bright morning, I turn the car south from Perth for a three-hour drive to the Margaret River, at the bottom of Western...

The comeback of private equity; Are private-equity firms calling the end of the credit crunch? Are private-equity firms calling the end of the credit crunch?
April 11, 2008... Calling an end to the credit crunch? Correction to this article SOVEREIGN-WEALTH funds did not do it. Joe Lewis, the billionaire investor who bet and lost on Bear Stearns, definitely did not do it. Will private-equity firms be any more...

Mile-high mobiles; Tech.view; Say goodbye to that last sanctuary of silence.
April 11, 2008... Say goodbye to that last sanctuary of silence EVER noticed how people speak louder when using a mobile phone, even if they usually mumble on a landline or in person? It's a well-documented phenomenon. Communications experts put it down to...

Eyes on the prize; The fight over Yahoo! heats up; Yahoo! and Microsoft beef up their battalions.
April 11, 2008... Yahoo! and Microsoft enlist allies TIME is running out for Jerry Yang, the boss of Yahoo!, in his increasingly desperate struggle to rebuff Microsoft. The software giant is itching to buy the web portal he co-founded 13 years ago. Yahoo!'s...

South Korea's election; The centre-right win in South Korea's parliamentary election; A narrow victory for the business-friendly centre-right.
April 11, 2008... A narrow victory for the business-friendly centre-right The centre-right Grand National Party (GNP) has won slightly over half the seats in South Korea's parliament, giving the party a majority that will help the new president, Lee...

Pounded and grounded; A bad week for America's embattled airlines; Doom and gloom for America's airline industry.
April 12, 2008... Doom and gloom for the airline industry AMERICA'S airlines should be used to bad news by now. But this is a hellish time, even by the industry's standards of woe. The week got off to a bad start when nine MD-80 jets belonging to American...

Grasping for victory; Italy's general election; Italy's general election could be a close-run affair.
April 13, 2008... Italy goes to the polls THE main candidates in Italy's general election, which begins on Sunday April 13th, both spent the final hours of the campaign trying urgently to dispel the idea that they would do a deal after the ballot. Silvio...

In for a penny; Market.view; The illusory strength of the British pound.
April 13, 2008... The illusory strength of the British pound THOSE who travel from London to New York may still find things remarkably cheap in America. But the dollar is the rare currency against which the pound has not taken a battering. Britons...

Gone with the wind; Art.view; A Russian futurist with an impeccable pedigree.(Natalia Goncharova)(Biography)
April 13, 2008... A Russian futurist with an impeccable pedigree NATALIA GONCHAROVA loved speed. She loved it in 1912 when she painted "Les Rameurs" ("The Oarsmen"), which sold two years ago for over [pounds sterling]1m ($2m), nearly seven times its...

The week ahead; The pope goes to America, and other news of the coming week; What may be in the headlines this week.(general elections in Italy)(strike of Screen Actors Guild members)
April 14, 2008... The pope in America, and other news * VOTING in Italy's general election concludes in the afternoon on Monday April 14th. The main candidates of the right and left, Silvio Berlusconi and Walter Veltroni, have been doing much to downplay...

Out of time; Mali; The persistence of tradition in Djenne.(Country overview)
April 14, 2008... The persistence of tradition in Djenne DJENNE has just disappeared. I am standing on the banks of the Bani River, tired and irritable after a day's journey from Bamako, Mali's capital. The sun has set, and without streetlights, the city on...

Finger on the spot; Green.view; Deciding what to save.
April 14, 2008... Deciding what to save WHEN a house is on fire, most people find the initial decisions about what to save quite easy. Humans (and by tradition women and children) first, then pets (dogs before goldfish), then photos. But after that it gets...

Maoists take the lead; Nepal's shocking election; Early election results from Nepal show a shocking success for former insurgents.
April 14, 2008... Surprising early election results NEPAL'S Maoists, who until two years ago were a vicious rebel party to a decade-long civil war, look likely to have won a general election. Of 186 seats declared on Monday April 14th the Maoists had won...

Who wants to trade? The presidential candidates and trade; What the contenders for the presidency think about trade.
April 14, 2008... In an election year, American politicians are reluctant to talk about trade on its own merits DISCUSS a trade deal, and you might think that the main issues would be whether it is good for the American economy. But few debates on public...

Toure town; Mali; Fingers are not for sale at Niafunke's market.(Country overview)
April 15, 2008... Fingers are not for sale at Niafunke's market Monday | Tuesday Tuesday ONE can drive or even fly to Timbuktu, but the most picturesque route to this legendary place is via a slow boat on the Niger River--a journey that's only...

Who wants to trade? The presidential candidates and trade; What the contenders for the presidency think about trade.
April 15, 2008... Politicians won't discuss trade on merit DISCUSS a trade deal, and you might think that the main issues would be whether it is good for the American economy. But few debates on public policy ever reach this level of purposefulness. And in...

Having a laugh; Business.view; Why every company needs a fun strategy.
April 15, 2008... Why every company needs a fun strategy AS THE economic gloom deepens, the last thing the typical boss will feel like doing right now is laughing. So it is anyone's guess what he or she will think of a new book that makes the case for humour...

Italy swings to the right; Silvio Berlusconi rides again; Silvio Berlusconi rides again.
April 15, 2008... Silvio Berlusconi's big victory BY ANY measure it is a remarkable comeback. Two years after being voted out of office, Silvio Berlusconi won a decisive victory in Italy's general election on April 13th and 14th that should allow him to...

The pope in America; The pope begins his tour of the United States; The pope begins his tour of the United States.
April 15, 2008... Pope Benedict begins his tour THREE years ago, in the final weeks of Pope John Paul II's papacy, the Vatican's diplomatic service took great care to distance the Catholic Church from American foreign policy, in order to protect Christians...

Rising concern; Inflation is a growing problem in Asia; Inflation is a growing problem in Asia.
April 15, 2008... Inflation is creating headaches for Asian policymakers Rapidly rising inflation is emerging as one of the biggest economic worries facing Asia. The problem could hardly have come at a worse time for policymakers, amid fears over the extent...

World's end; Mali; Ghosts and rebels in Timbuktu.
April 16, 2008... Ghosts and rebels in Timbuktu Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday "WHY do you want to spend two nights in Timbuktu? There's nothing there," Allaye asked us over breakfast back in Djenne. Malians' lack of enthusiasm for this...

Paper tigers? Asia.view; Nepal goes Maoist: How worried should we be?
April 16, 2008... Nepal goes Maoist: How worried should we be? "A REVOLUTION", Mao Zedong famously observed, "is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery. It cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so...

What lies beneath; Is there really a huge new offshore oilfield in Brazil? Is there really a huge new offshore oilfield in Brazil?
April 16, 2008... Is there really an ocean of oil off Brazil? JUST how much oil is there off the coast of Brazil? Until recently, Brazil's oil reserves were thought to be relatively modest: about 12 billion barrels at the beginning of 2007, according to BP,...

Unrest in Haiti; Food riots and other threats to Haiti's government; Food riots and other threats to Haiti's government.
April 16, 2008... Food riots and other headaches for Haiti's government Haiti's prime minister lost his job on April 12th, the result of more than a week of unrest as protesters rioted in reaction to rising food prices in the hemisphere's poorest country....

High livers; Mali; The Dogon find safety in altitude.(Country overview)
April 17, 2008... The Dogon find safety in altitude Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday THE Dogon, a Malian tribe best known for their ritualistic wooden sculpture and the unusual architecture of their villages, live primarily in the...

From frozen to boiling; Europe.view; Georgia in the firing line: who's watching?
April 17, 2008... Georgia in the firing line: who's watching? DON'T give Georgia a firm promise of NATO membership, the argument went at the alliance's recent summit in Bucharest, because it will provoke the Kremlin. If that was a calculated risk, it now...

Obama and Clinton battle on; Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton hold a bizarre debate in Pennsylvania; Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton hold a bizarre debate in Pennsylvania.
April 17, 2008... A bizarre debate in Pennsylvania "ULTIMATE FIGHTING", a free-for-all of boxing, kicks and wrestling manoeuvres, has made sweeping gains in American sport viewing, largely at the expense of traditional boxing. Perhaps ABC News has been...

Brothers at bay; Egypt's government battles with the Muslim Brotherhood; Egypt's government battles with the Muslim Brotherhood.
April 17, 2008... Egypt's government battles with the Muslim Brotherhood Egypt's higher military court has handed out stiff sentences against 25 people associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, including the banned group's third-in-command, Khayrat Shater, in...

Samsung's woes; Samsung's chairman is charged with tax evasion; Samsung's chairman is charged with tax evasion.
April 17, 2008... Samsung's chairman is charged with tax evasion POLICE in riot gear took up station in front of South Korea's prosecutors' offices on the evening of Thursday April 17th to quell demonstrations. Normally an angry public calling for...

Adventure capital; Mali; Soft beds and monkey heads back in Bamako.(Country overview)
April 18, 2008... Soft beds and monkey heads back in Bamako Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday THE average Malian earns $400 a year, making it one of the poorest countries on earth. The further away from the capital of Bamako...

Samsung's woes; Samsung's chairman is charged with tax evasion; Samsung's chairman is charged with tax evasion.
April 18, 2008... The chairman is charged with tax evasion POLICE in riot gear took up station in front of South Korea's prosecutors' offices on the evening of Thursday April 17th to quell demonstrations. Normally an angry public calling for accountability...

Delivering the bits; Tech.view; Fear not, the dumb old internet can still cope.
April 18, 2008... Fear not, the dumb old internet can still cope A DOZEN years have passed since David Isenberg, then a distinguished engineer at AT&T Labs, wrote his seminal essay "The Rise of the Stupid Network". In it, he outlined how a new philosophy...

India's economy; India's government grapples with the need to boost exports and control inflation; India's government grapples with the need to boost exports and control inflation.
April 18, 2008... How to boost exports and control inflation? On April 11th India's commerce ministry announced the final annual supplement to its 2004-09 foreign trade policy. In preparing the supplement, the commerce and industry minister, Kamal Nath, had...

And the cupboard was bare; British banks start to pass round the begging bowl; British banks start to pass round the begging bowl.
April 18, 2008... British banks start to pass round the begging bowl EVER since the emperor bought new clothes, there have been few instances of self-delusion quite as stark as that of cavalier British bankers at the start of 2008. Just as rivals in America...

And the cupboard was bare; British banks start to pass round the begging bowl; British banks start to pass round the begging bowl.
April 19, 2008... Banks pass round the begging bowl EVER since the emperor bought new clothes, there have been few instances of self-delusion quite as stark as that of cavalier British bankers at the start of 2008. Just as rivals in America and other parts...

Liberation politics; Paraguay's liberation politics; The Colorado Party's 61-year grip on power may be at an end in Paraguay.
April 20, 2008... Waiting for a change of government IF THE poll numbers hold, the world's longest-ruling political party will be dismissed by Paraguay's voters on Sunday April 20th. The Colorado Party, which came to power two years before China's Communist...

Back to back; Art.view; A monumental two-headed Roman bust at Bonhams.
April 20, 2008... A monumental two-headed Roman bust at Bonhams SOMERSET STRUBEN DE CHAIR was an adventurous young British soldier stationed with the Royal Horse Guards in Palestine when he saw a larger-than-life marble bust (pictured below) displayed in the...

The week ahead; The Pennsylvania primary and other news of the coming week; The Pennsylvania primary and other news of the coming week.(Calendar)
April 21, 2008... What may be in the news * DEMOCRATS in Pennsylvania have their say about who the party's presidential candidate should be when the state holds its primary election on Tuesday April 22nd. In the six weeks since the last contest in...

Another BRIC in the wall; Market.view; The perils of overestimating emerging markets.
April 21, 2008... The perils of overestimating emerging markets GOLDMAN SACHS'S invention of the term "BRIC" to describe the Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese economies turned out to be a brilliant marketing ploy. The acronym, invented in 2001, remains...

Toast points; Maryland; Gauging the electorate's mood over breakfast.(John McCain)(Viewpoint essay)
April 21, 2008... Gauging the electorate's mood over breakfast IT'S 7am and I'm waiting for John McCain. I'm at Chick and Ruth's Delly, a diner in downtown Annapolis. Every morning, they recite the pledge of allegiance here. Today, the presumptive...