Three depressing posts on Georgia
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Category Archives: Politics
Rant of the Week: 8/17/08-8/23/08
Paul Krugman is smart. There is no denying that. But he has established a well deserved reputation for being unfair and vindictive. Thus we are surprised to find ourselves making one of his columns rant of the week.
But his column entitled “The Great Illusion” is right on the money. The points he makes have been made by many others, but rarely so concisely.
The Food Crisis in Pakistan
Food prices in Pakistan are high. So what does the democratically elected government do? They shut down flour mills of course. From the Nation…..
The Punjab government, in a massive crackdown, has sealed 24 flour mills in various districts of the province on charges of wheat hoarding, supply of substandard flour and attempts to create fake shortage of flour in open market, the sources revealed on Saturday.
On the other hand, the flour millers have announced an increase of Rs 85 per 20-kg bag in the flour price (from Rs 365 to Rs 450 per 20-kg) and threatened to shut down the mills across the province against the govt action terming it as ‘cruel and aggressive’.
Latter on in the same article we read…..
The flour millers were of the view that they were unable to sell 20-kg flour bag at Rs 365, the price fixed by the govt, when the price of wheat has shot up to Rs 760 per 40 kg in the open market particularly after an alarming increase in the prices of petroleum products and electricity.
Earlier, the millers had demanded of the govt to immediately issue wheat quota from the available stock to the mills to overcome shortage and to control the flour prices in case the govt did not allow any increase in the flour price.
The millers stopped the floor supply to the markets stating that they had no wheat to grind after both the miller and the govt failed to develop a consensus over the flour price issue.
In other words, the government is demanding that the flour mills sell flour for roughly the same price that they can buy un-ground wheat. The Flour mill owners are trying to explain to the government that they can’t do that and still pay for the electricity necessary to grind the wheat. Even less can they afford to pay wages or other expenses.
Musharraf has two choices
Musharraf has two choices. He can dispense with any pretense of democracy or he can give up power. Since he has not dispensed with democracy yet, I think he is going to have to give up power. From The Nation…..
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday that impeachment proceedings would start if President Musharraf did not resign within next two days.
“The President will have to make up his mind about resignation by today (Saturday) or tomorrow (Sunday) as there is no room for delay. Otherwise, the process of impeachment will start,” he said while talking to the journalists here at Multan Airport.
He pointed out that besides federation, its all four units also raised voice against President Musharraf. “Even opposition members are also in favour of his impeachment,” he claimed. He said that the president should seriously consider the demand of all sections of the society. “The federation of Chambers of Commerce as well as Ex-Servicemen Society have requested him to resign in view of condition of country’s economy,” he maintained.
The Latest from Georgia
Make Up Your Own Jokes
Poo and pee dominated a public hearing Monday on a new law that prohibits people from carrying certain items if they intend to use them for nefarious purposes.
The question is does Europe care about Europe?
After promising to leave, Russian troops haven’t budged from Georgia in the wake of a surprising flare-up of violence in the Caucasus. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also wouldn’t budge in his posture toward Angela Merkel during a mini-summit on Friday. German commentators wonder if Russia cares about Europe at all.
Of course Russia cares about Europe. It is a tasty morsel. If Russia controls Georgia and the pipeline that goes through it, they will have greater power over Europe. But does Europe really care who its overlords are?
Pictures From Georgia
Three Links to Read On Georgia
One more reason not to travel
In Chevy Chase, for example, where speeding tickets brought in about $8,000 monthly before cop cams, “We are routinely bringing in approximately a quarter-million dollars per month,” Geoffrey Biddle, Chevy Chase’s village manager, told his Board of Managers in February.
For a community of 2,000 with an annual budget of $4.6 million, that’s a bonanza. What’s more, because locals know enough to evade the cop cams, the village’s new revenue mostly comes from outsiders, rather like a commuter tax.