sábado, marzo 14, 2009

Brasil y sus exportaciones a través de HAITI


FERNANDO CANZIAN
DE NOVA YORK

No encontro bilateral entre Brasil e EUA, em Washington, as equipes comerciais dos dois países pretendem avançar em uma discussão que poderá possibilitar o acesso preferencial de algumas empresas do setor têxtil brasileiro ao mercado norte-americano.

A ideia é estimular indústrias têxteis do Brasil a investirem no Haiti e exportar de lá seus produtos aos EUA. O Brasil lidera a intervenção militar da ONU no país caribenho.

Nesta semana, um grupo de empresários brasileiros esteve em Washington negociando modificações no acesso preferencial que o Haiti já tem em relação aos EUA para exportações. A ideia é criar incentivos, viabilizando os investimentos.

Além dessa questão pontual, Brasil e EUA devem discutir mais detidamente os principais pontos de contenciosos comerciais entre os dois países: etanol, algodão, suco de laranja, aço e subsídios gerais concedidos à agricultura nos EUA, entre outros pontos.

De longe, a questão dos subsídios é a que mais incomoda o Brasil e é o que vem travando (juntamente com os subsídios europeus) uma definição positiva na atual rodada de negociações da OMC (Organização Mundial do Comércio).

De um lado estão EUA e europeus, que não abrem mão de subsídios e tarifas elevadas para proteger seus mercados agrícolas. De outro, os países em desenvolvimento, com Brasil, Índia e China à frente, pressionando pela abertura desse mercado para, em contrapartida, ampliarem o acesso dos países ricos aos seus mercados de produtos industriais e financeiros.

Na quinta, outra notícia negativa para o Brasil nessa área: o Comitê de Agricultura da Câmara dos Representantes dos EUA rejeitou projeto do governo Obama que previa corte nos subsídios a fazendeiros com faturamento anual superior a US$ 500 mil, que reduziria à metade os subsídios atuais.

O comitê argumenta que o pagamento dos subsídios só poderá ser mudado na próxima Farm Bill americana, em 2012.

Além da questão dos subsídios, há alguns dias o governo Obama enviou ao Congresso um pacote de estímulo econômico que prevê gastos de cerca de US$ 800 bilhões e que inclui a chamada cláusula "Buy American" (compre produtos americanos). No caso específico, ela determina que aço e ferro usados em obras públicas realizadas com dinheiro do pacote sejam produzidos nos EUA.

Comércio em queda

Os EUA são responsáveis por cerca de 15% das exportações brasileiras, mas volume e valores de comércio entre os países vêm caindo rapidamente desde o agravamento da crise.

"Não podemos falar em tendência de déficit comercial do Brasil com os EUA, mas há uma clara redução do comércio bilateral entre os dois países por conta da atual crise", afirma Aluisio Lima-Campos, consultor para questões comerciais e econômicas da Embaixada do Brasil em Washington.

A expectativa do FMI (Fundo Monetário Internacional) é que o comércio global encolha cerca de 3% neste ano, agravando o cenário de desaquecimento em vários países e dificultando uma recuperação mais rápida da economia mundial.

Um dos assuntos que têm condições de avançar de forma mais favorável ao Brasil é a questão do acesso do etanol brasileiro ao mercado norte-americano, já que grande parte do discurso de Obama para a questão energética passa pelas chamadas "fontes limpas".

Os EUA impõem hoje uma tarifa de US$ 0,14 por litro ao etanol importado. Os EUA consomem cerca de 550 bilhões de litros de gasolina ao ano, e 10% desse mercado equivale a quase três vezes a produção brasileira total de etanol.

Brasil y OBAMA


Por
Denise Chrispim Marin

O presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva entrará hoje na Casa Branca para o seu primeiro encontro com Barack Obama, presidente dos Estados Unidos há 53 dias, convencido de que pode mudar a visão de Washington sobre a América Latina. O ministro das Relações Exteriores, Celso Amorim, antecipou que o Brasil não tem a pretensão de "orientar" os EUA nem de carregar esse diálogo de "amigo" com doses de paternalismo.

"Nós temos algo a dizer e acho que o presidente Obama terá interesse em ouvir", afirmou Amorim, em entrevista ao Estado na última quinta-feira, no Itamaraty. "De qualquer forma, seria absurdo pensar em uma postura paternalista por parte do Brasil."

No contexto latino-americano, Cuba estará "inevitavelmente" presente nas conversas entre os dois presidentes. A intenção do Brasil em promover a aproximação entre a América do Sul e América Central e Caribe, em um novo mecanismo regional que incluiria Cuba, ficará sintomaticamente fora da agenda. Os Estados Unidos estarão excluídos desse diálogo, assim como o Canadá. "Não temos de pedir licença para ninguém para fazer isso."

Dois dias antes do encontro entre os presidentes, Amorim preferiu adotar um tom mais ameno sobre a ausência de sinais efetivos da nova administração americana sobre a retomada das negociações da Rodada Doha da Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC).

Raro campo que avançou na cooperação Brasil-Estados Unidos nos seis anos de governo Lula, a questão energética deverá centralizar um novo apelo brasileiro pela redução das barreiras americanas ao etanol. "Quem sabe os EUA nos deem (essa abertura) depois de ouvirem nossos bons argumentos."A seguir, a entrevista:

Não é ousada demais a pretensão do presidente Lula de orientar o presidente Barack Obama para que veja a América Latina sob a "ótica correta"?

Vamos expressar a ótica que nos parece correta, com humildade e modéstia. Mas não temos, de modo algum, a pretensão de orientar. Podemos dar subsídios. Nós vivemos na região, o presidente Lula tem seis anos de mandato, já vimos muitos conflitos e disputas ocorrerem e serem bem encaminhados ou não. O que cabe a um país que tem independência, inclusive de pensamento, e uma relação de amizade? É dizer o que pensa e, quem sabe, contribuir para que o outro país veja a mesma situação sob outro ângulo. Nós temos algo a dizer e acho que o presidente Obama terá interesse em ouvir.

O senhor realmente acredita que presidente Obama seguirá essa linha?

O presidente Bush dizia seguir os conselhos ?do meu amigo Lula? quando não reagia às declarações do presidente Hugo Chávez. As reações públicas dele diminuíram, de fato. Isso não quis dizer que, naquela época, as ações e reações dos EUA à Venezuela mudaram. Mas, de qualquer forma, seria absurdo pensar em uma postura paternalista por parte do Brasil.

Por que é importante para o Brasil tocar na questão de Cuba, mesmo sem procuração de Havana?

Dentre os temas prováveis da conversa entre os presidentes está a América Latina. Nesse contexto, acho que é natural que o tema de Cuba surja. O tema é inevitável. Cuba tem um papel muito forte na percepção de que a América Latina e o Caribe têm da política americana para a região. Isso não quer dizer que o presidente Lula tenha uma procuração para falar em nome de Cuba. Nem eu digo que isso deveria ocorrer. Mas é impossível falar nas relações hemisféricas sem tocar em Cuba.

Em 2008, o Itamaraty concentrou esforços para trazer de volta Cuba ao sistema interamericano. O país foi incorporado ao Grupo do Rio e participou da Cúpula da América Latina e Caribe (CALC), em dezembro passado. A reinserção de Cuba ao sistema interamericano passa pelo aval dos EUA?

O presidente cubano, Raúl Castro, falou publicamente na reunião da CALC que Cuba não tem interesse em entrar na Organização dos Estados Americanos (OEA). Não caberia a nós advogar uma coisa que não interessa a Cuba. Mas existe uma resolução do Tratado Interamericano de Assistência Recíproca (Tiar), de 1962, que resultou na suspensão de Cuba da OEA. Essa resolução está obsoleta. Independentemente do que Cuba queira ou não, para benefício da OEA seria útil que essa resolução fosse desativada.

Como pode ser tratado o interesse do Brasil na criação de uma espécie de OEA com Cuba, mas sem EUA nem Canadá?

Não temos de pedir licença para ninguém para fazer isso. Mas esse será um processo longo de convergência de dois movimentos da região. Fizemos a Cúpula da América Latina e Caribe (CALC), em função do desejo de muitos países da América Central e do Caribe de maior aproximação com a América do Sul. Ao mesmo tempo, temos o Grupo do Rio há 23 anos. Embora não se trate de uma organização propriamente dita, esse mecanismo está em expansão, com a adesão de Cuba e de países caribenhos. Não sei ainda se a confluência desses dois processos se dará com a criação de uma nova organização ou se será um processo informal. Vamos deixar o tempo rolar e, enquanto isso, nos concentrar na União de Nações Sul-Americanas (Unasul). Queremos mostrar que não estamos fechados nem excluindo o restante da América Latina e Caribe quando trabalhamos pela consolidação da Unasul. A CALC serviu para isso. Vamos ver como evolui. Não se controla a história, apenas se dão uns ?empurrõezinhos?.

Como atacar o protecionismo e defender a retomada da Rodada Doha diante de Obama, quando não houve nenhum sinal dos EUA de que resistirá ao protecionismo e apoiará a Rodada?

Não se podem esperar sinais da nova administração quando não há um porta-voz para esse tema. O porta-voz para o tema, até agora, é o próprio presidente Obama.

Isso não é, por si, expressivo sobre a posição americana?

Cada país tem seu processo. No meu encontro com a secretária de Estado (Hillary Clinton), eu disse que a administração deveria dar prioridade à confirmação do representante dos Estados Unidos para o Comércio (USTR) pelo Senado. Ela concordou. Não é que a administração Obama não deu prioridade a esse tema. Houve também mudança nos indicados para o USTR. Eu não poderia tirar daí um sinal. O sinal que temos é o da conversa entre os presidentes, por telefone. O presidente Obama falou na necessidade de concluir a Rodada Doha. Agora, como vai ser essa conclusão é outra coisa. O momento é de reacomodação.

Embora a cooperação Brasil-Estados Unidos na área energética tenha sido uma das poucas a avançar, não há sinal de abertura do mercado americano ao etanol brasileiro. Como lidar com essa proteção que ainda resiste?

Já que os EUA querem uma energia renovável e limpa, por suas preocupações com a diversificação da matriz energética e com a mudança climática, temos uma boa receita: reduzir as barreiras ao etanol brasileiro. Até agora, eles realmente não deram nenhum sinal. Quem sabe os EUA nos deem (essa abertura) depois de ouvirem nossos bons argumentos.

Elección presidencial en El Salvador


Elección presidencial en El Salvador: Un evento político polarizado

La República de El Salvador, ubicada en Centro América, es un país muy pequeño de apenas 21.041 kilómetros cuadrados y con una población de casi 7 millones de habitantes.

El domingo 15 de marzo son las elecciones para decidir cuál será el nuevo presidente de ese país. El Tribunal Electoral ha dicho que ya están listos 461 centros para la próxima votación. La campaña política, muy polarizada, ha sido violenta y tensa. El gobierno tiene disponible 2.000 soldados y 17 mil efectivos que podrían ser utilizados para vigilar el proceso de votación y evitar los posibles conflictos.

Unos 4,2 millones de votantes, el 60% de la población, están habilitados para sufragar.

Los dos candidatos de esta contienda electoral son Rodrigo Ávila del Partido Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena), el cual ha estado en el poder desde el año cuando El Salvador firmó su acuerdo de paz, y el candidato Miguel Funes del Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional ( FMLN), un grupo de izquierda y de exguerrilleros comunistas, que ahora han dado garantías de continuidad democrática para solucionar los problemas sociales y económicos y que además prometen a los empresarios que con su gobierno no estarían comprometidas las inversiones; pero algunos analistas han dicho que detrás del candidato Funes podrían estar Hugo Chávez y Fidel Castro, lo que se ha considerado como parte de la guerra sucia durante la campaña.

La sospecha anterior tiene su fundamento, pues Hugo Chávez también ofreció durante su campaña electoral que respetaría las reglas del juego democrático y que garantizaría las inversiones privadas, pero una vez que se sintió fuerte en el poder él incumplió esas promesas y ha demostrado que desea instaurar en Venezuela un modelo político similar al de Cuba. Fidel Castro también engaño a su pueblo al asegurar que su sistema político no sería comunista.

El candidato del partido Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena), Rodrigo Ávila, solicita al pueblo preservar la democracia, pero el país tiene problemas muy serios debido a un modelo económico desgastado. No obstante, los principales problemas del país son la seguridad y el desempleo.En el país hay 8 asesinatos diarios producido por pandillas de jóvenes (“Maras”) que se les considera desadaptados sociales y que se han convertido en grupos de delincuentes.

El presidente Elías Antonio Saca ha invitado a observadores internacionales que están impactados por los hechos de violencia durante la campaña electoral. El Tribunal Electoral quiere que la votación sea ordenada y ha ofrecido que en 15 días después del domingo se sabrá quién será el nuevo presidente electo.

LULA se acerca a la CASA BLANCA


WASHINGTON (AP) - La crisis económica mundial, la energía y el ambiente serán los principales tópicos de discusión cuando el presidente Barack Obama se reúna con su colega brasileño Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

El comercio, las relaciones con Latinoamérica y y el caso de un hombre estadounidense que trata de traer a su hijo de 8 años de regreso a Estados Unidos pudieran también ser abordados cuando Obama y da Silva se reúnan el sábado en la Casa Blanca.

Los líderes de además hablarán sobre dos forums internacionales separados en sus agendas para el mes próximo _ una reunión del Grupo de 20 naciones y la Cumbre de las Américas, dijo el secretario de prensa de la Casa Blanca Robert Gibbs.

Brasil se ha convertido en un importante socio comercial de Estados Unidos, y sus cautelosas políticas económicas le han permitido vadear la crisis económica global mejor que todas las otras grandes economías. Brasil, el mayor país sudamericano, tiene además grandes recursos petroleros en su plataforma marina y abundante etanol, lo que pudiera darle un papel clave en ayudar a Estados Unidos a librarse de su dependencia del crudo venezolano y cambiar a fuentes más limpias de energía.

Silva, que gobierna la quinta nación más populosa del mundo y su novena mayor economía, tiene lazos estrechos con figuras de todo el espectro político. Ha recibido pedidos de conservadores en Colombia para que interceda ante Obama en favor del libre comercio con ese país, y por la suspensión del embargo estadounidense contra la Cuba comunista.

Incluso el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez, que ha tenido una espinosa relación con Estados Unidos, le ha pedido a su contraparte brasileño que interceda por él.

"Yo voy a pedir que Estados Unidos adopte una visión diferente de América Latina", dijo da Silva antes de salir de su país. "Nosotros somos un continente democrático, pacífico, y Estados Unidos tiene que mirar a la región en una forma productiva, de desarrollo, y no pensar solamente en tráfico de drogas y crimen organizado".

Luego de la crisis financiera mundial, el siguiente tópico casi seguramente será la energía _ biocombustibles y petróleo.

Brasil, el mayor productor de etanol en el mundo, ha visto poca respuesta a su demanda de que Estados Unidos elimine un arancel de 53 centavos por galón sobre esa alternativa a la gasolina. Pero en los últimos dos años, Brasil ha descubierto descubrimientos petroleros en su plataforma marina de unos 800.000 millones de barriles, un hallazgo que le pudiera convertir en un importante exportador de crudo y ser una importante pieza de negociaciones con Estados Unidos.

RUSIA vs. Venezuela: bases aéreas militares


Un jefe de la Fuerza Aérea de Rusia dijo el sábado que el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez había ofrecido una isla como base temporal para los bombarderos estratégicos de Rusia,informó la agencia de noticias Interfax.

El Jefe del Estado Mayor de Rusia de la aviación de largo alcance, Comandante General Anatoly Zhikharev, dijo también que Cuba podría utilizado la base.

El Kremlin, sin embargo, dijo que la situación es hipotética, al señalar que:

"Los militares están hablando acerca de las posibilidades técnicas, eso es todo",

Alexei Pavlov, un oficial del Kremlin, dijo a la Associated Press: "En caso de que haya una evolución de la situación, entonces si podemos comentar esa posibilidad", dijo.

Zhikharev señaló que Chávez había ofrecido "una isla con un aeródromo, para usarla como base temporal para los bombarderos estratégicos". "Si hay una decisión política, entonces el uso de la isla ... por la Fuerza Aérea de Rusia sería posible".

La Agencia Interfax informó que el General Zhikharev había dicho que Cuba tiene bases aéreas con cuatro o cinco pistas de aterrizaje suficiente para las enormes bombarderos y que podría utilizarse para acoger aviónes de largo alcance.

Dos barcos bombarderos rusos llegaron a Venezuela el año pasado en lo que los expertos decían que era la primera toma de contacto con el Hemisferio Occidental de las embarcaciones militares rusas desde el final de la Guerra Fría.

Cuba jamás ha acogido permanentemente aviones soviéticos estratégicos rusos, solo acogió bombarderos de corto alcance durante la Guerra Fría.

Rusia reanudó el patrullaje con bombardero de largo alcance en 2007 después de un período de 15 años.

Un Analista independiente el militar Alexander Golts dicho que desde el punto de vista estratégico Rusia no tenía nada que ganar con bases como esa.

"Esto no tiene ningún sentido militar. Las bombarderos no necesitan ninguna base. Esto es sólo un gesto de represalia", dijo Golts, añadiendo que Rusia lo que quería era golpear a EE.UU. después que los buques de ese país patrullran las aguas del Mar Negro.

viernes, marzo 13, 2009

ES BUENO CONOCER a la Gente de BIG THINK


Pues ellos hacen un buen análisis u en todo caso reflexiones sobre una gran cantidad de temas del mundo de hoy. Aunque el grupo está ubicado en New York..... yo voy a colocar una imagen de la ciudad competidora: BOSTON

Lo idiomas artificiales inventados por el hombre



Existen casi una docena de lenguas artificiales que se han elaborado con la esperanza de ser un segundo idioma más fácil de entender. El que hasta ahora ha tenido más éxito es el ESPERANTO, con muy pocas reglas gramaticales, sin declinación y con un vocabulacion amplio. Este idioma lo invento el polaco ZAMENHOF en el año de 1887 y ya para el año de 1900 este idioma era conocido mundialmente. Los esperantistas dicen que ese idioma: es una lengua viva que es usada a través del mundo ( vivanta lingvo uzata tra la tuta mondo).

El otro idioma artificial que quiere competir con el esperanto se llama FASILE. Elos dicen que las personas de todas las naciones gustarían entender y ser entendidas mediante la lengua internacional y que Facile ahora planeada es adecuada para expresar todas las ideas. Ellos dirían eso de esta manera: "Persuy di ol nasey laykuz prenar kay prenadar il intel nasi linge. Fasile planadi linge travaz por esprar ol aydey"

El asunto real es que la segunda lengua mundial hasta ahora ha sido el INGLES. En una época fue el idioma FRANCES, especialmente en el mundo diplomático.

Los links de estos dos idiomas artificiales son:

  • ESPERANTO


  • FASILE


  • Sin embargo, no hay como aprender el inglés de gratis en el enlace que se llama BABEL :

  • BABEL
  • jueves, marzo 12, 2009

    La atmósfera: el vertedero de la civilización


    Encima de la Tierra tenemos varias capas como son: la troposfera,la capa de ozono ubicada en la estratosfera , la mesosfera y al final pero bien arriba el Sol.

    La capa de ozono ubicada en la estratosfera intercepta la radiación ultravioleta de pequeña longitud de onda, actuando de escudo protector de los seres vivos de la Tierra.

    El tiempo medio de permanencia en la atmósfera de los gases cloro-fluo-carbonado (CFC), que se utiliza en muchas aplicaciones industriales, es del orden de un siglo. El 75 por ciento de estos gases vertidos entre los años 1960 y 1980, estaban todavía para el año de 2009 en camino hacia la atmósfera. Por ello, aunque el hombre dejara hoy de emitir gases CFC a la atmósfera, nada podrá impedir el deterioro de la capa de ozono en varios decenios de años.

    La atmósfera se ha convertido en el vertedero de la civilización.La destrucción de la capa de ozono, las lluvias ácidas y el efecto invernadero están poniendo en peligro el futuro de la humanidad.

    Sin el escudo protector del ozono, los letales rayos ultravioleta solares no permitirían la vida sobre la Tierra.

    Venezuela: an economic tsunami disaster


    The economic situation is critical. Oil prices for the Venezuelan basket is about $ 35 dollars and with a tendency for the U.S. barrel to fall to $ 30.

    The country’s budget has been prepared based on U.S. $ 60 U.S. dollars per barrel, a fall of almost 40%. On the other hand, inflation is the highest in Latin America, ie 30% per year and the politics of Chavez is to end private ownership and private enterprise and the country has no capacity to replace the high imports of goods and services.

    Also, the oil company of Venezuela is deteriorating by poor administration, corruption and for his populist political decisions. The state enterprise has insufficient resources to pay their workers as specified via agreement, then protests and conflicts will emerge. And this also applies to other state enterprises such as producing steel and aluminum.

    The country’s economic future is very bad compared to some very low oil prices because world demand has decreased due to a hemispheric crisis. All this has arisen as a result of Mr. Chavez’s populist decisions when prices for Venezuelan oil was U.S. $ 140 a barrel.

    A reflection: governments that want to establish a Marxist-Leninist model always fail because those decisions are always wrong in this globalized world.

    BRASIL y PETROBRAS


    By Sam Hopkins
    Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

    There's a saying among Brazilians that God is, well, Brazilian...

    And for a good chunk of 2007 and 2008, Brazil's petroleum production prospects looked heavenly. The offshore Tupi field is estimated by the UK's BG Group to hold 30 billion or more barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). Petrobras itself has tossed out oil and gas aggregate numbers of up to 80 billion barrels.

    Millionaire George Soros put his money down on national oil company Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) in 2008, buying from $55 per ADR share all the way to the top at $72.

    Soros wasn't blessed in his timing on Petrobras, as the stock then crashed down to below $15.

    Now Petrobras just turned in a Q4 fuel trading loss of $409 million. That's understandable for any oil company given the weak economy, but it may have been extra ominous for their commitment to Tupi, which is a next-generation field.

    But Petrobras won't let plans for Tupi, or its other major offshore project, Carioca, go dormant. Q4 profit rose and net income jumped also on currency strength.

    Most importantly, the company announced on Monday March 9 that with smaller platforms it could extract the light oil found deep underwater profitably at a crude price of $40/bbl.

    Shares have recovered back to double there November low, now sitting near $30 per share. All along, Soros has been putting more in the pot, tripling his stake since last April according to public filings.

    Though the sub-salt formations that sit atop Tupi's oil are so deep and hard they can melt uranium drill bits, Soros is digging deep and proving his commitment to Petrobras stock.

    On top of billionaire bullishness, Brazil's government has boosted its economy with smart spending on energy resources (the reason they say God is a brasileiro), and its balance sheet is in better shape than many emerging markets and even developed countries.

    Brazil is also not in OPEC, though there has been talk. Brazil's oil policy independence should prove to be an asset when the cartel comes up with quotas Petrobras doesn't agree with.

    And as a major Western Hemisphere producer in this time when Mexico's oil production is in dire straits, Brazil's role in energy markets is big and getting bigger.

    On the country's debt rating, S&P analyst Lisa Schineller says, "A little bit of slippage is not something that is going to turn a credit profile, especially if you are seeing that within a context of a broader policy commitment, which we believe Brazil has."

    Along with the company's commitment to biofuels, as I pointed out in the March 12 edition of Green Chip Review, creeping demand restoration in world oil markets mean Petrobras's long-term production potential is already morphing into real renewed interest from investors.

    PBR should be your top emerging market energy stock in 2009-2010.

    La oclocracia al poder: la revolución cultural bolivariana avanza..!

    Por: Martha Cotoret

    Destrucción de libros considerados "no revolucionarios"

    Seis mil tomos de obras de Rómulo Gallegos y otros autores fueron desechados y vendidos como pulpa de papel por "estar desactualizados", denunció Miriam Hermoso, presidenta del Instituto Autónomo de Bibliotecas e Información del Estado Miranda (IABIM).Además de los libros convertidos en pulpa de papel, se desincorporaron 40.000 volúmenes, incluídos los referidos a Rómulo Betancourt y gran parte de las coleciones de las salas infantiles "por no ser su contenido 100 % endógeno y revolucionario"

    La denuncia se produce pocos días después que Doña Bárbara, la obra cumbre de Gallegos, cumpliera 80 años en febrero. No obstante, la novela, junto a otros títulos, terminaron en la trituradora pues "la antigua gerencia chavista del Instituto Autónomo de la Biblioteca del Estado Miranda, desincorporó obras clásicas de la literatura por considerarlas caducas", denunció la actual presidenta del IABIM. Irónicamente, el escritor será homenajeado este año por varias instituciones.

    También : BIBLIOTECAS TOMADAS

    Hermoso explicó vía telefónica que la situación de las bibliotecas en
    el estado Miranda es crítica. Las salas de lectura e investigación
    adscritas al citado instituto "han sido tomadas por las alcaldías que
    controla el partido oficialista y están siendo manejadas por personal
    no capacitado".

    En enero, la alcaldía de Zamora (a cargo de Alejandro Reyes) ordenó
    "arbitrariamente" el cierre de las instalaciones donde funcionaba la
    Biblioteca Gregorio Oses, ubicada en Araira, asegura la funcionaria
    mirandina.

    "Ésta es una biblioteca que tiene más de treinta años de fundada.
    Anteriormente funcionaba en el Casa de la Cultura de Araira, pero era
    un espacio muy pequeño. Luego, nos mudamos a un edificio y, en 2006,
    el entonces alcalde de Zamora (Gerardo Rojas) nos cedió unos terrenos
    y construyó la sede definitiva de la biblioteca. Como eran propiedad
    de la alcaldía, nos otorgaron los bienes a través de un comodato por
    12 años consecutivos a partir de la fecha", cuenta la presidenta del
    IABIM.

    Esta situación cambió con la llegada de un nuevo alcalde, afirma
    Hermoso. Este año, la alcaldía de Zamora le informó que rescindirían
    el comodato. Aún cuando la decisión no ha sido comunicada por escrito,
    la semana pasada funcionarios del organismo oficialista, explica la
    presidenta del IABIM, cambiaron los cilindros de la biblioteca
    Gregorio Oses.

    "El viernes pasado, cuando solicitamos que nos dejaran sacar los
    bienes de las instalaciones de la institución, nos dijeron que tenía
    que decidir el soberano y que no podíamos entrar ni llevarnos nada",
    recalca Hermoso.

    La presidenta del IABIM explica que, una vez conocido el caso por el
    gobernador de Miranda, Henrique Capriles Radonski, se comunicó con el
    presidente del Instituto de Cultura mirandino para que la Casa de la
    Cultura de Araira cediera un espacio para el funcionamiento de la
    bibliote
    Libros a la basura

    Los antiguos administradores chavistas de las bibliotecas del estado Miranda mandaron las obras de Gallegos y otros clásicos a la trituradora, por considerar caducas a esas obras. Además de los libros convertidos en pulpa de papel, se desincorporaron
    40.000 volúmenes, incluídos los referidos a Rómulo Betancourt y gran parte de las coleciones de las salas infantiles "por no ser su contenido 100 % endógeno". Es evidente del creciente tinte totalitario del gobierno de Chávez.

    Por lo pronto, "emitiremos una carta formal a la Alcaldía de Zamora solicitando que nos devuelvan los bienes de la biblioteca, a ver si podemos recuperarlos. Sabemos que la biblioteca está funcionando con personal de la alcaldía, aunque no están capacitados, y que los consejos comunales se niegan a entregarnos los bienes", lamenta Hermoso.

    Por su parte, el personal que laboraba en la biblioteca Gregorio Oses fue trasladado, momentáneamente, a la biblioteca Don Luís y Misia Virginia, situada en Guatire.

    La biblioteca Ambrosio Plaza, ubicada en Guarenas, también podría quedarse sin sede. La alcaldía de Guarenas y el IABIM se encuentran negociando el comodato de las instalaciones.

    "El alcalde de Guarenas ha sido más receptivo. Creemos que podemos negociar la permanencia de la biblioteca en este espacio", asegura la presidenta del IABIM.

    Venezuela rechaza crítica de EE.UU.


    Venezuela rechaza crítica de EE.UU.
    Yolanda valery

    Yolanda Valery
    BBC Mundo, Colombia

    La secretaria de Estado de EE.UU. Hillary Clinton, habla sobre los DD.HH. en el mundo en 2008
    En Venezuela hubo una "erosión de los derechos democráticos", según el informe.

    Venezuela rechazó el informe anual del Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos, según el cual hubo un deterioro de los derechos humanos en este país.

    La nación sudamericana aparece criticada junto a Cuba, China, Corea del Norte, Irán y Egipto en el informe de la oficina que maneja Hillary Clinton.

    El departamento de Estado dijo que "la politización del sistema judicial y el acoso oficial de la oposición política y los medios de comunicación caracterizaron la situación de los derechos humanos durante el año" en Venezuela.

    La politización del sistema judicial y el acoso oficial de la oposición política y los medios de comunicación caracterizaron la situación de los derechos humanos durante el año

    Pero el presidente de la subcomisión de Derechos Humanos de la Asamblea Nacional, Reinaldo García, atribuyó esta evaluación a otra intromisión de Washington en la diatriba política nacional.

    "Desde los Estados Unidos se está haciendo juego a la oposición venezolana", le dijo García a BBC Mundo.

    "Desde el punto de vista nuestro, es al contrario, puesto que se le ha dado mayor participación al pueblo en las decisiones que tienen que ver con el destino del país", señaló el diputado, en alusión al reciente referendo sobre la elección ilimitada.

    El Departamento de Estado calificó el funcionamiento de la justicia venezolana durante 2008 de "ineficaz", "a veces corrupta" y "sujeta a la influencia política".

    El gobierno de Chávez desestimó las críticas de Washington.También señaló que el gobierno utilizó "una variedad de mecanismos para acosar a la prensa privada", tales como acusaciones contra los dueños de los medios y la negación de acceso a eventos oficiales, lo que resultó en un clima de autocensura.

    "Creo que difícilmente se pueda conseguir en algún país del mundo el desenvolvimiento del libre ejercicio de comunicarse que existe en Venezuela", fue la reacción del diputado ReinaldoGarcía. En cuanto a la corrupción, el informe lo destacó como uno de los grandes problemas del país. Indica el texto que existe un número de denuncias no investigadas contra funcionarios públicos.

    Precisamente, éste es uno de los tres temas en que el presidente Hugo Chávez prometió trabajar tras su victoria en el referendo del 15 de febrero, junto con la inseguridad y la burocracia.

    ¿Tiene razón el departamento de Estado? "Es que la corrupción la podemos ver en cualquier parte del globo terráqueo", responde el parlamentario.

    Desde el punto de vista nuestro, es al contrario, puesto que se le ha dado mayor participación al pueblo en las decisiones que tienen que ver con el destino del país

    Reinaldo García, subcomisión de Derechos Humanos de la Asamblea Nacional

    "Si nosotros entendemos que en Estados Unidos también existe, estamos en una situación en que no es parte de una política de Estado, sino que son individualidades, es un comportamiento que podemos observar de algunos personeros que está en el gobierno", indicó.

    De acuerdo con el presidente de la subcomisión de Derechos Humanos, "eso es parte de lo que el pueblo va a corregir a través de la legislación que tenemos, como la posibilidad de revocar mandatos a través de referendos".

    El Informe

    Por otro lado, el informe denuncia la continuación de la práctica de ejecuciones extrajudiciales (ya contemplada en el informe de 2007), hacinamiento en las prisiones y violaciones a los derechos de los trabajadores.

    En la misma línea, el texto apuntó hacia Cuba, país en el que, dijo, se intensificaron las medidas contra la libertad de expresión y de asamblea, en comparación con el año anterior.

    Los mismos derechos -además de los religiosos- fueron violados en Egipto, de acuerdo con el informe. Mientras, en Irán se intensificó la campaña contra académicos, reformistas y disidentes.

    Pero uno de los aspectos más resaltantes fue el referido a China, país que visitó hace pocas semanas la jefa de la diplomacia estadounidense.

    En el viaje, Clinton señaló que la cooperación debía imponerse a las tensiones en el manejo de las relaciones entre los dos países.

    Según el informe, las autoridades chinas cometieron "ejecuciones extrajudiciales, tortura, confesiones forzadas de prisioneros y trabajo forzado".

    La represión contra minorías se habría incrementado durante las protestas en Tibet y cerca de la celebración de los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín. Otros países censurados en el informe fueron Rusia y Zimbabwe.

    miércoles, marzo 11, 2009

    Aprender el INGLES BASICO


    En el enlace de arriba puedes aprender el inglés básico

    Si quieres aprender ESPERANTO este es el lugar


    Ustedes quizá ya saben que el ESPERANTO es un idioma inventado por Zamenhof y que aunque es un idioma artificial se considera el más fácil de aprender por que no tiene declinaciones y sus reglas no son complejas. El enlace de arriba los ilustra sobre este asunto y además existe : un curso en la red como aparece en este enlace::

  • LERNU-NET
  • Un nuevo Juego que se llama GONDAL


    Es un juego muy interesante y aquí te puedes registrar (está en español).

    JAPAN TIME DAY : un diario japonés


    Vamos ver que nos dice este Diario Japonés sobre los problemas mexicanos y el narcotráfico.

    martes, marzo 10, 2009

    Los escritos de DANY RUTOIS


    Este escritor ARGENTINO nos presenta varios temas de los cuales el más interesante trata el asunto del a crisis en América Latina. Además escribe también sobre motivación y liderazgo. Además del enlace que aparece arriba, la HOjA WEB del escritor es:

  • HACER CLIC AQUI
  • MAFALDA Y SUS COMENTARIOS



    Zorro = Héroe justiciero
    Zorra = Pu-ta

    Perro = Mejor amigo del hombre
    Perra = Pu-ta

    Aventurero = Osado, valiente, arriesgado.
    Aventurera = Pu-ta

    Cualquier = Fulano, Mengano, Zutano
    Cualquiera = Pu-ta

    Callejero = De la calle, urbano.
    Callejera = Pu-ta

    Hombrezuelo = Hombrecillo, mínimo, pequeño
    Mujerzuela = Pu-ta

    Hombre público = Personaje prominente. Funcionario público.
    Mujer pública = Pu-ta

    Hombre de la vida = Hombre de gran experiencia.
    Mujer de la vida = Pu-ta

    Puto = Homosexual
    Puta = Puta

    HEROE = Ídolo.
    HEROÍNA = Droga

    ATREVIDO = Osado, valiente.
    ATREVIDA = Insolente, mal educada.

    SOLTERO = Codiciado, inteligente, hábil.
    SOLTERA = Quedada, lenta, ya se le fue el tren.

    SUEGRO = Padre político.
    SUEGRA = Bruja, metiche, etc.

    MACHISTA = Hombre macho.
    FEMINISTA = Lesbiana.

    DON JUAN = Hombre en todo su sentido.
    DOÑA JUANA = La mujer de la limpieza







    lunes, marzo 09, 2009

    Companies and Their Role in a Society in Crisis



    Companies and Their Role in a Society in Crisis
    [Analysis] A look at ethical financial practices
    Alfredo Ascanio (askain)

    Published 2009-03-09 11:51 (KST)

    At this time of crisis it is worthwhile to summarize the reflections of US Vice-President of AT & T Corporation (1967) John J. Scanlon.

    What level of earnings is required if US business is to grow and prosper to meet national objectives? What is the best test of corporate earnings adequacy?

    There is much uncertainty and confusion regarding these questions. But we develop the point of view that the best guide to an answer is not earnings-per-share trends or the cost of capital; it is the concept of opportunity costs, as was noted in the sixties by academics from Harvard University.

    At the outset of this discussion, therefore, let us examine the close relationships among plant and equipment expenditures, profits, and growth in gross national product (GNP). By way of conclusion, we shall raise some questions relative to the significance of the corporate earnings and investment picture for public policy.

    How Profits Nurture GNP

    At all times, unless in times of great crisis or recession, the United States has emerged as the most productive and economically most powerful nation on earth.

    The upward thrust in the US economy's expansion has resulted in a level of national living that is at once the envy and aspiration of every other nation. Indeed, "blue collar" workers in the United States always enjoyed a standard of living equal to or surpassing that realized by most of the so-called privileged classes in many advanced Western nations.

    But this does not mean that the need for economic growth in the United States is diminishing. Just the opposite is true. The increasing importance of growth is underscored by the projected increase in the labor force, today brutally diminished by the deep crisis of this century. But jobs must grow at a 50 percent greater rate than in the past decade, addition to the unemployed of today (8 percent).

    Both political parties have accepted the doctrine of full employment and it has been the focus of attention for the past years in each of the Economic Reports of the President.

    Will the US's productive capabilities be able to keep pace with its economic and social commitments in the years ahead? More specifically, will the output of the private sector be adequate to meet the truly enormous demands of a sharply rising labor force, a rapidly growing body of elderly citizens, and an ever-rising population of school and college age?

    To throw some light on these fundamental questions, we must consider more fully the framework within which the corporate sector of the US economy has operated in recent years and consider the goals of future years.

    For many years, US corporations have expended billions and billions on new plants and equipment, and this has had a major impact on the growth of GNP. Plants and equipment expenditures are considerably more volatile than GNP, but there been a significant increase in the ratio of capital investment to jobs.

    Investment and Profits

    Under the profit-and loss incentives inherent in this free enterprise system, plant and equipment expenditures can proceed only when reasonably adequate profit opportunities are contemplated. The overriding importance of profits in spurring investment was recognized by President Kennedy and was pointed up by President Johnson.

    While profits are not the only source of funds for capital investment, they play the key role. The importance of internal sources, primarily reinvested earnings and depreciation charges shows the persistent tendency of internal funds to satisfy about three fourths of corporate needs. Reinvested earnings, of course, are generated directly from profits being the balance remaining after the payment of cash dividends to shareowners. The most compelling reason is a solid earnings record and prospect of improved earnings in the future.

    The first criterion focuses on short-term increases in earnings per share as the sole guideline, but today's increase in earnings per share may be tomorrow's decrease if investor expectations and investment potentials are not taken properly into account.

    If management imposes undue financial risk on the common shareowners by "leveraging" its capital unwisely, i.e., adding too high a proportion of debt obligations, it will be only a question if time before the company's shares is reevaluated in the market.

    But the true cost of equity capital for a company is the earnings the shareowner's capital could attain in alternative opportunities (12 percent or 15 percent?). By focusing on opportunity costs, we are unshackled from the vagaries of stock market prices and the host of related problems. Using the opportunity cost concept, corporate management can determine the earnings rates required by making a comparison with a broadly representative cross section of alternative investment opportunities.

    The Task Ahead

    This nation faces human and economic problems of truly staggering proportions. Prominent among these are the task of providing employment for the millions of people who are currently unemployed and millions more who will soon increase the labor force substantially. Many young people will be attaining marriageable age during the next 15 years, and a tremendous increase in household formation may be contemplated. All this adds up to an overwhelming need for continued high levels of investment in companies, schools, housing, public utilities, hospitals, and the like.

    Businessmen must strive to serve the national interests fully in attaining the country's economic goals, with ethical financial practice. This means that as decision makers in the corporate process, all the people must be alert to remind the nation's political leaders of the fact that any reduction in corporate profitability at this time carries the threat of increasing more unemployment and economic stagnation. This is a price the citizenry can ill afford to pay.

    domingo, marzo 08, 2009

    Música popular brasilera (Bosa Nova)

    The Archbishop of Canterbury:religion, politics and economics



    The Archbishop of Canterbury responded:

    Well frankly yes, it is a rather tall order, and coming into the middle of a conversation is always a bit of a challenge. What I'd like to do, if I may, is comment on the five questions that came up, and just pick up a couple of points that came up in the general discussion, and perhaps wrap it up by asking whether there are three or four principles that the faith perspective can deliver into this situation.

    Now I don't propose to offer definitive answers to the five questions, but just to reflect a bit on where they might take us.

    The first question was about what faith communities can do to educate people more deeply, financially. As will be apparent from some of the rest of what I'd like to say, any faith community is likely to respond by saying "you can't treat this issue in isolation. It's not just about finance; it's about how you understand what you are like as human being. It's about motivation on a very broad base". I'll come back to that a bit later.

    But, I would hope that faith communities will continue to develop their own commitment to forms of finance credit that are manifestly locally effective. As some of you will know, I have a great bee in my bonnet about credit unions and I'm very happy to give that particular bee an airing this afternoon because I think that is very much a form of ethical financial practice. It doesn't seek to make detached profits, it's based on relational notions, it seeks, primarily, local effectiveness and the capacitating of people in their ordinary relations and choices.

    That's not to say that I'm ignoring the macro world, and I'll come back to that in a moment too. But unless people have the opportunity of understanding a bit in the local context what it's like to have some measure of intelligent control over their financial affairs, then they won't be approaching macro credit and macro financial institutions intelligently either. So I think that the manifest commitment of local faith communities to micro credit is one small but significant element that can be put into this situation. And, it's been very interesting to see in the last ten years or so how much that particular set of issues has moved further towards the centre of the stage for a number of people in the world of faiths. I hope to see it move further.

    The second question was about what responsibilities faith communities have to highlight and address financial asymmetries with regard to tax revenues; between, and I like this phrase, 'the bank too big to fail and the debt too small to write off'; the balance of revenue lost to developing countries as against aid, and so forth. My first response is simply to say that the responsibility is what it always is on faith communities, which is to tell the truth. Faith communities in developed economies and societies are in a particularly strong position because of their international links and affiliations, to spread the word from those in other parts of the world who are at the sharp end of this. So telling the truth, which is something that we all ought to be doing all the time, becomes in this context a matter of letting some of the uncomfortable truths about poverty elsewhere simply get there onto the radar of more prosperous environments.

    That's part of it, but I think the issue behind the question was deeper. It was also about methods and priorities in addressing the situation and what faith communities ought to be putting their energy and their support behind. I think there are two issues there which I want just to underline briefly. One is an issue that's already been touched on a bit here, and seems to me to be of huge importance in this whole setting. Some people have been saying this for a very long time but nobody really listened. And this first issue is actually about democracy, as simple as that. What is the balance in the world between democratically elected institutions, and unaccountable financial corporations?

    Now, that's never a black and white, simple polarisation, but I don't think it can be denied that in instances, there's been massive imbalance between what a local democracy might want to achieve and the effects of pressure; whether of business or of international financial institutions, skewing the priorities of a locally elected government. How do we so keep an eye on this such that democracy retains its place and its power in the whole pattern of our interrelations? I think that is an important, and not an easy question. But I think that's one of the things that faith communities ought to be talking about, ought to be pressing. What's the place of elected democracies in the management of the world's finance? How do you balance that with the necessary flexibilities and necessary porous boundaries in the financial world? What's the balance? I said I wouldn't have an answer to that but I think that's the question I'd want to push which of course does carry with it the slightly more technical question of how one regulates capital flow.

    There are those who would say: "the important thing is to make sure that capital is not taxed more highly than income so that there isn't an incentive to get capital out of the country" and so on. These are technicalities that as a non-economist I just quail at the thought of and can't begin to comment on, but they seem to me to be quite good questions and they have to do with that fundamental issue of how the dignity, the liberty, the autonomy of the local is properly affirmed and sustained so that you don't have a global situation in which if you begin to tilt it, everything slips down to one end.

    The third question was about how can faith communities educate about the moral and spiritual values which should underpin economics? Well, where do we start here? Again, just two points to start with about sharing and distribution. I think one of the elements of sharing is sharing risk. One of the things that seems to be going wrong in skewed or failing or distorted financial situations is an un-equal sharing of risk. That is, the protection of some at the expense of others, whether that's through protectionism in the strict sense, or whether it's through investment practices that so seek to minimise risk for the speculator, that their effect overall is de-stabilising, rocking the entire system at the cost of those most vulnerable. So I would just want to add the footnote to the sharing question the issue of risk sharing.

    Behind this question of whether religion is failing to teach how much is enough, lies the point that I touched on a bit earlier: it's all about what we think human beings are there for.

    It's about the sense of self. I remember a very powerful essay I read many years ago which said rather gloomily that the trouble with the Sermon on the Mount, and similar great ethical principles, is that they're addressed to people who are not there; they're addressed to people who haven't yet grown into the fullness of being able to understand what that's about.

    The challenge, therefore, is to grow the kind of maturity in believing people that is capable of approaching financial other issues with a particular kind of patience, a particular kind of trustfulness, and a particular kind of willingness to take the right risks. So it's not separable from that overall question of formation. I think one of the real challenges for all faith communities and all strands of all faith communities, whether they call themselves liberal or conservative, the challenge is to say "faith is not simply about holding certain things to be true". It is, as a Christian would say, "living in the truth". That is, allowing the truth to shape your options and your vision.

    The more we get stuck on the model of faith simply as the mind assenting to certain things being true, the worse it gets because it doesn't have that transformative effect on the whole of our motivation, all our sets of options. So it's rather a big answer to a big question . Are we failing to teach? Well yes, we are. But it's not just that we're failing to put one item in the list of good things we ought to teach people about, there's a deeper challenge, and perhaps a deeper failure about how we shape mature human beings in the image and likeness of God as a Christian would put it.

    I was fascinated by the observations on interest, and I'm more and more interested in the history of how we've thought, both as Christians and as Muslims, about interest. We began to part company, I think, about 500 years ago, when Christians started thinking afresh about interest, and if you want to give a very unkind assessment, Christians began wriggling around the difficult bits, to justify it. But I would also say that it's not all like that. Some for example of that early Calvinist justification of interest was not about uncontrolled profit-making. It was about facing honestly the question, 'What's the price of risk'? And I think that's a good question.

    And what I've read of some Muslim commentators would suggest that they recognise that it's a fair question – 'What's the price of risk'? If you are actually risking capital, then there is a question about what is the appropriate reward. Is it just to be calculated in absolutely flat numerical terms, or is risk itself a factor in discount? I think it's a fair question, and I think there could be some very interesting answers to it in our present context, where that level, which is not unconnected with sharing risk, that level of discussion doesn't always surface. But I'm glad that we have, in our conversation, that element of sharp challenge to some of the unquestioned assumptions about interest. As a Christian, I think I would want to say, I'd like to ask what "just interest" means or looks like in an economy like ours.

    But can the legal framework accommodate ethical monitoring? I'm sure the legal framework should, in certain ways. Whether it can, others around might have views on because it's very much walking on eggshells. We've seen the appalling things of dirigiste economics, directive economies which allow no creativity, no flexibility, and none of that investment for the common good which I think was rightly drawn to our attention.

    So, there are many big questions there, and some of them have to do with regulation, not simply to do with government or legislation, but to do also with the creation of a common culture in financial institutions with sanctions that are not just legal, but also relational against people who go off the rails in one way or another. And I'll be very interested to see what is possible to imagine in relation not only with the FSA but also perhaps the World Trade Organisation. And again, many people have said over the last decade or so, that what we need is a revived, re-imagined, proactive WTO which takes some of this role to itself, not only looking at financial transactions but also at investment patterns within a country, where the need lies. It's a very general observation, but part of the answer.

    And I'd also note there, being very appreciative of what was said about Muslim concepts of levels of spending. Part of our failure sometimes to form people's minds and priorities is a forgetfulness about the days when Christians had some notion of what the cardinal virtues were. We don't talk a lot about the old virtues, but prudence and temperance figure quite largely in traditional Christian ethics, Catholic and Protestant, and they are precisely to do with these questions, prudence and temperance. How do you fit your policy to your aims; temperance, how are your aims controlled by your sense of what is appropriate in an interconnected, balanced world. I would quite like to see us dusting off prudence and temperance and asking what they might mean as personal and corporate virtues in our present setting.

    And then some observations. I was very, very impressed by two particular things that were said here: about the relational base of the entire system we're talking about; and about the ease with which we forget that we live in a world of material needs. I'm in the throes of trying to write something a bit longer on all of this stuff, and that's actually at the heart of what I want to explore, because I think understanding oneself as belonging in the world, not floating six inches above it, and planning, dealing and profiting without any engagement with the materiality, that's one of the great evils of the day.

    So that rang a lot of bells with me. But of course the fundamental challenge was the lack of clarity about what we want out of the system, and that really does connect with the very interesting and very pertinent question about how we define wealth, which came up in the discussion. How we manage the multifaceted relations involved, I won't begin to try and answer. I think all I can do by way of pointing at an answer is actually to go back to some of the things we've been saying, and I've been saying earlier: about what levels of management are adequate to preserve flexibility and liberty, and yet sufficiently robust to protect the vulnerable. And if, to suggest again a definition that I'd quite like to explore, if ethics is in large part about protecting the vulnerable, then that's got to be the bottom line here, I think.

    So, those are my non-answers to the various questions, but before I sit down perhaps I can venture two or three further thoughts with, as I say, some possible basics emerging from this discussion. Let me turn to the definition of wealth first. As I heard the question, what came to my mind was one of the most regular and powerful images in Hebrew scriptures of wealth and peace: everyone sitting under their own vine and their fig tree; or wealth as seeing your children's children. It struck me that the biblical notion of wealth, if you start with it there, is about two things which very readily fall off the edge of our present discussion. They're about confidence in the future – seeing your children's children – and they're about a harmonious, long-term relationship with the environment – vines and fig trees. And I'd just sort of throw that out as a way of getting into a concept of wealth, a religious concept of wealth that respects the sense that we are part of an interlocking world, and that we have a charge for our future, that there's a question, as somebody said earlier, of doing justice to the next generation coming in here, environmental concerns being grounded in that sort of interest.

    I was very struck by the question about anger, and I think we do ignore, at our peril, a very high risk which history should have taught us if it teaches us anything: a very high risk of financial stringency leading to political extremes – anger finding its expression in xenophobia, prejudice, rivalry, all the tactics that both sociologists and psychologists remark on as the displacement of unease and fear. And I think you're quite right to underline that it's no small thing. And as someone remarked to me in a discussion around these issues only yesterday, the fact that the BNP can win a seat in Sevenoaks is a straw in the wind, and we have to watch the horizon very, very carefully for the tempest that might be behind that.

    I'm fascinated by the point about production and consumption not being now primarily of 'hard stuff', but of goods and services that were inseparably, if you like, intellectual and material. It doesn't entirely answer the question of what, if you like, stands behind and makes possible the iPod and the downloading of music, which is of course a level of sophistication about energy consumption and its methods, which again could be more vulnerable than we think in a few decades' time. That's just a comment, I'm very interested by that though.

    So finally, what might be some of the most basic faith-derived or faith-related values that we might want to put into our present crisis and its challenges? And I'll simply suggest three. First – we've been reminded of this in various ways this afternoon – first, keeping promises. On the whole, religious people believe in a divine agent, power or presence that is faithful, consistent, dependable, truthful. As we seek to live a life that is in harmony with that divine reality, then faithfulness and trustworthiness are utterly fundamental to how we approach our sense of the good life. And a very important point was made, I think, earlier on, when it was noted that the further away you are from the people you're contracting with, the harder it is to keep a lively and vivid and self-critical sense of the necessity of keeping promises. So religious people believe promise-keeping is a good thing. It's very basic, almost primary-school stuff, but none the worse for that, I'd say.

    Second, I'd want to pick up what I've already mentioned: the sense of living in a world that does not belong to you and is not simply under your control. It is a gift to be stewarded and creatively and justly used. And going with that, of course, the sense that your own will and your own desires don't necessarily define what's good for anybody or anything. You have to learn your relatedness to the world in which you're set. So, keeping promises, understanding that you belong in a world that's limited, that's not wholly under your control – that is, as Christians, Jews and Muslims would certainly say, created, and therefore not just in your hands to be owned. And I'm always struck from the days of the Jubilee 2000 campaign onwards with the way in which in Leviticus in the Hebrew Scriptures, we're told very firmly that the land is, so to speak, lent to you. You don't own land as a thing; you control the profits of the land over certain limited periods, because the land belongs to the Lord. The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it, and that, I think, is again the fundamental principle.

    And the third religiously derived and related principle, I would say, is picking up the community point that was raised earlier, the belief that ultimately, what is good for me and what is good for you are not detached, separate, non-connecting things. Finally, my life and your life belong together. My flourishing and your flourishing belong together. If I start saying that I can define what's good for me with absolutely no reflection on what's good for you, I undermine the entire principle of ethics. I make it entirely a matter of self-interest. Start there, and the crack goes throughout the whole moral system, I'd say. So, common and convergent good, what's good for me and what's good for you, belong together. That, I think, is a profoundly religious principle, because again of that belief which we share: that there is a peculiarly special relationship between human being and human being, rooted in their common relationship to their creator.

    We as Christians talk about the image of God, and Jews also. Muslims talk about the sense of humanity and creation, the khalifah principle. But however we put it, there is that sense that humanity is, in some sense, one. As a Christian, that would go still further, to the imagery of the body of Christ, in the sense that the suffering of one becomes the suffering of all, and the wealth or welfare of one becomes the wealth or welfare of all.

    So those are three principles which I think are worth focusing on as distinctively religious insights into our present condition: promises are to be kept; the material world is to be respected and our limits are to be understood; and we are to understand the good of one and the good of all as inseparable. And perhaps if we can find ways of translating those into policies and politics, we may have done what we can as religious believers to serve the wider community in which God has placed us.