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In my humble opinion in the core of the global credit crisis is the issue of lying and trust. It is not a question of liberalization vs. regulation, it is not a question of capitalism vs. centrally controlled economy. Here is what happened as I see it. Money searchers -entities representing groups of people such as insurance companies, retirement funds, public bodies- were willing to pay money to other people -bankers- who can get them some more money. So these money finders went out looking for people who were willing to give money for something they wanted to have too much -wanna be home owners-. To squeeze money from as many money givers as possible the money finders lied to the money givers, making them make commitments on payments that they could not fulfill in 2, 3 years time. The money finders did not care, since they made their money when they sold these payment commitments to money searchers. They did not even sell money to money seekers, they sold promises to give money. They...

Thinking on the current state of affairs in the international politics, I came to the conclusion that there are fundamentally two approaches one can take in making a case. First approach is to concede that the states are not bound to the ethical obligations of the individuals, and must follow their interests, how ever they are defined inside the state, no matter what the moral results are. Those who favor this view however, loose their right to criticize the actions of other states, as any action can be matched to these state interests. Furthermore, they are obliged -in my opinion- to present a model, in which this type of behavior of individual states can sustain a world in which the dignity of individuals are not hurt by the immoral relations between the states. Second approach assumes that the states by definition composed of ethical individuals, and being so subject to such obligations by definition. Of course there will be cheaters. I think the more people take the second approach...

1981 was declared the Atatürk year by the UN and UNESCO. Here is the decleration: Convinced that personalities who worked for understanding and cooperation between nations and international peace will be examples for future generations, Recalling that the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, will be celebrated in 1981, Knowing that he was an exceptional reformer in all fields relevant to the competence of UNESCO, Recognizing in particular that he was the leader of the first struggle given against colonialism and imperialism, Recalling that he was the remarkable promoter of the sense of understanding between peoples and durable peace between the nations of the world and that he worked all his life for the development of harmony and cooperation between peoples without distinction of color, religion and race, It is decided that UNESCO should collaborate in 1981 with the Turkish Government on both intellectual and technical plans for...

Pablo Neruda called it "Novia del Océano" - the Sweetheart of the Ocean. Salvador Allende and Agustor Pinochet, the two most important figures in modern Chilean history were born and raised in it. It carried the nickname "the Pearl of Pacific" before the Panama Canal was opened. A UNESCO World heritage city, Valaparaiso's old town was devastated by a fire. Experiencing a recovery after years of gentrification, Valaparasio was recently tittled the cultural capital of Chile. I hope that the damage is not as extensive as it is seen on these pictures .