Friday, January 3, 2014

World View: Latvia Becomes 18th Nation to Adopt the Euro Currency



World View: Latvia Becomes 18th Nation to Adopt the Euro Currency
by John J. Xenakis 2 Jan 2014, 1:37 AM PDT
In his typically shrill speech to the North Korean people on New Year's Day, the child dictator Kim Jong-un appeared to be responding to numerous national and international concerns about his government's stability, describing as removing "factionalist scum" the execution of his uncle and mentor Jang Song-thaek:

"Our party's timely, accurate decision to purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary and factionalist elements helped greatly cement unity of the party and the revolution and strengthened our solidarity by 100 times. ...

It is necessary to establish stringent revolutionary discipline and order in all domains of the revolutionary struggle and construction work."

He pledged a crackdown on "any sort of alien ideology and decadent lifestyle." By referring to his uncle as "factionalist elements," he's hoping to reverse the loss of respect among the North Korean for having killed a family member, in a culture where family is extremely important. Furthermore, the word "factionalist" seems to indicate that there was a power struggle, and he hoped that executing Jang would help "greatly cement unity."

Although most reasons given in the press for the execution of Jang have referred to corrupt deals involving sales of coal and other resources to China, South Korean analysts say that the Kim's fury at Jang was far more personal in nature:

Jang was supposed to be Kim's mentor, but Jang did not show respect for Kim, clapping his hands half-heartedly at Kim's speeches, and even wearing the same kind of suits as Kim, so as to imply equality.
Jang had a previous relationship with Ri Sol-ju, Kim's wife, before Kim even met her. Jang had established the Unhasu Orchestra, in which Ri was a singer. Kim fell for her, but was uncomfortable with her relationship with Jang.

It's Jang that maintained good relations between N. Korea and China. From the Chinese perspective, Kim is too young to be a partner, and Jang provided a bridge. Some Beijing officials may actually have been in a panic after Jang's execution. Channel News Asia and Korea Times

Palestinian ambassador to Czech Republic dies in freak explosion
The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic Jamal Al Jamal, 56, was killed in Wednesday in a freak explosion when he attempted to open what was evidently a booby-trapped safe. The safe had been located in the old Palestinian embassy in Prague, and hadn't been opened in at least 20 years. The safe had been moved to the new Palestinian Embassy which wasn't yet officially open. The ambassador had officially assumed his post on October 11, 2013. It was not known why the safe had been booby-trapped. Prague Post

Latvia becomes 18th nation to adopt the euro currency

Say goodbye to the lat currency

Latvia rung in the new year by becoming the 18th country to join the eurozone, which uses the euro as its currency. The Latvian people, with a large ethnic Russian minority, are mostly opposed to the conversion to the euro currency. This will be the fourth currency for Latvia in the last 22 years. During the Soviet era, Latvia's currency was the Russian ruble. When Latvia became independent, it first adopted a new Latvian ruble and then, a year later, adopted the pre-World War II lat currency. Many Latvians are extremely reluctant to give up their lats for euros, because they're well aware that Greece and other eurozone countries have gone through major financial and currency crises. However, the supporters of the euro say that this time it's different. Bloomberg and BBC

Eurozone
European Central Bank sets monetary policy for the eurozone.

Note: Mario Draghi is the president for the European Central Bank, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a trustee at the Institute for Advanced Study.
David M. Rubenstein is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a trustee at the Institute for Advanced Study, and the president of the Economic Club of Washington.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was the president of the Economic Club of Washington, is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the New America Foundation, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and Jim Yong Kim was a guest at his 2013 wedding.
Eric E. Schmidt is the chairman of the New America Foundation (think tank), a trustee at the Institute for Advanced Study, was a funder for the New America Foundation (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the president for Henry Crown and Company.
Lester Crown was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman for Henry Crown and Company.
Henry Crown and Company is an investor in the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman was a player for the Chicago Bulls, and met with Kim Jong Un in 2013.
Kim Jong Un met with Dennis Rodman in 2013, and is the leader for North Korea.
North Korea is a member country for the World Health Organization.
Jim Yong Kim was a director, HIV-AIDS department for the World Health Organization, a guest at George Soros’s 2013 wedding, and is the president of the World Bank.
A.W. Clausen was the president for the World Bank, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
David Dollar was the country director for China and Mongolia for the World Bank, and is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Robert S. McNamara was the president for the World Bank, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was a managing director for the World Bank, and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
James D. Wolfensohn was the president for the World Bank, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), the chairman emeritus for the Institute for Advanced Study, is a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank) and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Mario Draghi is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a trustee at the Institute for Advanced Study, and the president for the European Central Bank.
European Central Bank sets monetary policy for the eurozone.

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