Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_urchin who wrote (25636)	7/8/2007 5:04:06 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Respond to of 81415

Re: > a dinner guest helping to clear up after the meal opened a freezer and found the bodies of the host's wife and stepson Strikes me the guest was very lucky the freezer was already full. Actually, it doesn't surprise me... it's just another instance of husband-&-wife drama turned awry. The woman had a son --Bryan (English names have become popular among Belgian rednecks due to the latter's addiction to US soaps)-- from a previous affair, she probably told her latest partner-turned-murderer that she planned to move on... As it turned out, the guy blew a fuse and killed her and her son --a somewhat straightforward crime passionel(). Later on, the killer couldn't live with the pangs of remorse and, somehow, gave himself away when hosting his friends --he didn't take the trouble to prevent them from stumbling upon the "smoking freezer".... A case study of psychological backlash. Gus () tiscali.co.uk

To: sea_urchin who wrote (25636)	7/10/2007 5:24:28 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81415

France is broke: Sarkozy clashes with EU as he tries to reassert French influence By Dan Bilefsky and Judy Dempsey Published: July 9, 2007 BRUSSELS President Nicolas Sarkozy of France clashed with European Union finance ministers Monday night over the bloc's economic direction, fresh evidence that France's new president is rankling his partners by putting domestic priorities ahead of EU rules. In recent weeks, the French leader has emerged as a star in Europe after he helped Germany clinch a deal on a simplified constitutional treaty at a June summit meeting. But his willingness to sideline EU institutions and his interventionist rhetoric have irked many EU governments, in particular Germany. EU officials appear increasingly uneasy with his efforts to put France back in the EU driver's seat after two years during which the French rejection of the constitution had relegated the country to a secondary role. The latest confrontation came Monday evening when Sarkozy made a highly unusual appearance at a meeting of euro-zone finance ministers in Brussels to defend his economic policies. The move itself was a departure from EU convention, since heads of state seldom attend such affairs. "Is he going to run everything?" asked one British official. "Are his ministers just puppets?" Sarkozy said that his attendance at the meeting was "an important experience" for the gathered ministers and showed the importance France attached to European economic policy. Defying his EU partners but softening his rhetoric in the face of an onslaught of criticism from EU finance ministers, Sarkozy argued that his need to stimulate the French economy by cutting taxes by up to €15 billion, or $20.4 billion, a year, could require him to go back on a pledge made by all EU members in April to bring their deficits to zero by 2010. He said that he would try to eliminate France's budget deficit by 2010, but could not guarantee it before 2012. "I'm not asking to put off the effort to consolidate public finances," he said. "We will make every effort." He added that it would be intellectually dishonest not to recognize that his restructuring would cost money. Indicating that his fealty was to French economic interests rather than EU rules, he noted that France needed to reduce the deficit, not because of European rules, but because it was weighing on the growth and confidence of France. French officials said Sarkozy told the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, that it was not realistic for France to abide by its original pledge to reduce the budget deficit to under 1.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2008. Officials acknowledged that Barroso, who is charged as the guardian of EU rules, was none too pleased. After the meeting, the prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, who leads the talks of countries in the euro zone, insisted that he accepted Sarkozy's arguments. He played down the notion that Sarkozy was disobeying the rules of the club, saying his economic agenda was "not just something that's good for France and the French people - it's good for Europe as a whole." But EU diplomats said that Juncker's show of solidarity with the French president was a marked contrast to the friction in the meeting room, where only a handful of countries - including Belgium - supported his position. Still, with fiscal policy firmly in the hands of national governments, the rest of Europe may not be able to stop Sarkozy's plans. The EU's rule book only provides for sanctions against countries that run a deficit of 3 percent or more, and specifically says that deficits are allowed if a country is undertaking other structural reforms, something Sarkozy has said he plans to do. German financial officials and analysts said Monday they were particularly concerned that Sarkozy appeared determined to undermine the independence of the European Central Bank and weaken the credibility of the countries that use the euro. Referring to his "dear friend" Jean-Claude Trichet, the bank president, Sarkozy said: "We don't see eye to eye" on some issues. "But I place every trust in his great ability to listen, understand and adjust." Beyond Sarkozy's open defiance of EU budget rules, some EU officials were wary of his efforts to nominate a former French finance minister, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, as the next head of the International Monetary Fund.[] Britain sought to halt the French effort to push its candidate, demanding the job be thrown open to worldwide competition instead of remaining a European preserve. "I don't think Europe can simply say, 'That position is ours and we are not prepared to discuss it with anyone else,' " said the new British finance minister, Alistair Darling. Sarkozy announced Sunday that he wanted the erudite economist and lawyer to be the candidate to succeed Rodrigo de Rato, who is leaving the post in October. On Monday, Sarkozy acknowledged that so far he had only been able to secure support for Strauss-Kahn from two European leaders: himself and Juncker. While few in Brussels doubted Strauss-Kahn's credentials, some took umbrage at what they said was a rearguard attempt by Sarkozy to ensure that a Frenchman landed the IMF's top job. Frenchmen already preside over three of the world's most august international economic organizations: Pascal Lamy at the World Trade Organization; Trichet at the European Central Bank; and Jean Lemierre at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Judy Dempsey reported from Berlin. Carter Dougherty contributed reporting from Frankfurt.* iht.com [*] In his last book-interview, former French Finance Minister Raymond Barre suggests that France's financial straits could lead her to beg the IMF for some "bridge loans".... amazon.fr TOLD YOU SO: Message 23490587 Message 23531421 Message 23537491