Friday 29th of March 2024

Gus Leonisky's blog

perfect storm .....

perfect storm .....

The credit crisis has created the most challenging economic and monetary policy environment in recent memory, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve has admitted.

Ben Bernanke presented a downbeat assessment of the economic effects of the unfolding crisis when he addressed the US central bank's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, yesterday. 

equanimity .....

equanimity .....

On the steps of the bombed-out Parliament building Thursday, down the street from a neighborhood in ruins, the black-suited maestro prepared to lead a concert he aptly called a requiem, or composition for the dead.

lengthening shadows .....

lengthening shadows .....

Within hours of the news breaking of the ambush of French soldiers on Monday, text messages arrived on reporters' mobile phones in Kabul. From Zahibullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman, they boasted of the defeat of the "invader forces". Nato spokesmen in the city took much longer to issue a statement.

One problem, they said, was the difficulty in identifying exactly who had attacked the French troops. Most reports, including the statements by Mujahed, described the attackers as Taliban.

tangled webs .....

tangled webs .....

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the negotiations had been "tough, but friendly", adding that the deal would make both Poland and the US more secure. 

Ms Rice said the signing of the document was an extraordinary occasion, adding that the agreement would help Nato, Poland and the US respond to "the threats of the 21st Century". 

political miracles .....

political miracles .....

Anyone who still doubts that the evangelical Christian world is going through a political revolution was not watching Pastor Rick Warren's presidential forum this weekend. The era of reducing Christianity to a narrow set of ideological commitments is over. 

smoke & mirrors .....

smoke & mirrors .....

Chinese fans are watching the Olympics on TV, puffing on cigarettes in a smoke-filled bar. Suddenly, when the Chinese team scores, they crush out their cigarettes and jump up to cheer. 

'Love China,' says a message on the screen. 'Increase patriotism even more. Love a smoke-free Olympics.' 

lonesome cowboy .....

lonesome cowboy .....

America’s back in the cold war and W’s back on vacation. 

Talk about your fearful symmetry. 

frankenstein's farm .....

frankenstein farm .....

Britain's Prince Charles has again voiced his opposition to the spread of genetically modified (GM) crops. 

The heir to the British throne was responding to plans to allow 50 British farms to plant GM crops. 

dangerous games .....

dangerous games .....

The risk of a new era of east-west confrontation triggered by Russia's invasion of Georgia heightened yesterday when Moscow reserved the right to launch a nuclear attack on Poland because it agreed to host US rockets as part of the Pentagon's missile shield. 

bud & lou .....

bud & lou .....

The US and the Europe today demanded that any settlement of the conflict in Georgia had to be based on recognition of the small Black Sea country's territorial integrity. But after overrunning Georgia in five days with troops, tanks, and bombers, Russia rejected the terms. 

monkey business .....

monkey business .....

Russian behaviour in Georgia has 'called into question the entire premise' of relations between Washington and Moscow, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday, even as the Bush administration appeared willing to let Russia take its time removing its forces from disputed areas inside the former Soviet republic. 

oil futures .....

oil futures .....

World oil prices, which have plunged from recent record heights, could spike higher again should the market be rocked by new supply-side shocks, according to industry experts.

Oil Prices Risk New Rises On Supply Shocks, Analysts Warn

a bear not blinking .....

a bear not blinking .....

Russia has continued air raids deep inside Georgia, after it rejected Tbilisi's announcement that it had called a ceasefire and wanted talks. 

Jets bombed targets near Tbilisi, including the airport, and Russia said its warships had sunk a Georgian boat that approached and tried to attack.

muddling malcolm .....

muddling malcolm .....

Opposition treasury spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has accused the Government of making tough economic times tougher and undermining confidence in the Australian economy.

Yesterday the Reserve Bank kept interest rates steady at 7.25 per cent after figures pointed towards a sharp slowdown of the economy. Economists have now predicted there could be an interest rate cut as early as next month. 

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