Friday, March 16, 2012

Luxembourg Pledges to Liberia’s Airport Security


Read this quote in the Daily Observer, Monrovia: 


"The Deputy Prime Minister of the Duchy of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, has pledged his country’s commitment to helping with the training of Liberian airport security personnel."


In fact Luxembourg is buying votes in Monrovia and Conakry for a silly ambition to get elected member of the UN Security Council. As if it mattered to anyone else as to a couple of zealous diplomats.


Here is the quid pro quo:


"Diplomatic sources told our reporter on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the Duchy of Luxembourg is seeking support from African countries to back its bid for a position on the UN Security Council."


Sad and embarrassing for a country that used to follow principled policies. But hey, we just borrowed Euros 1 billion. We can buy all the votes we need!


World! Vote for Australia! 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

When Luxembourg imported manufacturing jobs, 50 years ago.


                   
             An old souvenir from the New York Times, 1959!


On October 29, 1958, Mr. Joe E. Gurley, a U.S. citizen residing in Luxembourg, sent a letter to the Luxembourg Government in which he urged the Minister of the Economy to consider a new economic policy. He proposed creating a task force, which he called "Board of Industrial Development" or "BID" with the goal of attracting U.S. investment and industrial corporations to Luxembourg. His argument was that a diversification of industrial activities in Luxembourg was probably desirable, even necessary, and that the U.S. industry, in the year 1958, swept into the emerging Common Market. Joe Gurley, who possessed the art of communication, brought up the argument that there was competition between the Benelux countries to bring U.S. investors into Europe. The score in this race was at that time: Netherlands 87, Belgium 38, Luxembourg 0. Read more: ..

Luxemporn under attack.


The Daily Caller reported:


‘Vigorous’ Santorum crackdown may catch Internet pornviewers with pants down



Tuesday'snews about hackers hitting the Luxembourg based porn site Digital Playground were surprising, funny, and target rich for word-play, as 72,000 members got exposed and became the butt of jokes. The mother ship Manwin elected to close down the site temporarily.

It was also an interesting documentation of how Luxembourg has become a digital haven, place of business for digital commerce (Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Ebay and ...others like  Digital Playground), thanks to its EU membership and hard tax and VAT realities.

Here we are, two days later and Luxembourg is under "Viagorous" Attack from Rick Santorum, Presidential candidate in the US. Not yet directly, but in principle.

After  saying bad things about the Luxembourg financial center with QI and Fatca, after fining Cargolux for just being nice with its competition, we now face a new US initiative: the erection of an International Morality Police cracking down on Pornolux! Take cover!

ECB Mersch Warns Risks Remain

ECB Mersch Warns Risks Remain

Indeed a prudent thing to say and to act consequently. But that's not a lot of fun. Drunken sailors won't listen.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Luxembourg: Porn without Protection.

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Luxembourg FinMin Friedman: Sees ‘problem’ for Spain deficit to be below 3% in 2013 – Bloomberg


How frustrating! There you go, jumping through hoops to get on TV like your boss and his sidekick, and after two dozen appearances, they still call you Friedman!

But Friedman or not, the FinMin's quote is very plausible.